Looking for advice on a pronghorn/mule deer setup....

[westside103147]

I'm looking into buying a dedicated pronghorn/mule deer rifle. I was thinking about picking up a wearherby vanguard S2 in .257wby, but with the price and avaliblity of ammo Im considering something else. I'm curious to see what your guys setups are and what you would recommend.


Any advice would be appreciated!

[RadSav]

270.  Any configuration Win, WSM or Wby.  I believe the 270 outperforms the 25cal in cross wind.  And there have been very few days I've hunted antelope without wind.  Two antelope ago I used about 30" of drift to put my arrow in it's heart at 55 yards...that's a lot of wind!  Although curve balls are a lot of fun

[jrebel]

25.06, .270 win, .270 wsm, 6.5 creemoor.  Those would be my picks in no particular order. 

Don't rule out the .243 either.

There are lots of calibers out there that will fit this bill.....

[Bob33]

The 257 is tough to beat. With the right load and zero you can hold on hair out to 400+.

[carpsniperg2]

257 wby and 25-06 are great choices. 270 wsm is another great pick.

[270Shooter]

If money was not an object I'd have a .26 Nosler. But my 270 has killed mule deer and antelope just fine so I guess ill just stick with that.

[Karl Blanchard]

Here you go!  Done!

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,169511.0.html

[wildweeds]

While the new kids on the block 26 nosler,28 Nosler stike a fancy,there would be absolutely nothing wrong with the old school 7MM Remington magnum,loaded down with lightweight bullets for the speed goats and the 160's for deers of mule and up for antlers of elks.It really is a versatile caliber for all north american game.I've used it on mule deer and a mountain goat.That being said I'm seriously contemplating the build of a 26 nosler,until I saw the unveiling of the 28 nosler......

[b23]

Something in 6.5-284.  Savage makes a great shooter in 6.5-284.  My second choice would be 260 Rem.

[bobcat]

It might be boring but the 30/06 can't be beat, especially since you're concerned about the cost and availability of ammo.

Same can be said about the 270 Winchester, and that's the cartridge I chose 18 years ago when I had the same dilemma.

30/06 or 270 Win, pick one, and you'll never regret it.

[Cap.Silver]

We can go to Renton range and you can try my Savage Axis in 270win . You'll have money left over to buy good scope for it too if you decide to buy one of them ...they are inexpensive ,unless of course you will feel ashamed to have cheap rifle  I do not .

[Blacklab]

Grendel     

[C-Money]

What Bobcat said, and maybe consider the 7mm-08. All great rounds with ammo about the same price. I don't like recoil, and every time I shoot my wife's 7mm-08 I wonder why I don't carry one as well.

[Timberstalker]

6.5 x 284

[Bob33]

If you are looking for a "dedicated" antelope/mule deer rifle, it sounds as though you already have other rifles.

Up to 300 yards, any standard caliber will work just fine.  Once you get into longer distances, the difference in trajectory between standard and higher velocity calibers becomes greater. At 400 yards, the difference in drop between between something like a 257 Weatherby and a 30-06 can be a foot or more.

As for ammunition cost, it may be a factor depending on how much you intend to shoot. If you're only shooting a couple boxes of ammunition a year, the difference in cost isn't going to be signficant.

There are plenty of good choices. The 270 WSM and the 257 Weatherby would top my list for a dedicated caliber.