I have my rifle round choice narrowed down to the .22-250 or .25-06

[Jason_W]

I may go with the .22-250 for no other reason that to see what super fast bullets can do. I've never owned a rifle that took a round capable of breaking 4K. Could be interesting. At least until the barrel wears out.

And if it's not enough power for deer, i always have the 12-gauge loaded up with slugs.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'd use something in the 9x19 power class. it'll certainly punch paper and will kill deer also, especially out of a carbine.

 

[Fleetman]

yeah....I meant ranges are always full of .270 and .30-06 so brass is plentifuI. .308 can be found at ranges but in my experiences, not as much.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I don't believe you're chasing after the right cartridge if you want pure accuracy. If it were as accurate as you contend, we'd see it winning in High Power rifles matches. As it is, I never see 22-250 even used in one.

If you want a 4000 fps round, hey go for it. But if you want the accuracy you're describing, the 6mm family wins rifle matches.

 

[joed]

I've owned a 700 VS in .25-06 for 34 years now. That gun performed beyond anything I hoped for hunting groundhogs in Ohio. If I could see a groundhog it was in mortal danger. This rifle could fire 85 to 90 gr bullets at 3500 fps. Not super fast but they sure could travel a long way.

Still I lusted for a .22-250, my Sierra manual (from 1970) showed it had ballistics better than my .25-06. About 10 years ago I finally bought my first .22-250. Boy, that manual lied, anything the .22-250 could do my .25-06 did much better.

I still own a .22-250 that I use for some of the farms I hunt where there is livestock and buildings. When it comes to long range the .25-06 is my first pick. Those .25 cal bullets are the hardest hitters I've ever witnessed.

I'm not a big fan of the .22-250, I have no idea how it got a glowing reputation. Get the .25-06 and I promise you will not be disappointed.

 

[joed]

Also, to hit 4000 fps with the .22-250 you will most likely need a 40 gr bullet. The BC on these is horrible. Shooting 52 gr bullets from mine the best I can do is 3700 fps.

One of my current loads in the .25-06 shooting the Nosler 85 gr BT is hitting 3640 fps.

 

[redneck2]

I've had a .25-06 and have a Rem 700 in 22-250. The .22-250 is LOUD and the barrel heats really, really fast. Four or five shots on a warm summer day and you gotta wait if you don't want to cook it. If I didn't have so many rounds of new brass, I'd most likely sell it and stick with my AR .223 for target.

My S-I-L has a Savage 6BR. That thing is awesome. Super accurate and will shoot to 1k yards. There is no way my 250 will shoot with the 6BR, and his barrel will outlast mine maybe 5x over.

Neither the .25-06 or 22-250 are considered target friendly rounds.

 

[Tomcat47]

For Hunting the 25-06 would be my choice by a long shot! ... (No pun intended)

Better bullet choices equaling larger range of purpose... varmint to Deer it has the right ballistics to bullet weight to be heavy hitter across the board.

 

[oneounceload]

they're going to be less expensive to reload for. And if you're shooting thousands of rounds per year, that definitely adds up.

If that is indeed the volume, he will be spending a LOT more replacing barrels so worrying about the costs of bullets becomes moot

OP - if all you really want is a paper puncher that is accurate, take a look at one of the 6mm BRs - SCARY accurate, uses .24 bullets, excellent for coyotes to smaller big game like white tails, etc........

Otherwise, get a .243

 

[Moparnut]

I would personally go with the 25-06. I think it would work the best for the things you are wantong to use it for.

 

[lastofthebreed]

I have hunted deer for years with a 25-06, never had one get away, it kills all out of proportion to it's quarter bore size.

 

[Still Shooting]

Quarterbore Is Better

A longtime friend had a .22-250 that he bought for target and woodchucks. When he burned out the barrel shooting target, he sold it. I pesonally had a passion from about age 14 for a .257 Roberts, and in 1982 I found a new tang safety Ruger on the rack at my LGS in Mass. I love my .257 Bob, and it is my go-to gun for deer. I recently dialed in a good load with Nosler 115gr. Ballistic tips, and the last group I shot with it had a max. spread of 0.322" at 100 yds. (in heavy rain, with a gusting crosswind, and yeah- in those conditions it was a pleasant surprise!). But the .257 Bob is unfortunately "obsolete," and for brass the last time I needed it, I ended up buying some 7x57 and necking it down to .257 - it was good enough for Ned Roberts, so I guess it's good enough for me.

The .257 has needed some "tuning" after installation of a Timney trigger, but its record for whitetails is 6 for 6, all DRT. Now, I would not recommend a Roberts because it is a reload only cartridge, and brass is scarce. But I definitely see either a .243 or a .257 caliber as the best choices.

As for northeast short range deer shots, that's generally true, BUT my last one here in the NY Catskills showed up 200 yds away in a recently cut hayfield; no chance to stalk closer, so one shot across the field.

 

[Davek1977]

certaindeaf said:

I'd use something in the 9x19 power class. it'll certainly punch paper and will kill deer also, especially out of a carbine.

LOL at the suggestion of a 9mm, when the OP was clear he was picking between two calibers VERY different from the 9mm in about every conceivable way. Maybe I'm missing something here, but why THAT suggestion of all things? The OP is talking about center-fire RIFLE cartridges and rifles, not pistol caliber carbines. Too, the 9mm is a LOUSY choice for ANY kind of deer hutning outside of maybe emergency survival.... at BEST, the 9mm carbines begin to APPROACH .357 power from a carbine....and I said APPROACH, not MATCH. Most people consider a .357 handgun to be about the absolute ethical minimum when it comes to handguns. Add in the fact that as of lately, 9mm ammo is almost extinct in stores, and "hunting" calibers are typically all that is left in stock (like say....the 22-250 and/or 25-06) and the 9mm becomes a dismal choice all the way around. In a carbine, its a decent 100 yard plinker or home defense gun. Outside of that and the pure "fun" factor, I can't think of many practical uses for a 9mm carbine. Considering those aren't the OP's requirements...not by a long shot....the suggestion just seems amusing. Sure, it CAN punch paper at 100 yards....but not with the accuracy of a bolt rifle. Sure, it CAN kill a deer, but either one of his actual rifle-caliber choices would be better for such purposes. How many purpose-built "deer bullets" are made in 9mm? Not any, because most people realize its a poor choice for general-purpose deer hunting, or ANY kind of hunting, truth be told. You can buy purpose-built bullets in both calibers the OP mentioned that would perform FAR better on thin skinned game such as deer

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The parent case for the .243 is the .308 Winchester, but the parent case for the .22-250 is the .250 Savage. Try finding that at Wal Mart.

 

[michael5446]

the 25-06 quarter bore is what i would go for, it rocks within its bullet weight range... anything in a .22 cal i would do a 220 swift...