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

I have both, love both. If I'm hunting east of the Mississippi it's the .308. West of the Mississippi it's the 25-06.

I have both, a Rem LTR in .308 and a Rem CDL 25.06. I mostly punch paper with the .308 but have taken several deer with it as well. I like the .308 but I love the 25.06 and it is no doubt my favorite caliber especially for deer.

Ditch them both and go with a 7mm-08.

If you are ambivalent about both then sell or trade them for something you really want. I like them both but for me the 25-06 is ideal for most of the hunting I do these days. For a target rifle the 308 wins. Yep COVID doldrums.

I’ve owned both calibers. The 25-06 with a 120 is about the same as a 270 with a 130. Both are great for deer.
Hasbeen

That bad, huh?

I'm pretty sure there's a good deal of folks who would say that a .223 would be the answer to the most efficient cartridge for either deer or target shooting, or both.

Personally, I've not tried it for deer yet, having just recently acquired my first 223. But the guy I know who's killed more deer and hogs than anyone else I can think of uses it exclusively. And has for a long long time. Mostly in a boat paddle ss Ruger. He'd tell you it's all you need. And for a hunter who can get in range to make a perfect shot every time, I'd tend to believe him.

And with a newer model with fast twist and long heavy pills, they got the BC's to carry and buck the wind a bit for long range target shooting.
They won't have the impact on steel. And the small holes might be hard to see. And you won't see them used much in long range competition, except in certain restricted classes. But it appears that an 8 or better twist 223 is the choice of a lot of 500+ yard target shooters here on the fire.

If it were legal in VA it’s all I’d use.

Only where the rules require it. Otherwise, it's about the last choice anybody who wanted to be competitive would make.

Don’t know about your friends success rate with 223 Rem. I’m sure he’s killed deer with it. I don’t think it is a good one for deer out at 500 yds. Compared to other potent 224s like 22 Creedmoor, 22-6mm and 220 Swift, which really move 88 grain weights fast, the 223 doesn’t come close. Not saying it’s not a great cartridge, just saying it lacks a lot on deer size game at 500 yards. It would really struggle to get an 88 grain out at 2,500 fps, the others would be at velocity ranges of 3,200 fps-3,400 fps with an 88 grain bullet. This translates into 500 yard impact energy at about 650 ft-lbs for the 223 Rem, the others would be producing around 1,200 ft-lbs, or about double, quite a big difference using a .224 on deer at 500 yds.

If it was me I would find the best load for the 25-06 using 100 to 115 grain bullet, sight it in at 250yds and go deer hunting. Use the 308 for your long range kicks. I have multiples of both caliber rifles and that is what I do. The M77 MarkII is my favorite 25-06, killed a bunch of coyotes with it to.

Yep. The sentence before the one you singled out in your quote spelled that out.
This one was referring to casual target shooting. Not competition.

Absolutely not a 500 yard deer cartridge in my estimation. Not a good one anyway.
That's why I qualified it with this, "for a hunter who can get in range to make a perfect shot every time, I'd tend to believe him."
And not just deer, but probably hundreds of them and hogs too.
Certainly it's not an all around any range cartridge. But it is efficient, within it's limitations. Probably 200 yards would be a good rule to go by in general. But I know some have stretched it out another hundred. It's just a round that's easier to be proficient with than something that has three or four times the recoil energy. And more accessible in general than the hot rod 22's.

Compared to a .308 @ 400 yards, the 25-06 will shoot flatter but will wind drift much more. The wind is the bigger enemy especially with evolving scopes with repeatable adjustments or BDC reticles velocity is not as important as it used to be.
Also it seems you need a better quality recoil pad for your .308 if it is uncomfortable.

I have always liked the 25-06..... still have a couple of them that both shoot very well.

If the 308 hammers you a little much, for whatever reason, you have been told to sell both and get either a 6.5 Creedmoor or a 7mm-08. Put good glass on the one you choose and rock on. This is the answer you are looking for, and it’s probably where you’ll eventually end up.

Both will kill WT at "reasonable", shooters skill, ranges. If recoil and barrel life is not a problem with you, practice and rounds down range would go to the 308, IME. I`d gotten over 13k "good" rounds out of my comp. rifles when I shot HP. Don`t think you would do that round count with the 25-06. In that reguard, the 308 would be the more efficient, IMHO.

You have a .25-06 and a .300 WM and plan on selling the .308 anyhow, sounds like you have what you need! Use the .25-06 on deer, it excels on coyote through mule deer size game and the .300WM for bigger stuff and long range hunting, it excels with both!

Use the funds from the .308 to upgrade glass on one or both the other two and/or ammo/reloading components and shoot more!

Anyone who has killed game with a 100gn Barnes TSX bullet in a .25/06 will know that when that is inadequate, you need something much larger and very specialized.

Depends on what you mean by "long range".

I use 2947fps 120g A-Frames when carrying my .257 Roberts for elk, although that is pretty rare. I use 3163fps 110g AB for antelope and have no problem hitting the steel at 600 with either bullet.

A .25-06 driving a 110g AB to 3100fps will beat a .308/208 AMAX (.620B.C>)/2700fps past 1000 yard in terms of drop and velocity. They are about equal in drift (approx an inch different) but the .308 has about 500fpe more at 1000 yds.