skimerhorn
Member
What do you guys recommend as a decent antelope gun that will get the job done without being overkill?
best antelope gun?
- Thread starter skimerhorn
- Start date
JohnCushman
Well-known member
My 25-06 has killed a lot of antelope
Gunner46
Well-known member
shoots-straight
Well-known member
For years myself and 2 buddies killed a semi trailer load of antelope with .220 Swift, and .22/250 rifles. That was before Barnes made bullets like they do.
jryoung
Well-known member
Define overkill, too much gun, availability/cost of ammo?
For simplicity and ammo I'd look at a 243, 25-06, 260 Rem (in that order).
Upside versatility and style points: 257 Weatherby
Classy: 264 Winchester in a Pre64 M70
Get it done all day every day: 270 WCF
Wildcat: 25-06AI, 6.5 SAUM 4s (Hornady brass available this summer)
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
25-06
VAspeedgoat
Well-known member
Long action 25-06, .270
Short action .243, .260, 7mm08
Short action .243, .260, 7mm08
ovis2
Well-known member
I think the old saying still applies here - shoot what you shoot best. I've killed several freezers worth of antelope with my trusty 30.06 - mostly with 165 gr bullets. I'm generally a one-gun kind of guy - it's worked on everything from antelope to moose. However, between me and me kids we've also used a .243, a .270, and a 25.06 to kill a bunch. The only (slight) negative is that these smaller calibers can have a problem with wind drift - and the wind is always blowing where we hunt pronghorn on the high prairies of Wyoming.
Ahhh, that reminds me of my very windy hometown, Great Falls, MT. The joke when I was growing up was that one day the wind quit blowing....and everyone fell over.
Ahhh, that reminds me of my very windy hometown, Great Falls, MT. The joke when I was growing up was that one day the wind quit blowing....and everyone fell over.
Chad Gus
Well-known member
Don't know what the best caliber is, but my .270wsm has worked great for me. Taken antelope from 50-500 yards with it.
deer_shooter
Well-known member
I'm partial to my 7mm mag. Maybe not the best choice but with 120 gr Barnes it does the trick.
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
270. Cheap, flat, and fast.
Hem
Well-known member
My Remington Sendero in 25.06 has been smacking them for years,....up until I stopped successfully drawing tags. I love everything about this rifle.
BuzzH
Well-known member
I have shot more antelope with a 6mm than any other caliber...
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
Every antelope I've killed has been with my Savage lightweight hunter in 260, nice light weight rifle, very manageable recoil ...................... BTW my lifetime total on antelope is 'one' so you can toss my opinion if you want, but I do really like my 260.
It doesn't take much to kill an antelope. I try to avoid high velocities and frangible bullets, because there isn't a hell of a lot meat on a pronghorn to begin with.
An old friend and boss of mine killed piles of antelope with a .220 Swift.
An old friend and boss of mine killed piles of antelope with a .220 Swift.
Southwind
New member
I don't know about best and never believed in overkill but what I have used over the years has been 243, 270 wcf, 270 wsm, 7mm rem mag. and even a 30-30. Many good choices out there.
Shoot what you like, feel comfortable and confident with.
Shoot what you like, feel comfortable and confident with.
