# 25-06 vs. 30-06



## rok88

I'm gonna be shooting mostly pig and deer but when i get a lil' older i plan on shooting elk and moose. I was woundering what you guys thought i should get i have shot them both and don't worry about the kick. I mostly want accuracy but i also want some stopping power. I'm not sure if a 25-06 is big enough to stop an elk or moose. so which one do you suggest.


----------



## rdsii64

stick with a 30-06. with proper round selections it will work fine for all the game you mentioned


----------



## headhunter

Also consider shooting a bit larger caliber for Elk and Moose if you ever go such as a 300win or 338


----------



## bigblackfoot

Personally i think a 7mm rem mag is one of the best all around calibers you can get.


----------



## headhunter

I agree with bigblackfoot. :beer:


----------



## Bobm

Hey, headhunter I saw a guy shoot a squirell with a 7MM it bounced off! Luckily I was there with my 257 and stopped the charge.....( I couldn't resist)


----------



## isthmusbob

rdsii64 said:


> stick with a 30-06. with proper round selections it will work fine for all the game you mentioned


I agree. Different bullets for different game. I use a 165 grain bullet -factory Remington- and it knocks deer on their A$$!
Plus, if you had to, you can walk into most hardware stores and find a box of 30-.06 ammo, where you might have problems finding a 7mm Rem, 25-06, .300wsm etc.


----------



## isthmusbob

rdsii64 said:


> stick with a 30-06. with proper round selections it will work fine for all the game you mentioned


I agree. Different bullets for different game. I use a 165 grain bullet -factory Remington- and it knocks deer on their A$$!
Plus, if you had to, you can walk into most hardware stores and find a box of 30-.06 ammo, where you might have problems finding a 7mm Rem, 25-06, .300wsm etc.


----------



## TANATA

Savage has got a .458...? :beer:


----------



## lil_lee_hunter

i think you should stick with the 30/06 it will take any thing down with a well placed shot. you can use the 150 grain loads with the deer and the higher loads for the bigger stuff. :sniper:


----------



## duckslayer

I own a 25/06, 30/06, .270 and 7mm. The 30/06 is a great gun, the 25/06 is a little faster but not as much knock down power. I too would have to agree with bigblackfoot, the 7mm is the way to be. I just bought mine this summer...winchester semi-auto and got one hell of a deal on it. Filled both my tags with it this past season and am happy to say that it didnt let me down. Knock down power, distance, it was all perfect. They are all great guns, just get out and shoot them and that will help you make a decision.


----------



## wf12gauge

stick with the 30-06 im relativly new to hunting and shooting but you can get shells any ware in a varity of loads i got one and i love it.

:sniper:


----------



## TURKEYMON

THE 30-06 IS PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR CAL. RIFLE EVER MADE. I KIND OF WONDER WHY MILITARY SNIPERS NEVER USE THE MAGNUM ROUNDS LIKE THE 7MM OR OTHER MAGNUM ROUNDS. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THEY USE EITHER THE 308 OR THE 30-06. BOTH CAL. MIC. OUT AT .308. THE 30-06 HAS MORE FACTORY SELECTION OF BULLET WEIGHTS THAN ANY OTHER BULLET MADE. FROM 55 GRAIN TO 220 GRAIN.


----------



## lil_lee_hunter

turkymon< i have often wondered why they use the 308. too. although i hunt and will be first to tell u it is a great gun. but it doesnt get as good of balistics as a 30/06 or a 25/06 i really wonder why they dont use the 25/06 it is a flat shootin gun and it aint like a human shot to the head is going any were.


----------



## james s melson

The only advantage the .30-06 has over the .308 is case capacity, it can hold more powder if you want to shoot heavy weight bullets, with 150 gr bullets the ballistics are nearly identical. The .308 is a sporting and military round, used all over the world, the .30-06 didn't see much use other than by the U.S. in the military. Few cartridges come close to the accuracy records held by the .308 win. (7.62 NATO) and is still the #1 police and military sniper round.


----------



## lil_lee_hunter

good point james. but they use a 168 grain bullit dont they?


----------



## fireball

When shooting for accuracy and sniping ability, weight and bullet length are the two biggest factors. A longer bullet, is more accurate. For a bullet to be longer, it will weigh more. That is why most bench rest and sniping applications use heavier bullets. Stability equals consistent accuracy. I would say the 30-06 is the ultimate general game firearm. It will take down anything up to a moose with a well placed shot. I will probably never own one, I am one of them people who likes to by rifles for special purpose's, and not general all around use. I am going to have a chance this spring to shot a ww2 garande, that will be a blast. If I ever own an 06, it will probably be an old garande, the whole nostalga thing I guess.
:sniper:


----------



## james s melson

The .308 win. case will handle the 168 bullet without any problems, I am talking about case capacity when going up to the 180's and 220's. I have loaded 168 match .308 for years. In bench-rest shooting the 6mm dominates and they don't use super heavy weigtht bullets.


----------



## MADTRAPPER

The 30-06 is a excellent cartridge for moose, I use a .280 Rem. for moose.


----------



## jaybird2

the 30-06 is just simply a better gun for moose,the 25-06 is a good gun to but it is no 30-06. my choice in calibers when i hit the hills and woods for moose is 308. i perfer the 308 over both of these calibers because its not a whole lot different for the 30-06


----------



## sdeprie

I think the question was 25-06 or 30-06. We all know lots of people have their favorite calibers. If you will go for Moose, I would stick with the 30-06. The 25-06 is fine for everything else. (Don't give me a hard time about the 25-06 for elk, it will get the job done if you do your part.) Also to consider, how soon will you be going moose hunting? You may have time to move up from a 25-06 within several years... I know, there are a lot of "better calibers" out there than 30-06, but it can do about anything you need to do with it. And the difference betwen 308 and 30-06 is purely on paper until you get into bullets over 180 grains. There are many quality guns out there, used as well as new. Something I think is appealing are the guns with mulit-caliber capability. TC, NEF, others. With a New England Firearms single shot, an additional barrel (from 22 hornet to 450 marlin) will cost about $100. Maybe that's not important to you, but it is to me. :sniper:


----------



## the_rookie

"Hey, headhunter I saw a guy shoot a squirell with a 7MM it bounced off! Luckily I was there with my 257 and stopped the charge.....( I couldn't r esist) "

I cant believe no body has said anything yet how on earth did a 7mm bounce off a squirell that is physically impossible


----------



## OneShotOneKill

Basically any cartridge that comes from the 30-06 Springfield parent case is good.

35 Whelen, 338-06, 280 Remington, 270 Winchester, 25-06 Remington, 6mm-06

358 Winchester, 308 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, 260 Remington, 243 Winchester.

25-06 Remington is a proven varmint/antelope/deer cartridge with the capability of humanly harvesting elk and moose with a premium bullet and well placed shot.

30-06 Springfield is a proven all around North American big game cartridge to include African light game.

For animal's heaver than deer *I would choose the 30-06 Springfield hands down!*


----------



## Remmi_&amp;_I

You guys are making me feel better about my 30-06 :wink:


----------



## huntin1

If you are set on one of these two cartridges and plan to hunt moose or elk, go with the 30-06. Heavy bullets just work better on these animals.

Turkymon, To answer your question about military snipers. While most military and police snipers are using .308, there are quite a few using the 300WM and the 338 Lapua. The problem for military snipers is the availability of the ammo for these on the battlefield, and the fact that .308 ammo is smaller and lighter meaning that you can carry more. Not a bad thing when out in the bush for several days alone. Personally I still favor the .308, short action, superior accuracy and shots to 800 are not much of a problem, 1000 is also doable.

But enough about this, we're stealing this guys thread. Sorry rok88

huntin1


----------



## northerndave

Yeah, if I had to choose betwen those two & I knew an elk hunt was in my future I'd stick with the 30-06. shoot your 125, 150, 165 gr or what ever for your pigs & deer, buy a box of Hornady light magnums for your elk/moose hunting & you will be nipping at the heels of the 300 win mag with your velocity/energy.


----------



## TheEnd

the 7mm-08 would be a nice choice for all but moose (they are mean *****es)


----------

