25-06 Questions

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six 4 sure

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Well as usual a trip to the gun store and I find another rifle I really don't need. However, I haven't bought this one YET.

I found a very nice used Sako AV (Lightweight Hunter?) with a Redfield 4-12x40. The gun looks like it has hardly been shot. The story is it was bought by someone in the Airforce while in Europe several years ago.

I really don't know anything about the 25-06, and I'm just courious if my money would be spent better elsewhere(like the .338 I've been saving for). I already have a .243 and a .270WSM.

Is there anything the 25-06 will do that either of these won't? They're wanting $975 for the rifle and scope. Does that sound like a pretty good deal?

Six
 
Not much

Well, what I know can be printed on a match book.

Here goes:

I have an uncle that lives in Texas, and he SWEARS by the .25-06 for Texas Whitetails. Nice flat-shooting cartridge.

Now, to compare it to the two cartridges you mentioned, I don't know enough about the .270WSM to talk about that. But, my uncle told me that in lighter bullet weights, he has found that .25-06 shoots a little 'better'

As for .243, you can get a little heavier bullet with a little more velocity.

To answer your question though, I'm not sure it can do anything that the two guns you already have can't do. Me, I'm the type of guy that ties to minimize calibers...as an Elk hunter, I don't see a reason for either a .25-06 or a .243. If I was in your position, I would save it for the .338.

You could just send me the $975 and save yourself some heartache!
 
overall, i'd say that i am satisfied w/ my 25-06. it is a fair deer cartridge, and excellent for anything smaller than deer.

will the 25 do anything you don't already have covered? nope, the 270 wsm makes it redundant.

the 25-06 is a blast to shoot, though. very mild recoil, and will send 100 grain bullets down the tube in excess of 3400 f/s (easily), which is to say it is a flat shooter...but so is the 270 wsm.

since the situation you describe is an 'either/or' situation, pass on the 25-06 and get your 338.
 
As far as widely available cartridges, I think the 25-06 is one of the very best, overall. Very flat shooting, relatively low recoil, large selection of bullets, plenty strong enough to kill most animals in North America with the right bullet. Drawbacks? Long action, pretty loud/obnixious for varminting, can't quite be recommended for moose. :p

I love the 25-06. It's an excellent cartridge and it serves most people very well for most game under most conditions. Having said that, the 270 is just a bit further up the scale and definately a bit more versatile. Sakos are very nice rifles. I'd love to have one, I just don't know that I would add one in 25-06 to my collection if it consisted of just a 270 WSM and a 243.
 
Even though I don't own a 25.06 I know that it is a good deer gun. My brother in-law has one and he has taken several deer with his using the 117 GR. Bullets. The deer he shot dropped in their tracks. When loaded with the lighter bullets around 80 or 87 Grains it is a deadly combination for varmits. The gun is fun to shoot with light recoil.
 
Back not so long ago when the 25-06 was only a wildcat everyone wanted one and just had to have one. Back in those days many of the gun writers wrote of the ideal all round rifle. Of course there is no such thing and never was but it was a nice day dream to fantasize about.

Now that the 25-06 is a standard factory cartridge and not a hard to get custom built wildcat more people are able to make a more down to earth judgement of it and here is what I think.

The 25-06 does make an excellent long range varmit gun if used in a heavy barrel configuration. It is a good deer cartridge because of its flat tragectory and mild recoil.

For dear hunting though I have always perfered something at least in the .270 or .280 size as they seem to be the better big game cartridges because of the heavier weight bullets available that travel at the same velocity.

AS far as long range varminting is concerned the 25-06 has seemed to fall by the wayside compared to the 22-250, 220 Swift, 22 cheeta, .243, 6mm Remington and the wildcat the 6mm/284.

All in all the 25-06 is certainly a great cartridge but in my opinion is on the small side for big game hunting and on the big side for varmint hunting. Its a good compromise cartridge but one is better off in using a varmint cartridge for varmints and a big game cartridge for big game. I have always thought the 25-06 just doesn't quite fit in perfectly for either use but older people or women who do not like recoil will find the excellent accuracy and flat tragectory just about ideal for their big game hunting purposes.
 
A .25-'06 + a .338 would make a good pair. However, the .25-'06 is not enough better than either a .243 or a .270 to want to add it to your collection.

I guess it's more of an "instead of", rather than an "as well as".

:), Art
 
Or a case of "DAMN! that's a nice rifle!"

And you don't care what wildcat cartridge it needs, it is a choice rifle!"

Sometimes 7MM Sharpe & Hardt is a small price to pay for an otherwise $3000 rifle!

;)
 
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