243 vs 25.06

MGD

Well-Known Member
evening all,
im looking at getting my own centrefire rifle at the moment i use my dads 243. which is on my fac.
ive looked at the .270 and shot a friends and ive decided its not for me. (recoil wise) it was moderated aswell. i tried it with and without.

i used a 25.06 in scotland at the beginning of january. i found it comfortable to shoot moderated or not.
im also comfortable with the 243.

what would you say are the pro's and con's against each other.
my rifle will be moderated either calibre.

at the moment im completely open minded at the moment.

thanks MGD
 
i have both, i regard my 25-06 as and excellent deer rifle thats good for shooting foxes too, the .243 as an excellent fox rifle which is ok for shooting deer, if you hit them in the right place.

if i has to keep only one it would be the 25-06

ammo cost and availability is viewed by some as a down on the 25-06.
if you have a dog and like to work it, get a 243.
 
seeing who else is viewing this thread they may just beat me to telling you how good the 25-06 is!

I have owned several .243's and only one 25-06, although I shot an awful lot of deer with it, mainly Sika. If I was to own one rifle, out of the two you mention it would be the 25-06. Given where you stay do you shoot the bigger species? More bullet choice regarding weight for deer in it and is able to push the 120grn faster than a 243 will push a 100grn

I had a custom rifle built in 243AI and really like the calibre, but for one rifle to do everything, 25-06.

Only small thing in favour of the 243 is the short action and less powder to reload.
 
If the rifle is for stalking and there is the prospect of going to Scotland stalking red deer then I would have said the 25-06 would be a better bet. The down side of a 25-06 would possibly be that you need a long action and ideally a 24'' barrel which makes it quite long if moderated. You wouldnt want less than a 22'' barrel on the 25-06I dont think. Plus side for the 25-06 is slightly heavier bullets than the 243. If you were only after roe and fox then a 243 would be fine. Not much in it really, personaly I like the .25-06 and swapped out a .243 to get one.HTH
 
i plan on one week on the red hinds every year. at home i mainly shoot fallow and fox.
the price difference in ammo isnt a massive issue as i dont shoot 100's of shots a year.
thanks matt
 
Hi, I have had both and still shoot my 2506 today. The 2506 has the abilty to shoot heavier bullets than the 243 which is good when culling the larger deer species, it also causes less carcass damage than the 243 in my opinion.
 
I have used 243's but own a 25.06. Most of my stalking is open hill after reds for which the 25.06 is perfect. If, however, I am shooting roe closer to home or am asked to shoot fox then the calibre will put them down hard. Great all round calibre and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
 
thanks for all the advice. what bullets are people using for deer, we have mainly fallow.
atb matt
 
i do have a .25 06 and use 117g federal but only use it for fox for my fallow i like .308 and 150g norma stops them on the spot with very low meat damge i am on the kent sussex border and you are welcome to try them side by side
 
owned both
think 2506 is better on deer with 117+ bullets and is awsome for foxes with 75gr hp's 87 btips when windy.
mine liked 117 sierras
but partitions were very good in hand loads
 
thanks for the advice.
did you try the partitions any good as factory loaded???

matt
 
its no secret i think the partition is about the best thin-skinned game bullet on the market, expensive but very good.
puts plenty of energy into an animal without meat loss.
 
Back
Top