Preferred cartridge? Grip and grin pic added

JimP

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Mar 28, 2016
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The problem is that if you hit a pronghorn in the spine area you are going to blow up a lot of meat no matter what caliber you are packing.

A friend has always used a 300 Win mag and he only looses a bit of rib meat.
 
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Jun 29, 2016
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Coastal Maine
The problem is that if you hit a pronghorn in the spine area you are going to blow up a lot of meat no matter what caliber you are packing.

A friend has always used a 300 Win mag and he only looses a bit of rib meat.
Yep thats just what happened to my hunting partner... shot a little too high. I suppose a 243 would make a mess as well. I could not believe how small their leg and rib bones are. You aren't going to hear a lot of stories of needing 4 shots to slow them down. All comes down to shot placement ....doesn't it?
 
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ScottR

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Feb 3, 2014
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Yep thats just what happened to my hunting partner... shot a little too high. I suppose a 243 would make a mess as well. I could not believe how small their leg and rib bones are. You aren't going to hear a lot of stories of needing 4 shots to slow them down. All comes down to shot placement ....doesn't it?
Shot placement always is king. Elk, mule deer, antelope, you shoot any of them in the spine and you are looking at a blow up on some level of meat. Antelope are so small that just about any way you slice it there will be something wasted and honestly the cartridge/bullet weight combo won't prevent all waste. Even worse is when the angle of the antelope is deceiving, one direction, blow up the off side shoulder, other direction, bullet goes through the front end of the guts and we all know how messy that can even make the gutless method. Goat is dead as dead can be, but based on simple anatomy...they are a tough bugger to get a legit double lunch shot and not waste "much."
 

ScottR

Eastmans' Staff / Moderator
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There are a lot of different things that come into play as mentioned. About 10 years ago I found a bullet that really shot well in my .257 Wby mag. I shot an antelope with it and found that when it hit a bone, the bullet exploded and really made a mess. Never used that bullet again.View attachment 36167
Honestly, I think the biggest issue with antelope is just plain their small size. Fun critters to hunt but the realistic expectation that something is going to blow up when using a rifle is a reality.
 

wy-tex

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May 2, 2016
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Yep thats just what happened to my hunting partner... shot a little too high. I suppose a 243 would make a mess as well. I could not believe how small their leg and rib bones are. You aren't going to hear a lot of stories of needing 4 shots to slow them down. All comes down to shot placement ....doesn't it?
Pronghorn actually have some of the strongest leg bones.
 

memtb

Active Member
If I'm hunting for a trophy buck I hit em in the body. If I'm hunting does for meat it's all head and neck shots, no meat wasted boys.
My wife felt exactly as you.....until she witnessed the results of someone else’s head-shot gone bad. Seeing an animal too weak to move from days without food or water due to lower jaw damaged.....ended her head shooting days. The target is pretty small, and just a minor movement by the animal makes a perfect shot a bad shot! It requires a much greater movement by the animal to make a lung shot a bad shot!

Sorry for the preaching......but, it still bothers me ever time I think of that deer. I’ll leave a pound or two of rib meat to the Magpies! memtb
 

jimss

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Jun 10, 2012
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Congrats to your son!

I try to stalk inside 200 yards. The closer you are the better chance you’ll hit them in a good spot with just one shot without ruining meat and cape. Also keep in mind the angle of the shot/bullet and whether the antelope is broadside. I always put just one shell in my rifle and that’s all I almost always need.
 
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THelms

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My wife felt exactly as you.....until she witnessed the results of someone else’s head-shot gone bad. Seeing an animal too weak to move from days without food or water due to lower jaw damaged.....ended her head shooting days. The target is pretty small, and just a minor movement by the animal makes a perfect shot a bad shot! It requires a much greater movement by the animal to make a lung shot a bad shot!

Sorry for the preaching......but, it still bothers me ever time I think of that deer. I’ll leave a pound or two of rib meat to the Magpies! memtb
Agreed and understood. I should have prefaced that with keeping ranges short for head shots. I normally have the blessing of filling my doe tags with Ag land animals who are easy to get close to.
 
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swampokie

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Jul 29, 2013
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220 swift with Norma oryx 55 grains 3700 FPS if it’s not too windy. Shock is vaporizing. 270 win if it’s a little windier core lokt 130s get a little more energy delivery than the solids if ur not shooting over 300 yds. That being said the 308s little daughter the beautiful 243 was created for the speed goat
 
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