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

I'd like to know the particulars of those who have used 17 cal rifles to kill antelope. I've got theories, but I've never done it, so I'd like to hear from those who have.

I suspect that you are writing about pronghorn, not African antelope.

I've used 22-250, 6mm, 7x57, 280, 30-06, 25-06, 270, 308, 264, 7mm RM and perhaps others. Except for a bullet failure with a 6mm back when bullet selection for the 6mm was very poor, they all worked fine.

This year I will likely be using a 6mm, I'm not sure which cartridge yet. But my 6mm Remington 700 shoots 95 grain Partitions in less than 1/2 MOA and pronghorn is not a tough animal (except it's bones can be). But maybe a 257 Roberts... If I take the Roberts the bullet will be a 85 grain CT.

My choice would be a flat shooting cartridge with a bullet that can expand easily and hold together if a bone is hit - partitions will do that in every cartridge I've used them in.

A 243, 6mm Remington, 240, 6mm-06 are all excellent pronghorn cartridges. So is the 25 cartridges from 250 to 257 Weatherby. And then there's bigger calibers...

I have most of the above named cartridge rifles. While I suspect that many of the pronghorn I've shot are under 100 yard shots, many were 200-300 yard shots. One was maybe 600+ yards (foolish youth).

If I eliminated that long shot, any of the above will work fabulously. The last time someone asked what my favorite pronghorn cartridge was, I said 25-06. After this year, it might be a 6mm.

In 2006 I used my Cooper 17 Rem. with a Leupold 3.5-10 scope and shot a buck goat. I did not want too far of a shot and was hoping for around 100 yds or so. If a good shot did not present itself I was not going to shoot. I always take a backup rifle with on distant trips. Going up over a hill there was a young buck about 110 to 120 yards away broadside. Offhand I placed one Hornady 25 gr hp in the lungs. It ran hard for about 50 to 60 yds and tipped over dead. Maybe not the best caliber to use, but it can be done. No exit hole. This year I will be using Win 243's. If I had to pick what I think is the perfect goat caliber it would be 6mm. Also great on the occasional coyote or badger we run into. It is great fun hunting these speedsters. Their eyesight is just phenomenal. I have read that it is equal to a human looking through a 10x scope. Load was 20.5 gr H332, CCI 400, 2.235" COAL, @ 3814 fps. Safe in my rifle, but may not be in yours.

Belgian commercial 98/ .257 Roberts/ 100 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip

257R, pre64 M70 with 100gr BTips/IMR4350 worked great for me...

Why did you leave the .260?