25-06 Antelope bullet recommendation?

Originally Posted By: NdIndyOriginally Posted By: sully2Originally Posted By: zillaI have killed a ton of speed goats using a 243 and 95 Nosler partitions. Your 100 grainer will do fine.. The 25-06 is an excellent choice for antelope

So a 243 with a 90 grainer at about 3000 fps should do it then???

Ive never shot one of them so I have no idea..???

You can put the down with a stern look and a finger wagging. A big male is about 90 pounds on the hoof. Around here, even if you get a runner it's not a big deal. It's so wide open they would have to cover a couple miles before you lost sight of them. But most go down in less than 100 same as any other animal.

You're kidding me?? 90 pounds?? My whitetails here are lots larger than that! Ive been close to pronghorns...but never shot any..and of course...lol...never weighed any either..
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Originally Posted By: ackleymanYou do not need accubonds or tripple shocks on antelope. When you get the hide off them and see them hanging up, there is not much there.

243 or 6 Remington loaded with 90g Speer Sp or Sierra 85g BTHP is a great combo for antelope. 95g Partition does an excellent job also.

Back when I was hunting them, you applied for a tag and got 4 tags...no drawing. Then you went down and bought over the counter 4 more tags for $25.

There were usually 12 went in our group and I ended up filling a lot of tags for the other guys.

I appreciate the post myself...clues me in on Pronghorns a bunch...
 
Originally Posted By: sully2So a 243 with a 90 grainer at about 3000 fps should do it then???

Ive never shot one of them so I have no idea..???



Yup...
 
At 90 lbs I'd think you could probably get by with an 87 gr bullet in the 06. Thought they were heavier then that.
 
original poster is asking about a bullet for a 25-06, not a 243...

110g AB is for the .257" bore

I would shoot a 100g or 115g NBT and be done with it personally. Best antelope/deer bullets on the market IMO.

Antelope aren't hard to kill when they weigh no more then 100 lbs.

22-250 and 220 swift with 55g bullets will put an antelope down and out pretty quick like as well.
 
Point being that if a 90g Speer at 3100 slays goats with ease, then a 100g from a 25/06 at 3300-3350 is magnum.

I put tremendous holes in antelope with 270's and 7 mags.

6 Rem and 243 with 85g Sierra BTHP, 85g Sierra Sp, 90g Speer, 95g Partition are really keen antelope bullets, plus the 95g partition is great for all deer and hogs. I used IMR 4350 with all three of the above bullets.

I shot a lot of antelope and deer with the 25/06 with a 100g Sierra BTSp and if I started the morning off with a coyote stand, my rifle was loaded with the Sierra 90ghp and took antelope with that bullet.

Antelope are really easy to kill, figure the largest that you would ever shoot would weigh 125 lbs and most are in the 80-100 lbs.

For those of you that do not know, the 25 cal nosler 100g Ballistic tip made today is a tough bullet, great for antelope. If you want a tough 25 Cal non-premium bullet, then the Hornady 100g Flat base may be your answer, the very toughest 25 Caliber non-premium bullet is the 120g Hornady flat base.

For those of you that have not had it, antelope jerkey is the best there is.
 
kyotekiller25 and ackleyman. I was initially tempted to use the 115 ballistic tip. I've used them in the past (140g in 7mm RM) as well as have a few of my brothers in a variety of calibers. They all have killed animals just fine, but holy heck they can make a mess of an animal. I shot a deer one time that had an entrance wound that you could shove a football through. I understand that I don't "need" a particularly tough bullet, but I also want something left of the thing after I shoot it, and that is just not my experience with the ballistic tips.
 
What you have worked up already that is shooting great groups is perfect! Opinions are like well "you know", you got a load that will kill anything from Antelope to Elk, and it shoots great, I wouldn't change a thing...
 
The 115g NBT is my favorite bullet in the 25-06. Its a bit fragile up close if shoulder bone is hit, but what bullet isn't that doesn't retain 99% of its weight and impacts at 3000fps...

I killed quite a few deer with the 115 NBTs and I got an exit every time from 50-600 yards. Most exits were no bigger then an 1-2", entries the same depending on placement.

If there close, put it behind the shoulder and save a little more meat. When there out there aways and velocity slowed down, there not any different then any other conventional bullet out there IME.

Theres nothign wrong with TSX for antelope, but there really are better bullets suited for such light thin skinned/boned game is all.
 
I would use a cheap old 100gr. soft point that shot well. Something like a Powerpoint, Interlock, Hot-Cor, Cor-Lokt, etc., etc.

I'm not a fan of NBTs for deer or larger game......
 
You are already set up for antelope.

I use the 115 grain TSX in my 10" twist .25-06. The TSX bullet doesn't expand as violently as some softer cup/core types and cause your meat to be blood-shot, but it definitely opens up on antelope.

When I run out of 115s I've got a box of 100 TSX to try.

Dropped my last Mule Deer at 317 yards, straight down.
 
Originally Posted By: joedAt 90 lbs I'd think you could probably get by with an 87 gr bullet in the 06. Thought they were heavier then that.

They can be, but I'd say around 90 is a good average. Figure on average about 40lbs of meat on a buck. Easiest big game drag you'll ever do though.

On that note if you're trophy hunting and are planning for a mount, bring tarps and a game cart. Their hair is hollow and breaks off really easy, if you do any kind of drag you'll have a bald cape. You'll need to be really careful. I have no idea why they're not naturally bald.

This is one of the bigger one's I've taken, *maybe* 120. Farm land feeder so bigger body than most you see in the prairie. Hot 165gr 30-06 at about 300yds by lazer. For a size comparison, I'm 5'6" and about 165 in that pic.
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Same goat + my buddies 1st goat (little guy), better size comparison.
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A bit smaller, maybe 100. Same round at 440. Also farm land.
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And last year, about average prairie goat.
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Like I said, it doesn't take much to put one done cleanly and humanely.

Took 2 last year with cheap 100gr sp 25-06 loaded about as slow as a factory .243, 1 at about 500 and one around 400. Same effect as the 30, tons easier on the shoulder. I'll be using the same bullets on goat and deer this year, but loaded hot. Because, and for no other reason.

 
I just got back from shooting PDogs in SD and saw my first pronghorns out there, most of them didnt look much bigger than my German Shorthair.
I Spent alot of time shooting 90gr sierras through my 25-06 at yotes and have poked a couple of deer with them Id say the load youve got would probly be fine.

Jim
 
I thought I'd pull this old thread back out. I ended up using the 100g ttsx in my 25/06 and my brother used the 85g tsx in a 243. Both absolutely hammered the antelope. Mine at 406, his at 210 yards.

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Originally Posted By: brdeanoI'll be runnin 100gr NBT's in my 25-06AI on speedgoats this year.

Posted the above quite a while back. We did end up using the 100NBT out of my 25-06AI at just under 3500fps.

I killed mine off shooting sticks at a lazered 460yds. My wife shot hers off a rest (prone) at 415yds. The NBT worked great. My shot entered the near shoulder on the quartering toward buck and left about a half-dollar sized exit behind the off shoulder. Rachel's shot caught hers high on the onside and exited low on the offside behind the shoulder. She was shooting down at hers.

No complaints whatsoever on bullet performance. Actually I was impressed with them and I expected them to be much messier that they were. I know its just a sample of 2, but I'll be running the same load from the same rifle for some whitetails here shortly.

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My buck on the left, Rachels on the right. The rest pictured is what she used.

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