AR-15 .223 for pronghorn

I

Idaho 45 Vaquero

New member
.223 (5.56) on pronghorn?

I'm planning on hunting pronghorn antelope next fall. My main hunting rifle has been a modified 30-06 (necked up to .31 cal and loaded with 200 grain bullet, and hot loaded). Great on elk and mule deer for longer ranges. Have noticed a couple times that it can be kinda hard on the meat on a mule deer buck sometimes at shorter ranges. I got blood shot all over one side of the chest cavity just under the skin once. Not sure whether I should use it against an antelope which is considerably smaller. Also the hunting season is early on in September and kinda hot in the Idaho desert so I want to minimize meat damage in the hot weather.

The next smallest rifle short of a 30 caliber that I have is an AR-15 20'' barrel HBAR. I have a scope that is all set just right for shooting out to 400yds. I realize that .243, .25-06, and such are more ideal calibers, but I don't own any of them. I'm thinking of just using my AR-15.

Of course shot placement is always key. Has anybody here used .223 with much success on longer range big game?

By the way .223 is technically legal in Idaho for big game.
 
The .223 will do the job if you do your part by keeping the range fairly short, use good bullets and shoot well. However if you have a rifle you like and are used to why not alter the load to be a little more antelope friendly. Not as hot, different bullet etc. While it will work there is no calculation that will make the .223 the equal of a modified .30-06, especially if you stretch out the range.
 
Well, I hope you put on your asbestos underwear before you started this thread cuz it's probably going to make hell look frozen over before too long.

Real simple answer, lots of folks use .223/5.56 on big game. I have a very good friend who hunts whitetail deer in NY with a Savage Axis .223. Our adult deer weigh 95-200lbs, averaging around 110 for doe and 130 for bucks. In other words, the average are heavier than all but the heaviest pronghorn.

Lots of people hunt deer with a .223, just like quite a few folks hunt elk with .243, but you'll be told/called all kinds of things for suggesting it.

Yes, you have to keep your shots shorter and at lesser angles.

Shot placement is king. Bullet construction is queen. Caliber is the court jester.
 
Did Jim Zumbo put you up to this?
On a serious note, I have no first hand experience with a .223 or anything else on pronghorn but I suspect you'd be fine.
 
There are several .223 bullets in the 65- to 70-grain weight range that several people here have used successfully on Bambi. No reason they would not work on an antelope.
 
I'll second what Art stated , and folks have tried for years to tell me I couldn't ( and many other folks) shoot hogs with .223 , .22-250 ,.22-243 middlestead ,.22-250 ai etc. Guess the hogs didn't get that memo.
 
The only pronghorn I shot was under long range and high wind conditions. Neither of these is within the capabilities of the .223. If your hunting is conducive to keeping range moderate(under 200 yards), you know a lot about doping the wind, and you're an excellent tracker, then you MIGHT do OK with the .223.
 
Until around the turn of the century, I was pretty much an anti about using the .223 for bigger game than coyotes. The bullet-makers R&D have pretty much changed my attitude. There are many more choices than just the "varmints only" bullets, and they have been proven to make clean kills.

I still think that it's marginal for antelope or deer, but with the caveats of careful picking of the shot-angle and limiting the range, the .223 has built a decent track record for clean kills.
 
Keep the cartridge's capabilities in mind.
Know the wind.
Choose the right bullet.
Make the shot count.

I believe that those concepts should always be used, but it's doubly-important with .223 Rem on a big game hunt where the situation is likely to be unpredictable and changing.

Keep the .303 American on standby. You may need its reach.
It wouldn't hurt to consider a tougher bullet (such as a Nosler Partition). The "controlled expansion" isn't needed for antelope, but it seems to really help reduce meat damage if you put a bullet through a major 'eatin' part'.


I've taken antelope as close as about 90 yards, and at more than 550 yards. Some shots have been in dead-calm air, but many have been in 20-40 mph wind.
Some years, the herds will walk right through camp without a care. Other years, the best shot opportunity may be 400+ yards with full-value 30+ mph crosswind.
I never know what the situation will be until I'm there, looking at it.

I like to be prepared.
Whether or not I take something that's marginal or of limited use (such as .30-40 Krag with crappy iron sights), I always have at least one rifle available with some reach. Sometimes it may be the 'little' .243, but it's usually a .270 Win or .30-06.

Until around the turn of the century, I was pretty much an anti about using the .223 for bigger game than coyotes. The bullet-makers R&D have pretty much changed my attitude. There are many more choices than just the "varmints only" bullets, and they have been proven to make clean kills.
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That's exactly where I was until 3-5 years ago.

I really hadn't opened my eyes to how .22 caliber bullets had advanced, until some members on this forum 'showed me the light'.
 
I have used the .223 on 1 deer 3 antelope. Hits were all "in the boiler works" and the animals were all recovered. It did not offer the BOOM! FLOP! instant kills that my .257 Roberts and .30-06 did. I quit using it for this reason. The deer went down hard to a varmint round (not chosen on purpose), but all 3 speed goats required multiple hits. They would run, then walk, then stop, BOOM! take another hit, then wobble and sort of lie down as if bedding down. I didn't like it.

This was with 55gr ammo. I have heard good things about heavier bullets, but these were all either pass throughs, or recovered in perfect mushrooms under the off side hide. I don't see how they could have done better for being heavier.

Antelope are small, but I have seen them keep going with hits that would anchor most deer. I would consider a 300 yard shot to be MAX-i-MUM, and sub 200 to be a lot better.

I shot last Fall's antelope with a .30-06, and would do so again.
 
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Here is a thought: What about your .31-06 with a somewhat tougher bullet so as to not fully expand in a little goat?
 
I think I had one of those 31/06's about 20 years ago. Mine had been a 7.65x53(Argentine) that Bubba had "re-chambered" with a 30/06 reamer. The bore was a loose .312 and .308 bullets would drop through end to end. It's now a 338/06 big game buster.
 
I successfully used a 75 gr hornady bthp on an 8 pt mule dear. Lasers range was 193 yds. One shot did the trick out of my RRA with a 20" barrel. I used 23.5 gr. Of RL15. I shot the deer it stood still for about 10 seconds. I new I had hit it right behind the shoulder, and then it fell over just where it stood. That deer was bigger than antelope.
 
do Idaho regulations allow you to hunt pronghorn with a .223?
Just asking b/c it's a .24 cal minimum here in Colorado.

That said, I do think you could do it, if you were allowed to do it.

Good luck
 
I don't think the AR15 is accurate enough for shots on antelope at 400 yds. You may luck out, but odds are against success. Just my opinion.
 
I have a 223 and an assortment of bullets. I've killed a few deer, pigs, and coyotes with it. I'd be Ok shooting a deer or pronghorn at 100 yards and probably out to 200. Out past that, pick a bullet that will pass through, so you'll have a blood trail. For that, two good choices would be the Nosler Partition and the Nosler 64 gr Bonded Solid Base.
 
I don't think the AR15 is accurate enough for shots on antelope at 400 yds. You may luck out, but odds are against success. Just my opinion.
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It depends on the AR in question.
He says his is an HBAR that's good to at least 400 yards (accuracy-wise, I assume).

It's a perfectly reasonable and believable claim.
Just like other rifles, what really matters in an AR is the barrel. If it's a crap barrel, it's going to shoot like crap. But throw in a quality barrel, and most will shoot as well as a bolt gun with the same barrel. Just as with bolt guns, the limiting factor is usually the shooter, rather than the equipment.
 
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