243 vs. 25-06
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bigsky_songdogs
New member
Chupa,
How come everyone wants to fight with you?
Just an observation. seems like you give good advice, but im new here, maybe you are mean and i just dont know yet LOL
JK
i have killed lots of antelope with a .243 and some deer as well, personally i prefer something a little larger for deer but that is just my personal preference. As with everything it comes down to shot placement. As everyone said a 243 make a great long range predator round.
How come everyone wants to fight with you?
i have killed lots of antelope with a .243 and some deer as well, personally i prefer something a little larger for deer but that is just my personal preference. As with everything it comes down to shot placement. As everyone said a 243 make a great long range predator round.
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Chupathingy
New member
Originally Posted By: bigsky_songdogsChupa,
How come everyone wants to fight with you?
Just an observation. seems like you give good advice, but im new here, maybe you are mean and i just dont know yet LOL
JK
i have killed lots of antelope with a .243 and some deer as well, personally i prefer something a little larger for deer but that is just my personal preference. As with everything it comes down to shot placement. As everyone said a 243 make a great long range predator round.
Some people are just defensive by nature. I don't call out people or question there marksmanship skills but for some reason they think I am. Everything I say is in terms of "Averages" or what fits to the majority. We have some mighty fine marksman and all around outdoorsman here that can do a whole lot with very little, but some products I just can't endorse or recommend to the inexperienced. When this happens, they believe I am questioning there judgement or prowess. And this just isn't the case, I've never said "John Doe" is wrong for doing "this" or hunting this "this way", only that if you aren't absolutely confident in your skill set.....I can't recommend "this".
Fear not......I'm caring less and less.
Chupa
How come everyone wants to fight with you?
i have killed lots of antelope with a .243 and some deer as well, personally i prefer something a little larger for deer but that is just my personal preference. As with everything it comes down to shot placement. As everyone said a 243 make a great long range predator round.
Some people are just defensive by nature. I don't call out people or question there marksmanship skills but for some reason they think I am. Everything I say is in terms of "Averages" or what fits to the majority. We have some mighty fine marksman and all around outdoorsman here that can do a whole lot with very little, but some products I just can't endorse or recommend to the inexperienced. When this happens, they believe I am questioning there judgement or prowess. And this just isn't the case, I've never said "John Doe" is wrong for doing "this" or hunting this "this way", only that if you aren't absolutely confident in your skill set.....I can't recommend "this".
Fear not......I'm caring less and less.
Chupa
Chris_Brice
New member
Too me it comes down to rifle action. Give me a good, light short action any day.
In reality the .243 doesn't give up much to the .25-06. A couple hundred FPS in comparable bullet weights and .014 in diameter. Factory 110gr .25-06 clocks in at about 3100 fps while factory 100gr .243's are at about 3000 fps. Not a deer in the world that will notice the difference.
As already stated, if you're game gets bigger than deer the .25-06 gets the nod due to the option of getting bullets of 120gr plus. But then again I'd pick a .260 or a 7mm-08 (short actions) over the .25-06 due to the fact that they comes in rifles I like better.
IMO, the only place the .25-06 excels is long, long range. If you're ranges are consistently over 300 yards AND the quarry is bigger than deer the .25-06 gets the nod.
Basically this discussion is the same one that goes on about the the .308 vs. the .30-06. The .30-06 is a little better with heavier bullets but they are basically interchangable in their uses. .25-06 ammo and brass may be harder to find and the .243 is available in rifles I like more and recoils a little less. Give me a .243.
CB
In reality the .243 doesn't give up much to the .25-06. A couple hundred FPS in comparable bullet weights and .014 in diameter. Factory 110gr .25-06 clocks in at about 3100 fps while factory 100gr .243's are at about 3000 fps. Not a deer in the world that will notice the difference.
As already stated, if you're game gets bigger than deer the .25-06 gets the nod due to the option of getting bullets of 120gr plus. But then again I'd pick a .260 or a 7mm-08 (short actions) over the .25-06 due to the fact that they comes in rifles I like better.
IMO, the only place the .25-06 excels is long, long range. If you're ranges are consistently over 300 yards AND the quarry is bigger than deer the .25-06 gets the nod.
Basically this discussion is the same one that goes on about the the .308 vs. the .30-06. The .30-06 is a little better with heavier bullets but they are basically interchangable in their uses. .25-06 ammo and brass may be harder to find and the .243 is available in rifles I like more and recoils a little less. Give me a .243.
CB
NdIndy
New member
I was using 100gr this year at probably not much over 243'ish velocities if I sat down and figured it out. Just a longer bullet. Easy to load the 25 down, harder to load the .243 up. I did everything load wise for my wife's first hunt and I didn't want to carry around more than 1 load.
6mm
New member
Tough to beat a 55 grainer at 4k+ out of the .243 for coyote and vermin work... don't get much flatter than that. You can stoke the .25 with 75 Vmaxs and cook them out at 3700ish... makes wet puzzles out of most small critters... but still can't equal the lazer 55s... and it takes 10-15 grains more powder to do it.
The 87 Vmax (6mm) and the 100 NBT (.25) have nearly identical BCs and can be run at nearly equal velocities (3200-3300). So, wind drift and trajectories are pretty much identical as well.
Stepping up to the VLD type pills... 95-105s in the 6 and 115s in the .25... again velocities will be close... so wind/drop will also be close... the .25 will always have the benifit of 20%ish more downrange punch... and that really only matters after about 300-400 yards.
I've killed over 100 coyotes with both calibers (though my .243 was a 6mm Rem (same enough)... and the .25 does "hit harder"... but a lost dog is rare with either. The .25 definately hits big game with more authority... though every deer I've ever shot with the .243 went down in a heap. I prefer the .25... but could live my coyote and deer hunting life happily from here on out with a .243... no doubt.
How's that for middle ground?
The 87 Vmax (6mm) and the 100 NBT (.25) have nearly identical BCs and can be run at nearly equal velocities (3200-3300). So, wind drift and trajectories are pretty much identical as well.
Stepping up to the VLD type pills... 95-105s in the 6 and 115s in the .25... again velocities will be close... so wind/drop will also be close... the .25 will always have the benifit of 20%ish more downrange punch... and that really only matters after about 300-400 yards.
I've killed over 100 coyotes with both calibers (though my .243 was a 6mm Rem (same enough)... and the .25 does "hit harder"... but a lost dog is rare with either. The .25 definately hits big game with more authority... though every deer I've ever shot with the .243 went down in a heap. I prefer the .25... but could live my coyote and deer hunting life happily from here on out with a .243... no doubt.
How's that for middle ground?
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CWeeks
New member
Originally Posted By: skullcreekOriginally Posted By: ChupathingyOriginally Posted By: skullcreekAll the deer I have killed with a243 will be relieved to know they aren't quite as dead as they would be with a non-borderline caliber.
To be perfectly fair, he is from NY and there is a bit of difference between northern and southern white tails. But I will also agree with you that for southern white tails a .243 is more than adequate and then some. Either one will serve quite nicely as a dual purpose weapon.
Chupa
Are northern tails bigger than mulies? Lots of guys out west killin them with 243's.
My brother has shot lots of Mulies with his .243 and they are all dead even the 26 inch wide big bodied monster he shot at 330 ish yards went down with out a fight with the .243 a 100 grain soft point is all he ever uses for coyotes or deer and it works just the same they end up real dead.
To be perfectly fair, he is from NY and there is a bit of difference between northern and southern white tails. But I will also agree with you that for southern white tails a .243 is more than adequate and then some. Either one will serve quite nicely as a dual purpose weapon.
Chupa
Are northern tails bigger than mulies? Lots of guys out west killin them with 243's.
My brother has shot lots of Mulies with his .243 and they are all dead even the 26 inch wide big bodied monster he shot at 330 ish yards went down with out a fight with the .243 a 100 grain soft point is all he ever uses for coyotes or deer and it works just the same they end up real dead.
belliott
New member
I own both. I don't feel like you can go wrong either way. My 243 stays in the gun safe for the most part. My 25 stays in the truck year round. If I feed it 120 grain bullets, it acts like a 270. If I cram it with 87 grain pills it behaves rather rudely like a 243.
I think you should buy one of each and decide for your self. The problem will be choosing which to buy first.
I think you should buy one of each and decide for your self. The problem will be choosing which to buy first.
Sidewinder
New member
According to my Ammo & Ballistics 3 book the 243 has a recoil factor of 1.25 and the 25-06 has a recoil factor of 1.57. I have had good luck with the 25-06 on coyotes, as long as you do not want the pelt. I just built a 6mmAI for long range coyote hunting. It has less recoil and has the knock down power for coyotes. You can shoot lighter weight bullets with the 243, which would have less recoil. I have dropped an elk with one shot with the 25-06, but it was a well placed shot. Either rifle does a good job, just depends on what you want it for. You should use the best tool for the job.
NdIndy
New member
The problem of which to buy first pales in comparison to which one to carry each year.
I've got more calibers than I"m allowed to hunt with each year
This looks like from top down .243, 25-06, 25-06, 30-06, .44mag. That's 1/3 of 1 of 3 walls. Heck if I decide I'm going 30-06 this trip I still have to decide which of the 3 I carry
I've got more calibers than I"m allowed to hunt with each year
