Help Decide Which 'Lope Gun To Use!

[Deleted member 107796]

Hey All,
I thought I'd have some fun and put a poll out there as to opinions on which gun I should be taking on this year's pronghorn hunt. Last year, my Tikka T3 Lite in 270WSM (130gn Hornady GMX) got its first game, which was does in both early and late seasons, so of course it's a strong candidate. I also have certified handloads for both Ruger American in 7mm-08 (140gn Berger VLDH) and Tikka T3 Lite in .308 (150gn Hornady GMX).
cheers, mike

 

[Old Blue Dawg]

It depends if you are a hunter or a shooter. When I started hunting Lopes 20 years ago I used a 300 H&H because the "experts" all said Lope hunting was a long range game. Once I realized they did not have magic powers, I started hunting them like any other "spot and stalk" game animal. 17 bucks later, my last was killed with an 1871 Swiss 41 rimfire converted to CF. Spotted @ 500 yards and stalked to 50. Others were killed with a 22-06, 25-06, 6.5x55, 270 WCF, 300 H&H, 300 WinMag, 300 Savage, 375 H&H and .452 Don Brown muzzle loader. When I took an old USAF buddy for his first Lope hunt, his 30-06 BAR worked fine at 140 yards.

 

[Coyote_Hunter]

Accuracy being equal, I d go with the .270 WSM.

Daughter #1 has used a .308/130TTSX for antelope/elk/deer but this year will be using a .270 Win/150g AB for all.

My .257 Roberts has taken more antelope than all my other rifles combined. Daughters, nephews and I have all used it. 100TTSX and 110AB.

 

[Frog4aday]

Since there is no .25-06 option...I'll go with:
270WSM / 130gn GMX

 

[YZ-80]

I'm with Frog for the .25-06 but of the choices listed, I'd go with the fastest and the flattest. The 270 WSM.

 

[djm670]

Were it me, I would use the 7mm-08 as there is only a couple of inches of drop difference between it and the .270 WSM at 500 yards and the 7mm-08 is easier to shoot well.. based on the following recoil statistics.. never had one though, but when looking at the ballistics while comparing one with a 6.5 CM, I was impressed with the
7mm-08.

270 WSM (130 at 3275) 8.0 18.7 12.3
7mm-08 Rem. (140 at 2860) 8.0 12.6 10.1 (recoil engergy and velocity)
.308 Win. (150 at 2800) 7.5 15.8 11.7

All three are more than necessary to kill goats.. I would use either my 6 mm Remington or .25-06 which is what I have used most of the time for hunting goats

 

[Kimber7man]

I'm a hunter and a shooter. I'd take the 7 aught 8

 

[Huntnaz]

Most accurate one with the best optic

 

[FEENIX]

Another vote for the .270 WSM.

 

[jjmp]

Owning all 3myselfPlus a25/06 hum...... dat ain't so easy ,I'd substitute your 140 Berger for a tipped Sierra 160 MK in the 708 I know what mine does , Fowl you say ...... Ok 270 wsm but Waite she scored last yr! Right ? Yes ....final answer 708 with your 140 then ! Lol winner either way ! Cheers !

 

[Deleted member 107796]

My .257 Roberts has taken more antelope than all my other rifles combined. Daughters, nephews and I have all used it. 100TTSX and 110AB.

Oh man, my first hunting rifle, given to me by a late friend, was a Remington 722 in 257Bob! Made in 1950, my friend's grandfather made the wooden stock and military style leather sling and is has taken many goats, deer and a few caribou and elk. It is a strong contender also with anything 100gn but has the minor drawback of an old Weaver K4 scope, as bulletproof as that old scope is.

Love the responses so far.

 

[bengineer]

Based on your bullet options, I would choose the 7-08. The Berger is a softer bullet, often frangible. The GMX are good, but a little too tough for my liking on soft animals like pronghorn.
Based on your gun options, I would always take a T3 over an American if it shoots better. Maybe I am a snob. Smooth action over rough. Accuracy over anything else.
Were I asked the perfect pronghorn caliber, based on over 30 years of hunting and killing them, I would say the 25-06 or a Bob. I am a fan, but not an owner, of the 257 Roy, but it would no doubt account for some pounds of meat lost to bruising. Dead is dead, but I mostly take rear lung shots to bring more meat to the table. That being said, I have killed speed goats with lots of calibers, including 45/70 from a Guide gun using a FN cast bullet. The 308 Win has accounted for more of them than any other caliber. 165 Hornady BTSP at a little slower than max hasn't failed me yet. A 243 85 TSX rear lung shot doe goat ran over 200 yards. She ended up closer to a two-track, but not the result I like otherwise. A 243/105 AMAX frontal shot, just an inch or so off center, resulted in a bruised shoulder and no rib penetration. But the ribs spalled the lungs and he died in 45 seconds or so. Not ideal, but a good example of soft in soft. A 55 Rem HP from a Swift had no effect on a 120 yard rear lung shot buck, until froth came from his nose and he fell dead about 30 seconds later. A 140 BT from a 270 in rear lungs generally makes short work. You see a pattern: soft bullets in soft game upset more vitals, hard bullets in soft game upset less vitals, leading often to slower kills.
Read Nathan Foster's knowledgebase at www.ballisticstudies.com A true treasure trove of first-hand experiences with many cartridges.

 

[littlewhaler]

Since there is no .25-06 option...I'll go with:
270WSM / 130gn GMX

Since "other" was an option, I think the best lope cartridge is 25-06. Many other good ones but that's top of my list for speed goats on the plains..

 

[skipglo]

Since there is no .25-06 option...I'll go with:
270WSM / 130gn GMX

I second the motion