243 or 25-06?

[FL-NC]

My wal mart 700 243 shoots 1.5" groups at 100 yards with 100 gr winchester power points. Those same rounds fully exit a white tail with gnarly exit wounds and a blood trail a blind man could follow. Killed them out to 300 yards with that setup.

 

[Dr.Rob]

.25-06 is a great varminter, a good antelope round. At close range you get very similar results with a .243 and a shorter action.

You going to carry it or shoot it from a blind?

 

[MikeInOr]

With your intended use I don't see what a 25-06 would give you that a 270 wouldn't. I would definitely get the .243. I can't imagine where the .243 would fall short for you but if it ever did you have a 270.

My favorite round is also a 6.5x55 and I would buy a 6.5x55 instead of either the .243 or the 25-06... but we all have our own preferences.

 

[Reloadron]

My intended use is range practice and longer range field use on Texas deer and coyote and hog.

Based on the above I am going with the 25-06 Remington. Simply because for longer range applications the 25-06 a spawn of the 30-06 offers about 12 gr. more case capacity over the 243 Winchester spawn of the 308 Winchester. There is a good selection of .257 bullets as well as .243 (6mm) bullets to be had so all things considered I want the larger case capacity. I am not real big on either round for hog but for thin skin deer and coyote either round is adequate to my thinking. Again, my main reason in choosing the 25-06 Remington is range.

Ron

 

[CB900F]

Rbernie;

However, since it's a Tikka you want, have the store order it in the do-it-all caliber, 6.5 x 55mm Swedish Mauser. If they can't or won't give SoDak Sports in Aberdeen South Dakota a call. They're a master Tikka dealer and very friendly to work with.

900F

 

[jmr40]

anything the .243 can do, the .25-06 can do better. .430 B.C. 117 gr. boat tails at 3,100-3,200 FPS is excellent long range deer and pronghorn medicine.

If the OP is unable to shoot the better 100-105 gr 243 bullets the 25-06 MIGHT be a better option. But even with lighter 85-90 gr 243 bullets any advantage the 25-06 has is minimal.

You can load 105 gr 243 6mm bullets to the same velocity, 3100-3200 fps, with BC's of .545. At any range beyond 200 yards the 243 has the edge in both energy and trajectory.

 

[Rodman579]

my vote is for the 243. I have used them both on florida deer and I didn't see much if any differences with longest shots being 200 yards. also I have reloaded for both and shot factory. I like the fact that all local shops have 243 but 25-06 is hard to find around my area. one other thing is all 5 of my 243s were tack drivers. where the 3 rifles I had in 25-06 shot decently but to shoot real good they all had to be pushed to the upper limits to get the same accuracy as my 243s.

 

[3212]

My .243 does one of two things on our 150 lb whitetails.The 100 grain spitzers blow up in the chest cavity with massive damage or a double lung pass through.The longest kill was 270 yards with the bullet passing through the upper leg and splitting the heart.

 

[rizbunk77]

In that class I like 257 WBY

 

[SwaneeSR]

I recently went from a .30-06 to purchasing my 6.5x55SE tikka.

I agree that because you already the .270 win that you need to jump a few sizes down. In your case I would go with the .243.

Also - I would love to own a Weatherby Mark V in .257WBY. However the budget does not allow. Not until the kids are off the parents finances.

Swanee

 

[MachIVshooter]

If the OP is unable to shoot the better 100-105 gr 243 bullets the 25-06 MIGHT be a better option. But even with lighter 85-90 gr 243 bullets any advantage the 25-06 has is minimal.

Yeah. Only 300-400 FPS......

You can load 105 gr 243 6mm bullets to the same velocity, 3100-3200 fps, with BC's of .545. At any range beyond 200 yards the 243 has the edge in both energy and trajectory.

What .243 load sees 3,100-3,200 FPS with a 105? I never even saw 3,200 out of my 6mm, which has a decent edge on the .243 in case capacity. Highest I can find in load data and chronographed handloads is right about 3,000. Maybe you can squeeze a little more out of it, but by the same token, the .25-06 can be hot rodded, too. My favorite load is a 117 gr. Sierra with IMR 4831 that runs an average of 3,220 FPS. My hottest load is a 100 gr. TSX, also using IMR 4831, that exits with an average of 3,585 FPS.

There may not currently be bullets with quite as high a BC in .257 as .244, but some approach .5. Even assuming you can hit 3,100 with a 105 in a .243, the 115 gr. Berger (G1 B.C. .483) @ 3,200 will have a flatter trajectory to 850 yards. Even the lower B.C. Sierra Gameking will be flatter to 500. And again, that's assuming you can eek 3,100 out of a .243 shooting the heavies. I can't find any such data.

Even with a much lower B.C. of .357, my hot 100 gr. TSX load holds flatter than a 3,100 FPS .244" 105 gr. Berger VLD all the way to 950 yards.

Granted, the differences in trajectory between the two is pretty academic, since both will have the same MPBR with a practical zero range. But wrong is wrong nonetheless.

 

[rbernie]

I appreciate all of the inputs.

As I've been thinking through this, I keep falling into a trap of trying to maximize the performance of the rifle. That exercise will always favor the 25-06. I've been needing to remind myself that my goal is actually to reduce recoil/blast relative to my 270 and give me a range gun that can also be used in the field (as opposed to my 5.56 paper punchers, which are great for a day at the range but limited in their field utility).

Approached that way, I think that the 85gr-90gr range will probably be the sweet spot for me between 'all day range fun' and 'still useful on game'. So far, I'm seeing far more 6mm choices in that weight range than 25cal choices....

 

[Sniper66]

I would love to try that Tikka in .243. I have a .243, which I bought because of the availability of ammo. Since then I have acquired several other rifles including a Remington 700 .270 (killed my deer with it on opening day). In my shopping, I almost bought the Tikka Forest Hunter .270. As others have indicated, I would go with the .243 since the 25-06 will not give you anything you cannot accomplish with your .270. In my .243 I shoot 58gr V-Max at prairie dogs and coyotes. I have 100 gr for deer. Let us know what you get.

 

[sage5907]

This discussion about the 243 and 25-06 is all and good, but for deer and hog hunting your 270 Winchester is by far the best choice. A 25-06 is a good deer and hog rifle, a 270 Winchester is a better deer rifle. and the 30-06 is better than either one of the first two. I have all three and I've shot a lot of animals with them.

 

[Frostbite]

I had never seen the gap between .223 and .270 so clearly; I foolishly thought they followed each other in a natural progression. You need a .243.

 

[cougar1717]

My intended use is range practice and longer range field use on Texas deer and coyote and hog.

If you didn't have a 270 already, 25-06 would be a great choice, IMHO. The quality that the 243 brings is versatility. Shooting 243 is just plain fun - it doesn't significantly kick, but that barrel can heat up quickly! If you handload, you can choose bullet weights from 55gr to 107gr. You do have to have the tightest twists for the long, heavy match bullets, but if this is a hunting rifle and not just a paper puncher, bullet performance matters more than having the maximum BC anyway.

Since 243 is a crossover from varmint rifle to light deer rifle, I would think about using something a little more than your typical cup and core bullet at the upper limits of it's capacity - deer, hog hunting, etc - just for extra margin (which is something that 25-06 shooters think about as well). Many people have taken deer with a 243, including myself. I switched to something bigger after a 100gr SP complete pass-through on a well placed shot. It only cost me a few hours of tracking, but I would prefer better terminal performance and tracking that is somewhere between DRT and 40yds.

 

[theleo]

Either will work fine. The 243 will differentiate it self more from your 270 and the 25-06 has a slight edge in thump for shooting critters bigger that deer.

The argument of long action vs. short is pointless with Tikka's. They use only one action length and use spacers/blocks to take up the room needed to make the short action cartridges function in the long action platform. Looking on their site I vote 260 rem over the 243 and 25-06.

 

[joed]

Big .25-06 fan here. I even own a .243 so I own and shoot both. My choice? Hands down, the .25-06 and I wouldn't look back. Both cartridges are similar and overlap in what they can do. But for hunting purposes the .25-06 just shoots further and hits harder.

 

[grubbylabs]

So I have the T3 light. And it is pretty fussy about the heavier bullets. But Sierra says the 85g HPBT is just right for deer and Antelope. I can get the Hornady 100 grain bullets to hold close to an 1" at a 100 yards.

 

[rbernie]

And I picked the 25-06.

I decided that the 25-06 had a broader performance envelope for me, as a handloader, than did 243. There are doubless fewer bullet offerings in the sub-100gr range in 25cal than in 6mm, but still enough so that I don't feel handicapped. There is also no doubt that there is better factory ammo support for the 243 than 25-06, but I'm quite OK laying in a stock of 500 pieces of brass and living off my component stores for a while.

The downrange ballistic superiority of the 6mm bullets seems to lie predominantly in the heavier bullets that I don't think will work well in the Tikka. When I graphed it all out and compared trajectories out to 500 yards for most bullets in the 80gr-100gr range, the 243 just couldn't make up for the fact that the 25-06 had the ability to start out a whole lot faster.

 

[horsemen61]

Cool pics and a range report please

 

[joed]

I'd like to see pictures too. My rifles are all Remington, Winchester and Savage but I enjoy seeing what others buy.

rbernie, I think you made a great choice and doubt you'll ever have regrets.

 

[Tentwing]

Rbernie,

I think you will really enjoy your choice. Since I got my 25-06 all of my other hunting rifles have hardly seen the woods. It has a crazy flat trajectory for the first 300, and 117 grainers are the hammer of Thor on whitetails. 85 grainers turn it into a serious varmint cartridge.

Hope you enjoy it, Tentwing

 

[j1]

Only good choice is the Roberts or Bob. Beats em all. Kills deer like the Hammer of Thor.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Given my experience with .243 (mostly bad) and extreame satisfaction with the .257Roberts and .257wby, as well as a friends .25/06; I say get the .25/06.

The .25/06 will do anything the .243 will., but do it without a bit of strain.
For long range varminting, the 90gr Sierra blitz or 85gr Nosler B.T. Will amaze you.
Either the 115, or 120 Nosler Partition or 120gr Swift A-frame hit far above their weight.

For a monolithic "wonder" the 80gr Barnes TTSX is an amazing bullet.
Push comes to shove, it's easier to make .25/06 from .30/06 than it is .243 from .308.

Simple on powder selection. 100gr and lighter, one of the 4350 class of powders. Above, one of the 4831 class of powders. RL17, RL22, and RL25 are my favorites, as well as with the .257wby.
There's a reason they're aren't more choices in bullets. The ones we've got really work well, and are enough!
My personal choices are 75gr Vmax for varmints in the Roberts, gets 3,500fps with non- +P load of either H414 or H380.. 100gr Hornady PtSpt for deer. (Discontinued, but have a lifetime supply) with classic load of IMR4350 @45.0gr for 3,000. (Kicks the .243's ax from 5-350yds) 117gr Hornady BtSpt Interlok in the .257wby over 70.0gr of RL25 gives 3,300fps.
Kills deer and elk at any sane distance.
The question will be what to do with the .270. The only place I see the .243 with an advantage will be with a faster twist barrel shooting "paper" beyond 600yds. Not something you'll do with a Tika and factory barrel.