Author Topic: .243 or 25-06 (Read 2025 times)

BeeMan · « **on:** June 19, 2009, 02:41:53 PM »

I am hoping to take my neice deer hunting this fall for the first time. I am considering buying a rifle that that she can use. She is 14, but never shot any kind of rifle yet, so she doesn't know what recoil really feels like. I am hoping to change that soon and take her out plinking with my .22 rifle soon. She isnt a small framed kid, but I am wondering what might be the best caliber for her to start out with. I had origianally thought the .243 was the one, but the more I thought about, I decided that the caliber was marginal for whitetailed deer. She wont be taking any long range shots, but I want enough punch to be there if needed. Now, I am leaning more towards the 25-06. (I even considered the .257 Roberts, but can find many guns chambered for that in my price range) I would also like a rifle that will compliment the .270WSM and 7mm Mag that I already have. I thought about the 30-06 with reduced recoil loads, but since I have the other two guns already, I didn't need another one that big. Any suggestions?

dukkillr · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2009, 03:16:44 PM »

Do they make the 25-06 reduced recoil rounds? That'd be my first choice.

BeeMan · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2009, 06:22:11 PM »

I checked that too. The .270 is the starting point for the reduced recoil ammo.

j104wd · « **Reply #3 on:** June 20, 2009, 08:13:03 AM »

bought my wife a 243 then 5 years later a got a 25-06 she can handle the 25-06 with 100 gr it kicks no more than the 243 with 95 gr. of course the 243 is a handi and the 25 is a smith Ibolt so there is part of the diffenence in recoil. best bet is to find someone who owns both and let her shoot them

BRL · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2009, 08:50:21 AM »

Remington now makes the 7mm-08 in Managed Recoil ammo. A great round for all ages once someone works up to regular loads. Even the regular loads don't recoil bad.

Also, have you thought about the action? I have a Remington 7400 autoloader in .30-06. It recoils about the same, to me, as my .243 in a Handi. The managed recoil ammo in the auto loader doesn't recoil AT ALL! But, it doesn't cycle the action either. You have to do that manually. Just something else to consider...you get more power with less recoil in a semi auto.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2009, 09:02:12 AM »

Personally, I like the .25-06 over the 243. As time goes on she can shoot heavier loads in the .25. It would be a nice complement to your other rifles. For the last few years, my .25-06 has been one of my most used rifles. From 'chucks to whitetails. You could have a friend reload some lighter loads for your girl's first hunt if you do not reload. Then you would have the option of stepping up the power as she develops confidence. Plus you would have a dandy varmit/ light game rifle.

the great orator · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2009, 03:44:55 PM »

.260 Remington, 7mm-08 are both good light recoiling rounds, with the -08 having the option of managed recoil rounds. I still love the .243, however. As long as you put the bullet where it needs to go, it will do the job, (at a reasonable distance, of course) and a poorly placed shot will not do the job, no matter what caliber, generally.
.25-06 is a good round, I download them to around .257 Roberts velocity for a friend. I like that one too.

.243 ammo is widely available, if you happen to forget your ammo while out on a trip.

Mohawk · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2009, 04:16:39 PM »

I think you are fine with either. Both good rounds and light on the shoulder. Anything .24-25 cal at the velocity is plenty. Good hunting and good luck on the hunt. Good to see you passing it on!!! Congratulations. We need more young hunters.

flintlock · « **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2009, 04:50:12 AM »

Yep, that .243 is sure marginal...

I've only killed about 185 deer with mine...Better go home and lock up the freezer so they won't go anywhere...

RaySendero · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2009, 06:37:07 AM »

Quote from: BeeMan on June 19, 2009, 02:41:53 PM

I am hoping to take my neice deer hunting this fall for the first time. I am considering buying a rifle that that she can use. She is 14, but never shot any kind of rifle yet, so she doesn't know what recoil really feels like. I am hoping to change that soon and take her out plinking with my .22 rifle soon. She isnt a small framed kid, but I am wondering what might be the best caliber for her to start out with. I had origianally thought the .243 was the one, but the more I thought about, I decided that the caliber was marginal for whitetailed deer. She wont be taking any long range shots, but I want enough punch to be there if needed. Now, I am leaning more towards the 25-06. (I even considered the .257 Roberts, but can find many guns chambered for that in my price range) I would also like a rifle that will compliment the .270WSM and 7mm Mag that I already have. I thought about the 30-06 with reduced recoil loads, but since I have the other two guns already, I didn't need another one that big. Any suggestions?

Don't know where you got the info that 243 isn't adequate for deer - Wrong,a 243 is adequate for deer! Even the 223 is adequate with the right rifle, scope and bullet!

You won't go wrong with any cartridge like: 223, 243, 260, 7-08 or even 308 managed recoil loads. Put more effort into finding the rifle that fits and training/pratice with it. You'll be OK on the cartridge if you don't stray too far from those I listed above!

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2009, 07:08:13 AM »

I'll just throw another one into the mix, 30-30 in Handi-rifle, Remington 788 bolt, or one of the levers shooting the Hornaday Leverevolution ammo. Low recoil,more of a push, with the Hornady ammo a legitimate 200 yd rifle.
Otherwise, given the situation I would go 243 and practice shot placement. I like everything the 25-06 has to offer, but for a new shooter the 25-06 has a "faster" recoil which seems more like a smack that may cause flinching.

243dave · « **Reply #11 on:** June 25, 2009, 11:19:08 AM »

I'll give my take on this also. I've hunted with a 243 for over 25yrs and have never been undergunned. Do I hunt where a shot will be farther then 300yds----NO. I have so much confidence in my little model 700 that I'd land a 100gr speer grand slam bullet on a elk at 200 yards and know I'll be eat'n good for awhile. Please don't get me wrong--- a 243 is not a elk rifle----- but it'll work. If I had a choice between a 243 and 25-06 it would be the 243. Why--- because if I was worried about a 243 not being powerful enough I'd move past the 25-06 to the 270. Plus like you said before the reduced loads start at the 270, so I imagine they would kick less than a 25-06. Dave

Mohawk · « **Reply #12 on:** June 25, 2009, 01:57:22 PM »

Good advice has been given. My deer rifle growing up, through many, many, many deer, was a Remington Mohawk 600 which is a shorter barreled carbine in .243, thus my handle on GB's. From the age of 13 until I was 28 it has never let me down. Never lost one deer. A commercial 100gr soft point at 2960fps is good medicine for deer, turkey, and hogs. In '92 I killed the largest whitetail in my career with this rifle. 10pt in El Dorado(Sonora) Texas. Double lung hit. Deer ran 75 yds and nose dived. Most deer never got 30yds with the same hit but this was a rutting mature buck and he still went down in sight. The responses given to this thread regarding the .243 being adequate mirror my own experiences.

Dave in WV · « **Reply #13 on:** June 28, 2009, 04:29:27 AM »

I started my son with a .243 and there have been no regrets. Someone always knows someone that's related to someone that had a good hit on a deeer with a .243 and the deer got away. I'm sure it has happened, about the same as with a 30-06. A 25-06 is prolly going to put a deer down faster than anything else using like bullets. My experiences are here in WV and a long range shot is rare so YMMV. The three cartridges I've seen give the fastest DRT were 25-06, 6mm Rem, and the .243. The ranges were under 100 yards and the bullets were Core-Lokts. I have a 30-06, a 7mm-08, and a .243. I use Core-Lokts and Hornady flat base interlocks. My .243 has always put deer down quicker than my 30-06. Dave

Savage .250 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2009, 04:02:35 AM »

243...Marginal!

No doubt the 25-06 is a fine round but to call the 243 marginal
is being un-informed IMO. Not trying to be nasty when I say that.

I`ve shot many a deer with my .243. 40+ years worth and never once did I feel............ I had to cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Good luck on your selection.

BeeMan · « **Reply #15 on:** August 10, 2009, 07:51:30 AM »

Wow, I got a lot more responses than I expected, and some very good responses as well. If my post sounded like I was marginalizing the .243, I didnt mean to. It is a great caliber, and when I worked the gun counter at a local retailer, we sold a lot of them. I have a friend who has deer hunted for 30 years, killed a lot of deer with them. I opted for the 25/06 over the .243 because I will probably use the gun some myself, and when I hunt over fields in northern Missouri, the shots could easily be 300 yards. I wouldnt allow her to take shots like that, even from a rest, but I feel comfortable enough with my ability to take shots like that myself. Sure the .270wsm or the 7mm mag would make a shot like that too, but I have found over the years that I am less fond of that recoil than I was when I bought them.
I took my neice out a couple weeks ago, and for having never fired a gun, she did really well with the .22. Later that day, I let her fire the 25/06, and I was very impressed with how well she did with that. She said the recoil kind of surprised her, but I think it was manageable for her. While here, she and I set out to find a place for us to hunt during the Youth season. The one requirement that I had was that she learn how to properly and politely ask the landowners permission to hunt. She didnt know it, but I had already spoken to the two land owners, and already gotten permission to bring her out hunting, but I feel that part of hunting is to learn to ask permission, and communicate with the landowner as well. Needless to say, both told her yes, and said they were glad she was getting into hunting as well. Our next step is to scout the farms, and see where to set up a blind or two. I will work with her, and let her choose the location to hunt from since I think the choice should be hers as to where she wants to set up the blinds. If her locations arent good, I will take her to a couple prime spots that I know about, and we will hunt from them. I am kind of excited about this opportunity to pass along my hunting skills to a younger generation!

boaman88 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 10, 2009, 08:25:36 AM »

Glad to here you have her on the right track. Great choice in caliber as well. I think the 25-06 is very easy on the shoulder and is just about as perfect a whitetail round as anyone could want. Hope we get to see a report on her first deer soon.

rockbilly · « **Reply #17 on:** August 14, 2009, 08:24:48 AM »

I have used both the .243 and the 25-06 for more years than I care to remember, both have served me well. For a 14 year old girl I think I would go with the .243. I say this because mine has never failed me and the Handy rifle has been very good for my grand daughter. We shoot reloads, 33grs of IMR 3031, a 100gr Serri boat tail and standard small rifle primer. This is a light load, but very accurate and has been used to harvest deer out to 250 yards. The .243 has always been my first choice for West Texas hunting.

Due to the increased number of hogs we are seeing on my place I am going to my old Winchester model 100 in a .308 for this season. Maybe with the semi-auto I can get off more than one shot when I see them, and the 150 gr ballistic tip should but his brakes on.

lostintexas · « **Reply #18 on:** August 29, 2009, 08:09:41 PM »

My son started out at age 7 with a 7mm-08 in a Remington model 7 and it wasn't too much for him. My daughter started out at age 8 with a TC Encore in .243 and she does great, about a 2" 5 shot group at 100 yards. She's very small frame so doesn't shoot more than 5 rounds ever at the range. I would suggested either of those calibers. Good luck and way to go for getting a young 'un involved in the outdoors!

Big Nasty · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2009, 03:12:06 AM »

.243 if you scare her right from the start with an 06 she will be spooked for a long time. I have and so has my wife killed a many of deer with a .243 using 100gr Winchester power points. My profile pic is one of her kills with the .243. Many people say a .243 is not enough gun for a deer and that is major crap. It is all about shot placement, if you shoot a deer with a .50 cal Barret with 650 gr bullets in the butt you are not going to kill it until you walk up to it and shoot it again. .243 AND PROPER SHOT PLACEMENT AND PRACTICE. It upsets me to no end when people think I am a big bad hunter, and go buy all the stuff they think they need and not one time go to the range. They get to the field and have to figure out how to even load the thing. BeeMan I am sure you know you're stuff, and this is not directed at you but we all know or have heard of this guy I speak of.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #20 on:** October 03, 2009, 04:03:15 AM »

While it is easy to talk about shot placement, when we talk of shooting animals that are moving, and perhaps turned at a slight angle, not to mention the exictement of a young hunter, the biggest gun they can handle only makes sense. I have a friend who used a 600 243 and has killed a bunch of whitetails with it. But if you listen to his stories, there are quite a few that got off wounded too.

He is a good hunter and good shot. Now he has switched to a 7mm for much of his deer hunting. $:-\$

elmer · « **Reply #21 on:** October 07, 2009, 03:30:13 PM »

I have shot my wife's .243 and the recoil was almost negligible, but for most of my hunting I have switched from my 30-06 to a Savage 7mm-08. That is a sweet shooting rifle, and the recoil is very reasonable with the 140gr Core-Lokt and it's good for things larger than deer. I know of one lady that took a Kudu with hers (don't know what ammo she was using). I also have a friend whose 8 year old daughter used one to hunt in Africa.

Having said all that I would love to have a 25-06 if I could justify it right now.

Big Nasty · « **Reply #22 on:** October 12, 2009, 01:23:20 AM »

I have looked long and hard at the 7mm 08, and the one thing I didn't like was that I couldn't find any ammo for it other than 140 gr. That was it every manufacturer sells 140 gr. Hold on before you post load your own I haven't got started in that yet so I buy factory ammo.

Graybeard · « **Reply #23 on:** October 12, 2009, 01:26:15 AM »

I'm pretty sure Remington still loads the 120 in the 7-08 and Nosler loads a wide variety of bullet weights in it I think. I'm not certain but think Federal loads a 150. to be honest tho there isn't much the 139/140 won't do and even tho I do reload for it that weight range is still what 95% to 99% of my shooting with it has been with.

emsemt911 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 20, 2009, 05:39:55 PM »

I would say .243. It is a good round with proper bullets. It has less recoil than some calibers on the market. I started with a 30-06, and I did some very stupid things when I was younger. I do not think that young children should start with a high caliber. A friend started his kids off with a .243. They are older and their shooting confidence is unbelievable. I have now started my son with a H&R youth .243. He shoots 2-3 inch ballons at 100 yds with a 4 power scope. He is only 8. He is confident in his ability and should out shoot me one day.

elmer · « **Reply #25 on:** October 21, 2009, 12:59:28 PM »

What's wrong with 140gr for the 7mm-08? Just curious?

Federal does sell a 150 and Remington sells a 120 HP. I still like my 140gr Remington Core-Lokts.