antelope caliber?

[adirondack]

Taking my wife on her first hunt. I'am wondering if a 22-250 is enough gun for goats as I already have one or should I buy a new gun for her? If a new gun is abetter bet than what would a good pick be for deer & goats for a woman?

 

[muzzhunter]

IMO a 22-250 is large enough to harvest an antelope, I shot a high 70's buck with my 220 swift this year in Utah and he didn't go 10 feet. I shot a muley doe several years ago with the same gun she went about 15 yards. However Wyoming requires a minimum .24 caliber to hunt big game. Check the regs before using that small caliber.

 

[shedfinder]

Heres the link to the size of guns you can use. Its on page 10.
http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/wyominghuntingguide.pdf

 

[shedfinder]

I would go buy a 270. Nice flat shooting gun that can reach out a few hunderd yards. Great gun for antelope and deer.

 

[SouthernWyo]

.45-70

JK. A .243 or .257 Roberts would probably fit the bill nicely.

 

[7]

I use a 280rem with handloaded 150gr Sierra Gamekings. I've found this to be a good combination to buck the winds & i usually drop them in their tracks. Most any flat shooting caliber such as a 25-06 will work just fine.

7 Mag

 

[kilowatt]

Savage 25.06 last year got me three Antelopes in two states and only fired three shots.....again thank you RELH for the advice it worked. Will be using it for Deer too hopefully this year.
Brian

 

[flyingbrass]

25-06
flyingbrass
cold dead hands
NRA Life Member

 

[shedfinder]

adirondack, What guns do your currently own. Maybe one of those will do just fine.

 

[Wiszard]

.243 for women and kids is a great, flat-shooting caliber.

Steve

 

[rmanwill]

243 is hard to beat for little recoil and flat shooting. Great rifle for a lady or youngster. Not that it is only for them, because I have used the two I own on a few game myself. Great fun gun to shot!!!

 

[Willy_P]

If I had a positive cash flow as opposed to negative I'd own a 240 Weatherby Mag. just for antelope. I actually don't know why WY doesn't allow the upper 22 cal rifles for them. I think antelope go down pretty easily when you let the air out of those huge lungs.

Pat C.

 

[adirondack]

Thanks for your thoughts on calibers. I have never been to WY so I have not read up on the laws yet. But now that you guys have educated me alittle, I guess I need to go buy my wife a new gun. Thanks again.

 

[robar]

I bought my daughter a 7mm/08 last year. A little bigger than the 243 and not much more recoil. A good all around caliber. A little lite for elk but would still serve.

 

[Phantom Hunter]

My wife and daughter love the .257 Roberts and Ackley. 25-06 is good too. 7X57 and 7MM-08 are both good low recoil calibers as well.

Phantom Hunter

 

[elkantlers]

I have shot a couple of antelope with a .243win. It is a very good gun for antelope. They are not that hard to kill if you hit them good. It is also and excellent caliber for ladies and youth.

 

[longrange]

I shot my antelope last year using a 6mm-284 at 547 yds and never new what hit him. Any caliber she feels comfortable shooting would be fine for goats.

 

[idahogunner]

Bought my daughter a Remington 7mm/08 and had the stock Hydrodipped pink camo! Also had a Vias muzzle brake installed, NO recoil at all.

 

[Gator]

That a nice Gun. Looks like a pretty good setup.



"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[Cahunter805]

+1 on the 7mm-08. I think its a great starter rifle.

 

[sageadvice]

"+1 on the 7mm-08. I think its a great starter rifle.


+2, As well as a great starter, I think it would also be a great last rifle as well. A light weight 7mm-08 has been on my "list" for quite some time!!

What's not to like about a factory 140gr bullet @ 3000 FPS?? Hornady LM's!

Joey

 

[delmag1942]

.25-06 without a doubt! Someday she may have to find some ammo locally...good luck with the .7mm-08.

 

[adirondack]

we drew our tags 90-1. Found a used youth model 7 like new at my local gun shop. 7mm-08 Thanks for all the input it helped.

 

[72 young]

If I had a positive cash flow as opposed to negative I'd own a 240 Weatherby Mag. just for antelope. I actually don't know why WY doesn't allow the upper 22 cal rifles for them. I think antelope go down pretty easily when you let the air out of those huge lungs.

Pat C.

They allow 22 as long as the bullet weighs 60 gr and the case is at least 2"long.

 

[ClearCreek]

They allow 22 as long as the bullet weighs 60 gr and the case is at least 2"long.

You responded to a 14 year old post regarding the legal calibers that can be used for big game in Wyoming.

As you mentioned, Wyoming changed the regulations to allow a .22 caliber with a 60 grain bullet (about 8-10 years ago),

ClearCreek

 

[Soccerdude]

Thanks for your thoughts on calibers. I have never been to WY so I have not read up on the laws yet. But now that you guys have educated me alittle, I guess I need to go buy my wife a new gun. Thanks again.

Any excuse to buy a new gun. My wife and kids use a 6.5 creeedmor on antelope although I like the 6.5 prc and my kids will probably use that this year. Good luck.

 

[TeamRedDog]

A 250 with a VMAX is deadly on pronghorn. U won’t go wrong with it

 

[yotebuster17]

A 250 with a VMAX is deadly on pronghorn. U won’t go wrong with it

If the OP’s wife killed a buck, it’s mounted and the hair is probably faded on the mount already.

 

[lhrbull]

257 Weatherby mag great gun for both

 

[Bluehair]

.25-06 without a doubt! Someday she may have to find some ammo locally...good luck with the .7mm-08.

That post didn’t age well.

 

[Chesterwyo]

A fast twist nifty-250 is a world beater.

 

[jims]

My preference is to go with a larger caliber with one rifle to use on every big game animal. It cuts cost in buying a 2nd rifle for larger game like elk, mtn goat, etc. I've been using a 300 WSM for years on just about everything that moves.

Before buying a rifle I would also look at how available the shells are and how expensive they are. With the shell shortage it can be nearly impossible to find some caliber shells and/or they are over $60+/box. More common calibers are half that price.

 

[Togwotee]

Of course a .22 centerfire will kill one, including the 22 Hornet. but they're a poor excuse for a game caliber in my opinion, John Nosler's as well.

I would go to a 243 at a minimum. and .264 caliber minimum for long shots.

If for some reason you feel you have to use a .22 at least use a Partition or something that's not for varmint hunting.

 

[Jerry]

.25-06 without a doubt! Someday she may have to find some ammo locally...good luck with the .7mm-08.

Great choice- the .25-06 ! .243 is super too- except in the wind, cross winds that is.
Jerry Gold- Windsor, Colorado

 

[baerman]

If you have time, listen to these two podcasts (2 part series) about size of calibers for big game. It's pretty fascinating and if you're like me, you'll need or want to listen to it twice to soak it in. In a nutshell, smaller is better, shot placement is key and shoot within the bullet and caliber's limitations...and hunters limitations.

https://soundcloud.com/huntbackcountry%2F469-challenging-old-myths-how-bullets-kill-why-smaller-might-be-better-part-1

https://soundcloud.com/huntbackcountry%2F470-why-smaller-calibers-may-be-better-for-big-game-hunting-part-2-the-experience-project

 

[Togwotee]

This nonsense is always the same. it assumes everyone is a perfect marksman and nobody ever takes a marginal shot.

I'm not sure what color the sky is in that world, but it's not blue.

 

[gundog2]

I believe that 22-250 is okay for deer size game if you use the right bullets in the 55-60 grain range. Most importantly, the bullets should be constructed for big game hunting. You should be able to find factory ammunition specifically designed for antelope- or deer-size game and be good to go.