WY Pronghorn

[ml williford]

Off the point. I've taken a few pronghorn and 2 mule deer with my 25-06. None of my goats over 300 yards and never needed to shoot at anything like 400 or more. And I do own magnums but use them for big game. Elk, oryx or in canyon and mountain country.

 

[Alibiiv]

He means an all copper bullet, so being that you are limited to factory ammunition, you likely choice would be something loaded with a barnes bullet.

The 165 accubond or 165 scirroco is what I would go with of those choices, if you want to save meat then extreme velocity is not your friend, the high velocity of the lighter bullets will cause more blood shot and more meat loss. Also, hunting pronghorn here in Wyoming often times means shooting in high wind, so the heavier bullets will have a higher ballistic coefficient and cut the wind better even with their lower velocity, giving you slightly more room for error. However, if your shooting at that distance you will need good accuracy too, so what you end up hunting with may be dictated by what the rifle shoots best.

As far as ideal cartridge for a pronghorn/whitetail hunt, a 300 weatherby is not exactly what I would call ideal from what I know of your situation. Don't get me wrong, it's a good round, especially if elk is on the menu, but if your new to hunting you may also be new to shooting, and IF that is the case, the heavy recoil and expensive cost of the 300 weatherby is simply not a good choice to learn long range with. Even with a good muzzle brake taming the recoil (not the inefficient radial brake that comes on them) the percussion can cause a new shooter some problems. Something more along the lines of a 7mm-08, .260 remington, 6.5 creed, 6.5x284, or even up to a .264 win mag and possibly 7mm rem mag is better for a new shooter, though a light 7mm mag can have significant recoil as well. These rounds allow more shooting due to less shooter fatigue from recoil, more affordable shooting because of cheaper ammunition, give good trajectories, and still have enough power to hunt big game, especially if your intended targets are only white tail and pronghorn.

A 300 weatherby (while expensive) is certainly a good long range hunting cartridge, especially when handloaded with 200-230 grain bullets, but my concern would be more the ability of a new shooter to hold the necessary 5"-6" groups or less at the max 600 yard range you listed with a larger magnum cartridge in what is likely a relatively light rifle (sub 10 lbs). Pronghorn are not very big critters, so you need to be able to hold good groups at the range, because things certainly are not easier in the field.

I may be way off base, and you may be a very experienced long range shooter that has just never hunted (which is perfectly fine) but if that is not the case, and you are relatively new to shooting and long range, I would be cautious of getting too much gun, which will simply end up teaching you bad habits and poor form. All too often people new to the sport fall into this "You have to have a magnum to kill" mentality, when in reality you need an accurate shootable rifle and time behind your gun getting comfortable and accurate with it.

I don't intend to stand on a soap box, just want to make sure someone new to the sport is getting a good start!!

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 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.

drtony, I totally agree with what "codyagams" wrote in his reply to you. For what your hunting requirements there certainly a number of cartridges that would be better that the 300 Weatherby; it would certainly not be my first choice. "drtony" just curious did you do research this particular cartridge before you bought it? I must be weakening because I never champion the.................6.5 Creadmore, however I believer that it would be a much better choice than the the 300 Weatherby for your hunting needs; I cannot believe that I wrote this about the Creed. Any of the 6.5s will do, the 270 Winchester, other long distance choices for pronghorn would be the .270 WSM, 280 Ackley Improved are all fantastic cartridges for antelope and whitetail deer. The 30-06, 308 Winchester, 7mmWSM, 7mmRemMag the list goes on and on for the hunting application that you have described. All of the above cartridges would efficiently get the job done, are easy on the shoulder and a whole lot easier on the pocket book. I am not trying to be disrespectful to you, this is not my intention at all. You will get a lot of suggestions and opinions on here, some will agree and some will not; diversity is the good thing about this forum. If you were a good friend or a relative and you came to me stating that you were going to buy a 300Weatherby for deer and antelope hunting I would tell you that you really are going to be over gunned for the game you are planning to hunt and to purchase one of the cartridges that I wrote above in my response to you. From what you have posted you appear to be relatively new to hunting, just trying to answer some of the questions that you have posed on here and not trying to be disrespectful to you by any means.

 

[tmmcampbell]

Hey drtony. When I was just starting college our house burned down taking all my hunting rifles with it. I had a family friend who gave me his 300 weatherby. First time I shot it I thought I was hit by a truck. I learned to handle the recoil and hunted with my only rifle for about 2 decades. Killed lots of elk, many deer, and one antelope with that rifle. (Hard to get antelope tags in OR). Now years later I have many rifles, several customs. However, if I could only own one rifle it would be that 300 weatherby. Is it over kill? Yes for some things. But you will not be under gunned by anything in North America. It has range, style, and speaks with authority. If you only have one gun the 300 weatherby is a dandy.

PS: my daughter and I drew spring bear tags this year. When we go you can bet which rifle I'm taking. Old Roy.

 

[drtony]

Hey drtony. When I was just starting college our house burned down taking all my hunting rifles with it. I had a family friend who gave me his 300 weatherby. First time I shot it I thought I was hit by a truck. I learned to handle the recoil and hunted with my only rifle for about 2 decades. Killed lots of elk, many deer, and one antelope with that rifle. (Hard to get antelope tags in OR). Now years later I have many rifles, several customs. However, if I could only own one rifle it would be that 300 weatherby. Is it over kill? Yes for some things. But you will not be under gunned by anything in North America. It has range, style, and speaks with authority. If you only have one gun the 300 weatherby is a dandy.

PS: my daughter and I drew spring bear tags this year. When we go you can bet which rifle I'm taking. Old Roy.

That is awful about losing your home and belongings. That must have been a really hard time in your life. It is great to hear some weatherby love on here .

I originally purchased an accumark in 300 weatherby last year as my first rifle ever purchased (I did not keep that rifle due to some issues, but that is on a different thread from last fall). I bought it for an elk hunt in CO with my dad. He and my uncle have been going to CO to hunt elk for 40 years. Last year was my first time hunting since I was a child (probably 20 years at least). I knew I wanted a large magnum either a 7mm or .30 cal for the ability to hunt anything in North America. I went with 300 weatherby over the win mag and 7mm mag due to the increase in power/accuracy/and speed (authority as tmmcampbell rightly put). I may have gone for a 7mm STW if I could have found one. I tend to like things more out of the ordinary that not everyone has. For some reason I like the weatherby cartridges. I am really looking forward to putting this rifle to good use.

 

[drtony]

drtony, I totally agree with what "codyagams" wrote in his reply to you. For what your hunting requirements there certainly a number of cartridges that would be better that the 300 Weatherby; it would certainly not be my first choice. "drtony" just curious did you do research this particular cartridge before you bought it? I must be weakening because I never champion the.................6.5 Creadmore, however I believer that it would be a much better choice than the the 300 Weatherby for your hunting needs; I cannot believe that I wrote this about the Creed. Any of the 6.5s will do, the 270 Winchester, other long distance choices for pronghorn would be the .270 WSM, 280 Ackley Improved are all fantastic cartridges for antelope and whitetail deer. The 30-06, 308 Winchester, 7mmWSM, 7mmRemMag the list goes on and on for the hunting application that you have described. All of the above cartridges would efficiently get the job done, are easy on the shoulder and a whole lot easier on the pocket book. I am not trying to be disrespectful to you, this is not my intention at all. You will get a lot of suggestions and opinions on here, some will agree and some will not; diversity is the good thing about this forum. If you were a good friend or a relative and you came to me stating that you were going to buy a 300Weatherby for deer and antelope hunting I would tell you that you really are going to be over gunned for the game you are planning to hunt and to purchase one of the cartridges that I wrote above in my response to you. From what you have posted you appear to be relatively new to hunting, just trying to answer some of the questions that you have posed on here and not trying to be disrespectful to you by any means.

Alibiiv, I researched a lot before deciding on this cartridge. The 300 wby is a very capable round for many different hunts. It will shoot faster, flatter, and with more energy than any of the calibers you mentioned (until you jump up to .38 or ultra magnum calibers). I know shot placement is everything and smaller calibers can get the job done, .30 cal will just get it done faster and with more authority.

I wanted the 300 wby cartridge because I hunt more than just white tail. I am hunting the pronghorn this year. Elk last year (original purpose of buying a 300 wby) and will again in the years to come. I will someday hunt my dream animals moose, big horn, and bear (in that order). I wanted rifle that could do it all. I believe I made the right choice and I enjoy shooting 300 wby rounds anyway. I really was wondering what round I should use, NOT what rifle I should (based on opinion) have bought.

In the future I have every intention of getting other rifles: 25-06, .257 weatherby, 6.5 CM, etc... For now, I wanted a diverse rifle so I can spend my money on the hunting experiences rather than a bunch of new guns that may be "more" suitable for particular hunting situation. Besides, I can only hunt with 1 rifle at a time and I know the 300 wby is more than capable for this.

 

[Alibiiv]

Alibiiv, I researched a lot before deciding on this cartridge. The 300 wby is a very capable round for many different hunts. It will shoot faster, flatter, and with more energy than any of the calibers you mentioned (until you jump up to .38 or ultra magnum calibers). I know shot placement is everything and smaller calibers can get the job done, .30 cal will just get it done faster and with more authority.

I wanted the 300 wby cartridge because I hunt more than just white tail. I am hunting the pronghorn this year. Elk last year (original purpose of buying a 300 wby) and will again in the years to come. I will someday hunt my dream animals moose, big horn, and bear (in that order). I wanted rifle that could do it all. I believe I made the right choice and I enjoy shooting 300 wby rounds anyway. I really was wondering what round I should use, NOT what rifle I should (based on opinion) have bought.

In the future I have every intention of getting other rifles: 25-06, .257 weatherby, 6.5 CM, etc... For now, I wanted a diverse rifle so I can spend my money on the hunting experiences rather than a bunch of new guns that may be "more" suitable for particular hunting situation. Besides, I can only hunt with 1 rifle at a time and I know the 300 wby is more than capable for this.

Hi drtony, I was replying to your OP of, "I will be hunting pronghorn and whitetail with it this fall." If you had included that you were looking for one rifle to hunt various game, including elk/moose/bighorn/bear, my messages back to you would have been along the lines that you have written in this reply back to me.

 

[Jim’s Hunt]

He means an all copper bullet, so being that you are limited to factory ammunition, you likely choice would be something loaded with a barnes bullet.

The 165 accubond or 165 scirroco is what I would go with of those choices, if you want to save meat then extreme velocity is not your friend, the high velocity of the lighter bullets will cause more blood shot and more meat loss. Also, hunting pronghorn here in Wyoming often times means shooting in high wind, so the heavier bullets will have a higher ballistic coefficient and cut the wind better even with their lower velocity, giving you slightly more room for error. However, if your shooting at that distance you will need good accuracy too, so what you end up hunting with may be dictated by what the rifle shoots best.

As far as ideal cartridge for a pronghorn/whitetail hunt, a 300 weatherby is not exactly what I would call ideal from what I know of your situation. Don't get me wrong, it's a good round, especially if elk is on the menu, but if your new to hunting you may also be new to shooting, and IF that is the case, the heavy recoil and expensive cost of the 300 weatherby is simply not a good choice to learn long range with. Even with a good muzzle brake taming the recoil (not the inefficient radial brake that comes on them) the percussion can cause a new shooter some problems. Something more along the lines of a 7mm-08, .260 remington, 6.5 creed, 6.5x284, or even up to a .264 win mag and possibly 7mm rem mag is better for a new shooter, though a light 7mm mag can have significant recoil as well. These rounds allow more shooting due to less shooter fatigue from recoil, more affordable shooting because of cheaper ammunition, give good trajectories, and still have enough power to hunt big game, especially if your intended targets are only white tail and pronghorn.

A 300 weatherby (while expensive) is certainly a good long range hunting cartridge, especially when handloaded with 200-230 grain bullets, but my concern would be more the ability of a new shooter to hold the necessary 5"-6" groups or less at the max 600 yard range you listed with a larger magnum cartridge in what is likely a relatively light rifle (sub 10 lbs). Pronghorn are not very big critters, so you need to be able to hold good groups at the range, because things certainly are not easier in the field.

I may be way off base, and you may be a very experienced long range shooter that has just never hunted (which is perfectly fine) but if that is not the case, and you are relatively new to shooting and long range, I would be cautious of getting too much gun, which will simply end up teaching you bad habits and poor form. All too often people new to the sport fall into this "You have to have a magnum to kill" mentality, when in reality you need an accurate shootable rifle and time behind your gun getting comfortable and accurate with it.

I don't intend to stand on a soap box, just want to make sure someone new to the sport is getting a good start!!

Totally agree 300 Weatherby is a very abusive round. New to hunting it is a flinch causing SOB