Opinions needed on new rifle caliber

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Koontzy

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I will be using this rifle for the following(with ranges on each)

Deer (most likely shots under 200 yards, but 300 yards is plausible from one of my stands overlooking a field)
Coyote (under 100 yards, max would be 150)
Target( 100-500 yards)

I will be hunting mainly in SC, but I also have hunting land in Georgia, Indiana and Illinoise) so it needs to be able to handle the bigger midwest deer also.

What caliber would be good?

I keep hearing guys down here rave about a .25-06, But will it handle the bigger midwest deer well?

BTW. I dont want a .308(shot one way to many times while in the Marines), also I know a .30-06 is a good choice, but I want something other than what everyone else has:) but still able to find ammo for.

Thanks everyone!
 
25-06 will handle deer, for the ranges you are shooting, I could also suggest 270 WIN...
 
Go with the .25-06, it will handle midwest deer just fine. A lot of people in Kansas and Nebraska use it for deer. Also popular because it doesn't recoil as much as a 30 caliber.

For what you want to do with it, it sounds like the .25-06 will fit the bill!
 
I have been looking online for about 2 hours now...

the 25-06 looks like it might be a winner, however the .270 is also close.

My buddy said to also look at the 6mm?
 
I'd go with anything designed off the '06 case, the 308 case or x57 case. Any of them will do just fine for deer and have available ammo, although the 22-250 may/maynot be legal. Don't bring your centerfire rifle to Illinois to hunt deer unless you want the DNR to have it along with a lot of your money. It always fascinated me why any gun is sutible for coyotes except slugs and the only centerfire gun you can use for deer is a shotgun with slugs here.
 
RSVP2RIP said:
I'd go with anything designed off the '06 case, the 308 case or x57 case. Any of them will do just fine for deer and have available ammo, although the 22-250 may/maynot be legal. Don't bring your centerfire rifle to Illinois to hunt deer unless you want the DNR to have it along with a lot of your money. It always fascinated me why any gun is sutible for coyotes except slugs and the only centerfire gun you can use for deer is a shotgun with slugs here.
Click to expand...
Same in Ohio.
 
I'll be the guy that recommends .260 Remington. While I do not have one, but am building up one for a target rifle, I have two friends that have them. One used his to take deer and elk in Colorado, and the other uses his for varmints and deer.

However, if you don't reload then its not the best choice. Otherwise 7mm-08. I don't see why go with a long action when the .308 case is short action and fares darn near even with -06 cases, minus about 100fps or so. Just my opinion.
 
Oh to be different from the 308 and 30-06! I would agree with Q and suggest 308 derivatives to suit your purpose: 243 win or 7mm-08, your preference. I'm not sure how prevalent 7-08 ammo is, but 243 Win can be found almost everywhere rifle ammo is sold. A good test of availability is to go to Walmart or any big box outdoor store and figure out how many brands of ammo they carry for a particular caliber.
 
The big question is will you handload or is it factory ammo only? I have become a big fan of the 6.5 sweede of late but factory hunting ammo is a little hard to find. I load my own so that isn't a concern for me. Otherwise I think a .260 or a 7mm-08. The .25-06 is fine but the metric bullets seem to have a better selection out there than the .25. Just a thought if you are trying to make this rifle a mutlipurpose rifle. Having everything from light varmint bullets, to well made deer bullets, to short and long range match bullets should be one of the big factors in this selection, which puts the 6.5 and 7mm in a good spot.
 
I also would suggest a 260 Rem for the whole of considerations that you detailed.

Geno
 
Here ya go. Get a paper and pencil and write down: 25-06, 257, 260, 270, 280, 7mm08, 7X57, 6.5 Swede and 30-06. Close your eyes and pick one. There isn't a lot differance in performance, all will do the job with the proper bullets and bullet placement. If you look at the price and availability of ammo, you can narrow it down to the 25, 27 and the 30-06. Personally I would take any of them.
 
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+1 .22-250,

Got that in a Remington 700 Heavy Barrel w/Leupold long range scope.
less than 1'' groups 100 yards with literally no bullet drop, not bad recoil, very good for long range.
 
i have to vote for the 270 as well, a lightweight bullet for coyote, a 140 or 150gr for deer at a distance, you can't go wrong with a flat shooting hard hitting rifle
 
Not sure about your laws, but in WA the 22-250 and .223 aren't legal for deer. Do you have any particular guns in mind? Thats how I ended up with a .270, I was in the market for a deer rifle with more legs than my 30-30, and found a beautiful Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe with a clearance price tag on it. Like some earlier poster said, most of the calibers mentioned do for all intents and purposes nearly the exact same thing anyway. My advice would be to go to the gun store and put your hands on some different rifles, heft them around, work the actions, see what you think feels right and maybe stumble across a deal along the way.
 
25-06 bullets are more expensive than 30-06. I would also recommend the 243 caliber. Its a flat shooter and less expensive than the 30-06.
 
All of the choices listed are great except the .223 and .22-250. Ask a question about what cartridge is good for anything up to and including Tyrannosaurus on a gun board and someone (or two) will always through in these varmint/predator rifles. Yes they have taken deer and will continue to do so, but they are not as effective as the other cartridges listed here and have resulted in many wounded animals. Make even the tiniest mistake and you'll see just how unforgiving these cartridges are on deer.That's why they aren't legal in many states for deer or larger game, thank God.
 
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