Got lucky and drew an antelope tag for WY. Last time I hunted antelope in WY was 3 years ago. Shots were no more than 200 yds. I did get a small one. He was taken with a 165 Gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip in 30-06. Also I had some 150 Gr. Has anyone used 125 Gr. in 30-06 on an antelope hunt? I have heard that this Gr. bullet can become unstable the futher it goes down range.
Thanks for any help.
Mauser K98

I have no "on game" experiences with the 125gr bullet but I wonder what sort of gain if any you are expecting to make with it over a 150 or 165??? I would think the carry up of the heavier bullets would more than compensate for any velocity gain. You certainly won't need a premium bullet (read hard). Any standard bullet that your rifle shoots well will get the job done.

[ 07-29-2003, 18:29: Message edited by: beemanbeme ]

I've used the bullet more than enough on game and predators and varmints. In my 06 with R15 it would motor at 3200.

Needless to say this would do just fine.

Personally from my experience unless you felt compelled to shoot at over 400 this will work just fine.

So use it..

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

It's much easier to figure drop rather than wind drift. Thus I would go with the one with the least drift. It gets and stays pretty windy out there!

Download "Pointblank" at www.huntingnut.com and play with the numbers.

I have shot a lot of antelope with a 308 and the 165 Sierra HPBT. Also shot a few with the 165 Nosler Ballistic Tips. I just like the 165grain bullets in a 30cal for "deer" sized animals. A 150grain would work just as good. That is the lightest I would go.

Thanks for the help. I think I will take the advice and stick with what worked in the past, a 165 Nosler BT. The reason for the post was I had some 125 Nosler BT given to me by a friend.
Thanks again.
Mauser K98

Tom P --you hit it spot on about the ranges--by and large there is not much reason for people to be worrying about long range shooting. It's rare I couldn't get withing 300 of a lope. People really like to talk about how long range of hunting it is but-when it comes down to it those with true experience will not back that up.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

[ 07-30-2003, 02:47: Message edited by: Mark R Dobrenski ]

WyoJoe,
Mauser K98 here. Our party drew area 18. Three years ago we drew area 3. We hunted around the oil wells. Never knew WY had oil till I saw it for myself. We were advised by our guide to go for area 18 because he has more land area to hunt. What is a wonder is that in these areas you can always see "DEVIL'S TOWER" in the distance.
Mauser K98

Did your guide tell you to do some practicing using a bipod?? After my first trip to Wyoming, I had one on my rifle at all times except hunting timber for elk. It definitely makes a difference.

I load that 125gr Nosler Ballistic tip in my grandson's T/C Contender .30-30 and in my son's .308. Both have killed antelope and mule deer with it and no problems.

"coeffient of friction"........... wow.

For Wyojoe....Hi Joe, foxcaller here. I got a couple antelope tags for unit 43 any tips on where to hunt? This will be my first ever trip to Wyoming. Thanks a bunch!

Prof242,
I am sure the 125 would perform better at 30-30 pistol velocity than at 30-06 velocity, bullet integrity being the most important single factor in killing of big game....

The 125 .308 bullet was ment for varmints and should be used as such except in the pistols where velocity is slowed enough to make it usefull...The exception to this rule would be the 130 gr. X bullet or its competition..even so I would still prefer 150 to 180 gr. bullets...

My antelope favorite is the 300 H&H with 200 gr. Nosler partitions...I use that load for everything from Pronghorn antelope to Eland....I can hold over without a problem, but wind gets me with light fast bullets..

Ray I'd be for betting that you've never tried a 125 Noz Bt for lopes and such--have you?

I have quite a bit, and from where I sit it is plenty of bullet for speed goats. But then again I also think that 60's out of a 22/250 are also plenty.

Back b4 the advent of clocks and computers and people doing a lot of shooting at long range. A lot of people peddled a lot of stuff about the heavier bullets, and how they handled the wind soo much better. This is true but only to a point.

Well I have been around enough-shot enough and used them enough to know that this is not completely the case. It sounds good, but it is not always it.

Let us take a look at a quick comparison of a couple of bullets that we are talking about here for our lil lopers.

That being the 125 Noz Bt out of a 30 cal and Rays time tested (and I do feel it would be a neat rig and something I would shoot) 200 Noz Pt out of his H&H.

Here is something to think about. Probably not a whole lot but what the heck I am bored.

First off keep in mind that I do know there a lot antelope hunters out there. Most of them are most likely doing quite well to get it done at 300. I also feel that 99% of the time I can within that kind of range-which to me that lope is dead whether I am using a 22/250 a 30 or 375.

So.. here goes the minutia

Just to keep apples to apples I am showing both rounds at 300 and 400 in a 10 mph wind. Much more wind than that and it is, in my opinion quite futile to shoot-time to get closer.

Ray's 300 H&H--200 Noz at (I'd guess) 2900

300 yard drift= 5.98 of an inch
400 yard drift= 11.1 of an inch

Now lets look at the 06 with the lowly and short terrible wind bucker the 125 Noz Bt

My last tube was 21" and it would do 3200 using R25 with the 125-I shot 2000 of those bullets down that tube to be about exact.

Here is how it works out

300 yard drift= 7.1 of an inch
400 yard drift= 13.3 of an inch

So how does that compare looks to me it is something like this.

Ray's 300 H&H 200 Noz combo bucks the wind better than my 06/125 Noz load by

300 yards=call it 1.1"
400 yards=call it 2.2"

Personally I know of darn few gunners that may be able to hold within that at those ranges--so..... I'd have to say that pretty much shoots Rays theory right into the old toidy.

I'd say get after it, it just doesn't matter really what you use as long as you now how to shoot it, and how to hold it.

The rest of this stuff is just minutia-old wives tales-and talk that is at times full of predudice.

Soo have fun and enjoy and get out there

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Oh Ray the ball is in your court--what say you?

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

I have no arguement with your posts...I will suggest IMO:

1. 2900 FPS is all I need for any hunting...but I get a easy 3000 FPS in my 300 H&H with 200 gr. Noslers. the open up easy at any range and penitrate like hell btw.

2. The plains are windy and the 300 H&H handles that better than your choices. I can hold over and hit anything as I know my trajectory, but wind will get me a lot of the time at long range, so the 300 pretty well voids that factor.

3. The 200 gr. Nosler kills better at extended range than yours.

4. I can take any angle shot and you cannot.

5. The 300 H&H has set more benchrest long range records than your choice...

6. No, I have not seen the need to try a 125 gr. bullet on antelope..I am sure it kills well under some circumstances and not so well under others...

7. I have used the 223 and 22-250 and 60 gr. Hornady HP and SP on Antelope, deer and much plainsgame and it is a fine choice for up to 200 yards broadside, and I fee the 125 gr. Nos. B.T suits that same equasion...

Thats the way I see it from this side of the creek.

In my experience what you are saying about light bullets for calibre does not always hold up in practice and especially with rifles that have a quick twist for calibre....such as 1 in 10 in 308.

As an example 125 grain Sierra and 130 grain Speer bullets from a 308 Winchester have enormous wind drift compared to 110 grain Sierras in the 270. I have also found that on paper at 500 yards wind drift with 125 and 150 grain bullets in the 300 Winchester is similar and both are far greater than the 180 grain Hornady.

I don't know if this is the case but I suspect light bullets and quick twists result in the bullet getting a bit sideways and losing a heap of ballistic coefficient.

Mike

Mark,
I would add that your wind figures are probably correct but mostly winds on the prarie are twice that or more and thats a different picture, and add my wiggle and wobble to that, and there ya go!! I got a wind problem, and that couple of inches gets bigger and bigger.

Thanks for your reply Ray--

A couple of quick questions, I promise I am about done with this.

First off, you say you've never used the bullet b4-so.. how do you feel about making statements about how it will kill/hold up in wind and penetrate? I feel like being as you've not used the bullet that you shouldn't pass judgement on it.

I've never used your 338/300 Woodleigh bullet so I sure as heck would never make comments about it-unless I qualified first off, that I had never used it, and that it was only my gut feel about the bullet.

If you've never used the bullet on lopes how can you say that it won't make it thru any angle? I mean come on Ray-I know you love your 300/200 combo but really we are talking about a 100# critter here. I can shoot end to with with my 22/250 let alone a 125/30 at 3200 fps.

Then you go and clasify the bullet as something you'd consider for broadside shots at 200 or something like that. That is about as silly a thing as I have ever heard. I mean for Pete's sake, would you make the same remark about a 270 with a 130? If you would then I am for sure you're ready for the funny farm.

Wind figures-wind is in my opinion the toughest thing to judge-range is easy. If you want, we can play the 20 MPH windage game and the result will be the same. My thoughts on it are such-first off unless the range is fairly close-say under 300 yards then shooting in those kind of winds is just not right (IMO). Secondly, if we do the math the 300/200 is gonna buck it better-but there will be the same kind of margin. It's not gonna all of a sudden kick the crap of of the 125.
Lastly, I've most likely done as much, or more shooting in big wind as about most around today. So, I do know what the score is in regards to holding into the wind.

Lastly (just for the sake of whatever)--so the 300 has spent some time at the 1000 yard range--we'll I---don't like pro basketball--what does this have to do with anything-yeah that's kind of what I thought about your comment about the 1000 yards as well.

So... Ray this is the point I am trying to politely make-it's allright Ray if there is something out there that you've not experienced-I still have respect for you. I'd have a lot more if you simply said--hey I personally don't want to use that bullet,I prefer something else, I've also never used it b4-perhaps you should check and see if anyone out there has tried it out.

As always I appreciate your time and comments.

Just my thoughts-comments and opinions

Wishing we were all on the hill instead of micro managing bullets and such.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Mark,
Your post told me the ball was in my court so I replied with what I thought, never claimed to be right...It was just my response to your invitation, in the form of converstation only.

As to have I use that bullet, I said I have not, but I have used other 125 and 130 gr. bullets, some of tougher construction, in that caliber, and I was going by that...

I have no quarrel with whatever you choose to use if it works for you...I don't think I would choose to shoot lengthwise through an antelope with a 22-250 with any bullet, never have tried however, so will make that clear. I have never tried to shoot lengthwise with a 130 gr. bullet, so that was just my thinking....I will conceed that point to you, as I have not tried it as you say....