I've got my hunt booked for September with Monster Critters Outfitting in Wyoming. I need some suggestion on ammo for pronghorn. I shoot a 30-06, I'm under the impression that antelope aren't too hard to kill, do I need premium ammo or will the cheap core-lokts work (I'll ask my guide about this to)?

If the CoreLokts are accurate in your rifle, they'll do just fine on antelope.

Years ago, before I started reloading, I killed two antelope with my .280 Remington, using the factory Remington 150 grains PSP CoreLokts. One at about 225 yards, the other between 150/175 yards. Both went down like a sack of corn off a truck.

Have a good hunt. L.W.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:
I've got my hunt booked for September with Monster Critters Outfitting in Wyoming. I need some suggestion on ammo for pronghorn. I shoot a 30-06, I'm under the impression that antelope aren't too hard to kill, do I need premium ammo or will the cheap core-lokts work (I'll ask my guide about this to)?

They are not terribly hard to kill but wound one and it can go farther half dead on it's feet that you can imagine. For your '06 you don't need premium ammo but when you consider the cost to drive out here, licenses, food, etc. the amount is negligible. I personally prefer a 165 gr bullet in the '06 but any good 150 gr will do. This might get me flamed but stay away from Nosler Balistic Tips. I have used them on antelope several times. They are accurate bullets and kill an animal quickly but man do they ever destroy a lot of meat. I have even tried loading them down to .243 velocities but still destroy too much meat for my taste.

I have had good performance and accuracy from the Hornady Custom loads, with either the 150 interlock or 165 grain interlock. I am also not a huge fan of the various plastic tipped bullets.

Almost any bullet from a 30-06 is fine for antelope. Be prepared for some long shots. If the terrain is wide open it may be hard to stalk in close.

I am with the other posters, a speer, hornady nosler bal. tip regular bullet will be just fine, pick 150 or 165 grain. Long shots are to be expected. Know your trajectory well with the load you use.

162 gr hornady SPBT, 62 grains Accurate 2700, hand loads in a 7mm mag. I shoot every thing with that load.

Remember that an antelope is smaller than a whitetail, and also has a less dense bone structure than a whitetail. Therefore, I suggest using the load that you find is the most accurate in your rifle and that you feel comfortable shooting over long, flat terrain. Practice a bunch, and good luck!!

I really like the Nosler BallisticTips, especially for paper but I agree with WyoJoe, the BTs just make too big of a mess. This year I realy got into Noslers new Accubonds. Basically a thick walled BT that doesn't blow up like a varmint bullit.
I loaded some 150 Accubonds with the exact same load as the 150 BTs I was shooting and they shoot exactly the same. They're just as accurate as the BTs and they stay together when you hit something with them.

More important than the bullet is being able to accurately place a bullet into the heart/lung area from 300 to 400 yards away. If you can't do that, then I would plan on doing a lot of crawling through sagebrush to get close. One thing that most new antelope hunters don't realize is that antelope seldom if ever jump a fence. You can increase your odds in areas where there are fences by finding an opening where there are antelope tracks and building a blind 100 to 200 yards away. The antelope's primary defense is his eye sight.

If you can't stalk close then get behind some tall sagebrush and wave a whitle cloth on a stick to get their attention. The dominant buck will want to check this out and he may get close enough for a shot.

I would borrow a good spotting scope for your hunt. Have fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:
(I'll ask my guide about this to)?

No slam on guides, but very few of them know beans about rifles and ballistics. You might as well as Ann Landers.

Shoot whatever 150 grain bullet is most accurate in your '06. I would prefer a Ballistic Tip or similar bullet for maximum range and terminal performance on an animal the size of an antelope. Remember, there's no meat to speak of in the rib cage, and an antelope can run hundreds of yards with a .30 caliber hole through its heart or lungs.

The heavier the bullet you use in the 06-the better it bucks the wind! Its windy there! Using 243 with 100 or 105 grain-more drop but less wind drift! Worked fine and going back for 2nds this year!

quote:

Originally posted by dzpoorjr:
The heavier the bullet you use in the 06-the better it bucks the wind! Its windy there! Using 243 with 100 or 105 grain-more drop but less wind drift! Worked fine and going back for 2nds this year!

I agree wtih you on the .243. I have taken several with it. I whacked this guy about 13 or 14 miles north of Rawlins in Area 62 this last season. I hit him at about 150 yards with a 95 gr Nosler BT. It flat tore up the onside shoulder.

I have taken antelope with a .243 and lately a sidelock muzzleloader. If I get another chance it will be with a muzzleloader in the early season which matches the rut. They deoy very well. If not able to go durring the early season it will be with my 30-06 using hornady Interlock boattails. For long range the boattail reduces both windage and trajectory. As posted above antelope are not big and any good hit should bring them down. Most stories about their running long distances are the result of poor shots taken on running animals.

Sounds great. The core-lokts shoot very well out of my rifle, so I'll use those. Now I just need to start practicing for those long range shots.

Sevens,

Corelocts will work fine. I've shot three antelope w/ 150 grain CLs out of a 30-06. The longest was 455 yards and the closest was 300. Print out some ballistic tables and study them well then, try your gun at those ranges on paper.

You may want to zero at 250-275 yards then, shoot it at 100 and see what she's doing. It will propably be 3" high.

Antelope are very easy to kill and any bullet will work. I would prefer the NBTs because of their better BCs and contrary to what some here think, I find them to do the same or less meat damage than the CLs.

Good Luck!

Reloader

I have only freelanced antelope, never went with a guide. I shoot 7mm magnum and 6mm-284 with Noslers and benchrest primers, since the bullets and primers are such a small percentage of the cost of the hunt it just doesn't matter. Every year the shots get shorter anyhow, and I take a lot of comfortable naps on windy days instead of trying to dope chain-straightening wind.

Having said that, all of my hunting partners shoot 30-06 and they choose the most accurate bullet in each rifle. They're all shooting the right bullet.

I used 140 grain NBTs in my 7-08 last fall for antelope. Both shots were at the 350-400 yd range. Bullets worked great with minimal meat damage. Not much meat on the ribs.

The most aerodynamic bullet that shoots well (1MOA or better) is my choice which in my 7-08 is a 139SST. I like the Interlock because it will penetrate deeper than the BT's. Not too much above about wind, but in Antelope country where there is alot of wind (especially Wyoming) and less vegetation to help you dope it or range, you have to be able to dope the conditions well. My Antelope last year was taken @ 205yrds. I had to approach side wind which was steady 20mph and gusting to 40mph. Even with the high BC my POI was changing significantly. If I had not ranged the distance well or doped the wind properly, I would have been more lucky than not to hit the vitals.

Deke.

I've taken antelope with a 243, a 6.5x55, a 7mm Mag, a 270 and a 300 Win. All worked, but I'll be the first to admit that the magnums are more gun than you need. Any bullet from 100 gr in the 243 to a 200 gr pill from the 300 will suffice. Antelope aren't hard to kill, but can sure run a long, long way with only 3 legs. Since a lot of them live on private property, a wounded one may get onto property you can not go onto.

Bullet placement is more important that the size of the bullet on something that will only weigh about 130 pounds live weight. My favorite bullet happens to be a 139 gr Hornadt BTSP in my 7mm Mag. It shoots very flat, is very accurate, opens up well in the chest cavity and just plain untracks them when it hits. I use a handload, but the bullet is also available in factory ammo.

If I was hunting antelope with a 30-06, I'd get a couple boxes of 150 gr factory loads with plain old bullets, shoot them and see which one groups well and then I'd shoot out to 300 yds to know where the rifle hits. Then get away from the bench and shoot it from field conditions such as prone, kneeeling, sitting etc... Carry a set of shooting sticks and learn how to use them. Antelope country tends to be kind of flat and rests are few and far between.

Good luck.

Mac

Deke brings up a great comment on wind. When we were hunting the lopes, the wind was down right horendous at times. A bullet w/ a good BC is definitely a plus.

Good Luck!

Reloader

You do get a lot of comments about the long ranges required for antelope, but in my experience you can usually get within 300 yds or so. Might take a creative stalk and a little crawling in the sagebrush, but most of the shots will not be the 400 yd "trophy shot" that you read and hear of.

My son and I hunted Wyoming last October and he used his Win 30/06 with the Hornady Light Mags loaded with the 165 gr Sierra Gamekings. He shot his goat at a lasered 280 yards.....we had to track it.....3'...straight down. Bullet was suitable for an advertisement...it worked perfectly. He hit it in the low shoulder from a broadside angle. This round shoots a cloverleaf 3 round group at 100 yds....it is the most accurate unmodified factory rifle I have ever seen with these factory rounds. Good luck.

Gary B.

Hornady loads Sierra bullets in their ammunition??!!

I shot a great many antelope with my '06 since when I did most of my hunting it was all I had. Don't let these guys kid you, on a windy day 300 yards is a long way. If I was picking a factory load today it would be either a Federal hi energy or Hornady light magnum 150 grain bullet with a boat tail if I could get it. This for a bit flatter trajectory and wind bucking ability. I shot a bunch with the 150 grain Remington CL and had no problems. Shoot a bunch before you go, at least a hundred rounds. I used to sight in 4 inches high at 100 yards and hold low center chest for most shots and high center for the long ones (350 yards). I found the laser rangefinders not so useful on bright days in antelope country. Learn how to shoot with a tight sling or shooting sticks. I took most shots from sitting with a tight sling. If your scope is a variable acjust the power ring untill the distance between the center and the where the reticle gets thicker is close to 8 inches. Then if the antelopes chest is wide enough to almost touch the thick parts of your reticle he is only 100 yards away, if he fits between center and the thick part of your reticle he is 200 yards, if he takes up 3/4 that distance he is 300 yards and 1/2 the distance he is 400 yards away so try to get a bit closer. As for wind at 350 yards the standard Wyo wind will require you to hold almost the length of the antelopes body into the wind to get a good hit. The wind is often strong enough to physically nove your body when your in shooting position.