antelope Rifle?

[sled]

  Just curious what everyone is shooting Antelope with, also the ranges you are shooting them.

[bobcat]

I haven't shot an antelope since 2001, but I used my 270 Win. and I don't think it can be beat as an antelope cartridge.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Long time ago I bought a .25-06 for just that purpose.  Never did hunt antelope, but I still think it's a good 'lope cartridge.  Hell, good for just about anything, actually.

[BLKBEARKLR]

used a 243 on ten lopes this year, all the gun you need. I know Wyoming it is illegal to use a 22-250. I dont know how small they let the caliber go to there for Antelopes.

Joe

[longrange7mm]

shot several with a 257 roberts, and a 2506 longest shot on a speed goat was 537

[Craig]

Used my .300 ultra mag this year. About 150 yards. I'm sure anything will be fine.

[carpsniperg2]

270wsm would be my choice. Very flat shooting, 120-140 grain bullet is more then enough for any speed goat. I shot mine with a 30-06 worked just fine.

[Bob33]

used a 243 on ten lopes this year, all the gun you need. I know Wyoming it is illegal to use a 22-250. I dont know how small they let the caliber go to there for Antelopes.

Joe

"Wyoming statutes authorize the use of a firearm that has a barrel bore diameter of at least twenty-three-hundredths (23/100) of an inch and is chambered to fire a center-fire cartridge not less than two (2) inches in overall length,"

Antelope are not hard to kill.  They can be difficult to hit.  They are small, and often shot at distances in excess of 300 yards.  Flat shooting rifles allow for less correction at longer distances.  A caliber that drops 8" at 400 yards should in theory be easier to hit with than a caliber that drops 20" at 400 yards.

A standard caliber like a 270 or 30-06 works fine.  A faster caliber like a 270 WSM or a 257 Weatherby works even better, everything else being equal.

[jackelope]

I suspect that a 257Roy would be about perfect.
 

[cohoho]

.308 works pretty well.....

[sakoshooter]

I think antelope is where a 25.06 or 257 would shine using 100 - 120gr bullets. But then again, if you hand load a .270 or 30.06 with these same bullets, they'll shoot almost exactly the same velocities and trajectories. What's the difference then? Not much. You're splittin hairs.
Any deer caliber will be perfect. I'd pay more attention to bullet weight. Light for caliber, flat shooting bullets will be best in the open country antelope live in.

What gun do you have now?
Do you hand load?
Or are you just looking for a reason to buy a new rifle?

[Ray]

.25-06

[Bob33]

I suspect that a 257Roy would be about perfect.
 

A .257 100 grain at 3600 ft/second is pretty tough to be beat.  You can sight it in to be 3" high at its high point, and still only be 5" to 6" low at 400 yards.  There are not too many other calibers that can compete with that.

Antelope are easy to kill.  They can be hard to hit.  Distances after often north of 300 yards.  The more accurate your gun is, the better.  The flatter is shoots, the better.

[throttlejocky20]

Going to Montana next year for a speed goat. I will be carring my 243 model 700. shooting 95 grain sst. With the right conditions I wont even think twice about a 400 yard shot.

[bearpaw]

I agree, the 257 Wthby is about the most perfect antelope round ever concieved. And it's great for deer and coyote. It's also pretty deadly on varmints, bear, elk, and even moose. I even have a past moose hunter who had shot his Kodiak Brown Bear with his 257 with 1 shot. It's the only gun he owns and he has killed nearly every specie in North America with 1 shot.

The 243, 25/06, 264 Win Mag, and a host of other rounds do the job well, but when you get right down to it, as Bob33 said, "A .257 100 grain at 3600 ft/second is pretty tough to be beat."  

Here is an excellent article about the 257 Wtby:  http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammunition/ST257weatherbymagnum_031706/index.html

[bobcat]

I think antelope is where a 25.06 or 257 would shine using 100 - 120gr bullets. But then again, if you hand load a .270 or 30.06 with these same bullets, they'll shoot almost exactly the same velocities and trajectories. What's the difference then? Not much. You're splittin hairs.
Any deer caliber will be perfect. I'd pay more attention to bullet weight. Light for caliber, flat shooting bullets will be best in the open country antelope live in.

I'm not sure light for caliber bullets are best for long distance shooting. I'd rather have a better ballistic coefficient and less wind drift which means heavier bullets. In .277 I'd go 140 or 150 and in .308 I'd go 165 minimum. Of course like you said, a lot of this is just splitting hairs- a 130 grain .277 bullet or 150 grain in .308 would work well also. But I'd definitely not go lighter than that.

[YoungBuck]

Have'nt shot a speed goat yet but I imagine my 25-06 would do well

[nwwanderer]

7mm Rem Mag and 243 here.  You can do it with one shell at 40 yards or bring a couple pockets full for the 40mph 400 yard shot.

[throttlejocky20]

7mm Rem Mag and 243 here.  You can do it with one shell at 40 yards or bring a couple pockets full for the 40mph 400 yard shot.

agreed 100 percent. But what im seeing here people are thinking that hunting prongs means a long shot, If your not within your comfort range with what ever gun you shoot try to get closer or wait for the next opertunity.

[cascademountainhunter]

I used my 270 win. But now my 7mm mag to reach out a lil further.

[MuleySniper]

Man now I really want to hunt lopes in Wyoming... A good excuse to get a .257 wby.
MS

[high country]

I would choose the 257 roy or.... a quick twist 6-06 throated for a big berger.

[ribka]

G' dang it. A guy wants to sell  me a 257 roy sub moa for a very good price. Now am going to have to buy it for a lope hunt next year. The 243, 270, or 6.5 wont do it 

[Bob33]

G' dang it. A guy wants to sell  me a 257 roy sub moa for a very good price. Now am going to have to buy it for a lope hunt next year. The 243, 270, or 6.5 wont do it 

I hate it when that happens

[elkaholic123]

270WSM   They are flat and fast with 140gr Accubonds 

[Bob33]

FWIW, here are the records I've kept on pronghorn calibers and distances:

Number killed by caliber:
25-06                25
257 Roberts   1
257 Weatherby   14
270 WSM      5
300 Win Mag         5
30-06                3
Total                53

Longest shot: 418 yards
Shortest shot: 32 yards
Average shot: 253 yards
Number of animals shot over 300 yards: 22
Number of animals shot over 350 yards: 11
Number of animals shot over 400 yards: 3

Even though I own and love a 257 Roy, I took a 270 WSM to Wyoming this year and killed five antelope with five shots.  I personally think the 257 is the ultimate antelope caliber, but the others are fine if you know your gun and practice.  Usually, but not always you can get closer. However, it that Boone & Crockett 85" buck pokes his head up at 450 yards....

[ribka]

Gasman was kind enough to "lend" his 257 Bob for few shots this year in Wy Lope hunt.  Really good flat shooting round. I imagine the 257 Roy can only be better

[Hangfire]

My wife, son and I have used the following, 30-06, 243, 244, 300 wby. 30-30, 44 mag handgun, 50 cal CVA  and archery.

The best hunts are the one where you stalk the pronghorn (they are not a antelope but a separate critter called a pronghorn) according to the weapon in hand. We have never lost a animal but have missed a few.

My wife's first pronghorn was 427 paces with her 244 Herters J-9. The furthest shot was my wife using our sons 300 wby, 1 shot at over 500 yds. Most killed in the 200 yard area. The muzzle loader a .495 round ball with 90 gr of 3FFF at 80 yards. Archery all under 40 yards to 14 yards.

They die easy, hit through lungs behind shoulder. We have found several that had there lower jaw shot off. I don't know why that should be common but was. Would see them for several days.

Probably the most enjoyable hunting trip, you knew you would see and get one, wonderfull drive, stop at many of the roadside attractions: Custer battle field, Buffalo Bill museum. Look at the Wyoming rest stops neatest solar heated I have ever seen.  A really fun trip.

[JimmyHoffa]

They die easy, hit through lungs behind shoulder.

I've heard this before about them and animals similar to them.  What I heard explained is that certain animals (like this one) evolved to have large lungs/hearts to cycle the blood through quickly....so they can sustain that 45+ mph run for a long duration.  So anything that damages this system will put them down quickly---basically their best defense (good internals for running away from you) can be their worst enemy at times (they will get air in the bloodstream/bleed out more quickly).  Other animals that aren't 'runners', take a bear or cougar (they are fast sprinters, but not designed for running like deer/pronghorn/etc) don't have the same type of lung capacity or circulatory rate so their heart lungs are proportionally smaller for their size--weird though--the system isn't as critical for them, but since it is more compact a hit there is still effective.

[finnman]

I bought an A-bolt II in .25-06 this summer for Antelope in 2011. It ended up killing 2 muley bucks and a WT buck this fall, was using 100 gr. NP at 3300 fps, they group well at 200 yards. All three bucks were killed with a single pass through shot. I think this setup is about as perfect a load for Antelope you can find! Recoil is mild, trajectory is very flat, the bullet will do the job at 50 or 550 yards.
Really looking forward to using it in WY in 2011!!!

[nwwanderer]

Many years ago my Dad with his early model 70 30-06 snuck on a bedded buck near Kaycee, WY.  Took the shot and the buck rocketed off on the typical 5 mile circle.  While he was watching, wondering what happened I took another nice buck less than a mile away, again bedded at less than 100 yards with my 243.  While dealing with my buck the original 'miss' was on a path to come very close.  We stayed put, set up and all of the does blew by at about 50 yards.  No buck.  We back tracked a few yards and there he was stone dead and dry as a bone.  The first shot had nicked his carotid and he had run at least five miles before bleeding out.  The moral of this story is watch the goats after the shot!

[GoldTip]

I've shot a few antelope back home in Montana.  I've used 240wby, 25-06, 30-06 and 300winny.  All got the job done quite well, none seemed like over kill or underkill.  Shots were between 50 and 380 yards.  Longest shot was basically a tie at 373 or something in that neighborhood with the 25-06 and 380 with the 240wby.  Both bucks dropped at the shot.  Shoot whatever you shoot best, but if you just wanna get a new gun, I'd focus somewhere around the 25cal.

[sakoshooter]

I suspect that a 257Roy would be about perfect.
 

A .257 100 grain at 3600 ft/second is pretty tough to be beat.  You can sight it in to be 3" high at its high point, and still only be 5" to 6" low at 400 yards.  There are not too many other calibers that can compete with that.

Antelope are easy to kill.  They can be hard to hit.  Distances after often north of 300 yards.  The more accurate your gun is, the better.  The flatter is shoots, the better.

Bob33,
257 Roberts or Weatherby? What are you loading to achieve 3600fps. Just curious.

[Bob33]

Definitely a Weatherby to get 3600 with 100 grains.  That's not too difficult to achieve: the factory 100 grain is rated at 3570.  Many 257 shooters I know like RL22 with a 100 grain TSX: 70 to 72 grains.
http://www.weatherby.com/_docs/Weatherby_catalog_ballistics.pdf

[sakoshooter]

Thanx Bob. That chart shows much faster velocities than any of my reloading manuals. That's why I was curious.

[engelwood]

I shot my lope in 2008 with a 300 WSM at 332 yards. Did the trick without a problem. Dad shot his that year at 235 with the same gun. I think you can shoot them with almost anything legal and you'll be in good shape. I'd just take the most accurate gun you have and roll with it.

[bearpaw]

I suspect that a 257Roy would be about perfect.
 

agreed....

[gasman]

Ribka and I took 8 out of 10 lope with my .257 bob durring our 2010 hunting trip.

 

[bearpaw]

Ribka and I took 8 out of 10 lope with my .257 bob durring our 2010 hunting trip.

 

Any of the 25's are darn good guns....  of course I can't think of many bad guns.