WY Pronghorn

[memtb]

As there is "no such thing as overkill....only underkill", choose the bullet that performs best at longer ranges from your rifle. If your lucky, it will also be a good bullet for bear, elk, moose. It's nice to have....one rifle, one caliber, and one bullet that will do it all "well"! That philosophy has served my wife and I quite well for 25+ years! One rifle, one caliber, one bullet, one zero for everything.....makes the world a simpler place! memtb

 

[codyadams]

I have grown up around guns and shooting and have shot many 300 win mag and wby mag rounds. I always shot my dads guns or someone else's and I have never had a problem with noise or recoil. I just never had an opportunity to invest in my own firearms or hunt due to school/grad school taking up time and $$$. I went elk hunting last year, but unfortunately did not get an opportunity to harvest an animal.

Excellent!! In that case the 300 weatherby is a fine choice. I would be hoping that the 210 ABLR shot the best, that will give you great wind bucking trajectory. I would try to place my shot behind the shoulder if you are close though, the ablr has a reputation of being rather destructive with higher velocity impacts, and one placed in the ribs behind the shoulder would waste less meat than a direct shoulder hit

 

[Deleted member 107796]

I started hunting, with going after pronghorn and love every aspect of the hunt as well as finding it a night/day difference from deer or elk hunting. I also find the chow extremely good. I used a 270WSM 130gn solid copper handload for last year's doe.

 

[drtony]

I started hunting, with going after pronghorn and love every aspect of the hunt as well as finding it a night/day difference from deer or elk hunting. I also find the chow extremely good. I used a 270WSM 130gn solid copper handload for last year's doe.
View attachment 128243

Very nice! What was the range on that shot?

 

[Deleted member 107796]

Thanks, 425. I was fortunate enough to get my first goat of the season in early Oct at about 90! I hunt eastern CO and haven't hunted WY but would like to try areas 44/45 near the border. Tag time, ya'll!

 

[trhall]

I bought a used mark V Stainless in 300 weatherby magnum today-- should be here next week. I am still new to hunting and look on this forum often for good information.

I will be hunting pronghorn and whitetail with it this fall. That being said, what would be an ideal cartridge for my first WY pronghorn hunt? I do not reload, but am willing to get custom ammunition until I have reloading equipment/supplies. I do not know enough about ammunition to make an informed decision. I would like a round that retains most of it's weight so meat loss isn't extreme. I've never hunted pronghorn, but I assume it'll be 100-600 yard ranges. I have some heavier gr rounds (180-210) but would that be overkill for antelope and whitetails?

I was looking at:

125 gr nosler accubond (3500 fps)

150 gr nosler accubond (3400 fps)

165 gr nosler accubond (3300 fps)

or

Swift Scirocco II in 150 gr or 165 gr

Open to any other ideas, but I do not have anything to reload my own yet-- so I need to be able to purchase the ammunition.

I am a 300 win mag fan with 215 Berger at 3050 fps
I hunt antelope every year with it and don't believe there is anymore meat loss with that load than there is with a 243 if you are shooting them through the shoulders or hams. I avoid this and shoot the ribs. The benefit of using a heavier bullet is that you get max advantage for wind which is "never" and issue in Wyoming!

I've had several people make comments like "that's overkill" or "how much meat is left" but it's just because they have no experience so they don't understand that a bigger heavier bullet doesn't mean more meat loss. In fact it usually means the opposite on a smaller animal.

I'm a big believer in spending your resources (time & $$$) on developing the best performing load for your rifle and then not trying to change it up for every different critter.
Prairie dogs to grizzly bears I'm content that a 300 winny and a 215 berger will get it done. For your new Weatherby you might even step up to the 230 Berger Hybrid.

 

[drtony]

Thanks, 425. I was fortunate enough to get my first goat of the season in early Oct at about 90! I hunt eastern CO and haven't hunted WY but would like to try areas 44/45 near the border. Tag time, ya'll!

Applied for my tag Monday. 6 person party!

 

[drtony]

I am a 300 win mag fan with 215 Berger at 3050 fps
I hunt antelope every year with it and don't believe there is anymore meat loss with that load than there is with a 243 if you are shooting them through the shoulders or hams. I avoid this and shoot the ribs. The benefit of using a heavier bullet is that you get max advantage for wind which is "never" and issue in Wyoming!

I've had several people make comments like "that's overkill" or "how much meat is left" but it's just because they have no experience so they don't understand that a bigger heavier bullet doesn't mean more meat loss. In fact it usually means the opposite on a smaller animal.

I'm a big believer in spending your resources (time & $$$) on developing the best performing load for your rifle and then not trying to change it up for every different critter.
Prairie dogs to grizzly bears I'm content that a 300 winny and a 215 berger will get it done. For your new Weatherby you might even step up to the 230 Berger Hybrid.

I have 215 and 185 Berger VLD already too! My understanding was the Berger bullets were made to penetrate and then explode to gaurauntee kill .Is that why you'd aim for the ribs? Blow the organs and not the meat?

I am definitely thinking 180 gr minimum now just with the wind factor alone! This has been very helpful!

 

[manitou]

My .280s with 140 gr Accubonds are my one-source go to for everything I hunt... and they do a dandy job.

 

[codyadams]

Just as a visual for wind, I'll throw up a couple of ballistic charts for out to 400 yards with all the bullets you listed, compared to the 215 Berger. You will see even though it starts slower, it catches them all in velocity by 450 yards, and does not have much more drop. And in wind drift, it spanks them all, and has more energy by a large margin.

 

[drtony]

Where did you make these! Very cool! The bottom graph is showing wind drift over distance. What is the top showing? Velocity over distance and bullet drop?

 

[codyadams]

Where did you make these! Very cool!

The applied Ballistics application on my phone. It's what I use for my shot drop calculations. My phone is in a waterproof case and I put it in airplane mode while hunting, and the battery will last for about 6 days. It accounts for barometric pressure, temperature, gps location, and target heading for Coriolis (If you are shooting far enough for it to matter) and is extremely accurate and a great tool for comparing loads and bullets.

 

[CUTTER1]

Mature buck antelope has 10" kill zone! That being said I've shot them with everything from 22-250 to 470 NitroExpress and this year a 6.5 PRC with 135 Berger Classic Hunter at 263yd literally demolished a doe!
"DEAD IS DEAD". And I've never had an antelope say "you didn't use enough gun" head shot with accurate varminet rifle on a doe is perfect for meat yield and legal in Wy

 

[trhall]

I have 215 and 185 Berger VLD already too! My understanding was the Berger bullets were made to penetrate and then explode to gaurauntee kill .Is that why you'd aim for the ribs? Blow the organs and not the meat?

I am definitely thinking 180 gr minimum now just with the wind factor alone! This has been very helpful!

Makes no difference what bullet I'm shooting I aim for the lower third of the chest in the crease right behind the shoulder. I have lived and hunted in the rocky mountain west for over 50 years now. Doesn't matter whether I'm shooting deer, antelope, or elk I have the same aim point. Not only does it eliminate any meat loss but it also is the most effective shot placement. A little low and you hit the heart, a little high and you punch through both lungs, perfect and you get some of both. I have personally killed or been there with someone else over 50 elk (bulls & cows) and never had one go more than 100 yards when shot through the lungs. That aimpoint also gives you the greatest margin for error like wind call, etc..

In the last several years I have killed quite a few elk and antelope from 100 yards to 725 yards with the 215. Never had one not exit including the bull in my avatar. They don't blow up. They do shed some fragments but the main body of the bullet exits. There is a several years long thread on here started by Broz with tons of detail of on game performance with the 215 for everything from Yukon moose to bear, elk, deer, and antelope. All the details on terminal performance you could ever want. I suggest you search for that thread on the 215 Berger started by Broz and spend several hours reading through the 60+ pages with pictures.