25-06 OR .243
- Thread starter HornyMan
- Start date
RELH
Long Time Member
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- 17,479
Hornyman;
If this is going to be a deer-antelope rifle, I would go with the 25-06. It has the 243 beat hands down for average out of box accuracy, velocity, and flat shooting over long range. Yet it's recoil is still light. I have used the 25-06 as my deer-antelope rifle for over 20 years and I love it. I have made 6-8 one shot kills in excess of 400 yards out to 600 yards. The rifle has taken over 25 deer, muley & blacktail, whitetail, and 30 antelope and all were one shot kills except for two where I failed to do my part and placed the shot behind the lungs, gut shot, on running animals. I will not mentioned the 2 deer that I missed and shot over their back.
You have a good range of bullets from 75 grains to 120 grains, but I use only 117-120 grains for all of my deer-antelope shooting. I have shot many out of box 25-06 rifles and have found them all very accurate. Most would shoot under one inch without any tinkering, just finding the right load.
The reason I bought my first 25-06 over 20 years ago was the excellant write ups it was getting for accuracy in "out of box rifles". It is the only bolt action rifle that I have where I have not replaced the factory barrel with a custom match barrel. When the factory barrel shoots groups in the 1/2-3/4 inch group, no need to fix it.
Now when RLH jumps on this post and tell you that all calibers, except the 270, is a ##### caliber for non-men, do not listen to him. His name in his previous life was Jack O'Connor and he has a distorted view of calibers. He loves the 270 as much as I love the 25-06.
RELH
If this is going to be a deer-antelope rifle, I would go with the 25-06. It has the 243 beat hands down for average out of box accuracy, velocity, and flat shooting over long range. Yet it's recoil is still light. I have used the 25-06 as my deer-antelope rifle for over 20 years and I love it. I have made 6-8 one shot kills in excess of 400 yards out to 600 yards. The rifle has taken over 25 deer, muley & blacktail, whitetail, and 30 antelope and all were one shot kills except for two where I failed to do my part and placed the shot behind the lungs, gut shot, on running animals. I will not mentioned the 2 deer that I missed and shot over their back.
You have a good range of bullets from 75 grains to 120 grains, but I use only 117-120 grains for all of my deer-antelope shooting. I have shot many out of box 25-06 rifles and have found them all very accurate. Most would shoot under one inch without any tinkering, just finding the right load.
The reason I bought my first 25-06 over 20 years ago was the excellant write ups it was getting for accuracy in "out of box rifles". It is the only bolt action rifle that I have where I have not replaced the factory barrel with a custom match barrel. When the factory barrel shoots groups in the 1/2-3/4 inch group, no need to fix it.
Now when RLH jumps on this post and tell you that all calibers, except the 270, is a ##### caliber for non-men, do not listen to him. His name in his previous life was Jack O'Connor and he has a distorted view of calibers. He loves the 270 as much as I love the 25-06.
RELH
fisrtcoueswas80inches
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,648
i have one of each, got my little brother a .243 for christmas as his first gun. and i got myself a 25-06 because i have always wanted one! i really have high hopes for it! i like the caliber but have no experiece with it!
Casey
Casey
H
huntindude
Guest
.25-06 without a doubt.
G
gunnut
Guest
25-06 for sure. My son took a doe antelope with a 243 last year and unless you use top of the line bullets for all your hunting the bullets don't perform on big game. The 243 is a greap coyote gun. Good luck with your new gun. Jovan
R
RLH
Guest
i'd rather have the .243 myself. just cuz. a .243 with 85's is a goat killin' machine. nothin' wrong with either, 'cept they ain't a .270. just get a .270 and then you're covered all the way up to elephant. if ya ever go after blue whales, ya might wanna get somethin' a little bigger. at least he wasn't lookin' for a 7mm/08.
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Bigbuck9
Guest
I have always shot a 6mm which is pretty much the same as a 243 and I love it. It has performed flawlesly on both deer and antelope.
Both are good for pronghorn. Both are flat shooting. Both will put down a pronghorn when you do your job. I would think the velocities of the .243 and .25-06 are similar for similar bullets. By this I mean, a .25-06 shooting 120 grain bullets is liable to give similar velocity to a .243 shooting 100 grain bullets (these bullets are similar in that they are both "maximum" weight for their caliber); and the .25-06 shooting 100 grain bullets is liable to give similar velocity to a .243 shooting 85 grain bullets.
I happen to have both a .243 and a .25-06 which work very well for my occasional pronghorn hunting and annual Oklahoma deer hunting. I like the .25-06 better because my dad built it using a nice walnut stock he carved, sanded, and finished himself (no checkering -- guess he didn't like checkering); a medium weight 24" barrel; and a Springfield action. The action is bedded and the barrel is free floated. The .243 is a Winchester Model 70 featherweight and is pretty too. Sometimes I use the .25-06 and sometimes I use the .243. If I do my part, the bullets launched by these cartridges kill the animals.
It may be that the .25-06 bullets are better out at extreme distance, for example beyond 400 yards, than those shot from the .243. For my part, I generally don't have any business shooting past 300 yards because of the limits of my marksmanship and find I can get closer shots anyway, therefore this superiority of the .25-06 is not a practical hunting difference for me. Also, the .25-06 bullets may be less susceptible to wind drift in the strong Wyoming winds, but we are talking minor differences here I think.
Either cartridge will do you fine. If I had to choose one over the other, I would choose the .25-06.
I happen to have both a .243 and a .25-06 which work very well for my occasional pronghorn hunting and annual Oklahoma deer hunting. I like the .25-06 better because my dad built it using a nice walnut stock he carved, sanded, and finished himself (no checkering -- guess he didn't like checkering); a medium weight 24" barrel; and a Springfield action. The action is bedded and the barrel is free floated. The .243 is a Winchester Model 70 featherweight and is pretty too. Sometimes I use the .25-06 and sometimes I use the .243. If I do my part, the bullets launched by these cartridges kill the animals.
It may be that the .25-06 bullets are better out at extreme distance, for example beyond 400 yards, than those shot from the .243. For my part, I generally don't have any business shooting past 300 yards because of the limits of my marksmanship and find I can get closer shots anyway, therefore this superiority of the .25-06 is not a practical hunting difference for me. Also, the .25-06 bullets may be less susceptible to wind drift in the strong Wyoming winds, but we are talking minor differences here I think.
Either cartridge will do you fine. If I had to choose one over the other, I would choose the .25-06.
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NMHUNTNUTT1
Guest
Couldn't go wrong with either , its just a matter of finding it in the rifle you want . I just got a .243 WSSM , hope my 13 year old gets a chance to hunt both muleys and antelope this fall , just goyya draw . I too love and am a fan of the .270 though ....NMHUNTNUTT
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NMHUNTNUTT1
Guest
Who ya takin to HornyMan ??
N
NMHUNTNUTT1
Guest
Putting her for unit 2B 1st choice , 2A , and 4 all youth deer hunts , and then we'll put in all 3 antelope rifle hunts . We're looking at the Valles Caldera youth cow hunt , but haven't decided on that for certain .
As for me 2B rifle hunts , 1st,2nd,3rd choice ....Whats your plans ? Unit 52 mz antelope and elk , and last but not least , muzzle loader ibex....
As for me 2B rifle hunts , 1st,2nd,3rd choice ....Whats your plans ? Unit 52 mz antelope and elk , and last but not least , muzzle loader ibex....
