25-06 or .270 or somewhere in the range

"To be honest I never understood the point of the .25-06. but I suppose that's just because I've started out with a .243 and a .270 and the difference between those two is one I've never felt a need to split"

To be honest, I never understood the hype of the .270. Jack O'Conner made the cartridge what it is and personally, I think it ISN'T what it's claimed to be. If you want to accept that amount of recoil, shoot a 30/06. Back in the day, it was much easier to make a big game bullet in .277 than in .257 and that's the end of the story.

If you haven't compared a 25/06 to a .243 as hunting rounds, you really can't understand the difference--it's not on paper. I've used both quite a bit and there's simply no logical comparison.
 
As others said, if you don't reload, the 270 Win can be found more places and easier then the 25-06, plus you get heavier bullets for the 270 Win.

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A bit off topic since the OP says he doesn't reload BUT:

If a major manufacturer actually made some match-grade .257 bullets we could actually compare apples to apples.
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Berger does. I shoot both, but I have a 257 Rbts. instead of the 25-06. I don't think anyone disputes the 25-06 shoots the same bullet a bit faster then the Roberts.

But I don't see, under normal conditions the 243 out preforming the 257. First, in factory rifles both normally come with a 1:10 twist. Meaning you are limiting the weight of the Bullets. The 243 would be about 90 gr. The 257 about 115 Gr.

Both my rifles are Winchesters and have a 1:10 twist barrel. I shoot Bergers in both, 87 gr for the 243 and 115 for the 257 Roberts. The 243 starts out at 3000 fps and the Roberts at 2800 fps. The Roberts goes subsonic at 1500 yards, the 243 at 1450, the energy difference at those ranges is 300 for the 257 and 222 for the 243.

In reality they are pretty dern close. The 257 will have a bit of a wind advantage over the 243,

But again, my comparisons are with the 257 Roberts, you're going to have more of an advantage of the 25-06 simple because its faster then the Roberts.

I also shoot the 270 Win (also in a 1:10 twist Model 70). Again using the Berger bullet, its got them both beat. Starting at 2750 the 150 gr Berger remains supersonic to 1650 yards and bucks the wind better and more remaining energy.

Of course we wont be hunting at those ranges, but this does give you an idea between the three.

My Bergers are the hunting VLD in all three rifles. Berger engineers recommend the remaining velocity of 1800 FPS for their hunting bullet to work properly. That would be 800 yards for the 270, 750 for the 257 and 800 for the 243, so for deer size animals they are pretty near the same.

You move on to elk, then the 270 would hold the advantage.

When all said and done, at normal hunting ranges, lets say 300 yards, there isn't a nickel's worth of difference on deer/antelope size animals.

Except those Berger's are nasty, I'll stick to my 257 or 243 for deer/antelope and use the 270 for elk.

The OP mentioned deer, both his choices would work great, the 270 would hold the advantage when it comes to finding factory ammo.

As to the 300 Win. I don't care how big and tough you are, the recoil will get to you. There is a reason long range shooters are deserting the 300s for the 6.5 non-magnums. I gave up my 300 win for 1000 yard matches for the 308 Win a long time ago. It will beat you to death.
 
Because you dont reload, I would recommend a 270, 308 or 30-06. The 06 will have the greatest choice of factory loads available, and likely among the cheapest loads for hunting, and available just about everywhere. I like the 308 for most hunting because I prefer a short action with its slightly lighter weight, but we are typically talking maybe a pound? Not really all that much. The 270 is a very well regarded cartridge especially for range-nothing much shoots quite as flat until you get into the magnums. The 25-06 is also a pretty good cartridge, but may or may not have the availability of the other two, and cost is going to be higher.
 
As to the 300 Win. I don't care how big and tough you are, the recoil will get to you. There is a reason long range shooters are deserting the 300s for the 6.5 non-magnums. I gave up my 300 win for 1000 yard matches for the 308 Win a long time ago. It will beat you to death.
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Agreed--but a day in the woods with a 300 wm is ideally a 1 or zero shot deal, unlike the bench. If you can practice so that first shot is let off and on target--which for me it generally is, I think the recoil management is a relative thing.
 
Agreed--but a day in the woods with a 300 wm is ideally a 1 or zero shot deal, unlike the bench. If you can practice so that first shot is let off and on target--which for me it generally is, I think the recoil management is a relative thing.
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Then again, the magnums tend to be much heavier then the none magnums. When hunting we tend to spend more time carrying a rifle then shooting it.

Also, the OP's name indicates he's in Arkansas, I hunted deer in Arkansas and I don't remember seeing one so large that a magnum was required.

Personally if I was to hunt Arkansas only, I'd go for a Winchester Featherweight in 243. But his enquiry was about the 25-06 or 270. My 270 & 257 Rbts are both featherweight Model 70s, my 243 (wife's actually) isn't, and its a bit heavier though its also a Model 70.

I did put a muzzle brake on my 300 WM, big difference but still over kill for white tails in my opinion.
 
Then again, the magnums tend to be much heavier then the none magnums. When hunting we tend to spend more time carrying a rifle then shooting it.

Also, the OP's name indicates he's in Arkansas, I hunted deer in Arkansas and I don't remember seeing one so large that a magnum was required.

Personally if I was to hunt Arkansas only, I'd go for a Winchester Featherweight in 243. But his enquiry was about the 25-06 or 270. My 270 & 257 Rbts are both featherweight Model 70s, my 243 (wife's actually) isn't, and its a bit heavier though its also a Model 70.

I did put a muzzle brake on my 300 WM, big difference but still over kill for white tails in my opinion.
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Somehow the conversation veered off into 270 vs 300wm for Elk hunting vis the guide don't like 300wm comment--so I just assumed we were considering hunting in areas where hard-hitting at long range was a consideration.

Other than that, as long as the sun rises and sets--we'll always argue velocity vs. bullet size. LOL

There is a soft spot in my heart for Cinderella bullets like the 257--so I'll toss my hat in the ring and vote for your suggestion. ; )
 
"...why's that?..." Because there's no game in North America that requires a magnum anything to kill. Like Pathfinder45 says, magnums hurt to shoot so most hunters will not practice enough to get good enough to be hunting with one. Outfitters don't want to be tracking game that could have and should have been, DRT.
Like kraigwy says, you'll find the .270 everywhere. Other stuff you just won't. Pop into your local Wally World. Look at any .24, .25, .26 or .27 non-magnum. If they have it, most other such places will too. So will most shops in small places.
 
Go with the .270 Winchester. Something different from what you've got, and the 130 grain bullet shoots flat and is a great deer round. Lots of commercial ammo available, and recoil isn't bad at all.
 
Earlier, I recommended the 270, but a 25-06 will do just as good a job on whitetail deer. For decades, I used a 270 and shot hundreds of deer. It was all a fellow could ask for. Then I bought my wife a 260. Now I have a 260, and I've found that it kills about as well as my 270 on small Texas deer. But the most interesting thing I've found is that, in the 260, the 120 gr Nosler BT is definitely more effective than the 100 gr Nosler BT. Both work, but the heavier one works better. I've come to this opinion after starting with the 120 gr version for a few years, then switching to the 100 gr version for a few years. Now, after much comparison shopping (so to speak) on big pigs and medium sized deer, I'm going back to the 120.

So, having said all that, I'll restate my opinion that a 120 gr bullet at 3000 fps (25-06) will do all a fellow asks and will do it better than a 100 gr bullet at 3000 fps (243, for instance). And, the 270 with a 130 gr bullet is even better, but not enough that it matters for small deer and pigs.

Like I said recently on another forum, I used to host guide at a hunting ranch. I got to see a lot of folks with a lot of gun calibers, but whenever I saw an older fellow with worn boots, worn shirt, worn and grimy Stetson, and a worn 25-06, I wanted him for my jeep. Logic being that he was knowledgable and would not cause me to track a gutshot deer through 1/2 mile of thorny brush. As a side note....Man, I really miss that job.
 
If you want to have something different, I really like my Ruger MKII, chambered in 7x64 Brenneke-Europe's Remington .280.
 
I agree with eastbank and brasscollector, that the .243 doesn't out perform the .25-06. I also own both a .243 and .25-06 and speak from experience. There's no data to support the claim either and we're talking hunting. Why on earth anyone would want to use match bullets for hunting bothers me. I guess most of these people are a wealth of googled information.

Heck, I've owned a .25-06 for 38 years. It is a fantastic cartridge. I see ammo in Walmart locally for it so it can't be that difficult to come by. I load my own but if I didn't I think I could get by.

I've done so well with the .25 that it was my only centerfire rifle for 20 years. It has hunted everything I've ever asked it to, ground hogs in Ohio to bear in Canada.
 
"I've hunted elk a few times with my .300 and every time the outfitter and guides said they preferred hunters carrying a .270.

Just curious--why's that? (noise of report?)"

Because the hunters could shoot the .270 more accurately.
 
Another point for the .25-06 is because it has less recoil then the .270 which means you'll shoot it better.
 
Another point for the .25-06 is because it has less recoil then the .270 which means you'll shoot it better.
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The cartridges are nearly identical except for the bore diameter. With nearly identical loads they produce nearly identical velocities and, therefore, nearly identical recoil. Of course, felt recoil will depend on bullet weight and velocity as well as the physical characteristics of the rifle. In virtually identical rifles a .25-06 and .270 will have nearly identical recoil with identical bullet weights. However, hunting bullets available for the .270 are generally heavier than those available for the .25-06. For whitetails and smaller game the choice is a toss-up.
 
Both are great cartridges and either will make you happy. Shop around and find the rifle that tickles your fancy the most. Chances are they will have it in one but not the other. That will be the determining factor. Availability of ammo is a non issue. It may not be in every store you go in but I'm sure a trip to the city happens in your family more than once a year. And I'm willing to bet that if you have a computer or cell phone capable of letting you be on this forum, you can order from over 100 different online stores.
 
Get a 30.06 and forget it. You can get ammo anywhere in the world for a 30.06. Not so a 25.06. I had a 25.06 and liked it. I've had .280's and .270's. Now I have 3 rifles that I use for hunting, a .243 a 30.06 and a .375 H&H. That covers everything I hunt, but I could do it all with a 30.06. Except for Grizzlies....If they ever take them off the endangered species list here in Wyoming.
 
Get a Tikka T3 lite, in .270, or 25-06 (toss a coin), and put a $500 scope of your choice, and buy about 5 boxes of premium rifle bullets, and you will be set with a lightweight rifle and bullets for years. My 25-06 with a zeiss scope weighs 6lbs. 105 oz. Good luck.
 
While I would rather have a 30-'06 than the 25-06, that would be outside the topic of this discussion. The OP already has a 300 magnum and is looking for something between 25-06 and 270. Also, I don't believe I have ever seen 7x64 Brenneke ammo. I have doubts that you would find that on the ammo shelf on very many country hardware stores in the USA. Those suggesting the 260 Remington are in the ballpark, at least. I see 6.5 Swede ammo at Sportsmans Warehouse in the Federal blue box for about the same price as 25-06. But I still think the 270 Winchester is the best choice, especially for a non-reloader. I like the idea of a 25-06 or even a 6mm Remington better than a 243, but only because I reload. So, again, the best advice here is for the 270 Winchester or even 243 Winchester.
 
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