223 for Antelope?

[slimngrizzly]

Im lending my 223 to a buddy for antelope hunting. I told him I thought it was plenty of gun for a goat! What do you guys think? If yes, what ammo would you suggest?

Thanks

[Code-Man]

smallest of calibers will drop the biggest of game with the right shot. I see no problem with it I got a 243 for hopefully some day going antelope but that was because when I purchased it MN had min caliber listed as 243

[jabug]

plenty of gun out to 200 to 250 yds with right loads. i use mine for whitetail loaded with 70 gr barnes triple shock . these are handloaded and i dont know if can be bought over counter. but a 65 and up grain bullet will do fine along with good shot placement.

[motley man]

I use 22-250 and 243 - both work well on deer,antelope with right bullet

[mrklean]

if its a good shot should be plenty

[Wallydog]

The problem I forsee is that often speed goat shots can be longer ranges and moving. For my money I'd suggest he takes minimum .243. I shoot either a 257 Roberts or .270. I like 2 holes in them. Many bullets in 223 ammo are to frangible in my opinion leaving the door wide open for lengthy tracking job or worse yet a lost crippled critter. You can kill 'em with a 22 LR if you have perfect shot placement, but in frequent cases antelope present everything but the opportunity of a perfect close range shot.

my 2 cents.

WD

[mamohr686]

My first choice would be ammo made by black hills with a 62 grain Barnes triple shock-x bullet. Expensive at $71.99 for a 50 count box, but it's worth it. They have as much energy as a .243 and no fragmentation. Other good choices include federal 60 grn nosler partition or 62 grain fusion loads. Midway usa is a good place if you want to order online, and has almost every .223 load available for sale. If you take a long shot and think you missed, you owe it to the animal to walk it out and check for blood. With small, fast bullets with good weight retention it's difficult to see the bullet impact and you will usually have a pass-through unless your using the barnes.

[walleye365]

i wouldnt,good luck to yas

[Walleye Guy]

Can you kill an antelope with that caliber? Absolutely. Is it the best caliber? Not in my opinion. A .243 or . 270 are better options in my opinion. both are less prone to wind drift on long shots and both will probably have a better chance of leaving two holes in the goat.

If that is the only option just make sure that the shots are reasonable given the conditions.

[swamptiger]

Quote:

I use 22-250 and 243 - both work well on deer,antelope with right bullet

What bullet do you use in the 22-250?

[Ufatz]

If you really want to make a clean kill of your antelope another cartridge would be a far better choice. Sure, no question you COULD drop one with the .223 but the odds are TOO high that you make a less-than-perfect shot and then the misery begins-for you AND the animal.

Use a little more gun,for your sake and the animals.

[swamptiger]

I was on the Federal ammo HSOforum, and did some comparisons on the ballistics of the .223, 22-250, and .243.

Foot lbs. energy: muzzle, 100 yds, 200 yds, 300 yds, 400 yds, 500 yds

.243 with 100 gr. Nosler partition: 243 Win. (6.16x51mm) 1803 1515 1264 1047 860 701

.22-250 with 60 gr. Nosler partition: 22-250 Rem. 1632 1234 922 676 485 341

.223 with 60 gr. Nosler partition: 223 Rem. (5.56x45mm) 1330 998 736 532 375 262

.223 with 55 gr. Barnes triple shock: 223 Rem. (5.56x45mm) 1250 925 672 477 330 227

According to the charts on the Federal HSOforum, there are heavier bullets available for the .223, but they are only recommended for target shooting. The 55 gr. Barnes and the 60 gr. Nosler are the only two recommended for medium sized game. As you can see from the ballistics, the .243 with the 100 gr. bullet has it all over the other two, especially at longer ranges.

[paul pachowicz]

Lemme think about this for a sec. You are lending out a rifle. Ok, so, the guy don't have a gun. Makes me think there could be some inexperience going on here. Going after goats with a caliber that, to me, isn't suited for goats in the hands of a neophyte. If that is the case, of course. Is it "good enough" for goats?, probably in the hands of a marksman. I live in goat country and wouldn't try it. I've seen those things run for miles and miles with one leg windmilling only to become coyote bait after they've run themselves into the ground. Do what you want but, if you are asking others the question makes me wonder if you asked YOURSELF the same question. Conversely, I've seen guys bung em up with .338 win mags. Bottom line, is the guy good enough to know the capabilities of the caliber and what ever bullet he's gonna use and knowledgeable of the game he's after?

[Ufatz]

Paul, you are right where I was thinking the other night. I was reluctant to come right out and say we had the makings of a disaster here but that rifle in the hands of someone who has never hunted our speedy little friends is just not a good idea. Not knocking either party here.....just trying to avert a painful misadventure.

I'm sure you've seen the same thing I have out on the prairie: a guy shoots at a goat way too far out...fooled by open distances. Goat runs off and then the misery begins.

There must be a better rifle available to the folks involved. And then a week or so of practice and familiarization will make for a pleasant and successful hunt.