Deciding on a new rifle

[muddyfuzzy]

quarter bore all the way. i have been shooting a .25-06' sendero for the last 7 years and wouldn't have it any other way. i get between 3050-3100 chrono'd out of my handloads with a 120 gr. hornady hp interlock. love the cartridge!

[whitetailtrail]

Thanks guys, awesome info. That darn 25-06 is expensive to shoot!

[JW]

.308 wouldnt even consider the 25 for what youre doin. You will have alot more versitility with bullet selection if you decide to go after bigger critters. And with drop compensating scopes on almost every shelf, i wouldnt worry about the diff in trajectory.

Disclaimer: a 25-06 is a fine round. This is my opinion only.

[ProV1]

For yote, pigs and deer per the OP I would go with the .25-06. It is going to shoot flatter and the choice of varmint bullets for it are better. The OP says he already has a .30-06 so there is really no reason to get the 308. If he reloads the 25-06 will really shine. Working up some 85gr rounds for mine in the next few weeks.

[JW]

For yote, pigs and deer per the OP I would go with the .25-06. It is going to shoot flatter and the choice of varmint bullets for it are better. The OP says he already has a .30-06 so there is really no reason to get the 308. If he reloads the 25-06 will really shine. Working up some 85gr rounds for mine in the next few weeks.

No reason to get a .308 cuz he has an 06?
And if im not mistaken you can get varmit bullets for a .308.

School me im not tryin say ur full of it.

[dustoffer]

Thanks guys, awesome info. That darn 25-06 is expensive to shoot!

That's why you reload--and get a better product to boot, not to mention the satisfaction of knowing "I did it myself"

[dustoffer]

Yep-you can get varmint-weight bullets in .308 caliber, but in my experience, they are hard to get to shoot well, and because they are short for caliber, they shed velocity quickly, thus don't shoot as flat as heavier bullets at longer ranges.

[ProV1]

No reason to get a .308 cuz he has an 06?
And if im not mistaken you can get varmit bullets for a .308.

School me im not tryin say ur full of it.

.308 and 30-06 shoot the same bullets, except one does it a little faster. If you want him to have a round for something bigger I am assuming you would mean Elk or larger, because there is nothing in Texas a 25-06 won't handle. If I had to shoose between a 30-06 and a 308 for Elk I would go with the 06 all day because I can shoot a 180gr at the same velocity a 308 hums a 150 gr.

Varmint bullets for a .308 caliber round consist of a very few made by Barnes and Sierra in 110 gr. and that is only if you reload. If you go online and check any decent ammo dealer, midwayusa lists tons, you will find 125gr about as low as you can find commercially and these are either Hornady TAP rounds which would be useless for hunting or Remington Managed recoil rounds which would be fine but I wouldn't want to use them.


Based on his original post of what he wanted and the firearms he already has I made the suggestion to go with the 25-06 based on his desire to hunt pigs, varmint, and deer with it. Winchester makes a 90gr speed demon that is heck on vermints, and everyone makes 100+gr rounds that are excllent for pigs and deer. And if he reloads, the sky is the limit for what you can do with a 25-06

[kcmarullo]

I would have to go with the 25-06 I have been shooting one for years !

[kcmarullo]

I shoot 120 gr nosler partitions hand loads what a tac driver !!

[JW]

.308 and 30-06 shoot the same bullets, except one does it a little faster. If you want him to have a round for something bigger I am assuming you would mean Elk or larger, because there is nothing in Texas a 25-06 won't handle. If I had to shoose between a 30-06 and a 308 for Elk I would go with the 06 all day because I can shoot a 180gr at the same velocity a 308 hums a 150 gr.

Varmint bullets for a .308 caliber round consist of a very few made by Barnes and Sierra in 110 gr. and that is only if you reload. If you go online and check any decent ammo dealer, midwayusa lists tons, you will find 125gr about as low as you can find commercially and these are either Hornady TAP rounds which would be useless for hunting or Remington Managed recoil rounds which would be fine but I wouldn't want to use them.


Based on his original post of what he wanted and the firearms he already has I made the suggestion to go with the 25-06 based on his desire to hunt pigs, varmint, and deer with it. Winchester makes a 90gr speed demon that is heck on vermints, and everyone makes 100+gr rounds that are excllent for pigs and deer. And if he reloads, the sky is the limit for what you can do with a 25-06

I know they shoot the same bullet but uhhh, there is that "PIG" word again!!!!

[Solocam84]

You can't go wrong with either one. I want a .308 bad!!!

[rev579]

Trying to decide between a 25-06 or a .308. I'll be taking shots in the 200, 300, and 400 yard range...mainly coyotes and pigs and some deer.

An try to leave 243's, 270's, 30-06's out as I already have these calibers.

The 308 & 30-06 are so similar, it seems like you already know which one you want and need. As a necked-down 06, the 25-06 shoots so flat over that distance, especially if you are using good ammo.

Here is a small ballistics chart for the 2 calibers:

[rev579]

Also, consider the cost of buying v. reloading. Which is more commonly bought and sold locally and where it is you hunt if you are going to buy your ammo. Finding what you want could be a big headache otherwise. In East Texas, it seems like even gas stations carry 243, 270, & 3006, but 3006 could be over-kill and a lot of what is shot in Texas.

[rev579]

It's a 308 case necked down to .284. It would be an awesome round for what you have in mind. You can go lighter on your bullets than with the 308.

That is so true. It is a real sleeper.