Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .308 win vs 25-06 Rem

These are the 2 rifles that I own. One is a Remington 700 .308 with a 20" barrel. I shoot 175 SGK handloads at 1/2 moa out to 600yds. The other is a Ruger M77 25-06 that I shoot Speer 100gr handloads at 1 moa out to 600yds. If you was to be hunting elk, deer and antelope at 500 yrds or less would you pick up a 25-06 Rem or a .308 win??

I would not want to shoot an Elk @500 yds with either one....But given a more reasonable range id carry the .308 hands down 👍....If Only deer and goats id take either rifle with equal confidence.....Hb

As far as cartridges, the difference on game is conversational. I’d pick the one I’m more comfortable with in my hands on a mountain.

I don't like the .308 one bit, but if I were shooting long distance with either, it would be the 178 gr. over 100 grain..

308

Neither is a 500 yard elk cartridge. For deer and antelope only, I would take the .25-06.

Good grief...

308 but not with SGK on elk

308

I have a .257 Roberts and I would not use a 100gr. Speer on an Elk at any distance. I'd load a 120 AB/Partition or TSX/GMX/ETip and keep the shots at 300 or less.

The 308 would be a better choice and I'd go 165 or 180, AB/NP or TSX/GMX/ETip.

Why not?

I’m sure it’s because of bad SD. Bwahahaha.

I'm sure tons of elk have been shot with game kings without issue. I've never shot an elk with one but I have shot a bunch of deer, pigs, and exotics with them. Their performance on stuff up to 500lbs doesn't inspire me to think they would be a top pick for an elk bullet. I don't like the idea of elk shoulders at 500 yards with a sgk. Will they work? Yeah probably but there's definitely better bullets for the elk. I would personally prefer to shoot something a little tougher

Is a 175 a Game King, or a Match King?

My own 308 is loaded with 165 SGK's for elk this year... I'm not worried

You've killed a few ...

SGKs are great at 308 velocities imho.

They have to be a Match King or TMK, Sierra doesn't make a 175 GK.



I think they're great at .30-06 velocities as well, I've killed a few cows with the 150 SGK out of my .270 no complaints there either. I prefer the 180 for bullets on elk for the extra mass in the 06, but I find the 165 SGK more pleasant in a 7lb rifle. I'd probably drop to a 150 for a mono metal, then find something in the middle for a bonded core bullet.

.25-06 I'd find a better bullet than the Speer for elk. I'd be more worried about penetration of that bullet at close range than 500 yards. I'd want a bullet for elk that would hold together better at velocities of +3000 fps and still expand at 1800-2000.

Given the info we have the .308 is the best choice for all three game animals.

My ranching neighbor, who is also a guide, has used the 25-06 on elk for almost 40 years, and uses the 100 gr Speer HC. I call Hotcores "the poor man's partition"... they're really excellent bullets, though I've only used them in the 308 on elk.

I wouldn't hesitate to use the 100 Hotcore on elk, but would prefer the 120 Hotcore. Either way, the difference is largely academic IMO.

I'd take the 308, don't have one but have the 25-06. I like the quarter bores as recoil is very mild and I use bullets in the 110 to 120gr range. All of my shots on game have been under 200 yards due to places I hunt that have limited opportunities over 200 yards. My personal limits with the 25-06 would be out to 400 yards on deer, just don't see the need to increase odds of something going wrong in flight with that little bullet. At 500 yards the energy delivered by the 25-06 will be enough to kill an elk, but you've got a more accurate 308 that will deliver more energy at that range and handle winds in flight a bit better. To me an easy choice