Greetings,

I am considering purchasing a used LH Savage 110 in 25-06 Rem caliber. The rifle would be used to complement my existing rifle battery which includes Ruger M77 Mark II in 30 06 and Winchester Model 70 also in 30 06 caliber.

I understand that 30 06 is a versatile caliber. Would I be better served just loading 150 grain 30 06 bullets and dispense with purchasing another rifle? My hunting experience with 30 06 in RSA has solely involved 180 grain bullets. Besides being a novelty, I have heard the 25 06 might be better for mountain sheep hunting given its flatter ballistic trajectory. I just don't know that much about shooting lighter bullets in the Ruger M77.

Well, the best part of the Savage is you can take the 25-06 barrel off if you decide you don't want it, and screw on a 30-06 in about 10 minutes.

Understood.. I guess the real question is there a real advantage towards owning a 25-06 vs 30-06? I recognize the 30 06 has greater versatility with respect to reloading, but how do Ruger M77 rifles perform when shooting lighter loads? Does anyone know if there is an optimal bullet for Ruger 30 06?

I have left hand Savages in both calibers. My favorite deer cartridge is the .25-06. It is a laser beam with bullets in the 100 to 120 grain weight. The recoil is light and the trajectory is flat. I sight in at 2 inches high at 100 yards and have a 250 yard zero. From the muzzle to 300 yards just aim and shoot without having to think about trajectory. I have never had a deer move more than five steps before dropping. Usually they just drop in their tracks.

For deer sized game, the 25/06 will give you flatter trajectory, less recoil and just as reliable terminal performance, given the correct bullet for the game.

The .25-06 is one of my three favorite rounds... Been shooting it for almost 50 years!!

If you are happy with the Ruger, I have a very lightly used Ruger 25-06 in left hand I would sell. It is in great shape and was used on one antelope hunt in Wyoming.

Dean

Trajectory might not be the only consideration, if it has a synthetic stock, it will likely be significantly lighter than the Ruger or Winchester and having owned several of each, I would say having a lightweight rifle could be more of a reason to buy than caliber...