Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 30-06 bullet for antelope

What bullet would be best to try working up loads for an antelope hunt?

Would the 165 AccuBonds be a good choice???

It would be a damn good choice if it shoots accurately from your rifle at the given distances you intend to shoot...

Others to try would be:

1. 165gr. ballistic tip
2. 165gr. Hornady sp interlock
3. 165gr. Hornady btsp interlock
4. 165gr. Sierra gameking

Any 150 or 165 spritzer will work wonderfully. I imagine you'd have to try pretty hard to make a bad choice, so you whatever you choose you can hunt with confidence.

I've had great luck with Hornady 165 grain BTSP on 20+ antelope. The antelope have never gone very far and all the bullets have exited. I've also used 165 grain SSTs, some 180 grain Partitions and an extended range variant of a Remington Core-Lokt on a few here and there. All the animals died in sight, though the Partitions on balance seemed to cause a little more bloodshot meat. Maybe I hit bone with those....

Antelope are hardy, but pretty lightly built, so I don't think it matters much; shoot what is accurate in your gun.

I'm going antelope hunting this year and I have two 30/06 rifles that I want to bring. One of them I used last year and took two doe antelope with 180 grain Sierra 180 grain Pro-Hunters. This year I'm going to try working up a load for the other rifle using 150 grain Nosler etips. Hopefully they'll shoot good in my rifle. It's a Husqvarna made in 1952 and I just think it's a really cool old rifle. My other rifle, a Weatherby Vanguard just really shot great with those 180 grain Sierra's and that's why I just went ahead and used them, even though obviously a 180 grain bullet isn't necessary to kill an antelope. But it worked very well and neither antelope was TOO dead. I have some loaded cartridges left over from last year but no more bullets to load, so just for fun I'm kind of wanting to try some of the Hornady 178 grain ELD-X bullets this time.

Having said all that, what I will say is that in my opinion there really isn't any wrong bullet for antelope. The main criteria should be accuracy. What I like about the Etip is that it won't matter if I shoot it through both shoulders, that bullet shouldn't ruin much meat, if any. I also like the fact that I should be able to get about 3,000 feet per second, which is pretty fast for a 30/06. Now the ELD-X is entirely different but I like it for it's high ballistic coefficient and the rumors I've heard that they're accurate. But if I don't get them to shoot as good as the Sierra's I'll probably use the Sierra's again this year.

I totally agree that I should go with whatever shoots the best and that is my full intentions. I'm hoping a 165gr bullet can work out for me but if I move from the 165's I will most likely go to a 180gr since I know it likes several of them from past experiences. I just don't care to go smaller than 165's in my 06 because in my eyes it seems you start losing some of the good qualities in using that chambering to begin with ... Like a heavier bullet that hits with some authority and bucks the wind a bit better.

110 or 130 Barnes TTSX. Shoots like a laser and wonderfully accurate in the .308's and 30.06's that we use.

I'm really surprised that some are recommending 165-180gr bullets for antelope. Aren't they about the same size as our local blacktails, about 125 lbs or less? I switched to 150's about 25years ago, first Speers and now Barnes and the lighter bullets have proven to work excellently with great accuracy.
Why would you use a bullet weight designed for deer/elk sized game? Just curious as antelope are on my bucket list along with whitetail.

Wind drift.
For a dedicated pronghorn load I'd give the 165 a small edge. An 06 will drive a 165 at a decent clip, providing a good compromise between trajectory and drift. Often a fair breeze in antelope country.

Although the 150 would be a fine choice too.

Casey

Wind ... Plus the fact of possibly having a great shooting/performing load with the 165 AccuBond that would suffice for other big game like Elk, muleys, black bear, etc. Not having to come up with a new load for future hunts would be a great benefit!

I've used bullets up to 200 grains in the .30-06 for antelope, partly due to minimal wind-drift and partly due to shooting up less of the great meat, if by chance the bullet does end up in or near a shoulder. In fact I used 200-grain Nosler Partitions years ago, before all the present high-BC bullets had appeared, and they worked great.

Exactly, I totally agree...When the 165gr. pill first hit the scene, they were said to be the perfect weight for the 30-06. I will also agree with JB, in that the 200gr. partition is an awesome bullet for the ol 06. It's one of my favorites in the 06 for elk hunting in the timber around here...

I'm thinking they're looking for B.C., wind stability with 165's, etc.

For WT's I like 130 gr. Hornady SP's out of my '06. They blow thru WT chests, quick kills, impressive wounds, entrance and exit bleeding. But the B.C. isn't as good as with longer bullets.

DF

I like the 168 grain TTSX in my 30-06s. Works equally well on everything and shoots extremely well in all rifles in 30-06 I have owned.

Some hunting buds, father and son, like that bullet in their .300 RUM and .30-378 Wby...

DF

I'd think about how fast I could get a 155 Berger VLD going on top of one of the newer powders like Big Game. That bullet is as slick as several of the non-VLD 165's under consideration.

+1

I shot a small whitetail doe with my 30-06 and a 200gr partition and almost no meat damage.
Underrated all around load.

If I was going after speed goats with an '06, I'd be thinking along those lines. HVLD's expand at non-magnum velocities, are slick in the wind and are efficient killers. Big Game had worked well for me in the '06. Shots can be long and crosswind not uncommon.

DF

they will all do it. even a 110. the 165 grain accubond all around good for elk too. for antelope a 155, or 167 scenar, 168 berger , 168 ballistic silver tip..... and more... 30-06 awesome.