Hey guys, I was wondering if a 22. can down a Pronghorn or is it not strong enough?

Gidday Okami.

Not really familiar with the pronghorn, but after a little research I believe the following to be right.

If you are talking about a .22 LR rimfire, I would definitely say no. You would be hopelessly under-gunned and could not guarantee a humane kill...given that the average pronghorn is anywhere between 36kg (79.2lb) and 70kg (154lb).

Now, if you are talking about one of the .22 centerfires, then that is a different story, assuming that you use the appropriate weight bullet. I would imagine the a .223 Rem or 22.250, loaded appropriately and with a well placed shot, would be more than adequate for pronghorn.

A bit more info would allow for a more definitive answer from someone who knows for sure mate.

Cheers, Vince

Vince wrote:

Gidday Okami. Not really familiar with the pronghorn, but after a little research I believe the following to be right. If you are talking about a .22 LR rimfire, I would definitely say no. You would be hopelessly under-gunned and could not guarantee a humane kill...given that the average pronghorn is anywhere between 36kg (79.2lb) and 70kg (154lb). Now, if you are talking about one of the .22 centerfires, then that is a different story, assuming that you use the appropriate weight bullet. I would imagine the a .223 Rem or 22.250, loaded appropriately and with a well placed shot, would be more than adequate for pronghorn. A bit more info would allow for a more definitive answer from someone who knows for sure mate. Cheers, Vince

I would agree with Vince 100%. After all we are talking about "hunters" and humane kills..................... if you've ever hunted them much you would know. I have shot them through both lungs (they were mush) with a 25-06 using 120 gr bullets and seen them run for over a mile before collapsing.

The only .22s I've found are rimfires, and I've looked at a lot of places. What other calibers would be good for them then?

Most states do not allow a rimfire rifle for big game hunting, so that would immediately negate the .22LR. Some states may also require a minimum of 24 caliber centerfires. Check the hunting regs for whatever state you plan to hunt them in. You can nearly always find the regulations published on-line at the states Fish & Game website.

Any gun that is used to hunt deer should work fine for pronghorn. Flat shooting calibers are usually favored due to the longer distance shots that can happen when hunting pronghorn.

Are you specifically looking for a .22 caliber for some reason? Recoil sensitive, etc?

A .243 with a good 100gr would be my minimum unless I had a .22-250 with a 1:8 twist that could shoot a heavy bullet. Like Azar said, any good rifle used for deer hunting should work fine - I'll add used for deer hunting in open country. My go to gun would be a .270 Win.

22 LR definitely not an antelope caliber. Those antelope maybe small, but they are definitely tough. My 6 MM has been a good caliber for antelope, and it has taken many of them. The last time I went to wyoming, a .22 caliber of any kind was not legal for hunting any big game there.

I agree with these folks, a .22 l.r. is not a practial cartridge for antelope and is probably not legal. Get more gun for pronghorn. Take care...
Joe

NO!

A 22 rimfire no, but a 22-250 will work.

I've hunted pronghorn in Idaho 6 years ago and back then, rimfires were forbidden for big game.