Thats all you need. I have used a .30/06 with 180gn Swift A-frames on those Wyoming Antelope but I was just a damn tourist hunter then. It still worked though, with a body depth holdover and a plop through the heart.
Used a heavier bullet because of the heavily promoted wind which was definitely there on range day, but not so much on the prairie while hunting.
A mono would not be my first choice for antelope. The 125gr BTip has worked very well for me in a 30/06 on whitetails. Should be a good option for antelope, too!
Just about any bullet from the ‘06 would work well on pronghorn. If I were to pick a bullet, I expect the 165 grain boat tails would work very well (high bc plus reasonable velocity). Know the bullet trajectory.
If you want best results: Know the bullet trajectory, know the distance and if possible know wind velocity and direction. Down load an ap that all you need to input is bullet, velocity, wind velocity, elevation, height of scope over bore. The ap I have on my phone cost me something like $8. If you don’t have a suitable phone or ap, look up the trajectory and wind deflection on-line. Write the info down. Use a monocular or better yet binocular that gives you distance to the target. I was taught in the military how to judge distance. A range measuring binocular goes with me on every hunt any more. Way better than my ability via military training for me. I look at the ap on my phone before I get ready to shoot.
Beings anything over a .223 with a 60 gr bullet is enough for a antelope, anything that shoots good and you are confident in, is good in your.30-06. If anything avoid faster expanding bullets because antelope are fairly tender and anything to explosive will destroy more than you want. I limit antelope hunting to a 243 because anything bigger does more damage than is optimal. A TTSX may just pass through with minimal damage and let the lope run a bit......
I am not a Barnes fan, but we have shot antelope with everything from a 22lr through a 375 H & H and 45-70. My last one was with a .25-06 and 100 gr. Sierra at 300 yards. The wind had not picked up yet so it was a reasonable shot. Wind can be a bitter enemy more so than distance. In an 06 I guess I would look at the 125=150 class of bullet in normal cup and core. Speed and accuracy are you friends. Good luck.
As a couple of people have noted, wind is often more of a problem than the simple trajectory. For that reason, a bullet with a high BC is preferred, since it will be less affected by wind. I'd be tempted to stick with a 165 grain bullet.
If you're upwind from them, you usually can't get within 700 yards of them. If you are downwind, it seems like you can almost walk up to them. At 700 yards, it's not a casual, easy shot, no matter what you load, so I wouldn't worry about that alternative.
Back when my only centerfire rifle was a .30-06, my deer and antelope load for it was with 150 gr Hornady SP bullets. They worked perfectly fine. Killed a few elk with them also...
I like the first bullet you mentioned the 130 ttsx but for 30-06 myself I would go with 150 ttsx. I load my 30-06 with 150 ttsx and H4350 at 3000fps. For the 130’s I’d probably go with varget.
The advantage of a TTSX or LRX for antelope is less meat destruction. Antelope are great eating but small, so lately I've tried to avoid bullets that might destroy a lot of meat if they hit, say, a shoulder. I don't take shoulder shots on antelope, but not all hunting shots are perfect, so a mono provides a little insurance.
My last antelope was taken with a 139 grain LRX out of a .280. Probably more power than necessary, but it worked great with very little lost meat.
A mono would not be my first choice for antelope. The 125gr BTip has worked very well for me in a 30/06 on whitetails. Should be a good option for antelope, too!
No experience with the 125SST.
That and the 125 NAB. At 3,100 fps, a real killer.
Now there may be better 400 yd. bullets, but for most shots, about perfect for that size game.
A mono would not be my first choice for antelope. The 125gr BTip has worked very well for me in a 30/06 on whitetails. Should be a good option for antelope, too!
No experience with the 125SST.
That and the 125 NAB. At 3,100 fps, a real killer.
Now there may be better 400 yd. bullets, but for most shots, about perfect for that size game.
DF
A buddy used the 125 Ballistic Tip at max in his 308 on antelope. That thing shot flatter than you would think.
Killed 2 antelope at something around 350. Quarter sized exits and dead antelope very fast.
I can imagine it operating about the same from an '06
A mono would not be my first choice for antelope. The 125gr BTip has worked very well for me in a 30/06 on whitetails. Should be a good option for antelope, too!
No experience with the 125SST.
That and the 125 NAB. At 3,100 fps, a real killer.
Now there may be better 400 yd. bullets, but for most shots, about perfect for that size game.
DF
A buddy used the 125 Ballistic Tip at max in his 308 on antelope. That thing shot flatter than you would think.
Killed 2 antelope at something around 350. Quarter sized exits and dead antelope very fast.
I can imagine it operating about the same from an '06
Should be about the same or pretty close. ‘06 should run’em slightly faster if pushed.
I’ve found them to be really accurate, better than I was expecting.
And terminal performance is great on that sized critter.
First……a 30-06 is not too much cartridge. And, that 130 Barnes should work quite nicely, provided that your impact distance keeps your bullet impact velocity above 1800/1900 fps. memtb
First……a 30-06 is not too much cartridge. And, that 130 Barnes should work quite nicely, provided that your impact distance keeps your bullet impact velocity above 1800/1900 fps. memtb
They don’t have the best BC, but if you start out at 3K+ fps, still traveling at 1,800 fps should be pretty far from the muzzle. A ballistic calculator would tell exactly how far and how much drop.
A mono would not be my first choice for antelope. The 125gr BTip has worked very well for me in a 30/06 on whitetails. Should be a good option for antelope, too!
No experience with the 125SST.
I'd prefer the 125 not or nab to the 125 sst. I like the thicker base and jacket on the noslers. Look at using superformance powder if you want speed.
The 150ttsx is what I used for moose. It shot through it on the diagnostic at 547 yards but I started them at a mv of 3375 iirc from a 300 wsm. They were very accurate but I think the 150s are a pretty hard bullet. A 130 is more than enough for antelope and you can start them faster. At some point the 150s catch up but I wouldn't use them beyond a 2000 fps velocity floor.
I've heard the 168s open easier than the 150s so if you want more bc than a 130 I'd look at those. It's more than you need for antelope but I shot my last one with a 215g hybrid target. Dropped instantly with a golf ball sized exit. I'd have been fine with a 155 hybrid. The nosler 168 able would be a good 30-06 option for speed goats.
Had to borrow my buddy’s 30/06 last year when the scope on my rifle went off zero. He had 178ELDX. They worked great at about 200 yards or so. Shot my lope right in the throat as he and I were in a stare off as he caught me stocking in over a hill. All we could see was each others heads.
My buddy shot his at nearly 400. Worked great at that range too.
If you’ve got a range finder I’d be more concerned with wind drift than trajectory.
Darn near anything will kill a speed goat. I've killed a couple dozen + with everything from a .257 Roberts to a 35 Whelen AI, and only two have ever moved out of their tracks at the shot. The longer run was maybe a hundred yards max in wide open country so no problem. Shot through the heart from 350 yards with a 6.5x55, 130 NAB, if it matters. And holding 10" into the wind too, which DOES matter.
The guys talking WIND are right in that all you have to do with Pronghorn (as long as you are using some kind of expanding bullet) is HIT the vitals. It's most always windy everywhere they live. So, you might like a higher BC bullet. But if you know your drifts and can dope wind well what you're planning will be just fine.
Seems to me that instead of what would be the better bullet for an antelope out of an 06, it would be a shorter thread of the discussion on what bullet WOULD'NT work on taking an antelope. About ANY 30 cal bullet someone would prefer, would work just fine.
No one mentioned at 125 TNT Speer, which would be on my list also. Heck if I was loading something for a kid to shoot, I'd even consider a 110 grain bullet with a light powder load. Only negatives on that is distance and the wind... which if you shoot a lot of varmints, is something you have to deal with about every day.
Get the bullet in the right spot, an antelope isn't that hard to take down, especially in 30 cal.
Heck even a 22 caliber will easily take down an antelope. 222, 223, or especially a 22.250. Or any 6mm caliber, such as the ARC or the NeedMore.
I'd tend to use any of the softer bullets, instead of something hard, (like the TSX)...an antelope isn't wear a bullet proof vest. About any of the softer bullets, that have been around forever, would work better than a bullet you'd use on heavier game. Best of luck on whatever your choice may be.