Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Pronghorn caliber

I know what you did there !! lol


Jerry

Hee hee hee. Me too….

If you have a 30-06, .270, .280, 7mm xxx Mag or .300 xxx Mag you have what you need. So pretty much everyone that hunts out west is good. Just pick good bullets with high BC. to fight the wind.

BUT.....IF I was going to go out and buy a gun specifically for Pronghorn it would be a 25-06 or its big brother the .257 Wby. And still pick good bullets with high BC to fight the wind.

I've shot most of them with a 7mm Rem Mag, which is way more than you need. Reason being it is my primary big game rifle and shoot it better than anything else, so I take it for everything. The last one I used a 150 TTSX which didn't ruin near as much meat. I shot a couple with the 150 NBT and it left softball size exits even out past 350 yards. I shot one with a .30-06. Partners have used a .222 Rem, .243, .25-06, .270 Win and .300 Win Mag.

I might use my .223 with a 62 TSX on the next one. They aren't hard to kill if you hit them right the first time, otherwise they are tough buzzards to be sure.

A fast 6mm or .25 is probably about perfect. I had my son shoot his first one with a .25-06, DRT, not a lot of meat damage. Hard to beat that. He had the same result on his first whitetail using a .223.

have taken all of mine with handguns.

I'm partial to the 25-06.

Works for me, as do many calibers.

Let’s see 223, 22-250, 243, 250 Savage, 25-06, 257 Wby, 260, 6.5x55, 270, 280, 308, 300 WSM, probably forgot something.
All that to say cartridge doesn’t matter, shot placement does.

Ironically the longest shot I’ve ever personally took a pronghorn at was 309 yards with the 223 coincidentally.

The last one I killed was with a 240 Wby Mag, almost perfect in my opinion. Starting new, I'd go with a 6mm Creedmoor.

I've killed most of my antelope over the past 35+ years here in Wyoming with a 30.06 Some with a 25.06 and even a couple with a .35 Whelen. Nowadays after shoulder surgery I'm using a .243 or a .223. A .223 Remington with a mono bullet works just fine.

I shot my first one ever this year with a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 16" Q Fix and a 140gr S&B bullet I paid about $13 for per box. Dropped immediately, kicked and bled out for about 45 seconds.

If I ever get the chance to do it again. I'll take my Fieldcraft in 224V.

6mm creedmoor if u just want an excuse to buy a new rifle.

Run the numbers on a 100gr Sierra Gamechanger moving along at 3100 fps. Rather impressive drop/drift and still over 1100 ft/lbs of energy at 500 yards. And it’s kid friendly for an added bonus.

Beyond 300 yards, a 6CM is a lot more than just another factory 243.

I've had those ballistics in my 6mm Rem a long time. No new rifle needed and NO man bun.

Jerry

What bullet and twist rate? To match the ballistics cited at 500 yards means you must be shooting a pretty slippery bullet in your 6mm Rem.

Jordan I don't remember xactly if the Rem 6mm has a 9 or 9 1/2 twist ?

" Run the numbers on a 100gr Sierra Gamechanger moving along at 3100 fps"

Wesley2 used 100 Sierra Gamechanger and

3100 fps is no trip for a 22" bll 6mm Rem.


Jerry

I think what Jordan meant is you could easily get the 3100 with it Jerry but your M6 doesn’t have the twist to handle that bullet. But I get what you meant.

Lope aren't hard to kill, but can be hard to hit with the wyoming wind...

I’ve taken em with 257 AI, 6mm-250, 257 Rob, and 7-08.

.25-06, .270 Win, .30-06, .243, .260, .308, whatever.

They’ll all work.

Pronghorns are thin skinned (practically tear the hide with your hands), fragile muscle (tear that with your hands too), hollow bones. But if not hit in the front half can be very tenacious. I learned that lesson myself.

Thanks B, IIRC Rem's twist in the 6mm is 1/9. How much faster twist OR how much diff is 1/8 over 1/9 ?

Jerry

My 243AI will drive a 100g Partition almost that fast.