Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Pronghorn caliber

“Overgunned” as eluded to by Mule Deer is certainly a problem..... though, a shooter problem and not an Antelope killing problem! No one should be shooting any game animal with any firearm/cartridge that they are not competent or confident with .... no matter the cartridge!

I also agree, that shooting Antelope (or any game animal classified as eatable) with a highly frangible or violently expanding bullet @ high velocities .....IMO borders on a criminal act! In Wyoming “Wanton Waste” of a game animal is considered a crime. Knowingly using a cartridge/bullet combination that creates massive, unnecessary damage to edible portions of a game animal should be classified as “Wanton Waste”!

I’m certain that this opinion is not welcomed by some hunters(?) / sportsmen(?) ! memtb

Nothing special.

If you've got money to waste look at a .264wm, .25-06, any of the 6.5s,... Those all come to mind when I think of antelope.

-Jake

.223 and up.

Use whatever’s comfortable for you. My grandpa only ever used a 30/30 with open sights, anything else would be better than that.

Very true.

One of these days, I'm going to have to make a trip for the pronghorn.

Hit one wrong once. They have to be about the toughest animal in the entire World with a bullet in the Paunch

A fast twist .220 Swift has taken a number of nice bucks for me.......

I've always considered the.257 wby the quintessential antelope cartridge. Wish I still had mine. But my .270 wby and 6mm creedmoor will kill em deader than Biden's brain cells just fine.

.224 TTH with a 75 grain A-Max has worked well fore me.

I used a 270 quite a bit then switched to a 7-08, and then, for the past decade or so it's I've used a fast twist 243.

I've guided for them quite a bit. We've had guys use 22-250 to 300 Win Mags. They all worked if the hunter could shoot.

Something in the 22-250/243/6.5 Creed/7-08 range is good medicine.

I’ve never killed one but if I were to go on a lope hunt.
I’d be taking my 6.5 CM with 130s or the 270 win with 140s as I’m consistent to 600 yards

.243 and .25-06 are the first two cartridges that come to mind for me when I think antelope. I’m hoping to use my .25-06 for them next fall.

Antelope are easy and fun to hunt. Almost anything will work if you hunt them in the badlands and away from the crowds and roads. You can sneak up a coulee and get close, more fun that way.

Now wide open plains with roads and other hunters.... well , fast and flat with high B.C. bullets is your huckleberry.....

I guess in campfire tradition I didn't answer the op's question..... soo the caliber I choose is 24 cal. followed by 26 cal. Case doesn't matter much, a fast twist barrel and a high B.C. bullet helps as does velocity.
Shot my last one with a custom 1/8 twist 240 Wby. with a 115gr Berger vld. Next one will be a 1/8 twist 220 swift with a 75 gr Amax

I think that the majority of people did give an answer! Most gave the cartridge/caliber they use and have success with. I probably gave the least specific answer, or perhaps I answered most appropriately! 🤔 memtb

Well, at least you didn't say .375 this time.. Ha ha.. We know Mrs. memtb would be using a .338 too..

7X57

Between my wife , myself and a hunting buddy. We have used .223, 6mm rem, 257 roberts , 30/30, and 300wby.
When my buddy shot a decent buck at 75 yds with his 300wby and 180 partitions, I was thinking alot of wasted meat, nope nice little hole in and out and d
DRT.
I shot a doe at 200 with my 300wby and no wasted meat.
But the trip I enjoyed the most I shot my 257 bob in Ruger #1
Jeff

.24, .25 and .26 at just about perfect calibers for pronghorns in my opinion and experiences and any of the others mentioned are just fine also. They are small and typically shot a little further away so flat trajectory and accuracy are helpful. Like MD indicated though the less meat you waste the happier you’ll be. Pronghorn is probably my favorite game animal relative to table fare.

That said I have used a .250 Savage,6mm Remington and .260 Remington several times and a .240 Weatherby lately.

PennDog