25-06 or .270 or somewhere in the range

If your really interested in purchasing a 25-06. Buy it.
There isn't any measurable difference between a 270 and 25-06s killing ability in the yardage you propose to shoot. And too. A 25-06 would be a ideal in-between caliber for those you already have. Having decent glass mounted on >your 25-06< without a doubt will be you're favorite go too rifle in a nano second.
 
I have owned 3 25-06s and 0 270s. But I would say if you don't reload get the 270. Easier to find ammo and better availability. Now if you change your mind about reloading get the 25-06. The factory loads tend to be watered down. I have no trouble getting over 3200 fps out of all 3 rifles with a 115gr ballistic tip while staying under max published loads. It is quite a flat shooting round. Also the 25-06 will need atleast a 24" barrel to work properly IMO.
 
QUOTE: "...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..."

True, you won't find it at Wal Mart or Tru Value Hardware but I've had no problem buying it from places like Cabelas and Gander Mountain. As mentioned, the 7x64 Brenneke cartridge is very popular in Europe and ballistically is on par with the .280 Remington. It's an interesting cartridge for someone looking for something a little different. In terms of practicality and backwoods store availability, the .270 Winchester becomes an obvious choice.
 
lefteye said:
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.
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Rifle Recoil Table
 
Geo Erudite, that's about what I figured. I don't own a .270 but have fired a few and it does kick harder then my .25-06.

Both are great hunting cartridges, someday I may get to own a .270.
 
I looked at that recoil table before I posted. I also examined my Nosler, Speer and Hornady reloading manuals. All of that information led to my statements:
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.
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1. The Chuck Hawks table does not compare "virtually identical rifles . . . with identical bullet weights."

2. Perhaps I should have also written: "In other words, a .270 will generally produce more recoil than a .25-06 simply because a the .270 will be firing heavier bullets."
 
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I'm a big fan of splitting the difference. The .270 does hit hard...might as well get the .30-06 or .308 at that point.

My vote is for the 6.5x55 Swede. Nothing you can't take down with that.
 
BTW, some states have minimum calibers for elk. And in some 270 is the min. I know he has a 300, but the 270 does what the 25-06 can and then some!
 
DEMOLITION MAN said:
BTW, some states have minimum calibers for elk. And in some 270 is the min.
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I don't know of any states that requires a minimum of a .277 caliber bullet for elk, but I'm not brushed up on all states offering elk hunting especially back East. I do however know Colorado, and my state is one of the most popular States for elk hunting due to our large herds and OTC elk tags. Colorado only requires a minimum caliber of 6mm/.243 and 80 grain bullets with 1000 ft-lbs of energy at 100 yards for elk and moose hunting. Deer, pronghorn, and bear are similar but with a minimum of a 70 grain bullet.

While I do prefer a .270 for elk hunting over the .25-06 with today's bullets we're splitting some pretty fine hairs. Rifles and premium bullets are far more capable on a larger variety of game than ever before. Though going back to the OP's first post and relying on factory ammunition, the .270 offers the greatest variety to choose from. The .25-06 just never has had the popularity the .270 has enjoyed, so it doesn't have the same ammunition availability the .270 does.
 
Much Appreciated

Thank you all very much. i read every post and every one of them was helpful in a way. i think Im going to forget about the 25-06, it is a little to close in size to the .243.

Im going to do a little more digging on .270 .308 and 30-06
but i think the 30-06 may be a little more recoil than i want, this gun will be used for whitetail anyways.

I will add another post when i get my options narrowed down! Again thanks everyone
 
When you factor the recoil generated I like a .270 Winchester or a .280 Remington, either will be enough rifle to take up to Elk size animals, another plus the recoil won't beat you up if you decide to take them to the local shooting range.. William
 
After looking at the recoil tables, what becomes more apparent to me, is that the 25-06 offers performance between the 243 and 270, with about 25% less recoil than the 270. Clearly, if you reload, it would be a better long range Varmint rifle than the 270, especially if many shots will be fired. I think it's a fine all around varmints-to-medium-large-game cartridge with perhaps an occasional Elk hunt thrown in. I believe it would be a lot more popular if it weren't for the rise in popularity of the various 6.5mm cartridges in the last couple of decades. That being said, I don't have any problem firing off 2 or 3 boxes of ammo in an afternoon with a 270 using a slip-on recoil pad.
 
I would probably look to the .270. When you couldn't find hardly anything on the shelf a couple years ago, there was plenty of .270 available.
 
BTW, some states have minimum calibers for elk. And in some 270 is the min. I know he has a 300, but the 270 does what the 25-06 can and then some!
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Name one state that does have a minimum caliber for Elk, I know of none.
 
After looking at the recoil tables, what becomes more apparent to me, is that the 25-06 offers performance between the 243 and 270, with about 25% less recoil than the 270. Clearly, if you reload, it would be a better long range Varmint rifle than the 270, especially if many shots will be fired. I think it's a fine all around varmints-to-medium-large-game cartridge with perhaps an occasional Elk hunt thrown in. I believe it would be a lot more popular if it weren't for the rise in popularity of the various 6.5mm cartridges in the last couple of decades. That being said, I don't have any problem firing off 2 or 3 boxes of ammo in an afternoon with a 270 using a slip-on recoil pad.
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Pathfinder45, you nailed it. 38 years ago when I bought my .25-06 it was because a group of friends in Ohio decided to go groundhog hunting. I have never seen anything like that cartridge to this day. If I could see a groundhog it was in mortal danger with that rifle. It hit hard and it sounded like someone slapping a board on water when it connected. I could hear it at 500 yards.

My .25-06 has gone on deer hunts and even a bear hunt in Canada. I never felt under gunned with it.

Through the component shortage I had no trouble finding bullets or brass. I wasn't as fortunate with my .243, bullets were scarce.

The cartridge fits between a .243 and .270. They overlap in what they can be used for too. I noticed right away that it did not kick as much as a .270. This came in handy during an active day groundhog hunting.

The.25-06 is a great cartridge and so are a lot of others.
 
Name one state that does have a minimum caliber for Elk, I know of none.
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I wouldn't be surprised to find that states have minimum caliber requirements for big game hunting. For many years, hunting deer with .22 (.223) in Texas was illegal, for example, but now it is not.

That you do not know of a state that specifies a minimum caliber for elk hunts does not really indicate anything except that you do not know.

More important than the state, in this respect, are the land-owners and hunting guides - and you can rest assured that most of these do indeed specify a minimum caliber. They've been dealing with opinionated idiots for years, know what is too pip-squeaky for the task at hand, and are indifferent when it comes to conflicting opinions.

You either display some common sense - or you don't hunt there.

This is the case with the ranches here in West Texas that offer elk hunts. Most of them specify 30-06 or 7mm Rem mag as minimum cartridges, but if sufficient skill with a 270/280 is displayed, they will sometimes make exceptions.

IMG_4368_zpsaazofqyl.jpg
 
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Arizona Fusilier said:
So O.P. ......how much deer hunting do you do in Okinawa?
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I imagine he's military, so I'd be willing to bet he wants to hunt deer on his annual leave. It isn't all that that hard to understand, especially since the OP doesn't seem to be in a hurry to buy a new rifle.

For joed, ballisti, and most of all Demolition Man, there are only four states that I know of that have caliber restrictions for elk. Those states are Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and Wyoming, they all require a 243/6mm or larger bullet. However, the OP wasn't interested in elk but the subject keeps wandering there.
 
you are exactly right taylorce, i can do absolute zero hunting of any kind itsguns are illegal. As a matter of fact knifes are illegal here too. Madness if you ask me and japan is the LAST place on earth i wanted to be but thats how it works.

I have 2 1/2 years too make a dream rifle and be 100% sure thats the one i want im only 19 and i expect to have it until i die so its gotta be right.

Thanks everyone for the replies, helps a lot!
 
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