Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .243 vs 25-06

Hmmm just goes to show how people differ. To me the 25-06 IS low end recoil.

I'll second that wow

Blonde or brunette?

Having started with the .250Savage and adding in the .257R and .25/06, I've never felt any great need for a .243/6mm anything. But, I load for a couple friends' .243s and they love them. But, I freely admit that twenty five caliber is the Way To Go.

I'm the quarter bores biggest supporter, but with today's bullets, a .243 is hard to beat for game weighing less than 400lbs.

JB, way back when my dad had a Savage 110 in 243, it wasn't much of a shooter so for my first rifle he traded it in and I got a 22-250. Even it worked....grin


I really would like to get a Montana in 243.

I have 2 of the quarter bore 06's and I absolutely adore them. With that being said, if I had to start over now, I would go 243 Win with 85 gr TSX @ 3200fps and never look back. I've seen over fifty deer and speed goats meet their demise with this setup. I am impressed. You are the one who has to pull the trigger so to speak. Pick the one that fits you the best and have a long and happy hunting career.

Have fun, Tom

Hi Sam,

The 4th centerfire I ever owned was a 700 BDL .243, purchased for $80 from one on my co-workers at what was then called the Wyoming State Training School in Lander. She was 37 (17 years older than me) and an ex-boyfriend had given her the rifle. She sold it, with the remaining half-box of ammo, for $80. That was back when Remington supplied a nice leather sling with the BDLs, though they did have impressed checkering.

That rifle shot anything into an inch or less. At the time I was married to my first wife, a member of the Fort Peck tribes, and hunted a lot with her retired grandfather. Shot a hell of a lot of deer and a few antelope with that rifle, along with some coyotes and prairie dogs. When I pointed it right, it killed 'em all! And that was before I ever bought any "premium" bullets.

No doubt a Montana would work--if you can shoot it!

That 85r TXS is a bad mammajamma. I shoot that in my short, light, .243 and the 100grn TSX in my long, heavy, 25-06AI. IMHO, there are no better deer bullets on earth.

The 243 is a fine caliber and I've personally seen it work well on a deer (several times). However, you will never be under-gunned using a 25-06 for whitetail, mule deer, antelope, varmint and other game of similar size. I've taken more deer and coyotes with my Rem 700 25-06 than any other rifle I own. I've used Federal Premium and Rem. Core Lokt's factory ammo along with Nosler Accubonds and Partitions (115 grain) hand loads. They all have worked well but Nosler Partitions work best for me and have been the most accurate in both of the 25-06's that I've owned. My powder of choice is Hogdon H4831SC.

Interesting JB, thanks for the story.

I've never shot anything with one(yet)...grin

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.

Roger above poster.

The .243 will take up to 100 gr bullets. Pretty much all I shoot with this caliber. These will kill moose quite effectively. Done it.

The .25-06 will take up to 120 gr bullets. I killed over 2 doz caribou with this round. Bang/flop. Every time. Stupidly I sold the gun when I moved into moose country, thinking I needed more.. Dumb, dumb, dumb. To the '06 and .338 work too, I'm now looking to pot a moose with the .260 - just cuz I ain't done it yet...

I still own the .243.

The .243 will give you rather ho-hum kills with virtually no recoil, while the .25 will give you a bit more recoil and pretty spectacular kills. They all die, if hit properly...bang flop or run a bit. I killed my first two Dall rams with the .243. 20 yards and 50...

The .25 is more appropriate to 300 plus yard shots. Most of my caribou kils were 300 to 500 plus.

I'm currently loving my .260 - sort of in-between - it likes 140 gr. bullets - and very accurate. It's zeroed at 300 yards - the last group I shot at that range went 2.25 inches...

I have a better range-finder coming...

In my opinion, knowing the range, and ballistics of your rifle/load is more important than caliber...

I have wanted a .25-06 for almost 50 years and have yet to own one and I am a guy with 35 rifles, at present, after selling 8-10 in the past year and a half. I have owned scores of bolt action hunting rifles, but, just never seem to find a .25-06 that I really like.....well, something to keep my interest high.....

I had a minty Henri Dumoulin .243 and an as NIB P-64 Fwt. in .243, just never warmed to that round and they went away. I seem to feel most comfortable with larger bores and last autumn, finally got a .220Swift for when I can hunt predators, so, see little point in another .243.

While I agree that the actual "caliber" of one's hunting rifle(s) is much less important than bullet choice, shooting ability and shot placement on game, I also think that there tends to be a bit of "overstatement" of the capabilities of rather small bullets on large animals. It is probably just my innate conservatism, but, in general BC rifle uses, all factors considered, I feel much more comfortable with a larger round and often with a .338WM while working or hunting, especially solo, in our typical terrain and circumstances.

So, for ME, and others who differ are just as correct, for THEM, I would choose a .35-06 over a .243, always.

I love the .25.

stumpy

There is not a deer you will hunt anywhere on earth that won't die from 120 Partiton from a 25-06.

Where do you come up with this stuff?.

Next week you will say the .277 is too small for deer......

Savage99 is to guns and hunting as Rosie O'Donnell is to the Iron Man Triathalon

in a Tikka T3 I like the .243. I am a pretty big fan of the caliber for deer hunting. dump 40 g of H4350 in a case, top off with 100 g Sierra or Hornady SP, go forth, shoot precisely, and kill lots o' deer.

both are good calibers, I just prefer burning a little less powder, so the .243 gets the nod.

Sam, You won't regret getting one even though they aren't twisted right for the 105's. You can always shoot the crud out of it and spin a new tube on when the old one wears out. This one bugholes with Federal Blue Box 80 grainers and those are enough bullet for fat antelope does:

That is funny!