What’s the best antelope rifle and cartridge? We tested two different rifles in New Mexico and collected two trophy antelope. Times have changed, and the best antelope rifles and cartridges you read about from the past won’t make it today. Antelope permits are harder and harder to acquire. Drawings are oversubscribed just about everywhere, especially in units known for trophies. This year in New Mexico, I was lucky to draw a non-resident outfitter tag for the middle season. I chose Tony Grimmett of Pronghorn Guide Service (PGS) to help me on the three-day hunt.
Three days of scouting before opening day from dawn to dusk showed us that this would not be an easy hunt. Pronghorn Guide Service had bagged a fine antelope in the first season with one of their hunters, but their guides cautioned that those results might be hard to duplicate. During the evening meals, Tony and I traded information with PGS’s other guide for this hunt, Bobby, and met his client, Tyson. With good videos of potential bucks and after a lot of scouting, we chose what appeared to be the two best trophies.
We weren’t the only hunters in this unit, and the competition pressured us to find our bucks quickly on opening day. The bucks we selected were in the same two square mile area of open pasture. One had long, tall symmetrical horns that would make a striking wall mount. Tyson liked this one. The other was not as tall and notably asymmetric but had longer prongs. I preferred this one, even though his horns looked like they’d come from two different animals. The right horn and prong were more open while the left horn and prong curled inward. This was a most peculiar looking buck.
Bobby relocated them both the night before opening day. Determined to be there before first light, he slept in his truck on the side of the road. Tony and I stayed in a town far away but managed to arrive when there was just enough light to see. Tyson had driven in from another town where he was staying with friends. He and Bobby were already across the fence and glassing. Tony and I crossed the fence into the giant pasture. Not knowing the bucks’ exact locations, we eased our way using the sparse juniper trees for cover. With the sun below the horizon but still to our advantage, Bobby and Tyson spotted the long, tall buck with perfect symmetry. Tyson carried a rifle he had built to his specifications – a Remington 700 action, 20" Sendero Proof Research barrel with suppressor, TriggerTech Diamond trigger, McMillan Game Hunter stock, and Swarovski 5-25x56 tactical scope. Chambered in 6.5 SAUM and loaded with 156 grain Berger Elite Hunter bullets traveling at 2,990 fps from the muzzle, it was capable of very long shots. I was most interested in the use of the sound suppressor, something I’d not seen on an actual hunt before. From behind a juniper tree, Tyson stepped to the side to take his shot. With his tripod fully extended, standing up, he took careful aim and dropped his buck at 278 yards with one shot. It would make the most beautiful shoulder mount you have ever seen.
Tony and I must have been 100 yards to the side and slightly behind. We could barely hear the shot, but we did hear it hit. That suppressor worked as intended. The shot wasn’t silent, but it was greatly muffled. I saw only one drawback – you can’t use a proper muzzle brake if you have a suppressor. Heavier bullets in bigger magnums require a muzzle brake. Tyson’s 156 grain Berger bullet broke bones and exploded. The exit wound was massive.
After the shot, Tyson and Bobby held fast glassing. Tony was glassing too. He softly exclaimed that my buck had just arrived from over a low ridge to investigate the commotion. He was facing the just-risen sun and didn’t see us. However, there were no more juniper trees between us and the buck, so we couldn’t sneak any closer without being detected. Tony found a cactus-free spot on the ground. I lay down with the extended Harris bipod legs set short. While he ranged the distance with his laser, I got into a comfortable position. Tony called the clicks for the scope turret. I wiggled, started breathing slowly, and set the crosshairs on the buck to let them settle down. Tony ranged again and made one more slight adjustment on the turret. I made sure the crosshairs weren’t dancing. I called, “Fire in the hole!” and touched the trigger. The shot went off, and the buck collapsed. The sound of a well-placed shot returned to our ears. Tony’s laser rangefinder made it 694 yards, my second-longest kill. It was perfect. Because of my heavier bullet, the exit hole was noticeably smaller than Tyson’s, sometimes a consideration when saving a cape for mounting. The 195 grain bullet hadn’t shattered bone, so perhaps that had something to do with it.
The rifle I used was Tony’s .28 Nosler by Ryan Pierce’s Piercision Rifles LLC. Loaded with 195 grain VLD Berger Bullets at 3,050 fps from a 27" barrel and topped by a Z5 5-25x56mm Swarovski, it has become my favorite antelope rifle. It includes a muzzle brake, a necessity for accurately shooting big magnums. It reduces recoil so much that I never notice it.
After the required drying period, my buck scored 82 4/8" B&C, 83 7/8" SCI. It was a trophy well worth the days of scouting and yet another tribute to Pronghorn Guide Service.
What is the best antelope rifle? The old, short answer is the rifle you shoot best. However, the modern answer is a long-range rifle with a tactical scope employing a turret which allows you to dial the number of clicks based upon laser ranging. You’ll have to work at the computer with a ballistics program to get the clicks every 50 or 100 yards and then print them and tape them to your stock. After dialing the scope turret for the range, your hold and trigger pull must be perfect. I prefer to get closer, but when you can’t, a long-range rifle is called for.
These two rifles exemplify slightly different philosophies – a big magnum cartridge with a muzzle brake and a lighter cartridge with less recoil and a suppressor. Which one is better? Each worked admirably well. It’s a matter of personal preference. Both are at the top of the charts. I can still kill antelope with my 1970’s rifles with 4X scopes, but I can’t reach way out there as you often need to do with far-away trophies. That’s when one of these high-performance rifles makes all the difference. Good hunting.
New Mexico Antelope
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