I am looking at Hornady's ELD-X ammo in a .308 cartridge to hunt antelope this fall. do you think the 178 grain is a bit overkill for a smaller animal? Should I stick with a lighter load? thanks

Pronghorn are not very big critters. About the size of a yearling whitetail. In your .308 anything from 150 gr on up will work. My suggestion is to use whatever shoots the best out of your rifle.

Dead is dead. If they shoot well, use them
-Jake

Pronghorn are pretty thin-skinned compared to other game and you'll usually be making shots at around 200yds.

I wouldn't go any higher than a 150gr bullet. It's not that the 178gr ELD-X is a bad bullet; It's that it lacks velocity.

OK I'm going to sort of repeat myself. The last 2 antelope I took were with a 130 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip from my 270 Win. However, my friend that was with me shot his with a 180 gr Barnes TSX from his 30-06. So like everyone else has said, Uses what your rifle shoots best and you won't be wrong.

Use what shoots best in your rifle. Pronghorn are not hard to kill but they are often shot at a little longer range than other big game and they also aren't very big in size. Accuracy is more important that anything else. As long as you put a hole in the lungs you can cleanly kill one.

Ive only hunted antelope a couple times , but a 6mm remington in my browning bolt action ,
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/23...oint-box-of-50
and a 257 wby ruger #1 put down the few I have shot just fine
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/74...oint-box-of-50
as stated above, they are not all that difficult to put down

Like others have posted, with antelope, accuracy is more important than bullet energy. With a .308 Win, I would use whatever 150 grain bullet that was most accurate in my rifle.

I have hunted antelope most years for the past 45 or so years. My favorite rifle is my .257 Roberts Improved shooting 115 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips, 117 grain Sierra GameKings, or 120 grain Hornady Hollow Point bullets.