Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Campfire Antelope Cartridge/Rifle

Hawk1: Many years ago (28?) I brought online a full custom pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in caliber 240 Weatherby Magnum - especially for Hunting Antelope and long range Coyotes with.
It has a 27" Hart heavy stainless barrel - it is deadly accurate and incredibly efficient ballistically with my chosen Antelope bullet.
I have a Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope on it and what a perfect caliber/set-up for Antelope Hunting it is/turned out to be.
In fact I am going to be verifying zero with it here in the next couple of weeks as I was lucky enough to be drawn for an Antelope tag this season.
Good luck in your search/inquiry.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I have shot them with a 6mm Rem(3), 25-06 Rem(1), 257 Wby, 260 Rem(1), 7x64(1), 300 WSM(1) and 308 Norma Mag.

The 257 and 308 NM were my main goat rifles for several years and accounted for the majority of them, the remaining balance of about 2 dozen. At one time I knew which round accounted for more, but cant remember anymore.

260 was the first and 25-06 was the last.

This year I am using a Rem. 788 in 243 Win shooting 43gr. IMR-4831 and a 92gr. Cavity Back bullet @3200fps.

In the past I killed a few with a 257Wthby using 100gr TTSX bullets.

Pretty much anything will kill an antelope, They aren't tough to get on the ground.

Elk Country

as far as bullets go, most everything that has been mentioned should work with a good hit. here if fla, the deer are a little smaller on average and many are killed
with 223s. most don't use the excellent win 64 gr bullet though.

lots of gun porn on this thread.

I've killed a bunch with my .243 shooting 95 grain Fusion ammo, always has worked well for me.

I've killed all of mine with a 243 Win using the 85gr. Barnes TSX. But, I just picked up a 257 WBY!

RedRabbit - Did you grin that thing to death? Not a mark on it! Nice looking buck!

I been hunting antelope since 1974,have used a lot of different cartridges to do so. Take care of the meat and they are good eating and 1st rule of taking care of the meat is to not shoot them in the meat. Allways sideways thru the ribs about 1" low and 1.5" behind the white corner on their side ,gets both lungs and no eating meat. I've used the 223 to the 50-140 Sharps over 70 head now. Perfect gun is what you want it to be and for me I could use the 243 ,6mm ,257 or 25-06 for the rest of time and not want better. Magnums aren't needed but suspect the various 6.5's would be very fine. Good binos, rangefinder, bipod or crossticks your good to go. I use a 2 wheel cart like Oregunmuley has or a pack frame to get them out. MB

.243

7mm STW.

I'm partial to 25 cal and down for pronghorn. Personal favorite is the 243.

240 Weatherby, just to be different.

I shot. My first 4 antelope with a Mauser 98 in 6 mm Rem using factory Remington 100 gr Core-Lokts. Shot two more with a Browning A-Bolt in my 300 Win mag using Federal 150 gr soft points. Shot several more with a Remington 700 or 722 in 300 Savage using various factory 150 gr bullets and another handful with a Savage 16 in 7mm/08 with 140 gr Remington Core-Lokts and 139 gr Hornady Interlocks.

I've seen a number of animals wounded with various 22 centerfires by others to leave a bad taste in my mouth for the practice. Given a bit of time, experience and knowledge I've come to realize it was a shooter problem rather than cartridge. I still have some reservations but it is a mental block on my part not based on reason.

I like the 6mm-284 or 243 with 90 gr noslers or scirocco 11s.

Mine is a Sako AV .25-06 topped with Leupold 3.5-10. Got a tag for Saskatchewan antelope this year so I'm looking forward to using it. Will probably load some 100 gr. TSX

I have personally killed multiple pronghorns in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming. The cartridges have included the .22-250 Remington, .243 Win., .257 Roberts, .257 Roberts Ackley Improved, .25-06, .257 Weatherby, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5x55, 6.5-06, .270 Win., 7x57 Mauser, .280 Remington Ackley Improved, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm STW, .308 Winchester, .30-06 and .300 WSM. Probably have killed more with the .257 Roberts than any other round—at ranges out to 550 yards, though that was finishing off one somebody else wounded, back when I was guiding.

Eileen has taken them with the .22-250 (with a 40-grain Cutting Edge Raptor at 4300 fps), .243 Winchester, .240 Weatherby, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, .257 Weatherby Magnum and .270 Winchester. She has also probably killed more with the .257 Roberts than any other round.

Have guided hunters who used the .220 Swift (my rifle, because the guy flinched even with a .25-06, because of too much shooting with a .338 Winchester Magnum), along with the usual suspects from the .243 Winchester to 7mm magnums. My hunting partners other than Eileen have also used various other rounds, including the 6.5-.284 and .280 Remington.

Will also include springbok in Africa, since they are essentially the same animal—just about exactly the same size, coloration, length of “trophy” horns, plus open country habitat and hunting techniques. Have personally used rounds from the .22-250 (out to 500 yards) to .30-06 (on my largest-horned springbok), but due to most safari hunters bring rifles in larger chamberings, have also seen them taken with such rounds as various .300 magnums from the WSM up, the wildcat .338 WSM, and .338 Winchester Magnum.

They have all killed pronghorns (and springbok) quite well.

My vote, based on purely sentimental, and multi-generational reasons, would be the .257 Roberts.

I've taken them with .257 Roberts, .264 Win Mag., 270 Win., .243 Win., .338 Win Mag., but of those the one I take most is my .264 Win Mag in a Ruger #1B. I always think of the long range shot that I might get in the open country antelope live in. The longest shot I can remember is a 250 yarder on a doe with my .338. Most have been well under 200, because I used to have the most fun trying to sneak as close to the herd before taking the shot. Old age might be creeping up on me, but I still like to try it. My last buck (2 years ago) was at 90 yards with the .270.

Brain isn't always working. Just remembered the farthest shot I have killed an antelope with was 360 yards (ranged) with my 270 Win and 130 SGK

I've killed 9 antelope with:.270 win, 30'06, 6.5 CM. I have a newly rebarreled .243 that I'm sure would work well. I guess if I had to pick one it would be my 6.5 CM. They are all built on pre 64 M70 actions/fwt barrels so there isn't much difference when it comes to the rifle.

I haven't had the pleasure of an antelope hunt yet, but if I had the opportunity I would probably, out of force of habit and my confidence in it, grab my ratty old 1966 made Winchester Model 70 push feed .270 Win. and go kill one. I'm not sure whether I've grown into the rifle or it has just worn to fit me, but I can shoot that rifle and have total confidence in the .270 for about any game. If Bell could kill a thousand elephants with a 7x57, I know damn well he could have done it 7 days a week and twice on Saturday with a .270 with a 150 grain Partition. That's probably not the bullet I'd use on a speed goat. I'd probably use a 130 grain SGK. I have about 12 rifles I know would work as well but there's no substitute for a rifle you shoot well and have confidence in.

I've been perfectly happy with the 260 Rem and 139/136gr Scenars on pronghorn. I've used 30-06, 338 Win Mag and 223AI. The 260 Rem does everything I need it to do and well.