Antelope/Mule Deer Caliber Recs

[MtnWest]

Love my .264 mag but honestly it doesn't do anything my '06 won't do at 300 besides waste more meat.

At 300 the drop is so minimal most calibers are very close. A 165 @ 2900 '06 is not the slouch most people think. Granted it is a vanilla plain jane caliber that gets the job done.

Might as well get a new rifle though and keep the '06 for elk. That 7-08 is sure sweet.

 

[have gun will travel]

270 win or 7mm. Have my vote. I hand load but always want a caliber that's easy to find ammo in a pinch. You never know when an airline can loose your bags or some other freak accident.

 

[WyOpitz]

7mm08 is a great caliber, currently converting mine to a 6.5 creedmoor. Can't go wrong with the 6.5 calibers for deer size game and smaller. If you reload, 260 rem is a good choice, if you don't reload either stick with 7mm08 or 6.5 creedmoor due to more selections regarding factory ammo. For hunting, I don't think there is any advantage over one cartridge or another.

 

[Jaeger62]

How would wind affect a 150gr SST in 30-.06 as compared to the common 6mm calibers?

 

[MKotur325]

The 6mm's or the 6.5mm's?

 

[Jaeger62]

The 6mm's or the 6.5mm's?

My bad. the 6.5mm

 

[Big Slick]

Love my .264 mag but honestly it doesn't do anything my '06 won't do at 300 besides waste more meat.

At 300 the drop is so minimal most calibers are very close. A 165 @ 2900 '06 is not the slouch most people think. Granted it is a vanilla plain jane caliber that gets the job done.

Might as well get a new rifle though and keep the '06 for elk. That 7-08 is sure sweet.

The 165 is my favorite bullet weight for my '06. I have my longest kill at 415 yards on a doe antelope. Trying to figure out why I use a 300 wsm these days.

 

[MKotur325]

I think it all stems back to shooting in wind. If we look at Factory ammo. A .30-06 with 150gr SST at 2900FPS and a 6.5mm with a 140SST at 2900FPS. This could be achieved with a 6.5-284, or a .264WM. Below is what my ballistic solver shows based off a 250yd zero at approx 4000' elevation. Results are for 400 and 500 yds

6.5mm
Remaining velocity fps
2275 @ 400
2132 @ 500

Energy ftlbs
1609 @ 400
1413 @ 500

Drop
15.2" @ 400
33.6" @ 500

Wind at 10mph
9.5" @ 400
15.2" @ 500

.30-06
Remaining Velocity fps
2130 @ 400
1959 @ 500

Energy ftlbs
1511 @ 400
1178 @ 500

Drop
16.3" @ 400
36.5" @ 500

Wind Deflection 10mph wind
12.2" @ 400
19.9" @ 500

If you will Notice, the 6.5 will actually carry more velocity, more energy and have less wind deflection at 400 and beyond than the .30-06 with a 150. Its all about BC. Do know, Handloading with a .264WM you should be able to achieve at least 2975-3050, possibly 3100 with a 140 gr. I personally would go to the Interbond or a Nosler Accubond over an SST, just a bonded core. I have better terminal performance on bone with bonded slugs. Is it a significant diference? your call, if you can push the velocity on the .264, you will see more diference.

A .260, 6.5 Creedmore and similar will perform more like the '-06 but with less recoil than either.

If you wanted to run the '-06, and decrease wind deflection, shoot a 180.

So you know. At a given distance, wind deflection is linear based on speed. Hence, the .30-06 has 12.2" in a 10mph wind. You can read that as 1.22"/MPH so if the winds speed is 20 you would have 24.4" Deflection. and so forth.

My point is this: Inside 400yds, Incremental benefits to wind make the biggest difference to me. Because wind is the least predictable variable.

Let me know if this helps!!

 

[sbhooper]

Unless you are looking for an excuse to get a new rifle, there is nothing wrong with the '06. Number one, you need to not think about half-mile shots and concentrate on HUNTING, which means getting as close as possible. If you HAVE to take a long shot, by not being able to get closer, then the '06 will do everything you need. If you are going to do a potential long-range (over 400 yard) shot, then you better have done your homework no matter what mega-rifle you think you want. No rifle is a cure-all. It takes lots of practice, knowledge of bullet construction and BC, and knowing EXACTLY what your rifle performance is. Absolute cartridge performance as far as velocity, drop etc. is necessary, whether you shoot a 30-30 or an over-the-county-line-lazer-super-slayer magic rifle.

 

[Jaeger62]

Absolute cartridge performance as far as velocity, drop etc. is necessary, whether you shoot a 30-30 or an over-the-county-line-lazer-super-slayer magic rifle.

But I wanted one of those Super-Slayers....



And great information MKotur! Thanks

 

[Gr8bawana]

Antelope/muley rifle

I've hunted with Remington model 700 in 7mm mag since 1980. It still has the Leupold VX2 2-7 which is what I could afford at the time and I figure why mess with something that works.
I shoot factory Remington 150 grain core-loct for deer and antelope and 175 grain for elk.
In that time I have taken countless mule deer at ranges from 50-300 yards, 3 antelope at ranges from about 100 yards to 416 yards, and 2 elk both were from 250-300 yards. I suppose I was lucky but both elk dropped in their tracks.
The 7mm has a very good BC even with factory loads and it will reach out and touch them with authority. One good thing about shooting factory loads is you can find them most everywhere.

 

[jvanderlinde]

25-06 hands down. cheap, fast and flat. What else do you want? I hand reload 115g Nosler ballistic tips, right around 3050fps. its a 400 yard gun everyday of the week.

 

[MKotur325]

If you really want a "Super Slayer Lazer Rifle"... Be prepaired to pay, but you could take a look at something like a 7RUM, 7STW, or 7.21 Firebird. Or... If you Really want to damage some shoulder cartilage... you could always just get a .338 Lapua For the truly flat shooting... Some Gunsmiths will Wildcat the RUM case down to 6.5 that would be a screamer...

If you have the excuse to get a new rifle, go ahead and get a new rifle, my point in all this is find the rifle you like, and get it in a reasonable cartridge. If you can, try and find a cartridge that passes the Gas Station test.

 

[bjtc_brian]

6.5-284 gets my vote. I just made one this year(put a pre-chambered barrel on a savage action) and am in total love with it! It loves the Barnes 127 gr LRX, <.5" at 100 yards, and holds that out to at least 700 yards. I shot my lope this year at 450 yards, DRT one shot to the ground it went. Super flat, super easy on the shoulder, not a rifle to cause flinching. Also, I like the fact that with my scope being turned to 20x, the recoil doesn't take me too far off the target, so re-finding the target is much easier.

I also had a custom .338 Lapua built this year, and built a Rem 260 for my father(built the same way as the 6.5-284). When it comes to wind, I would say none are any better than the other. You have a ballistics profile for each one, and that's how you determine. Now with that being said, all my rifles effective distance drops depending on the consistency of the wind. Also, with those three rifles, I would choose the 6.5-284 every time if I need the best one.

My .02

 

[JohnCushman]

I bought a 25-06 specifically for antelope and I haven't regretted it yet.

 

[ERSS]

My favorite gun and load for pretty much all big game at this point is a Winchester extreme weather (blued version ) .270 WSM. It has the classic action, claw extraction. Light gun, comes from factory with full bedded quality stock, fluted standard taper barrel and easily adjustable trigger. 140 grain accubonds can get close to 3200 FPS and accuracy is great. Topped with a Vortex Viper 4-16x44 HS, and it is good to go on deer sized game out to 500 yards. Also have a .243 WSSM that is a flat shooting screamer and can be loaded with 55 grain Vmax for coyotes or loaded up to 100 grains for deer/antelope. My kids and wife love to shoot the .243 WSSM.

Oldest daughter and son grew up hunting with a Howa 7mm-08, very effective, no complaints there.

 

[Summitthunting]

.300 WBY, shoot one gun for everything and you will shoot that one gun well. I have a .257 Roberts, .270, 7mm-08, 7x57, 30-06, 300 WBY, and a .338 Win. I always end up taking the Weatherby.

 

[1_pointer]

If you really want to, you can make that 30-06 zing a bit more, just change bullets. I'd take a good long look at the 155gr Lapua Scenar. BC is published at .508 which is pretty darn good, especially when you can get them moving 2900-3000fps. It'll only drift about 16" in a 10mph wind at 500yds, putting it neck and neck with the 6.5-284 listed above.

If you like your 30-06 well enough, the cost of a new rifle, scope, etc would buy a WHOLE lot of components for shooting your 30-06 and learning to shoot longer ranges. However, if you just want a new gun get a new gun...

 

[----]

When I daydream about a flat side rifle, I always end up with a 24-25" 6.5-06 on a 700 action with a McMillan stock. 140 grain accubonds should do the trick out of it.

 

[noharleyyet]

140 gr Tipped Triples from a 7 mag #1...reach and parallel