30-06 for Antelopes??

[Flatlandr]

Would my 30-06 be a good choice for hunting Lopes? If so what ammo do you guys suggest? I would much rather use it than spending the bucks I really do not have on another rifle but would do it if the overwhelming choice did not include my 30-06.

Mark

 

[dakotakid]

Its a little "over-gunned" but definelty a useable rifle for antelope. I used my 06 for a few years on goats and always shot 165gr noslers out of it for antelope.

Mike

 

[crazyaboutcoues]

The 30-06 would be fine, like D-kid said it is a little more than you need. I've guided Loper hunters for the last couple years and i've had hunters that hunted with .300 win mags to .243.

One clean shot thru the lungs and you won't be able to tell the difference. Good Luck



www.gilawildernesshunting.com

 

[vinihunt]

i used factory 125 gr. it works for me, less damage on the meat!

vinihunt

 

[vinihunt]

that buck i shot with win 30.06 with 125 gr, 275 yd shot! dropped like a rock! that was 2 years ago.u can see black spot, my truck on left of the pic.

vinihunt

 

[BigPig]

It'll work fine. Just shoot whatever you are used to shooting.

 

[AZWALKER]

I second the 125 grain post. I used 150's out of mine at 216 yds and I was just poking holes. He took for good shots b4 he dropped. I also talked to a guy who hot loads his own with Remington 110 grain hollow points and he said that is a perfect round for Antelope. Thats not first hand though so I'm not promising anything. 125's should be a good factory load. I would buy a new gun though, not that your 30.06 won't cut it, just cuz I think everyone should have as many guns as possible.

Donnie

 

[Hornseeker]

My computer crashed and I lost a bunch of pics, but this buck was with 06 and 168 grainers a few weeks ago!

Didn't you know, the 30-06 is the ultimate all around gun ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Flatlandr]

I have always thought that the 30-06 was the best all around caliber, that is why I bought it but I have never hunted Lopes.

Thanks to all for the insight!!
Mark

 

[AZWALKER]

I hunted Lopes for the first time this year and they are a blast. We hunted Wyo and we hunted them spot-n-stalk (NO road hunting). The cool thing about it was anywhere we glassed we saw goats. The tough thing was getting in nice and close for a shot. All around it was one of my favorite hunts, lotsa animals but still very challenging. Heres a pic of the one I shot with the old .06.

Good luck to you!!

Donnie

 

[Martin]

This year was my first antelope hunt. I only own 2 -30.06 guns. I missed 5 times because of shooter problems and mis judging distances. So I went out and bought a 300 Remington Ultra Mag...way more gun needed for the speed goats. However, on the first evening hunt with it I took a buck at 200 yards...dropped him where he stood. I lost confidence in the ol 06 beyond 300 yards. The antelope just wouldn't let me get any closer. I have a new found confidence in the Ultra Mag. Will post pics of my Idaho antelope soon.

 

[n2chukar]

The 30.06 sucks -- I would never own one

If I did, then I could not justify all my other guns!!! It will do the job -- shoot the 125 grain.

 

[AZBuckSnort]

Yes. There are many projectiles in .30 cal that would be wonderful selections for hunting pronghorns. Some that are excellent on game of that size are the Sierra 125, 150, & 165 grs., the Nosler Ballistic Tip 150 gr. is also excellent. There are scores of others, find one that works well in your rifle and go hunting!

Good Luck,
Jim

 

[keeley]

mmmmmmm antalopes i like their spleens too

 

[Triple_BB]

Dead is dead. I'll take shot placement over caliber any day. You shoot anything in the azz and you have ruined meat irregardless of the caliber. The 30-06 is a great gun for goats because you have so many choices in 30 caliber bullets. I shot a goat a few weeks ago with my 300 Rum at 358 yards right behind the front shoulders. It fell over dead and no usable meat was ruined.

 

[Bob D.]

The 30-06 is perfect for antelope! Sure you could use a smaller cartridge, but it won't work any better. I'm surprised some are recommending 125 grain bullets though. In 30 caliber, a 125 grain bullet is going to have a really low ballistic coefficient, which means that although it may start out a little faster, it will also slow down much faster. Which also means it won't drop any less than a heavier bullet at longer ranges, and it will also drift in the wind much more than a heavier bullet. Wind drift would be one of my biggest concerns in choosing a bullet for hunting antelope, as the wind blows most of the time in antelope country. The little 125 grain bullet also will ruin just as much meat, if not more, than a heavier bullet, depending on shot placement, of course. It is not the weight of the bullet that determines how much meat will be damaged...it is the construction of the bullet, the velocity at which it strikes the animal, and again, shot placement. I'm not saying a 125 won't work, because obviously it has worked for some people, but just that it is far from the best choice. A 165 or 168 would be the best choice in the 30-06, in my opinion. Even a 180 grain boattail bullet would work very well. The only advantage by going to a lighter bullet would be less recoil, so if that is what your concerned with, go with a 150. A 125 is just too light to be a practical choice in 30 caliber, especially when you're talking about long shots in windy conditions.

 

[Flatlandr]

Thanks again guys for all the great help. Since I have never hunted lopes I was looking for a little reassurance that my trusty 06 could git r done!
My rifle seems to really like the Hornady light magnums in 165 & 180 grains btsp. Think I will go with the 165 as it is a bit flatter shooting.

I absolutely agree with the talk about shot placement, will not take a questionable shot. Would rather go home empty handed.

Mark

 

[AZWALKER]

Just gotta get a little closer with the factory 125's and if you have the wind in your face (like we all want anyway) it shouldn't make any differance. The reason I'll use 125's next time is to try and keep the round inside the animal. If you shoot the shoulder with 150's and up you're gonna hurt the meat, I don't care what round you pick. If you aim for the heart with the bigger loads, your gonna poke holes. If you use a 125 behind the shoulder, you have a better chance of keeping the round inside the goat. If the goat absorbs all the energy of the bullet, it WILL go down quicker. When you poke holes, they run!


Donnie

 

[Bob D.]

Donnie, a 125 in the shoulder will ruin meat also. If you want a bullet with decent ballistics that will open up quickly and be likely to stay in the animal, try a 150 or 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Just because it's heavier doesn't mean it will ruin more meat. If hit behind the shoulder, you're not going to hurt any meat at all anyway. Now, if you want a bullet that will damage the least amount of meat even if hit poorly, you need to go with a bullet that WON'T open up as quickly, like a Nosler Accubond, and on the heavy side would be best, as it will be slightly slower. I shot an antelope at 300 yards with a 270 Win. and 150 grain Ballistic Tips, which is heavy for the caliber, and hit him behind the shoulder, he dropped immediately, the bullet stayed inside, and there was no meat ruined, as all that was hit was the ribs.

 

[AZWALKER]

I used a 150 grain Nosler ballistic tip on mine this year. 216 yd shot, the first shot went through both lungs and exited the far side. The second shot was a quartering away shot as he was running and that hit him behind the ribcage and exited just behind the far shoulder. The third shot was offhand at about 300 yds still running, that one broke his front leg. He sumbled and stood back up. Finally, with the forth shot he went down. That one I put in the shoulder so I knew he would go down. That was at about 300 yds. When I approached him after walking 300 yds, plenty of time for him to finally expire, he started kicking and slashing around. I felt horrible watching him sit there and suffer so I put 1 more in his heart and that finally did it. I found every exit hole and needless to say there were no bullets still inside. I lost alot of one shoulder but all the rest of the meat was still good.

Like I said before, if your only poking holes you're using either the wrong round or the wrong caliber. If I were able to hunt Antelope every year I would switch to either a .270 with 130's or a .243 with 100's. Since I don't hunt Antelope every year, I'm going to load my own 125's or I might even go to a 110 grain hollow point for my .30-06 for the speed goats.

My buddy shot his goat with his .270 using 130 grain Winchester power points and was able to keep 1 of 3 shots inside the animal.

I understand what you are saying but from what I saw this year during my hunt I respectfully disagree with you.


Thank you for the interesting discussion.

Donnie

 

[Bob D.]

Donnie, sounds like you ran across a tougher-than-normal antelope! A ballistic tip through both lungs should have put him down pretty quick. I would definitely recommend against a 110 out of a 30-06. That bullet is made for small varmints.

 

[Hornseeker]

300 RUM for lopes.....Pleassssssssssssssssssse! Martin...cmon man? You "dropped him in his tracks" at 200 yards....Big whoop? I've dropped several in their tracks at 300 with the '06, and have seen plenty of deer drop in their tracks at 350-375 with the 06'....Cmon man.

 

[AZWALKER]

The reason I said the 110 grain is because I've got a buddy down here that hunts goats and loads his own "hotloads" with the Remington 110 grain hollow points. I've never shot them but my buddy claims that he only gets 4" of drop at 400 yds when zeroed at 250 yds. He says that they are "perfect" Antelope loads. Now you tell me, would you use .243 with 100 grain loads for goats? Because I can tell you now, my Greatgrandfather didn't use anything else his whole life for Antelope, Coues and Muleys and never had a problem. So whats the differance between a 30-06 shooting 110's and a .243 shooting 100's?

Donnie

 

[Bob D.]

Donnie, it's not the weight of a bullet that matters. A 110 in a 30-06 is a very short bullet with a very low ballistic coefficient, which means it will slow down much quicker than a more aerodymanic bullet such as a 150 or 165, and it will also be much more susceptible to wind drift. A 100 grain .243 bullet is heavy for that caliber and will have a high ballistic coefficient, and is a great weight bullet for that caliber for any big game. IF you really want to use a lighter bullet for antelope, you should go to a smaller caliber like the 243, or the 25-06. Try this ballistic calculator and compare 110 grain 30 caliber bullets to 165's: http://www.biggameinfo.com/BalCalc.aspx

For ballistic coefficients go to a bullet manufacturer's website, such as Hornady, Sierra, Nosler, or Speer. You will see that you gain absolutely nothing by going to a 110 bullet in the 30-06. Be sure to compare wind drift also, try putting in a 30mph wind, and see which bullet does better at 300 or 400 yards.

 

[AZWALKER]

I see what you're saying and I will say that the was howling when I was out chasing those little boogers. I will also say that I was very surprised at how tough that little goat I harvested was. The fact is that when I was sitting at Sportmans trying to figure out which bullet to try I did shy away from the 125's for simple fact that their ballistics weren't any better. Plus the fact that they didn't carry much punch past 300 yds. I don't think that I will be hunting enough Antelope to buy a new gun specifically for them but I have had my eye on that .243 WSSM. What do you think about that load??

Also, thanks for the enlightening discussion. I really enjoy talking to people here who can disagree without getting all fired up and stupid.

Donnie

 

[Bob D.]

I think the 243 WSSM would be a great cartridge for antelope. Probably not a whole lot different than the standard 243 Win. but if you want one just to have something new, then I don't see any reason you shouldn't get one. Just don't think it will kill antelope any better than your 30-06, because it won't.

 

[AZWALKER]

What I'm really looking for is something my daughter can use when she turns 10 next year. Do you have any suggestions? The 30-06 is just a bit too much for her, ya know? I was thinking .243 but they tend to jump alot which might cause her to flinch. I thought maybe a .250 Savage might be good but I haven't shot them enough to know. I was thinking .223 might be a little light for muleys but I'm not sure. The M-16's we used in the Marines were chambered in .223 and seemed like and OK round for deer. Anyway, have a good one.

Donnie

 

[Bob D.]

For mule deer a 223 is definitely too light, and illegal in many states. The 243 Winchester would be perfect for your daughter. The 250 Savage would be fine also, and so would the 257 Roberts. Another good choice would be the 260 Remington. You could also consider the 270 and 308. Reduced recoil loads are now available for both of those cartridges, and they are more versatile. But if it was me I think I'd start her off with the old 243 Win, just because it will be cheaper to shoot than any of the others, and will have the least amount of recoil.

 

[AZWALKER]

Thanks for the info Bob. I really do appriciate it!


Donnie

 

[dakotakid]

So far I have started both my boys on the .260 Rem and love it. We have one in a Ruger M77 MkII and one in a Remington Youth Model 7. Both are terrific guns. Matter of fact I shot my deer with the .260 this year. My wife shoots the 260 also if shes hunting when the boys arent with us.

Mike

 

[cougarz]

I've used a 6.5 X 55 which for all practice purposes the .260 is like. Indeed it is a very good antelope cartridge.

I've also used a 30-06. I'm a little surprised concerning the use of 125 grain bullets out of an '06. To my knowledge no .30 caliber bullet is made for that application. The meat damage would greater not less then a 150 or 165 grain bullet. Both of which are very good antelope bullets. They are flatter shooting over long ranges, drift less in the wind and unless a bad choice was made in their construction, will expand just fine in any antelope. If the meat damage is too great stay with the same bullet type and just go up in weight.