What are if any a advantage over one or the other im wanting to pick one up in the Tikka t3 hunter and the only caliber i can find is. 243 locally . This would be used for deer/antelope.
If it were me, I'd hold out for a .25-06 for a number of reasons.
1. If the Tikka is a one-size-fits-all action as someone else claimed, a full-length cartridge will take full advantage of the action length. (That said, my Ruger .257 Roberts is a long action and it's my favorite rifle.)
2. The .25-06 is arguably the best multi-purpose (varmints, antelope, deer, elk) cartridge available.
3. You can easily download the .25-06 to .243 recoil and performance levels.
4. The .25-06 handles 120g bullets for bigger game. When hunting elk and deer in combined season I use a 120g A-Frame in my Roberts. For antelope and deer I use 100g TTSX and 110g AccuBond. Varmints get 75g V-MAX. The .25-06 can push them all faster and flatter.
On the other side, the .243 uses less powder.
At the end of the day there are no wrong answers except one that doesn't make you happy.
