Help, I need a new pronghorn rifle!

[Mountain Mule]

Sell a few of those pieces of 5hit and buy a nice rifle. My son bought it nice hunting rifle earlier this year. It’s a 6.5prc that shoots tiny groups with factory ammo even. It’s a hell of a good bargain for the price and checks all the boxes but lists for $1800 I think. Seekins PH3.
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Ive seen almost a hundred elk harvested in the last 3 years with Seekins PH2, I highly recommend this rifle if its in the budget. If not, go with the Tikka T3x, you wont be disappointed.

 

[D4570]

I’m an experienced and capable shooter, I’ve been shooting for over 60 years and am capable with several different weapons. Whenever I get a new firearm I take the time to master it, unless I see that it’s just not capable of doing what I require of it to begin with. I shoot, on average probably 300 rounds a month and have been doing so for years. I’m a retired Navy Gunners Mate and former Naval Gunnery School instructor. I have also worked as a professional gunsmith. I’m not saying this to toot my own horn, just to let you know that I’m not the bumbling idiot that you insinuate. I know how to shoot and exactly what it takes to make a gun shoot. No disrespect to your granddaughter but please don’t compare me to a child with limited experience.

I definitely did not intend to diminish your experience or ability. I must have missed that point in your question, sorry. I was just meaning that the time behind a trigger is as important as the trigger.

 

[std7mag]

Yes, I always check the torque on the action screws. I also check the feeding with dummy rounds. If applicable, I will remove the scope base and degrease the base screws and add a tiny bit of low strength loctite and torque those screws as well.

Checking the torque and tuning the action are 2 different things.

I've seen a lot of people torquing to 50+ inch lbs. And still have accuracy issues.

Follow the steps listed in the link I provided and you will actually see your groups open and tighten.

 

[BobT1105]

I definitely did not intend to diminish your experience or ability. I must have missed that point in your question, sorry. I was just meaning that the time behind a trigger is as important as the trigger.

No worries, sorry if I sounded harsh. By the way, thank you for teaching your granddaughter to shoot and to hunt! The young ones, especially the young ladies are our future.

 

[6mm Remington]

I should add that there is a gorgeous little No. 1B in .257 Roberts Ackley at the Lone Tree BPS that I was pawing over last night. Would be a killer pronghorn rig but the No. 1s can be inhabited by some accuracy gremlins, to my understanding.

I've heard that the #1's can be finicky but I have two 1B's and they both shoot great. I shot this 3 shot group today at the range. I've been out about every 2-3 weeks with my 1B in 30-06 shooting a few rounds just to stay sharp. I drew a Gardiner Montana bison tag, 1 of 40, and I'm sure hoping the weather is going to kick in sometime here before February 15 so I can head down to try and find a bison cow/bull. I have a Leupold fixed 4x scope on my 30-06 and this was three shots at 100 yards.

 

[MTLabrador]

A wood/blued .257 weatherby or .25-06 would be pretty sexy, but a Tikka T3X lite or hunter in .270, .243, or 6.5 PRC, or 1-8 .22-250 would be my choice for a dedicated antelope rifle. The seekins would be a good choice too.

There’s also nothing wrong with the .308 in a better rifle.

 

[Lmartin5]

I would go with the .270.

 

[6mm Remington]

A wood/blued .257 weatherby or .25-06 would be pretty sexy, but a Tikka T3X lite or hunter in .270, .243, or 6.5 PRC, or 1-8 .22-250 would be my choice for a dedicated antelope rifle. The seekins would be a good choice too.

There’s also nothing wrong with the .308 in a better rifle.

I like your thinking. The 25-06 or 6.5 PRC would both work great.

 

[Rack Daniels]

Just use your .308 that’s a “stellar performer”

First thing I thought.

 

[brockel]

Tikka 243,6.5 creedmoor,7mm-08, 6.5prc, or 270.

 

[mtmuley]

70 posts of what rifle to kill an antelope. mtmuley

 

[Hem]

70 pages of what rifle to kill an antelope. mtmuley

I think i have about $800 max in to my go-to.
Granted.

 

[Rack Daniels]

No shit. Appreciate the OPs interest in variety and “tool for the job” outlook, but there is no other “Minute of Dead”. Lol unless you plan on going military sniper from 1400 yards away and not blowing the antelope in half, but that’s not the sounds of it… besides, you are literally a professional on the gunnery topic, so asking these questions are simply in good conversation…
thank you for your service, Sir.
Good luck killing an antelope with whatever projectile you choose lol

 

[brymoore]

70 posts of what rifle to kill an antelope. mtmuley

All the rifles suggested will kill an antelope.

 

[mtmuley]

All the rifles suggested will kill an antelope.

Yep. And cartridges. Pick one. mtmuley

 

[BobT1105]

thank you for your service, Sir.
Good luck killing an antelope with whatever projectile you choose lol

It was truly my honor!

 

[BobT1105]

70 posts of what rifle to kill an antelope. mtmuley

I like rifles, what can I say
Any of these first 4 left to right would work fine .257 Weatherby Vanguard, TC Venture in .270 Winchester, Savage 110 with a Broughton barrel in 6.5-.284 and the little Ruger in .308. I have a few more in the safe that would work as well. I probably should have said I want a new Pronghorn rifle instead of need one. I do sincerely appreciate all the responses though.

 

[psinclair]

Sell a few of those pieces of 5hit and buy a nice rifle. My son bought it nice hunting rifle earlier this year. It’s a 6.5prc that shoots tiny groups with factory ammo even. It’s a hell of a good bargain for the price and checks all the boxes but lists for $1800 I think. Seekins PH3.
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Nice scope........

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I’m looking for a new pronghorn rifle and am striking out so far. This quest started after my last pronghorn hunt in 2019, so far nothing I’ve tried has been satisfactory. The rifles I have tried so far are,

1) Sauer 100 in 7mm Remington Magnum, the rifle came out of the box missing the extractors, miserable fail!

2) Savage 110, it was one of the mid range models but I don’t recall which one, another 7mm Remington Magnum, the accuracy just wasn’t there.

3) Christensen Arms Ridgeline, 6.5 PRC, I had high hopes for this one, should have known better. I fired the first round (Norma factory) and literally had to hammer the bolt open with a block of wood. I looked everything over and didn’t find anything so I sent round #2 down range, same result! I was working as a gunsmith at the time and to that point every single Christensen we sold had serious issues.

4) Weatherby Vanguard in .257 Weatherby magnum, this one was the closest yet to a winner. I was able to find a sub MOA load but just barely and it wasn’t consistent.

5) Ruger American 2 in .270 Winchester, I haven’t even fired this one yet but I had high expectations for it because I have one in .308 that is a stellar performer. The .270 is a different story, the bolt is difficult to close on a factory round and it fails to extract 30-50% of the time. It’s going back to Ruger and down the road as soon as it’s fixed.

There might have been another one or two that I forgot but I’m still looking!

My ideal gun would be 8 pounds or less ready to shoot, 20-22” barrel threaded 5/8x24. As far as cartridge goes, I’m leaning toward the .270 Winchester but that’s not set in stone. I would prefer something I’m already set up to load for. There’s a slight chance that this rifle might be pressed into service as an elk rifle too. I would prefer to keep the cost under $1000.00 for the bare rifle.

I’m sorry for the long ramble but I’m getting really frustrated! What do you pronghorn junkies like ?

Ages ago when I lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming I walked into a pawn shop. An elderly woman walked out. At the gun counter, a man who turned out to be the owner was looking at an old rifle she had just bought in to sell on consignment.

I asked to see it, picked it up and asked about it. Was her husband's rifle, he bought it new when he came back from the Korean War, right about the time they got married. He was a working cowboy; this was his only ever rifle. They had daughters. no sons. She was moving south to live with her daughters.

I asked his price, never letting the rifle out of my hands as some other customers came in and took note of it.

The way the bluing on rifle and scope was worn off told of being taking in and out of a saddle scabbard endless times. The obvious hand checkering was almost worn smooth. The bore was shiny with crisp rifling.
It had been carried by horse and him way more than it was shot.

He named his price. I asked him if I paid more than he asked, would he give the extra to the old widow, or was he the kind of man who would just keep it himself. He assured me and shook my hand, saying he most certainly would give her what I paid over his price. She had other things in his shop to sell, and he knew she needed money. He knew her and her husband. Over the years they had bought lots of used items from him for their humble home.

That rifle had fed his family during periods when Wyoming residents were dealt out over the counter late season doe antelope tags like a hand of poker cards.

I paid what he asked and more, never letting that rifle out of my hands. Then I walked out with it, no waiting, no fuss.

The rifle was a 1954 made Winchester standard model 70 in .270 Winchester with a simple Weaver fixed 6x scope. The barrel is 24 inches, and it was 100% totally original, about 8 pounds

This period of production was Winchester at it's best, Their WW2 era machinery was not worn out, and the company's excellent machinists and gunsmiths had not retired out.

I had a custom harness grade leather saddle scabbard made for it.

It has that barrel harmonics adjusting screw under the forend. It gets both incredible velocity and accuracy.

I cannot count the number of antelope I have taken with.

It is my "Plains Rifle" for all open country game, antelope, mule deer, cow elk on the prairie and desert deer as well.

MR