24 vs 25

[lizziedog1]

I want to start another caliber war. I do mean caliber, not cartridge.

What do you guys prefer 24 caliber(6mm) or 25 caliber cartridges?

Which do you consider more useful and/or versatile?

Would you rather have a 243 Winchester or a 25-06 Remington on your shoulder in the woods? What about in a coyote field?

On paper, there doesn't seem to be that big of a difference between the two. But I also realize the limitations of paper ballistics.

 

[Kachok]

25 is more versitle for sure, heavier higher SD bullets mean it has more potential for larger game. Higher BC bullets mean they will carry more energy downrange and drift and drop less then the 24s at any given velosity. The 264cal whoops both of them though. The 140gr class .264 will carry energy better then anything in the small caliber world and penatrate deep enough to take down a mature moose.

 

[rcmodel]

Coyotes only = 22-250 or .220 Swift.
Coyotes and Whitetail Deer = .243.
Antelope, Mule deer, Sheep, and Goats. = 25-06.

I built a 25-06 for my "ultimate Coyote rifle" years ago.

It doesn't kill coyotes as DRT as my old 22-250, or my buddies 6mm Rem.

Too much power & too explosive with light varmint bullets, and heavier 87 - 90 bullets ricochet across the cow pastures, hit or miss.
I have blown front legs clear off coyotes with it and still had them run off and die in the brush where you couldn't find them.

.224" - .243 bullets at 3,600-3,800 explode in the middle of them and they drop like you would drop a hot rock.

rc

 

[Abel]

Quarter bore.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

25/06 is better than the 243 in my opinion. That is probably why I have two of them.

 

[LoonWulf]

If were talking pure caliber to caliber consideration....For strait up hunting, 40lbs to 500 Id have to go with the .25

I think the .24 is actually more versatile for over all shooting, reloading and tinkering. It offers bullet weights down into the 55 grn range, and as heavy as 115.
Ive got 55grn bullets for my 6x47, all the way up to 95 vlds. If i had a .25x47 lightest id have would be about 70, and the BCs would be lower then the 65grn .24s. 105grn amaxs out of my .243 shoot nearly as flat as any load for the .25-06 using the same length barrels.
High BC bullets are also more available in .24 cal, very necessary for long range target shooting, and helpfull for long range plinking, and varmint poping (and i do literally mean POPing).

Compare a 6mm-06 to a .25-06, only real advantage the .25s have is that they wont eat the barrels as fast (and thats not something to snub your nose at), and larger game it WILL hit harder. The same comparisons can be drawn in steps as you increase bore size 6.5, .277, .284, .308 etc.

 

[SlowFuse]

I have to put a vote in for the quarter bore. The usable weight range of bullets (in my rifles I consider to be 85 to 120 grains) is a great range to make a heavy/long range varmint cartridge and also double as a deer rifle. A 120 grain partition does a good job for me on any deer in or around Alabama. Ive enjoyed working up loads for this rifle also, fun cartridge.

 

[303tom]

I have both..............

 

[joed]

I'm a big fan of the 25, owned one for 30+ years. Anything the .243 can do the .25 can do a little bit better. From varmints thru deer the .25 is a hard one to beat. Light 85 to 90 gr bullets are best for varmints while the heavier stuff works on medium game.

 

[matt 7mm]

for wood chucks coyotes and white tail the 243 is hard to beat.i use 55gr b-tips for chucks and 95gr hornady sst for deer.i can consistently kill wood chucks and coyotes out past 350 yards it is easy to shoot acurately due to the light recoil.the 243 with 95 or 100 grain bullets works great on deer out to 200 to 250 however i feel that it lacks power if reach out much past that.if long range deer or any larger game is in your plans i would step up to the 25-06.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I can't really answer a "prefer" question as I've never thought of them as interchangeable for the most part.