25.06, .308, 270 Caliber Quandry

S

Sisco

New member
I receintly posted a question about a new rifle purchase and got some good replies.
I realize this subject has been kicked around a bunch on this board but a search of the archives didn't answer my questions.
I'm ready to buy, but still in a quandry about which caliber.
More than likely this will be my only large-caliber centerfire, use it for deer, feral hog and a varmit or two, doubt if I'll ever hunt elk or bear but who knows. Desire mild recoil so my 14 year old can use it too (but he's adaptable).
After some research I've narrowed my choices to 25.06, .308 or 270. 25.06 seems right for flat shooting, .308 for wide variety of bullet weights & types and load data (I do reload) and .270 just 'cause.
I've never actually shot any of these, my experience is with .243 & 30.06 (an O3A3, left me brused & battered!).
 
The only drawback to the '03 as a platform for the '06 is the steel buttplate. With a regular, "real" buttpad (Pachmyr & such), they don't kick enough to care about.

If you have a .243 and a .30-'06, the .308 and .270 are not needed. The .25-'06 is a better long-range coyote cartridge than either the .243 or '06, but that's about all. Well, maybe antelope if you can't get inside of 300 yards.

For a shooter of the Joe Average style, the .243 will do on whitetail to 200 yards or so. And anything smaller such as coyotes, etc. The '06 with 110-grain is great on varmints, if you like your varmints in pieces. It only gets "iffy" on the big bears.

Have fun,

Art
 
Not only the steel butplate, but that old doglegged stock don't help matters much. I shot my 03A3 for a long time though in military garb and yea ya knew when it went off but it was not all that bad. I do remember one Sunday when I ran through 175 rounds of milsurp ball, my shoulder did get a lil sore.
 
25-06 is right out too finicky.

.308 is a do everything cartridge not the best at anything even targets.

.270 is a long range cartridge that is also fine as an all purpose cartridge.

The choice should be based upon your intended use.

:)
 
SK

I mentioned the .243 and 30.06 just as a refrence to my experience with recoil, don't actually own either. I'm leaning towards the .270 but having never shot one I don't know where it falls on the felt recoil scale.
 
SK,

The .308 is going to recoil more than the .243. They're based on the same case.

Although all three are very good choices, I'd suggest that you rethink your caliber selection.

My suggestion?

.250 Savage.

It is one of those cartridges that just seems to give so much more than it takes.
 
Among those three cartridges, the .270 Winchester is my choice. The 25-06 is a little too light for my liking. Although the .308 is a great cartridge I prefer the ballistics on the .270 Win. I load 150 grain Partitions for large game, 130 Ballistic Tips for deer and 110 grain V-Max or 90 grain softpoints for varmints.

Recoil is subjective but I can't tell much difference between the .270 and .308 although both are a little less than the .30-06.
 
Hokay. Of your three options, I prefer the .270. I had one for a few years; killed a few deer with it, and a few varmints. Excellent cartridge.

With the OLD TIME sort of 4831 from around 1965, I just pushed the case through a dish of powder until it was full, bladed off the little heap of excess, and seated the 130-grain bullet. No scale or powder measure needed! I think what they sell today as 4831 might be a bit fast.

:), Art
 
25.06, .308, 370 Caliber Quandry

Like most people you are worried to much about caliber. Experts have long ago giventhe nod to the 30-06 as the better all round hunting cartridge. The .270 does have lighter recoil but in a hunting situation I guarantee you will never be able to tell the difference.
What you should be worried about is skill with the rifle not caliber. It takes about 2,000 rounds of off hand shooting (standing without aid of a sling) to become a half ways decent shot. No I am not suggesting you burn out the barrel of your new rifle. Use a .22 rimfire or a .223 centerfire (the .223 is good for a least 10,000 rounds). I use an NRA 200 yard reduced size target meant to be used at 100 yards. When you can consistantly put 10 shots out of 20 into the 10 ring and the other 10 shots into the 9 ring you are well on your way to becoming a first class rifle shooter. The once a year hunter usually sights his gun on sand bags , fires two or three shots and then proclaims himself to be a world class shooter ready for the hunt. He usually cannot hit much over 50 yards with his current proficiency and cannot walk more than 10 paces in his 35 or 50 lb overweight condition. No wonder he blows an expensive once a year hunt. W.R.
 
Go with the .270 and 140 grain loads---It will drop darn near anything that walks in this country. Recoil is fairly tolerable. Get a .270 and you won't look back.
 
I went with a Remington Mountain rifle in .270 & never looked back. Great cartridge, and in my 700 action is very accurate.

I do know someone who swears by his .25-06 though, even for deer. And it is a better cartridge for varmit shooting.
 
I definitely go along with Wild Romanian about practicing offhand shooting. There are times when no other position can be used.

I have the space for shooting without worrying about the need for a backstop, so I'm prone to work over good-used beer cans and such instead of paper...But offhand practice with a .22 will really teach eye-finger coordination--no matter what other position or rest may be available.

What I try to do is anticipate and time the squeeze: As the cross hairs approach the target during my wobbling about, I apply pressure. At the "right" moment, I apply the final pressure just a smidgen before the cross hairs bear. In theory, if I do it right, the cross hairs are exactly in place when the gun actually fires.

Sometimes theory and practice get all married up and I just impress the heck out of myself! :D

Best luck, Art
 
So many to choose from, so little time.

The recoil for hunting won't be an issue (at least not with .30-06 and down). As mentioned, you should really practise the off-hand shots for when you hunt. My .30-06 does not recoil bad with off-hand shots. When hunting, you won't even think about it.

If you do a lot of bench shooting, then the recoil will add up quickly. There, the .30-06 you so fondly remember will knock your shoulder quite a bit. Most .308's have less recoil and are more pleasant for bench shooting.

But I can tell you that even my 6mm (virtually twin of the .243) knocked into my shoulder with looooong periods of bench shooting. For that type of shooting, better yet to move to something like the .223.

But you want the do all rifle?

I don't know the answer. I picked the .30-06 over the .308 because the of the greater range of rounds and more power, especially at the high end for elk and moose. Plus, I already have a .223 for bench shooting. But I really think the .308 would be a good all-around choice (but probably not for moose).

I wish I had experience with the .270 or .25-06, but I don't. All I know is that they shoot flatter than the .308 (and so does the .30-06 for that matter). I would imagine that with any of the three you are looking at, they are more deer rifles than bigger game rifles. If you are only going to get one and if you are actually going after moose, you should maybe get some more power. More likely, I bet, if you go for moose you will someday buy a .30-06 or .300 Win Mag. And if you go after grizzly you may even get a .338 Win Mag or a .375 H&H. But all this rifle now has to worry about is deer, varmits, and bench shooting. In that case, ammo for the .308 is pretty inexpensive. But I also think a .270 is ballistically pretty neato. And finally, if you don't go after anything bigger than deer, the .243 might be the do all rifle.
 
Both the .308 and .270 are very good all-around cartridges. But based on your location, use (deer/hog/varmints) and the recoil issue, I am also going to cast my vote for the .270. It is one of the great calibers that will last for a long long time. Reloading supplies are plentiful if you get into that.

Ok, ok guys, yes I was hooked by Jack O'Connor back in the '60's. And you know what? I still am.
 
I thought you said you might use for elk and bear, but actually you said you doubt you would ever use for elk and bear. Kinda makes my post above a little off-target. Opps.
 
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