Antelope bullet

[snox801]

My post above did not come off how it thought. So what he said about Barnes is true for speed.
Not so true with hammers.
Hammers open up very well at min speeds of similar hunting cup core. That being said because they are longer you have to end up shooting a lighter weight bullet. So you gain speed.
Now that lighter weight does hurt for longer ranges but for the distance you are talking the speed will rule for trajectory and possibly wind drift.

 

[Junglebird]

That is true for Barnes but absolutely false for the hammers. Hammer open very well and a bad shot is a bad shot. I can tell you after using hammers for several years now they expand very well. Went from them to cutting edge which worked great then to hammers. Hammers are by far the best for hunting.

How heavy could I go with a hammer hunter in my 1:9 barrel? I know what their website suggests. If I follow that I'd be shooting the 80g. Even the 88g says it won't stabilize in my barrel. Any experience with shooting the 88g or 101g in 1:9 twist?

 

[FEENIX]

How heavy could I go with a hammer hunter in my 1:9 barrel? I know what their website suggests. If I follow that I'd be shooting the 80g. Even the 88g says it won't stabilize in my barrel. Any experience with shooting the 88g or 101g in 1:9 twist?

In case you did not know, Berger has an app that can help you with this >>> https://bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/, just plug in your own information instead of their drop-down entries. It also gives you alternate bullet recommendations when your min SG is not ideal.

 

[dk17hmr]

Antelope tip over easy if they are calm when you shoot and you make the shot count.

I use the 90gr Sierra Game Changer in my 6-250AI running 3375fps and it just flattens antelope

 

[Backcountry sports]

Since you have time do some shooting and try a few different bullets, see what your gun likes. .243 may be a bit of a small cartridge by today's standards but its plenty for antelope you shouldnt have to worry much about bullet selection. Keep in mind most monolithic designs like the barnes Ttsx realistically must be driven through lungs/heart to ensure quick clean kills leaving less margin of error. They also need a little more speed to help them open up to create a nice big permanent wound channel. They are ideal for helping a small cartridge bring a big animal down, but maybe not so much for a medium gun on a medium animal. Fragmenting designs like berger vlds send chunks of bullet in lines tangential to the path of the bullet increasing your chances of finding "cardio pulmonary tissue" should you misplace your shot. I personally feel they are a great way to hedge your bets. I didnt see any posts from hammer fans (I probably just missed them they are plentiful here), they make monolithic non toxic bullets designed to fragment as well.

A few more considerations you may want to make in your research. I dont know about your model seven predator but a lot of sevens come with very short barrels. Theres nothing wrong with that but you wont be developing as much speed with them. Try to shoot it over a chrony and take real world speed into consideration when you decide how far you are willing to shoot it will affect your bullets performance. Also some people find flat base bullets will generate a little extra speed in short barrels. They tend also to have greater accuracy out to ranges of 300ish yards than their boat tail counter parts provided your gun shoots them well.

At the end of the day practice and pick your shot, you cant go wrong.

I use 95 grain berger classic great stoppers drt each time out to 600 yes model 7 rem

 

[VLD Pilot]

One thing I've found out about winds out west is that mainly they are pretty sustained. It's winds that gust making wind holds unpredictable. I've also shot and killed in readable sustained winds but not 50mph. Typically 20/25 Max if my shots will be at any range. Those must be steady winds or I just will not shoot. Here in my home state, winds aren't nearly as sustained with gusting winds being more predominant. In the case here ill usually only take game shots in 10-15mph max winds.

 

[6.5-300 BEE]

The other Speed Goat myth is that all are shot over the horizon. Of my 22 the longest was a lasered 325 yds with a 22-06. Last three were 30 yards, 50 yards and 60 feet. If you don't mind getting dirty you can get very close. (ask bowhunters).

 

[Lee Goodwin]

Nosler Accubonds for me please.

 

[Junglebird]

Here is what I have taken away so far. Antelope are not tough to kill, and don't have to be taken at extreme range. There is no magic bullet that is going to answers all my expectations. Just about any bullet will work (hence the vast suggestions on this thread). Find a reputable bullet that shoots great in my rig and practice practice practice.

 

[5gauss]

I'm looking for advise on a 243 antelope bullet. I've got a rem model 7 predator. It's supposed to have a 1:9 twist. From what I read antelope are not tough to kill, so much of what I read suggests ballistic tips and such. I'm not opposed to using them, but in my experiences (with other calibers) they cause an excess of meat damage. I was thinking 95g partition?Ive never shot partitions before in any caliber. Was thinking that bullet could work for WI whitetail as well. I reload. Your thoughts? View attachment 188910

Used partitions for years with no issues other than they don't fly as well as other designs at longer ranges. Used within their effective range they have not failed me...and many others...

 

[Tiny Tim]

As mentioned in a previous post, a 70 gr Hammer Hunter may be your best choice for a mono. I'm going to try the 80 gr HH in my new 243 ai with 26" 8 tw barrel. Hoping for accuracy @3600-3700fps. In my 9.25 tw I couldn't get a decent group with the 95 gr vld but could with the classic hunter.

 

[naja302]

Antelope are varmints. Any bullet will do just fine. (Excluding FMJ of course). Shoot whatever is most accurate in your gun

 

[Lenny Foffa]

My One and only Mule Deer / Antelope Hunt. Wyoming 1979. I had my new Weatherby Mark 5 in 270 Weatherby Mag. We were looking for Mule Deer when we were surprised by a small heard of antelope. I had 150 Grn Grand Slam Bullets in the rifle. The range was about 200 yards. Shot at the antelope and it ran??!! Shot again, and it ran , shot a third time and it kept running. So I quickly put two more rounds in the rifle and I shot at the ground in front to the antelope, and it turned, and when it did, Blood was running out of the three exit holes. I needed to shoot again, and finally kill it. The tough 150 grn .Grand Slam Bullet was not expanding at that range , at that velocity. From that day on, I have never used , Tough , Dense bullets on any soft skinned animal !! All my Whitetail deer since ,have been taken with 130 grn. bullets in both my .270 Win. or my 270 Weatherby Mag .A sad story to tell, but it was a real lesson for me.

 

[seattleman1969]

Then you are far ahead than most new antelope hunters. A few years ago, I took a military member out that supposedly grew up hunting. However, he was from GA and only hunted on a stand and the average range is 50 yards or so. The closest we can get is ~200 yards and he was not comfortable with it.

Where is your hunt? As @WAHOOYAHOO noted, it can be windy where they roam. Below is a video in one of my antelope hunts ...



Good luck!

Ah the famous Great Falls Chinook Winds... really sucks when it's in the negative temps outside and those kick up.