.243 vs. 25-06

[Dale L.]

What do some of you experts think? Looking for something for deer and varmint that my kids could shoot also. The .300 Wby is not a good kids gun! And I am tired of the punishment on the shoulder and the wallet. I think a .243 or 25-06 would suit me but thought I would get some info from people who have experience with them.

[littlewoody]

243 2506 if you reload.

[ken pack]

Like the .243 because it's a Excellent Varmit Gun and they have loads made for Deer also now. 25-06 never had one so i cannot say to much about it. JMO

[stavemillbeagles]

Hard to beat a 25-06 in my opinion

[hounddog]

Hard to beat a 25-06 in my opinion

IMO the 25-06 is the best caliber for all around hunting. You will need nothing else. I've been hunting with one since 1984. I see so many buying these big caliber rifles to deer hunt with and have yet to figure out why. I can honestly say I have never lost a deer after being shot with my 25-06 and I've laid over 300 deer to rest.
Here's a little nugget for you though, shoot Hornadys SST in it for best results.

hounddog
Jim Umbarger

[Dale L.]

Thanks for the replies. I agree about the big caliber guns Jim. I bought one when I was about 20 yrs old and regret it. The ammo is expensive and the recoil is not comfortable. It is not fun or economical to shoot. Live and learn I suppose!

[BCBeagles]

Dale,

I have had both and like them both. 25 has more range, but both are very comparable. I would not hesitate to use either or let my kids use either. I am pretty confident the 25 will jump a little more on them, I mean recoil.

The one I have fell in love with and for my kids is 7mm08. It is the most accurate out of the box gun i have ever seen. I bought two of them for my kids and they are just lethal!! My little boy at 7 zapped a 5 point last year at 145 yds and when sighting in those 7mm08 they both shoot tight groups(under one inch) with just about any ammo. I really love them and the 7mm offers a ton of different bullet weights for larger game as they grow.

Hope this helps.

[Dale L.]

Hey Jim, how is the recoil on the 7mm-08 compared to the .243?

[BCBeagles]

About the same, I have my kids shoot 120 grain bullets in the 08 and it is very light on them. My daughter killed her first deer with it at 9 and my son at 6 with no issues.

I have the 700bdl stainless, with laminate stocks. I found two of them, one for each. I love the little guns and use them myself when doing a lot of walking or still hunting. The one is 5 for 5 so far for us with efficient kills every time. the other is 0 for 1 as my little boy missed a buck near dusk with it, however is shot very well when sighting it in so I blame the 7 year old!! LOL.

I like the fact you can use a heavier bullet(140 or even 160) and use them as a midrange woods rifle. they will easily reach out to 300 yds with the 120 grain. I bought them after talking with several current owners of them and they all said the same thing. the accuracy is consistant and many said they were the most accurate gun they owned.

Hope this helps!

[Crow]

If I was gonna choose between the 2 you listed I would take the 06 any day of the week. Just a better all arounder in my opinion. But since the 7mm-08 has been thrown out there that would far & away be my pick for an overall round. I got into reloading & bench shooting several years back & spent 3 months (literally) pouring over ballistic charts to find the best all around gun for me. The 2 it came down to for me was the 25-06 & the 7mm-08. I chose the '08 & it was a great purchase. I have hunted from Tennessee to South Dakota & Whitetail (139 grain sierra btsp) to Prairie Dogs (100 grain Hornady hp) with it & it has done a super job on both. Little 100 grain hollow points are murder on small stuff & can get up to 175-189 grain (depending on bullet mfg) & if you reload the 7mm bullets are a breeze to find in almost every imaginable type & weight thanks to the popularity of the big 7mm guns (7mm mag & wsm models). I decided on a Tikka made by Sako in Finland & imported by Beretta USA. Looks great, shoots awesome, free floated barrel, adjustable trigger weight, & absolutely the smoothest bolt & have ever saw in a factory gun. Much smoother than several custom bolts I have saw. Easily shoot sub MOA & recoil light enough to bang at the range all day.


Oh yea, I almost forgot, I really like the 7mm-08

[pilotknob]

I would choose the 25-06 also between the two.My gun of choice is the.270 the shells are reasonable off the shelf with alot of choices.If you reload you can find brass anywhere,all kinds of choices in bullets I have a 90gr serria hollow point round that will just about turn a coyote inside out at 300yds.In my opinion it is one of the most versatile rounds ever created for deer sized game on down.

[Robbie F.]

Any of the three mentioned above would do the job on deer sized game and down. I like the 25-06 alot but if economics is a factor you can probably get .243 ammo a little cheaper most places. I used to have a Browning A-bolt in 25-06 and it was a good shooting gun.

[outlaw]

I have both I have already killed 3 bucks since the 15th and all have been 200 yds + havent had one run over 20 yds with the 243 (hornady SST 95 gr), I like the 06 if shooting 250yds+ my kids shoot both. they are both great guns i have youth model that my 8 yr old shoots

[CORNERSTONE]

Just a quick shot from the peanut gallery. I am one of those guys looking for perfecton and have killed with the all from .223 to.338.
Only from my opinion the .243 has less recoil all else is a wash. darn good killers the both.

[RHYRE]

Stick with the 243 or the 7mm-08 for the kids. I shoot a 25-06(The ONLY-06) on deer and wouldn't trade it for any other caliber but the recoil may be too much for the kids. The 25-06 is similar in recoil to the 270, 280, and the 30-06.