243 vs 25-06

[palmgopher]

so besides the size of the bullet, which isnt much, what is the big difference between them? does the 243 have any advantages over the 25-06 besides availability? and the big one.....what are your opinions on both. im just curious or nosey however you wanna look at it!....lol

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[itschuck]

They are both real close, the 243 recoil is a bit less than the 25-06. The 25-06 has the edge on bigger game at longer distances, also the 25-06 approaches the 257 weatherby magnum in terms of power. The 25-06 runs about 100-150fps slower than the 257 weatherby for a given bullet weight.
My choice was the 25-06, I just felt it was better for bigger game.

[SammyIamToday]

You can find better bullets in .243. For some reason there aren't a lot of good bullets made in .257.

With that said though, I prefer the .25-06. I think it has about the most versatility of the rounds that use a smaller pill in a larger case for North American game.

[Ram Rod]

I have 38 loaded 6mm rounds 95gr Nosler partitions in front of 47.0grs of Reloader 22 put together in 2000 if anyone would like to have them. I can pull the bullets or whatever. I have no use for them. A friend of mine at the local gun shop gave me a bunch of reloaded 6.5x55 a few years ago and told me I had to take these with the lot. Just PM me. Like I say-I cannot use these and anyone who can should.

[HotGuns]

One thing that I have personally witnessed in my many years of deer hunting is that the .243 tends to fragment excessively on deer. The .243 uses lighter bullets than the .25-06. It seems that the .25-06 is a better penetrator, often blowing through deer whereas it is rare for the .243 to do so.

Although many deer have been killed with a .243, many have been lost to it. I've helped track enough deer that have been shot with it that I no longer recommend it unless the conditions are absolutely ideal or one simply cant handle any more recoil than that.

The .25-06 can shoot heavier bullets, with better ballistic coefficients.

I tend to see the .243 as a marginal deer getter, but an exellent varmint,small game cartridge whereas the .25-06 is more of a big game cartridge.
The .25-06 appears to be a much better deer killer in my opinion.

Something else to think about, the .243 will be a lighter rifle with a "small action"than the .25-06 which will be a "long action" and heavier.

[ccw9mm]

The ChuckHawks.com web site has a page describing the recoil of various loads: click. Fairly close, according to this chart, with the .25-06 pushing a little harder.

[mr surveyor]

although they may be very close, the 25/06 may have a bit of an edge in the energy department. But, the .243 ain't anemic either. Often, I hog hunt with a friend that has decided his Rem 700 in .243 is his weapon of choice. The first clue was when he took a 200 lb boar at 325-350 yards with a single, drop dead shot. A few week later we headed off a heard of hogs and both had time to get into a good shooting position. Lucky me, I was carrying a Mini-14 that day and had a bit of a "problem" when we had 2 sows walk out together for us at 65 yards. Before I could clear the deformed case round that failed to go into battery on the Mini-14, my buddy dropped both sows with the .243, again dead in their tracks. This is the same gun that this guy can consistantly pick off golf balls at 200 yards with. (He's also a 4 handicap golfer, so we don't allow him to substitute his .243 into the bag for a driver)

If I could have either one, or the other, it would be the .243, especially that one

[Shizzlemah]

I'd say 243. You can potentially get more accurate loads with the 243 than the 25-06. Plus, there is a HUGE selection of 6mm bullets for the .243.

The 25-06 has a little more energy. I guess it depends on what you want to do with it. Punching paper over large distances, 243 all day long. hunting at shorter ranges, -06 has an edge.

[ridurall]

I put down one of my wife's horses 3 days ago with my Browning .243 WSSM. It tested positive for Coggin's disease and then tested positive again several times. We took it to some of our property (400 acres) where it wouldn't have contact with anyother horses but we saw that the neighbor had a horse on the property just south of ours. The trees tend to get knocked over in the high winds so she asked me to do it this weekend and since I had some work to do up there on Wednesday I went ahead and took care of her then. When I pulled up on the property she popped up looking for treats but as soon as she figured out I didn't have any she took off so no one would ride her. I had to follow her for 1/2 mile to get a clean shot. That .243 WSSM with a 95 grain Balistic Silvertip between the eyes dropped her on the spot with out so much as a quiver. Of course just about any high power rifle would do the same thing if shot between the eyes. I've taken a couple of deer with this rifle and it has performed very well for me.

[V8]

Obviously a debatable topic with valid points from both sides. If you are looking for a fairly fast and flat round look at the 7-08. Uses the same case as the .243 and .308 but falls between the two for fps and ft lbs. The ballistic charts that I have read shows the 7-08 mirroring the .270, with less kick.
I do not personally own a 7-08 as I already have a .308 and a 7 mag, but if I could have only one rifle I seriously think a 7-08 would be it.

Hopefully this link works. Remington.com - Products - Ammunition - Ballistics

Per Remington ballistic charts The .243, 25-06 and the 7-08. The
.243 is the first in a 100 grain, the 25-06 it listed second and third with a 100 and a 120 grain bullet in that order. The 7-08 is fourth and fifth with a 120 and 140 grain bullet.
If you notice the 7-08 even in the heavier 140 grain only drops 2.7 inches more than the than the 25-06 in the 120 grain at 500 yards! And only 1.4 inches more than the .243 with the 100 grain bullet at 500 yards.

My opinion is that you should only look at ballistic charts that fit the maximum distance you know you would take a shot at. If that distance is 300 yards the 7-08 is very hard to beat. I out performs the .243 and 25-06 with in the 300yard mark as far as I concerned.

Just for fun here's the 7-08 vs .270 in 140 grain. Remington.com - Products - Ammunition - Ballistics

[atctimmy]

Why? Why only these two? I choose .308 or 7x57 or 6.5x55 or 7mm-08 or .260 rem. Of the two I pick the 25-06. It has more horsepower and uses heavier bulletsdesigned for better penetration. I'd take a 30-30 over a .243.

[SammyIamToday]

One thing that I have personally witnessed in my many years of deer hunting is that the .243 tends to fragment excessively on deer. The .243 uses lighter bullets than the .25-06. It seems that the .25-06 is a better penetrator, often blowing through deer whereas it is rare for the .243 to do so.

I'll second that. I've yet to have a .25-06 bullet not go out the other side of a whitetail. I've only used it off and on for a couple years, but I think something along the lines of 5 of 6 whitetails have dropped near on the spot with that round as well. It's a mover.

[V8]

I'll second that. I've yet to have a .25-06 bullet not go out the other side of a whitetail. I've only used it off and on for a couple years, but I think something along the lines of 5 of 6 whitetails have dropped near on the spot with that round as well. It's a mover.

I'm not disagreeing with you but a Friend of mine absolutely loves his 25-06 and one of the reasons he likes it so much is because of the fact that his round don't exit the whitetails he shoots. Granted he hand loads but if anything is proved it's that bullet selection is as important if not more important than caliber choice. Heck 2 years ago I shot a 7 pointer at 20ish yards with my 7mag and it didn't exit. I now use a different bullet.
You have to choose you bullets wisely.

[HotGuns]

You have to choose you bullets wisely.

No doubt about that. That is the key.

[palmgopher]

you know i never really looked at the 260 but looking at it more it is a viable option as i will end up reloading anything. just another thing to look at.