Rifle shopping

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Ruger GP100 fan

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I've read several places that the 25-06 is a good target rifle and gives less recoil than other calibers. Can someone tell me about this round and a good entry-level gun to buy. I got a quote of $279 +tax for a new Savage 18910. Anyone own this gun and your opinions on it? Due to shoulder injuries and surgeries I'm left with very little upper body strength and "tender" shoulders. What would you go with? My son-in-law has a 7mm and loves target shooting and I love reloading but just own a GP100 for now. His 7mm nearly knocked me over,thus my interest in the 25-06.
 
I don't understand why you want a long-action hunting cartridge for a "target rifle."

Get a flat-top AR-15.

You won't even notice the recoil.

I REALLY don't understand why SIL thinks 7mm Mag is a target cartridge.

I guess you CAN nail shoe-molding with two-pound hammer, but why would you want to?

.223 will hold Minute Of Angle out to 600 yards without any difficulty.

If you are on a hard budget, I'm sure you can get a cheap .223 bolt gun for the same money that you can get a cheap gun chambered in a long-action big game cartridge.
 
A target rifle? If your target is a deer, pronghorn or similar size game animal at long range, the .25-06 is one of the best. While its recoil is not heavy, it is still a high velocity cartridge and might be borderline for your shoulder injuries. If you just want to shoot at long range paper targets, something like a .223 Remington will have the range and accuracy without beating you up.
 
the 25 cals were all the rage till the 243 came out. It just seems to fill the niche better than the 25's. The main reason is the availablity of cheap brass for the 243, although brass for the 25 06 is still around by the buckets as well. As to felt pain, try to fire both before buying either.
 
If your gonna load it you could still go .308 and light load. The 25-06 is a great round but I wouldn't use it for target shooting. Its a fast flat shooting round but you can work the 308 to the recoil of the 25-06 with 100 or 125 gr bullets and I think the heaviest you can get for the 06 is 117gr
 
Thanks for the responses. I'll check out used 223s in my area first,then look at new.
My SIL likes shooting big,heavy rounds. Just more fun,he says. I get his point...I'd rather shoot magnums through my 357 than 38s,especially if I'm all alone at the range. I just love the sound of a fully loaded 357 round. A spillover from my passion for CH3NO2,I suppose.
 
Both .223 and .243 have been suggested. What are the major differences,advantages over the other?
I shot what I think was either a .223 or a .243 at the range today. The guy in the next lane had a better screwdriver than I had on me and helped me get the GP100 sighted in a little better. One thing lead to another and we wound up trading guns for 2 or 3 rounds. I had some loaded to the max rounds in mine with 296 powder. He shot it twice and handed it right back saying it was just too much gun. His,on the other hand was an assault-type gun with a short barrel that I couldn't hit a thing with. Don't want anything like that for target shooting. If I'm going to remove a 25-06 from the list I'd like to understand why a little more than I've read here so far. Low recoil&flat trajectory seem like ideal characteristics for target shooting. I'll be straight out honest with the membership that until 4 months ago when I bought my GP100 I had never owned a gun. Then I got into reloading ammo for my 357 and enjoy that as much as shooting. I know absolutely nothing about rifles,though I fired my son-in-law's 7mm once and a 30-06 once belonging to a friend of his. Is it reloading cost? Which is cheaper to reload of the .223 and the .243? I do not doubt the opinions of those giving the 25-06 a thumbs down. After all,I've been in this game a very short while....I'd just like to understand why I'm walking away from it. Thank you for your help,everyone.
 
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The Edge is pretty new to the market, so information on them is still a bit scarce, as are accessories. In the same price range, you can get a Stevens 200, which is just a standard Savage with cheaper furniture and no Accutrigger. There are plenty of accessories available for the Stevens if you ever want to perform any upgrades.
 
I was at a gun shop today and the manager explained to me why a 25-06 would be a bad choice and he agreed with you guys that a .223 with a bull barrel would be just the ticket,but he said new I'd have to lay out nearly a grand for rifle and scope. He told me,in his opinion,he would not recommend buying a scope for less than $300 and if I went with a Savage I should move up to models with acutrigger. Then he showed me a used gun the he said he sure wished was a 223 and not a 30-06 because he thought it would be the perfect gun for what I want. He took it in on consignment and said the kit would run around $1200 new. The owner had $750 on it. Maybe with a cushy shoulder pad.... Actually,I'm thinking I could handle 10 rounds at a time OK. It sure was a pretty gun! He also pointed out that reloading .223 is cheaper than most other calibers,and I have fallen in love with reloading.
 
W.E.G,his 7mm is new and will be a hunting gun,as well. I,on the other hand,do not hunt. I'm looking for just a good target rifle.
 
Can't get that 30-06 with scope I looked at yesterday out of my mind. Is that round any good for shooting paper? And,how does 30-06 compare to .223 on price to reload? Can anyone suggest I really good recoil pad for the 30-06? I won't really be able to afford to shoot it much,so I'm wishful thinking I could handle it without doing more harm to my shoulder. Can I get some feedback?
 
Whatever your price range was for the .25-06, you can do a .223 the same and will be happy. You don't have to get a $1000+ setup, but remember that you typically get what you pay for.

I REALLY like my .25-06, but if you are only punching paper there is no need and a .223 sounds perfect for you (especially considering the recoil issue). Just look around and you will find a nice bolt action and can match it with a nice scope. The .223 is so popular that eveone makeing rifles makes something in it.
 
Ruger, the .25-06 and the .30-06 use the same size case except for the neck of course.

They are longer and therefore have more powder volume than cartridges made for short actions like .223.

The .223 will have very mild recoil, the .25-06 will have significant recoil. Unless shooting over 500 yards the .223 will make a MUCH better range gun.

The other choices are great for hunting or long range, but overkill and overpainful for your needs.
 
At what distances are you going to be shooting? If less than 500 yards, get something in a .223. Cheap to shoot/reload for, nearly non-existent recoil, etc.

Buying a 30.06 for a target gun with shoulder injuries? Well I'd say you deserve the pain if you choose that one! :)

I have a bolt-action .223 that I love to shoot...can shoot it all day due to what I described above.

As far as cost...you get what you pay for...you could have a lot of fun with a $350 rifle and a $150 scope for your first rifle. You chould also spend more if you want more serious optics...but don't think you have to spend $1K+.

Hope that helps.
 
Well if you are just going to be target shooting why not get a caldwell lead sled? I was reading an article on the .458 socom and the author used one so he could test fire it after a rotating cuff injury and it worked pretty well even with the hot 300 grain loads. Then you could shoot anything you want.
 
GP100 fan,

I'll go down the list with what has been talked about so far, first the 25-06. The 25-06 is sometimes called the .25 magnum because it's a very stout and high velocity round. It also will eat powder at an alarming rate.
A 30-06 is a great round for shooting from 100 yards to 1000 yards but in a light weight rifle it will pound the crap out of you shooting from the bench. This will be no fun for you at all. Even in a heavy target rifle the 30-06 gets a bit too much. It's rare to find a target shooter using this cartridge anymore even though it does everything really well. The reason is simply too much recoil.
The .243 is an excellent choice until you get to extreme ranges. With a custom twist barrel and heavy bullets, 1000 yards is no problem but in the standard twist your range will be limited. It's still a good one to consider, it's a good all around gun.
Now the 223. This is a fun cartridge. Easy on the shoulder, and easy and cheap to handload. It has the same limitations as the .243 but it's cheaper to load. Most sporting rifles are accurate in this chambering. For a first rifle you can't go wrong with this one.

Thanx, Russ
 
Well I found the gun I want,bought it and pick up in the morning. It's a 22-250 Ruger M77 Mark II with a Weaver V16 4-16X scope. Can't find primers or bullets,but a gentleman who was listening in on the shop owner and I talking told me he'd bring me 100 pieces of brass that I can get when I pick up the gun...free of charge!!! Said he just no longer shoots that round. What a kind gesture. I sure hope an occasion comes along when I can return the kindness. But that still left me with no ammo for the gun tomorrow. On my way home I stopped in at another gun shop and they had no reload stuff but had a single box of factory rounds. Must have been the only box anywhere in my area. $30 for 20 rounds,but at least I now have some. And I bought all of the equipment needed to reload them. I'm ecstatic! I can take my new gun to the range in the morning and the temps are supposed to be much cooler. I about had a heat stroke shooting my .357 this morning. Can't wait until tomorrow.
I'd like to get some of your thoughts on my choice of gun/caliber. It is a target rifle with a bull barrel...just what I was hoping to find.
 
The .22-250 Rem is a blistering round! Whatever target you hit with that velocity, well, it won't stand much chance of needing a second plugging. The recoil should be very mild for you. Post some pictures when you have time.

By the way, I hear you about the recoil issues...I've had 47 surgeries since my 1995 auto accident. I really like my Rem M700 Police .308 Win. It weighs in around 18 pounds scoped and loaded. Talk about zero recoil. :cool: Good luck! :)

Geno
 
Thanks,Geno,and I'll post pictures but maybe not til after I make a trip to the range. And,yes,the store manager said recoil will be just slightly more than a .223. He was convinced from the start that this gun was just what I needed. As for the shoulders,I can barely lift 2 lbs. straight out to the side. My surgeon said he'd advise against lifting weights to build up my upper body...that I'd only cause the cuffs he fixed to become inflamed and my muscles would develop in weird ways trying to compensate for the dead muscles . The good side is that I have no pain at all in my left shoulder and only minor pain on the right,if I over use them. Better than what I had before...lots of pain and no strength,either. Ain't getting old a bear?
That's a lot of time being under the knife. You must have really gotten beat up!
 
GP100,

You are good to go with the 22-250. You can load it down just a little bit and it makes a fine shooter.

Thanx, Russ
 
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