caliber decision

[bigcim]

I'm looking for a deer hunting and range rifle for the wife. I narrowed it down to a 7-08mm or a 25-06. what do you guys think. Shes not recoil shy she'll shots my 7 mag no problem. I was thinking of my son using the new rifle as well when he gets big enough
thanks

 

[High Planes Drifter]

First, let me say I think you've narrowed it down to 2 fine cartridges.

Now, IMHO I think I'd look hard at the youth model 7-08's. The cartridge is built on a short action platform that your wife may find more comfortable, and the youth model rifles are, in a word, handy.

 

[VA27]

7-08 in a youth stock. A lot more compact than the long action 25/06. I think the heaviest bullet available for the 25 is 120gr. With the 7mm you can go up to 175gr.

 

[CPLofMARINES]

The calibers you mentioned are fine choices, but don't forget about 243. Win. Large White-tale to Black bear and everything below, however, shot placement is paramount.


Semper Fi!!

 

[RNB65]

Take a look at the CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39. 154gr softpoint bullets will handle deer out to 150yds. It's got a bit of recoil, but the small size and light weight make it a good choice for ladies. Add a slip-on limbsaver to cut the recoil if necessary.

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=15

 

[aspade]

How long are your shots? A 3000 plus fps cartridge like the 25-06 is just ruining more venison inside 200 yards or so.

 

[alucard0822]

for big mulies out west with lots of open area and 300+ yard shots, i would reccomend 25-06. For eastern whitetail with brush and shorter distances the 7-08 with heavier (150-170)gr bullets to punch through the brush

 

[CB900F]

Bigcim;

Of the two you mention, I'd go with the 7mm/08. But one that's not been mentioned would be, and was for that matter, my first choice. Have you considered the 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser? If you have & declined, enough said, that's your decision to make. However, if you haven't considered it, it's certainly worth a look.

The Swede was what I bought my son as his first centerfire game getter. He still has it & isn't likely to turn loose of it either. Currently produced guns in 6.5 include the Tikka and the CZ550, both excellent choices.

900F

 

[Sunray]

"...the heaviest bullet available for the 25 is 120gr..." The right 120 grain bullet is plenty for deer. The 7mm-08 will be more versatile though and in a shorter action. Hodgdon lists loads for it from 110 grain up to 190 grain bullets. 190's would be a bit much though.

 

[salthouse]

7mm (.284) has a wide variety of bullet choices as Sunray said. I have a 280 rem (also 7mm) and I like the ability to use it for varmints up to large game and still maintain the accuracy.

 

[MachIVshooter]

A 3000 plus fps cartridge like the 25-06 is just ruining more venison inside 200 yards or so.

When was the last time you shot an animal with a 25-06? That's all I hunt with, and I promise you that you won't lose any more meat with it than with a sub-3K FPS cartridge and similar bullet placement. A bullet through a shoulder bone is going to shatter the bone and ruin much of the surrounding meat, whether it is a 150 gr. @ 2800 FPS from a 7mm-08 or a 117 gr. from a 25-06 @ 3,200.

Of course, if you shoot them where you're supposed too, all you loose is the worthless rib meat anyway.

 

[Tomcat47]

I am fond of the 25-06 my self....just a great cartridge for as you say wife kid. I use 300 Win Mag for myself for the larger game, but the 25 will still do the job. Not much familiar with the 7-08, but I believe you can even get a contender barrell for that....which leads me to say hey

Dont forget the contenders...I love these guns and you can get the rifle stock and barrlls and really have some options on your plate...I know a little pricey but its money for a good cause...a gun!

And the thing is if you ever buy one you will be hooked....and then its just a barrell thing. And it can be a pistol, then a rifle, then a pistol.
And fae it you shoud only need one shot, but I can and have got off a second shot with my super 14" .30-.30

There is also a swap going on in THR on a encore I believe.....not sure what caliber though

 

[bigcim]

The 25-06 would be affected alot more by wind wouldnt it. I mostly hunt the mojave desert, some times wind could be a factor

Oh and thank you for the great replies I ask before all my caliber purchases
Which has more felt recoil

 

[rangerruck]

nothing against the 7.08 , fine round. but the 25 is one of the top 5 fastest, flatest shooting carts around, that is not proprietary, or a wetherby, and yet, with bullets 110 to 120 grains, not a lot of recoil. plus , since it is in the 6mmrange of carts, you know that bullets in this range, are the most aerodynamically efficient out there, the 7mm is close, and so it the plain 6mm. but for wind bucking abilities, anything inbetween 6mm to 7mm , is just fantastic.

 

[spence13e]

i say 7/08. i hunt exclusively with .308 for (at first) the simple reason that it's short action over .30/06, .270, .25/06, etc. my best friend back in the day did have a mauser 25/ that had been his dads. talk about one sweet, not at all punishing rifle, one box and i was in love.

 

[AStone]

.30-30.

Five reasons:

• availability
• adequacy
• low recoil
• reliability
• price

 

[SteveS]

7mm-08 is a fine choice. I don't have a .25-06, so I can't compare, but the 7 is very comfortable to shoot. My SIL, who is very recoil sensitive, has no problem with it.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The 25-06 would be affected alot more by wind wouldnt it.

The tendency of lighter projectiles to drift is offset to a large degree by the high velocity of such cartridges as the .25-06. Simply put, the environment has less time to act on the bullet. And the 117 and 120 gr. .257" boattails have some of the highest BC's available in hunting-type bullets. I haven't ever done a side-by-side comparison, but I expect the .25-06 would actually be less affected by wind than the 7mm-08. Why? As I mentioned, the higher velocity is a major component. But also, the 7mm-08 cannot take advantage of the heavier, higher B.C. .284" bullets because of A) cartridge O.A.L. maximums and B) not enough powder capacity to get a 175 grainer moving well.

 

[Risky buisness]

30-30 Win. In a Marlin 336 of course, scopeable, ambidextrous, light, fantastic ballistics especially with Hornady leverevolution ammo, none of those obnxious bolt handle things poking out of the side, very cost effective, ammo avalibility is great, light recoil,fast pointing and the list goes on

 

[azhunter12]

I'd say the 7-08 due to the short action. Short actions are usually more compact and lighter.

 

[bigcim]

Wow suprisingly all these posts havent pushed me over either side of the fence Im still undecided, you guys have brought up very good points about both
So for the big mullies we have here both cartridges would do the trick?
Also we will be shooting reloads out of this rifle

 

[R.W.Dale]

Wow suprisingly all these posts havent pushed me over either side of the fence Im still undecided, you guys have brought up very good points about both
So for the big mullies we have here both cartridges would do the trick?
Also we will be shooting reloads out of this rifle

All things being equal, If you think you might EVER get to hunt something bigger go with the cartridge that shoots the biggest heaviest bullets. In this case the 7mm-08

 

[AStone]

OK, so since I can't sway you towards .30-30 ( ), I'll weigh in on your two choices.

I haven't much explored the 25-06 (well, actually, not at all; it wasn't on my list), but last year when I was still considering bolt guns (now have become a dedicated lever guy), I was hands down set on 7mm08. I did a TON of reading about it. Fantastic cartridge. It'll do almost anything, especially if you're a reloader.

It's trajectory is flat (I mean FLAT). It's got great velocity and energy. Got that short action, too, and it's available in some fine rifles. Recoil is reportedly very mild (definite step back from the .30-06, and even a slight notch off .308).

So, my non-experiential, based-only-on-lots-of-reading vote's gotta be for the 7-08.

Good luck with your choice. I doubt you'll go wrong with either.

Nem

 

[R.W.Dale]

Ya'll do realize that the difference in trajectory between a 25-06 a .270 and a 30-06 is less than 2 inches at 300yds with the winner being the .270

 

[WFR]

7-08 would be a fine choice.
Lots of versatility and a heavier selection of bullets to choose from if you decide to use it for elk.
Also, I like the short-action cartridges.
Remington model 7 CDL with a nice Leupold or Nikon 3-9X40 scope.
If I were reduced to just one deer rifle it would be this combo or something close to it.