25-06 vs .243?

[huntnfool]

I am going buying a new rifle (thinking about a Model 70 Winchester) and am considering a .243 or a 25-06.

I will NOT be hunting anything larger than Mule Deer. I also like to punch paper.

Suggestions on manufacturer, caliber and barrel length would be greatly appreciated.


Many thanks,

Paul

 

[FOTIS]

Both will do nicely.


If punching paper is in the works you might be well served by the 243. Less recoil, less powder, cheaper (not by much) bullets and harder to burn the barrel out.

The 25-06 will on the other hand launch 120 gr bullet and will kill with somewhat more authority.

With 100 gr bullets the 25-06 will do 3300 fps and the 243 will do 3150 easy with the right powders.

 

[DrMike]

You received excellent advice from Fotis. The 25-06 is superb for deer; the 243 is adequate. The 243 will be very pleasant (and pleasing) for punching paper.

 

[JD338]

I have to agree with Fotis and Mike for the same reasons.

If it were me, I would go with the 25-06 and load mild loads for paper punching and top loads for deer hunting.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

When your talking bigger muleys, the 25-06 shines a bit more in my book. It allows a little heavier bullet and still shoots it flatter. Both are nice deer rounds, but the 25-06 is a really good shooting cartridge.

If your looking at M70's the Sporter with the 24" tube would be my pick! Matter of fact, I will have one of the exact ones eventually. The 25-06 is also pretty darn gentle on the shooter for the performance you get out of it. Scotty

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Model 70 in 25.06 sounds like a good mulie rifle to me.
It would have nice legs, moderate recoil, and plenty of knock down for White Tail, pigs, and Mule deer, but still small enough to smoke some varmits.

 

[6mm Remington]

Winchester is chambering the 25-06 again, and I think I would have to look awfully hard at one of the Model 70s in that round! The Ruger Hawkeye in my opinion is a great rifle as well. I really like the controlled round feed and the incredible scope mounting system that Ruger has. Since they are making their own barrels now, accuracy has been improved across the board.

Remington has fallen down on their quality of late according to recent buyers, but I sure like the 700 MTN Rifle in the 25-06 that my wife has. Although it is handicapped with a 22" barrel, I was impressed with it at the range today. I had not chronographed the load for the 120 gr. Partition, but even in the 22" barrel it is just shy by a few fps of 3000 fps. It was running about 2980-2999. That's pretty close.

Now if you got a new rifle in a 6mm Remington, I'd probably change my mind! :shock: :lol:

 

[SJB358]

Man, that 25-06 is doing well David! No slouch there. Scotty

 

[FOTIS]

Or we can all be the enablers that we are and recommend:

a 25-06 Sporter

AND

a 243 in a featherweight!

:mrgreen:

 

[Guest]

I don't have a problem with the 25-06, but I'm for sure an advocate for the 243Win. I'll even disagree with Dr. Mike (does anyone, ever?) and say that the 243Win is more than "adequate" for deer and antelope. For about 30yrs my dad's only deer rifle was a Browning BAR in 243Win. For the first 20 of those years, it wore only open sights. I never saw my dad shoot at a deer and not get him, and I can attest that the lowly little 243Win bagged more than 15 deer in at least seven different states over the years. With the right bullets, the 243Win is a fine deer cartridge.

As a paper puncher, it's easy to shoot and cheap to load for, as has been said. Also, you'll find 243Win ammo in maybe five times as many places and varieties as you'll find 25-06 ammo, if you're ever in need of factory rounds.

I guess I'm the lone voice in the wilderness. Get the 243Win.

 

[DrMike]

Or we can all be the enablers that we are and recommend:

a 25-06 Sporter

AND

a 243 in a featherweight!

So helpful! The consideration is just overwhelming.

 

[6mm Remington]

I don't have a problem with the 25-06, but I'm for sure an advocate for the 243Win (6mm Remington) . I'll even disagree with Dr. Mike (does anyone, ever?) and say that the 243Win (& 6mm Remington) is more than "adequate" for deer and antelope. With the right bullets, the 243Win is a fine deer cartridge..

I am right there with you dubyam! The 243 & 6mm are great antelope and deer cartridges! Maybe you missed my plug in my post for the 6mm, and the 243 is closer than it's kissing cousin, so I was advocating for it also! Some of us know how good they really are! :mrgreen: You drive the bus and I'll be your guide as we look for Dr. Mike to run over! :lol:
David

 

[Guy Miner]

Hard to go wrong with either a .243, a 6mm Rem or a .25-06 cartridge. They're all good mule deer cartridges and sudden death on coyotes or rock chucks.

I'll recommend buying the rifle you like best, then worrying about which cartridge. They're all death-dealing deer cartridges fully capable of taking game cleanly at 300+ yards. My preference is with the .25-06, but I'd happily hunt deer with any of them.

A new Win 70 would be hard to pass up...

 

[DrMike]

Good points, Dubyam and David. Thoughtful response. David, I'll be certain to stay off the highway for the next several days! :shock:

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

I"m not a big fan of the .243, so the only way I could bless it, is if you could find one in a Browning BAR, and shot 95gr BT's in it. For some reason, that would make it ok.

 

[Guest]

I might have to try the 95's in mine shortly. I'm thinking H4350 may be the right powder. I've avoided loading much for it up to now just because it's a semi-auto. When I got it after Dad passed, I had to troubleshoot an occasional jam, but other than that, it's a great gun. I did discover I could tune for certain factory ammo with the forearm screw tension. I suspect I'll do the same with handloads.

A 95gr BT might be just the ticket out of this old gun. I think it's a first or second year rifle (1968-69) as it's got a very short serial number. Still feels like my dad is with me when I hold it...

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Well, I have to agree with you Dub, the best rifle is a hand-me-down.

Somewhere around 42.5 grains of H4350 looks like it could give a nice mix of velocity, pressure, and load density for the old gun:

Cartridge : .243 Win.
Bullet : .243, 95, Nosler BalTip 24095
Useable Case Capaci: 48.826 grain H2O = 3.170 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.710 inch = 68.83 mm
Barrel Length : 24.0 inch = 609.6 mm
Powder : Hodgdon H4350

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 1.19% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-11.9 84 37.00 2654 1486 38410 9018 94.0 1.395
-10.7 85 37.50 2687 1523 39805 9148 94.5 1.372
-09.5 86 38.00 2720 1561 41249 9274 95.1 1.349
-08.3 87 38.50 2754 1599 42742 9397 95.6 1.327
-07.1 89 39.00 2787 1638 44288 9516 96.1 1.305
-06.0 90 39.50 2820 1677 45886 9631 96.5 1.284
-04.8 91 40.00 2853 1717 47541 9742 97.0 1.263
-03.6 92 40.50 2885 1756 49252 9848 97.4 1.243
-02.4 93 41.00 2918 1796 51024 9950 97.7 1.223
-01.2 94 41.50 2951 1837 52858 10048 98.1 1.204 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 95 42.00 2983 1877 54755 10141 98.4 1.185 ! Near Maximum !
+01.2 97 42.50 3016 1918 56720 10229 98.7 1.167 ! Near Maximum !
+02.4 98 43.00 3048 1960 58754 10312 99.0 1.148 ! Near Maximum !
+03.6 99 43.50 3080 2001 60861 10390 99.2 1.131 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+04.8 100 44.00 3112 2043 63043 10463 99.4 1.113 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+06.0 101 44.50 3144 2085 65304 10531 99.6 1.096 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 3% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 3% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 95 42.00 3025 1931 57541 10134 99.3 1.159 ! Near Maximum !
Data for burning rate decreased by 3% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 95 42.00 2937 1820 51985 10106 97.2 1.213 ! Near Maximum !

 

[SJB358]

Man, that would be reason enough to load it up with some PT or BT's and get out after some deer with it buddy! Those older rifles are just as good now and probably better with the powder and bullets we have available to us. Scotty

 

[Guest]

Don't worry, guys. If I have the opportunity, it goes hunting with me. I'm carrying Dad's old O/U 12ga to the dove fields again this year. And my son shoots the 22lr JC Higgins Dad left him like it's an extension of his body! I don't let these guns ride the safe too long. Not a chance. I've got some 85gr Partitions I could load, too. I tried the Nosler Custom Ammo with those, and it shot very poorly. Perhaps it's time to readjust the forearm nut...

 

[1Shot]

I have killed lots of deer with both the 243 and the 25-06 they will both kill deer very well and about the same with the proper bullet and placement of that bullet out to 300 yards but where the 25-06 really shines over the 243 is beyond 300 yards and taking on bigger deer at any range with the heaver bullets. My MAIN deer rifle is a custom Rem Sportsman 78 action ( poor mans 700 made back in the 1980s) trued up with a #6 Shilen SS 26" barrel in a H&S Precision full bed stock with a Zeiss 3-12X56 VMV scope on it. With 117 Sierra Pro Hunters driven by 49 grs IMR 4350, CCI 250 primer in a Rem case will do 3000 fps and it will shoot under 1/2 MOA to 600 yards on a calm day which is as far as I have shot it out to for group. 99.9% of the time when you place one of those bullets in the shoulder of a deer it drops in it's tracks. Get at least a 24" barrel on any 25-06 you plan to purchase and you will be happy.