What caliber for my Savage 111?

[Inebriated]

I'd go .30-06. More versatile, more common ammo, and if you wanted to shoot lighter 100-130grn bullets, then Hornady has several offerings. I would give up the better sectional density and BC for those 100-130grn loads in .25-06, for the greater versatility of .30-06. But that's just my opinion.

 

[MtnCreek]

If your New Hampshire deer are like our GA deer, the .270 is about as good a deer cartridge as a man could ask for. I'm not sure if he'll have the profile you're looking for, but Jim Briggs is a great guy to deal w/ for Savage parts.

Good luck getting your rifle fixed.

 

[helotaxi]

Chamber widened up enough from a steel .32 adaptor to start bulging and cracking cases. Setting it back won't fix it without reaming the chamber deeper. I just figure get a new barrel and maybe a different caliber while I'm at it. Maybe I'm using the wrong term for a wide chamber but that's what it is.

Yeah, that's not a headspace problem, that's a trashed barrel problem.

They like the .25-06 because it shoots very flat out to about 300yds (at which point it kinda hits the wall) and has bullets and load suitable for varmints up to deer or elk. All that in a round that recoils a lot less than a .30-06.

What is seriously lacks, IMO, is good bullets for long range use. Even more so than the .270, the .25-06 has been cast as a medium (at best) range hunting cartridge and no one has bothered making bullets suitable for pushing it into the medium-long range category. If you try to really stretch the legs on a .25-06, you quickly run into problems with bullets lacking the velocity to expand properly, assuming that you can account for the huge wind drift well enough to connect in the first place. When the best bullets you have available only have a BC in the .4 range, you're going to have a frustrating time of it at longer range. 10 MPH of wind puts you in the 10+ inches of drift range at 350yds. A good .243 load has more than 3" less drift at that range and carries 1000 ft-lbs an extra 75yds.

If I had an -06 action to work with and wanted a hunting rifle, I'd screw a .270 or even better a .280 barrel into it. They are just as flexible as the .25-06 with regard to varmints and deer but brings bigger, bullets into the mix and more importantly if you have any possible need from shooting more than 300yds, bullets with better BC are available. If you'll never shoot anything bigger than a deer or farther than 250yds the .25-06 will do just fine though.

 

[tc54]

i'd stick with the 30-06.

 

[ironworkerwill]

I like the .280 idea best. bullets 120-180grn easily found.