# 25-06 or 270 and how much should I pay



## cycreekcowboy (Nov 26, 2006)

I've been deer hunting with a 7mag for about four years and it always gets the job done (I've only been deer hunting for about 6yrs, and I spent the first 2yrs hunting with a 1917 SMLE .303 MKIII*). I started hunting in South Texas last season, and now instead of just hunting deer I also have hog, bobcat, and javelina. I'm looking to move to a rifle that can still take down a deer or hog, but will not destroy a bobcat if I shoot it. Several people i have talked to have told me that I would be best off using a 25-06, but from what I understand it is an expensive gun. I was told the next best thing would be a 270, which is cheaper and much easier to find. Which gun would ya'll recommend and how much do you think I would pay for either of the two. Thanks for the help. Andy


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## Sin man (Jul 25, 2006)

you could use a 243, 22-250, 25-06 (can be had for 250 bucks) and the list goes on.


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## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

I know of a guy down your way that shoots lots of Coyotes and Bobcats every year and uses a .243 and seems to like it just fine. In fact he uses Remington Premier Ammo with the 95gr. Accutip Bullet.

When using a Deer Caliber Rifle (ie .243, .25-06, .270 etc.) I think the key to damaging the pelt as little as possible is to use the same ammo you'd use for Deer (ie in a .243 either 95gr. or 100gr. typically, in .25-06 from 100gr. to 120gr. bullets, and in the .270 130gr. bullets). In my opinion these bullets won't expand violently and as such will not blow huge holes in the Predators unless major bone is hit, then anything is gonna leave a huge hole for the most part.

Personally I like the .243 Winchester. It is mild in recoil and with the right bullets anchors Whitetails sufficiently, and yet works well on Varmints & Predators.

In regards to which is higher priced, basically the rifles are the same price regardless of caliber for the most part, but the price in ammo (and it's availability) will vary from caliber to caliber.

If I was on a strict budget (and I am most of the time) I would look into a Stevens Model 200 Bolt Action Rifle. These can be had from $259.00 to $289.00 most of the time and come in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, .270 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield as well as 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum.

I had a Stevens Model 200 .223 Remington for a while and was quite pleased with the Rifle and its accuracy. Unfortunately I sold it so I could buy a Stainless-Steel .223. The guy that has the Stevens Model 200 .223 that I had is extremely pleased with it and shot a nice 4x4 Whitetail Buck with it this year.

Larry


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## Invector (Jan 13, 2006)

I run a T3 synthetic ($560) in the 25-06 cal. I put an expensive scope on there that I do like but at times don't ($350). The set up was just over $1k. There are some really good scopes out there for that $200 range that I really like. The 25-06 is a good one to look at. You can get some of the lighter loads for it in the 85 and 90grain maid for varmints. I personally don't know anyone who would shoot it for bobs or yotes but I know it would take one down easily if it can drop a deer. I personally shoot 115grn Winchester BST and 120grn fusions. The 115s gives me some of the best numbers I have seen for the 25-06 with over 2k energy at 100 yards. The fusions I like just for the fact they pattern very well out of my gun (reasons I don't know). I've had no problems taking deer with this gun as of yet and is what I carry when walking (I also have a .300 that I shoot long range but that's for another time). I would recommend this gun for deer hunting over using it for anything else, though shooting some of the better bullets like the ones I listed above could prove to be good on yotes and bobs with the ability to kill other game as well. Now a 270 is a fine gun, but it has yet to impress me. Also it can be over kill for shooting yotes and bobs. It could take bore real easy same with javelin

One cal you might look at is the 243. It has more speed and impact then most of the rounds types found in the 223 or 22-250 and offers some really good rounds for deer hunting. My father got a big doe this year with his new 243 he got. Hit her with a game king BTHP that turned the lungs into hamburger. Now the 243 is a good gun for those 100 or just over 100 yard shots. Up here in ND many people shoot 223 and 22-250 for yotes and other varmint type game. The 223 ammo is really cheap. Some ammo for the 243 and 25-06 can get up to and over that $20 range. If you look at the Federal web page or Winchesters site you can compare some of the bullet types of the different cals. The looking I have done shows that the 243 is faster and flatter shooting then the 223 or the 22-250 with a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Comparing it to a 25-06 it with the lighter rounds, it is a bit faster but has far less impact. Though if you're looking for fur impact might not be a good thing. As it was stated before, some of the rounds used for deer might do less damage to the pelt then the fast expanding varmint rounds. I personally would try different rounds from the gun you pick to see what works the best and does the least damage.

My 25-06 is a T3 that was $530 for and my dad's 243 is a T3 he got for $460. These guns are really nice and very simple to maintain and shoot. Depending on what kind of scope you put on it also makes the big difference in the final bill. I just put on a $200 scope on my .300 that I now use for long range shooting, a 6-18X42mm. This scope is a dream comes true. The old scope I had on er went on my 25-06. Its a Leopold VII 4-12X42mm. The VII was not a good scope for longer ranges hence the change. But at that 100 to 200 yard range works great. When all said and done my 25-06 came in right at $1k while my fathers 243 and scope came in around the $800 mark. Though there are cheaper guns out there, I felt it was worth the $$$ for the gun and it proved better then I thought it would be this year deer hunting. Some guns out there do cost far less but then again some of the guns made for varmint hunting (thick barrels, heavy stocks, fluted barrels, other bells and whistles wont come cheap)

Now as far as which cal to go to, think of it this way, good luck finding deer loads for the 223 and 22-250 and good luck getting good kills for the hogs, not that they couldn't do it its just you don't see people out shooting hogs and javelin with those smaller rounds. Federal makes I think one bullet type for deer sized game, each a 65 grain. Putting one of these off center on a deer or pig would have you running all over the country side tracking it. Now if you can get some FMJ just about any cal will do since they will not open when hitting game like yotes and bobs (we cannot use them up here for deer but varmints we can). I know one guy who shoots at times a 308 with BTHPs. These hollow points do next to no damage when hitting something like a yote. They just hit with more force taking down the animal quickly. I know a 243 or a 25-06 would be good choices since your looking for a gun to shoot at several animal types with different body styles and mass.


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## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

Barnes Triple Shock bullets in your 7 will do the trick just fine.

I've stopped trying to find bullets for varmints that blow up inside and don't exit, because they rarely perform that way. My experience is on varmints there is almost always an exit wound and I want it to be reletively small. I haven't gone the way of the FMJ yet either, because I want more internal tissue damage than a FMJ will reliably offer. So far exit wounds on 7 deer, 1 coyote, and an elk are rarely larger than a fifty cent peice. Ranges from 125yds to over 500yds. The 7 deer and 1 coyote were all bang-flop kills, the elk was not, but that was due to poor shot placement on my part, not a failure of the bullet. That also gives you the advantage of shooting one load for everything out of your rifle. You'll become intimate with it.


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## clampdaddy (Aug 9, 2006)

The 25-06 and the 270 are both just as friendly to yotes and bobcats as your 7 mag. They blow the hell out of 'em. I'd stick with your big 7 since you also have hogs on the menu. I have a 25-06 and love it, I wouldn't have a problem smacking a hog with it, but I'd feel better with a 7 mag. Rifles in 25-06 aren't any more expensive than any other caliber so don't let that bother you. If you already have a 7 mag and want another rifle just for the heck of it I'd definitly recomend a 25-06.


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## Invector (Jan 13, 2006)

Horsager is right on the fact of most rounds will blow an animal like a yote apart and that a FMJ wont have the internal damage the other rounds will have. I guess think about what kind of damage you are willing to put on the hide. Some of the tuffer bullets out there like a barns 3X shock probably would not do the damage a basic bollistic tip would do. I know with the bullets I shoot at deer in my 300 and my 25-06 and with my dads 243 I see different wond types on the deer. My new 25-06 is the only gun that I have not seen go though a deer but that is because it was hit in the lower jaw (the hurd moved at the wrong time and the on I got stepped in front of the one I was shooting at). You might also want to think of the fact some of the smaller rounds do produce more damage upon exiting the animal then what the larger cals do. I do know though looking at what the bullet did to the mouth at the range I was at, the bullet would have gone though the deer. The deer my father got had an exit wound was a bit bigger then a 50 cent coin.

Its kind of a catch 20...use a FMJ and risk wonding the animal, use regular rounds and risk unwanted damage to the hide. So I would try a few round types though the 7mag you have first. See what they do first...you might find a round that works and it would be cheaper to by 2 or 3 boxes of 7mag ammo and give it a try then buying a new gun.


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## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

After seeing a dozen coyotes taken with a 7Rem I can tell you that 160gn Nosler partitions work very well, and rarely produce an exit wound larger than a 50 cent piece, the Barnes TSX would be even better.


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## yellowtail3 (Dec 20, 2006)

.270 will be similar to 7mm in terms of damage and range; it'll just be cheaper & more pleasant to shoot, but if you've already got 7mm a 270 will be overlap.

For a really sweet shooter to 200 yards, get a 30-30 Marlin.


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