05-29-2009, 11:33 AM
no. prob more Elk been killed with sporterized .30-06s than any caliber (sporterized meaning customized previous military rifles) and they can take down an antelope without question.
but it is more of where you hunt and the terrain. i hunt deer in timber from a tree stand with limited view, that is why my .30-06 only has a fixed 4x scope because it would be a waste to have larger in timber. also, now i live in IL and have to hunt deer with a shotgun slug anyway. i use iron sites and kill them less than 50yds.
.30-06 is imho a little big for antelope and it doesn't shot as far accurately as a .243 imho. my .243 is scoped with a Luepold 6.5 - 20x that has the ability to shot better than i can. (course after i hit 40 and needed glasses all of my shooting skills have suffered)
there is a fine balance in long ranged rifles. you have to have enough bullet mass get there to penetrate the target and do it accurately. i had bought the big scope for a 300 Weatherby Mag and it was to much scope for the gun. at 100 yards the best anyone could do with it was 3in groups. the bullets would start to wooble and that was just as accurate as the gun was. (i traded it in shortly after that)
you can go the other way tho too. you might get something like a .22-250 or a .223 for gophers, be able to kill them from a mile away and still not be able to bring home your deer because it will run off wounded and you may not have the ability to track it.
so it is a combination of distance and target. at 100yds a .30-06 will bring down mature deer and elk, but might tear up an antelope that weighs in at 75 - 130 lbs or a small deer or coyotes as an example.
if the target is limited in size i think the .243 is a better choice especially if longer distance is wanted. but if you ever want the option of Elk, the .30-06 was my back up rifle when i was in CO.
here we hunt deer during the rut. they are flat stupid then. all they want to do is breed and they forget many of their survival instincts. i have shot them directly underneath me.
i also agree with Riz that a rifle is not even close to the best for home defense. and it would depend on where you live as to what you should own.
but it is more of where you hunt and the terrain. i hunt deer in timber from a tree stand with limited view, that is why my .30-06 only has a fixed 4x scope because it would be a waste to have larger in timber. also, now i live in IL and have to hunt deer with a shotgun slug anyway. i use iron sites and kill them less than 50yds.
.30-06 is imho a little big for antelope and it doesn't shot as far accurately as a .243 imho. my .243 is scoped with a Luepold 6.5 - 20x that has the ability to shot better than i can. (course after i hit 40 and needed glasses all of my shooting skills have suffered)
there is a fine balance in long ranged rifles. you have to have enough bullet mass get there to penetrate the target and do it accurately. i had bought the big scope for a 300 Weatherby Mag and it was to much scope for the gun. at 100 yards the best anyone could do with it was 3in groups. the bullets would start to wooble and that was just as accurate as the gun was. (i traded it in shortly after that)
you can go the other way tho too. you might get something like a .22-250 or a .223 for gophers, be able to kill them from a mile away and still not be able to bring home your deer because it will run off wounded and you may not have the ability to track it.
so it is a combination of distance and target. at 100yds a .30-06 will bring down mature deer and elk, but might tear up an antelope that weighs in at 75 - 130 lbs or a small deer or coyotes as an example.
if the target is limited in size i think the .243 is a better choice especially if longer distance is wanted. but if you ever want the option of Elk, the .30-06 was my back up rifle when i was in CO.
here we hunt deer during the rut. they are flat stupid then. all they want to do is breed and they forget many of their survival instincts. i have shot them directly underneath me.
i also agree with Riz that a rifle is not even close to the best for home defense. and it would depend on where you live as to what you should own.