25-06 or .243

[goose7856]

JW, but if you were going to get a gun for deer hunting, and you didnt want to tear the meat up too bad, which of these (or another) would you get?? shots would be around 200 yards or closer, and normal deer (does weight 120 lbs, and bucks (idk b.c i havent killed one yet) are i think about 185 lbs.+........just thinking about the next high powered rifle I want......i have a 30-06 so i kinda want to "diversify" a little!! TAIA!!

[Dave in WV]

Both will do the job well but the 25-06 has a good edge up on the .243. I have a .243 and like it. It has never let me down. I have got one buck with a 25-06 and they're like lightning.

[hkg3k]

I would give the nod to the 25.06 also.

[copp]

I have several 25-06 and they are certainly adequate for deer but I really like something with more knockdown. To me a 243 is just marginal. Just seen too many lost and wounded deer with a 243. Sure 243 will kill a deer in its tracks if shot placement is good but that is obviously not always the case and never will be even for the most skilled hunter.

[safetysheriff]

G' Sitton who used to be popular in 'Hunting' magazine decried the bullet failures that occured more often in the .243 than in any other caliber.    Because of how much sense his articles made I figure that the .243 projectiles are oftentimes a gamble.

The .243, like the .22 centerfires, are oftentimes illegal in a centerfire rifle state for deer hunting.    The .25-06 is probably legal anywhere that centerfires are legal for deer.

I'd go with a .25 caliber any day, ahead of the .243, for deer and small to medium black bear.    Pennsylvania had some 600+, 700+, and even 800+ pound bears killed there a year ago.   I'd much rather have a .270 for those.

Good luck.

SS'

[Paul Barnard]

I have taken several deer with the 243 and 257 roberts.  The 120 gr Partition in the 257  gave great results.  The 100 gr Hornady btsp gave essentially equal results in the 243.  

You should expect the 25-06 120 gr partition to be on par with the 257 roberts in terminal performance.

I think where you hit the animal has everything to do with meat damage.  I hunt thick woods and prefer to take out at least one of the front shoulders.  It doesn't matter which bullet you use, if you hit a shoulder, you relegated whats left of it to sausage status.  That's fine with me though. I use the front shoulder for sausage anyhow.  Deer in my neck of the woods are smallish.  I don't bother with the ribs unless I get a big deer, so a couple blood shot ribs are inconsequential.

Right now, if faced with your choices, I think I would opt for a lightweight 243 for a woods/tree stand rifle or if my hunting was less walking and more "box" stand, I would get go with a standard weight 25-06.  If I used factory ammo it would be Nosler Partition.  If I handloaded I would load Nosler Partition.  I am a premium bullet fan in sub 30 caliber.  

My experience shows me that there is nothing marginal about the 243.  6 deer shot at, 6 deer hit where I aimed, 6 bullets performed as designed, 6 deer became groceries.  One was shot with a 55 gr varmint bullet at about 400 yards.  He did a 100 yard death dash and piled up.  Note, my friend took this shot, so don't raise cain with me about a stunt shot.  Two of the deer were big bodied SCI minimum blacktails at 250 yards.  One took two steps and gave it up, the other took about 10 steps.

I would like to repeat that with proper bullets and shot placement the 243 is not marginal it nears perfect.  The same can be said for the various 257's, but I consider them the perfect deer calibers with 120 gr premium bullets.

Bottom line is you cant make a bad choice with either of the ones you are considering.  Hope this helps.

Paul

[mountainview]

Goose, like the above, I recommend the 25-06 though I myself am hoping to add a 243 in my own cabinet to fill in the gap I that exists in between 223 and 25-06 in the ballistics continuum. I harvested several deer in PA with the 25-06 and never found excessive meat damage when butchering. Most of the deer acted as if struck from above by a lightning bolt after I shot once using 100 or 120 gr Core-Lokts. I also enjoy shooting it at the range as the round can be supremely accurate.

Safe shooting.

[longwinters]

I own and enjoy my 243.  But for strickly a deer rifle in the lighter calibers I would probably also opt for the 25-06.  I have never had an itch for the 25-06 but if you are only looking at these 2 calibers for deer then go 25-06.

Long

[Lawdog]

While the .243 is considered to be marginal by many for deer it will work fine as long as you do your part.  But for a excellent deer cartridge go with the .25-06.  The added power and bullet mass makes it the choice of the two caliber’s you mentioned.  Besides that it's hard to beat the “Quarter Bores".  Lawdog
 

[Buffalogun]

goose,

Since you are willing to accept another, I would recommend any one of these four: 6.5x55, 260 Remington,7mm-08 Remington, or the 7x57. Either of these will be just what the doctor ordered for the type of hunting you described. Meat damage will be minimal. They won't bellow like the .25-06, either!


Buffalogun

[swecology]

I would go with the .25-06.  I've had really good results with Sierra 117 BTSPgr. or Hndy 117 gr. SST's.  You also have the option, if you need it eventually, of having a really good long-range caliber.

Something else...take a good look at the 7mm-08.  For whitetail, you may be pleasantly surprised at the bullet selection.  I understand it's pretty forgiving re: recoil.

[victorcharlie]

I have owned several .243's over the past 30 years and have never lost a deer after having hit one with it.  That said, is it a better deer cartridge than a 25.06?  I don't think so.  In my humble opinion, where a .243 really makes it mark is as a dual purpose varmit/deer rifle, and in the recoil area.  Also, a .243 works through a short action versus a 25.06 in a long action, so, generally, a .243 is a very good light weight compact rifle with low recoil.  A .243 would be a good choice for a young man that's still growing or a lady as well.  I like the .243 because it's fun to shoot, and if you shoot a lot, it won't punish you like a big magnum.  I'd have to give the edge to the 25.06 for the long shots, and especially for any game larger than deer or antelope.

[Coyote Hunter]

JW, but if you were going to get a gun for deer hunting, and you didnt want to tear the meat up too bad, which of these (or another) would you get?? shots would be around 200 yards or closer, and normal deer (does weight 120 lbs, and bucks (idk b.c i havent killed one yet) are i think about 185 lbs.+........just thinking about the next high powered rifle I want......i have a 30-06 so i kinda want to "diversify" a little!! TAIA!!

Goose7856 -

You have a .30-06 -- you don't need another gun.  

Put me in the .25-06 camp, and if you handload, consider a short-action rifle in .257 Roberts.  I was planning on a .25-06 to fill the gap between my .22-250 and 7mm Mag but as luck would have it I stumbled on a .257 Roberts I couldn't pass up.  Using handloads and +P data, it gives up very little to the .25-06 but is much handier with its 22" barrel.  If you don't handload, the .25-06 is a great round and will do everything the .243 will do and more.

[Buckeye33]

If you like light compact rifles the .243 is perfect.  Nothing against the 25-06 (I've thought about one myself) but a .243 is quite adequate.  Low recoil, compact rifle, somewhat less expensive ammo all contribute to more practice.  The dual purpose caliber does serve a good purpose.  I carry my .243 savage around all summer and hunt ground hogs and in the fall I switch bullets (I've done my homework and found a varmint weight bullet and a deer bullet that both shoot POA albiet sighted in dead on at two seperate and recognized ranges.)  Therefore I get much more real world practice with the same gun/scope/trigger.  Practice and shot placement are vital regardless of the caliber but I just like to carry one gun around all the time, even though I have several which serve specific roles.

[Val]

When faced with the same issue on getting a 25-06 or .243 I resloved the issue by getting both of them.

[handirifle]

Goose
Why not just load the 30-06 with 130gr spire points bullets?  These are made for deer sized game and can even be loaded down somewhat to reduce recoil if you desire.  If you load them up you coud very easily match the 25-06 trajectory at least for about 350yds then the sleeker 25 bullet might have the advantage.  The lighter 130gr pill would do less damage then the heavier 150  and up bullets.

UNLESS you just want another gun :grin:

[Lawdog]

handirifle,

The 130 gr. spire point bullet when loaded to velocity of 3,200 (+/-) fps.(.25-06 velocity) it will not hold up.  Been there and tried that.  For big game a 150 gr. bullet traveling at 2,900(+/-) fps. is about as small as one wants to go.  Lawdog
 

[THE#1hunter]

Though the .243 will do the job, the .25-06 gives you a wider rangs of shot opportunities. As other people have stated..

[lilabner]

The 25-06 is an excellent round with flat trajectory and a lot of punch. I have one and it is a great rifle for long range antelope hunting. If I were you, though, I would diversify by going for something other than a necked down '06. The high velocity makes for meat loss, especially with lighter bullets that don't hold together well. You aren't going to shoot large deer and with a 200 yard max. range I'd suggest you hunt around and pick up a .257 Roberts. Light recoil and enough punch to kill cleanly. I hunted with one for years and made one shot kills each year. The 7mm 08 is also a nice cartridge with ample power as is the  6.5X55. These are accurate guns that won't knock you around as much as your '06. Many people can shoot them better than the more powerful cartridges because they are more pleasant to shoot. You already own the best all around cartridge for big game in North America so you are good to go for elk, moose etc.