tell me what ya think

[stren_g]

Hello everyone, new to the site. thought id kick things off with a question.
Im looking to buy a new rifle before the next season starts, and have a few that im looking into. All being either remington, or browning. i know that about everyone and his brother has a 30-06, 270, or .308. and for good reason. they are all very capable callibers. But I like to be a little different as well as versatile. so i have taken note of the 25-06, .257 weatherby, and 7mm-08... leaning to the 25-06 a little because it can also be used for varmits. has anyone had any experience with these three calibers? How do they perform in the real world? what ammo works best for you with these animals? and what is the safest range for this caliber on the mentioned species? (ive seen the charts, but thats just paper to me.) i would be hunting mostly whitetails, some mule deer, and possibly coyotes and such. thanks.

[cjg]

If you really want to be versatile, stick with the 30-06, but it all depends on where you mostly hunt. Where/how I hunt and the potential size of the deer, I wouldn't even consider a 25 caliber gun. JMHO

[stren_g]

where i live its white tail, muleys, or varmints. lots of open country. and the white tails can get up to and sometimes over 300lbs, and there are opportunities for some very long shots. the 30-06 is a great caliber by all means. but when i can get a better trajectory and less recoil i think ill take it.

[Tony204ing]

As far as popularity goes 30-06 is prob the most versatile.I dont kow a lot about the 25-06 but have heard u can load rounds to kill varmints all the way up to rounds to kill elk.It has crossed my mind to look into it a little more but never did.Like i said the 30-06 is more popular but i think ther are plenty of guys out there who like to be a little diffrent and will lean towards the 25-06.

[stren_g]

thats what im thinking. and most people that use the 30-06 dont need that much gun anyway. i worked at a meat locker for a while and saw first hand what happens to a deer hit with a misplaced shot of a 30-06. or a .300. or a 7mm. you get the point. most people over gun their game. Deer are not hard to kill, as long as you can hit your mark. ive seen mid sized bucks taken with a .22LR as a matter of fact.(although its a bad idea) All being said i think ill get the 25-06. here in Nebraska you probably could not get a more versatile round. i have read up on it a bit and it can take game from rabbits to elk if loaded properly.(no elk hunting planned for me though)

[Tony204ing]

From what i hear u wont be sorry.If your into reloading they say its a great round to play with.

[DouglasSpear]

thats what im thinking. and most people that use the 30-06 dont need that much gun anyway.

Hunting is merely 1% of the reason I own a firearm. The purpose for a bigger gun in my opinion serves 2 purposes. For one, protection of my house and family, like the movie Red Dawn for example, but also protection in the field. If I get attacked by a bear in the woods, I don't want to be holding a pea shooter. I hunt deer with a 30-06 because no matter the size of the deer I am hunting or the size of the animal I am being attacked by, a lot of light in and a lot of blood out is the goal. I also carry a .45 because they don't make a .46 and shooting twice is silly. Now, on the other hand, owning various calibers is just fun and they can all serve a purpose, so get a variety (over time of course). Just my 2 cents.

[Tony204ing]

And a fine 2 cents they are.

[droptine08]

all are great guns i use the 7mm08 fro deer, antelope, and varmints. my best freind has the 2506 and its a sweet shooting gun, another freind has the 257 weatherby that is a cannon he used to shoot the 2506 but is going to use that now. i would throw them all in a hat and pick one out cause they are all great in my opinion. i would actually love to have a 2506 and a 257. maybe i will in the future.

good luck with your choice cant go wrong

[Runner]

I have experience with all three, to be honest. For what you are considering, all will do the job nicely. One of my favorite rifles lately is the Tikka T3 I picked up in .25-06. I'm shooting Rem 120 grain Core-Lokt PSPs in it and getting one-inch groups at 200 yards. I've taken coyote, black bear and moose with it so far, in the first year of use. None went anywhere at all when hit. The moose went the farthest, at maybe 20 feet, tops. The bullet mushroomed perfectly and was found just under the hide on the far side, after traveling through one shoulder and the heart/lung area. The bear I shot took two bounds and died, again after a heart/lung shot which was placed just behind the near shoulder. Bullet went completely through. A good exit wound indicated perfect mushrooming. I've yet to take a deer with this rifle, though I have taken whitetails out to about 400 yards with a different .25-06 in the past. It is a very capable cartridge and a smoking-hot, flat shooter. -Runner

[baysider]

"One of my favorite rifles lately is the Tikka T3 I picked up in .25-06."


25-06 is a very fast, very flat shooting gun. My Tikka holds good groups out to 400 yds and ive killed deer around 450 when i lived in NC. For open country i'd go with it. Place your shots well. nothing can replace pre-season practice, and lots of it. I moved back to VA, and with all the brush the 30-06 is hard to beat. most of my shots are now under 100yds.