257 Roberts VS 25-06 VS .243Win

Pick your pill you want to send down the barrel, they'll all do the job. The 25.06 will give you a rifle for extreme long range varmints and sheep rifle to boot should you be so lucky in the future but will be the most expensive to reload for given amount of powder. .243 would be my choice, always wanted the little brother to the .308. For what your doing I used to use a 6.5x55 and it worked out very well.
 
For 200 yards or less I'd choose the Roberts - out of the three you listed...my personal choice would be a .250 Savage. One caveat is that I reload.
 
I like all three for a deer gun. You don't need the pop of a .25-06 for 200 yard shots, but since the Roberts and the Aught Six will occupy the same action length it doesn't really matter. A .243 will do the trick as well and should be a bit easier to find on the shelves than the .25's.
 
The .257 Roberts for the cool factor... :cool:

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NAA.
 
For reloading I would go the .257 Roberts. I just had a .257 Roberts AI built and for all intents and purposes it's a 25-06. Here's a link to a somewhat interesting article. Link It's interesting to see that the .25cal seems to be garnering some interest lately.
 
If you are serious (and really think about that) that 200 yds is the max, then there is just no need for the .25-06. Either of the other two is perfect (but the Roberts is perfecter). If you can imagine yourself wanting to stretch out, then the .25-06 becomes more attractive.
 
25-06 if it's mainly 'hunt' with a little 'varminting,' or the .243 if it's mainly 'varminting' with a little 'hunting'

Both have the advantage of very flat trajectories - easily capable of 300+ yard hunting - and a wide assortment of factory loads, and component availability for reloading. Both have the disadvantage of shot barrel life for intense varmint shooting. The 243 is quite marginal (IMO) for deer, especially at longer ranges and the 25-06 is definitely overkill for any sort of varminting, but it will have distinctly better power for deer, especially at range.

I wouldn't even consider the 243 if there's even a remote possibility of elk or moose. But the 25-06, with TSX/TTSX/GMX/eTip - I'd take a shot at an elk or a moose.
 
I can only compare 243 Win and 25-06 because I've never own, shot or reloaded for the 257 Roberts.

243 Win
  • short action (+)
  • better target/varmint bullet choice (+ for varmint)
  • better accuracy (+ for varmint)
  • best varmint/deer combo
25-06

  • long action (-)
  • much better large game bullet choice (++ for deer)
  • much more potent (+ for deer, around 100yards more in effective range)
  • much better all-rounder (with a great bullet in will kill elk and moose)

If you're a shooter, varminter and once a year medium range deer hunter, definitively get a 243 Win.
If you hunt in the plains or in the moutains, the more potent 25-06 might be a better choice.

As for the 257 Roberts, get a 260 Rem or a 7mm-08 instead unless you're really into 25 caliber cartridges because of the limited choice of 0.257" bullets compared to 6.5mm and 7mm bullets.

Personally, my small rifle is a 243 Win and my big rifle is a 270 WSM.

Alex
 
rral22 said:
If you are serious (and really think about that) that 200 yds is the max, then there is just no need for the .25-06. Either of the other two is perfect (but the Roberts is perfecter). If you can imagine yourself wanting to stretch out, then the .25-06 becomes more attractive.
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AlexF said:
I can only compare 243 Win and 25-06 because I've never own, shot or reloaded for the 257 Roberts.

243 Win
  • short action (+)
  • better target/varmint bullet choice (+ for varmint)
  • better accuracy (+ for varmint)
  • best varmint/deer combo
25-06

  • long action (-)
  • much better large game bullet choice (++ for deer)
  • much more potent (+ for deer, around 100yards more in effective range)
  • much better all-rounder (with a great bullet in will kill elk and moose)

If you're a shooter, varminter and once a year medium range deer hunter, definitively get a 243 Win.
If you hunt in the plains or in the moutains, the more potent 25-06 might be a better choice.

As for the 257 Roberts, get a 260 Rem or a 7mm-08 instead unless you're really into 25 caliber cartridges because of the limited choice of 0.257" bullets compared to 6.5mm and 7mm bullets.

Personally, my small rifle is a 243 Win and my big rifle is a 270 WSM.

Alex
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AlexF, Prosper, and rral22 and a few other said it great.

The 257 Roberts is a great tack driving caliber but if you don't reload I think you might find that ammo for it isn't easy to come by.

If you expect to take shots at critters bigger than deer once in a while then I'd go for the 25-06 (with the right bullet: Barnes TSX). If you expect to want to take 200+ yard shots, then I'd go for the 25-06.

If it's for deer size or smaller critters only and all your shots will be within 200 yards only then I'd go for the 243. It's a ligther gun because of the short action, higher availability of commercial ammo, and "slightly" less recoil although that's inconsequential for those calibers.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the 25-06. It's got a little more... "zing".
 
ciphery said:
I'm at a loss. Can't decide.
I would like a rifle that can varmint and deer hunt. Not looking for lOooong range but 200yds seams reasonable.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
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250 Savage wins hands down!

Can use heavier bullets than the 6mm rounds. Doesn't eat as much powder as a 25-06 or Roberts.
 
Well I do reload. I like the ability to by a box of ammo. Then reload my empties. Or just take it out impromptu and pick up a random box of ammo to try.
Isn't 250 savage obsolete? I know SOME places still carry the bob.
A buddy I work with has a 303 sav tells me ammo is $60+ box special order!
How do ammo prices for the options at hand stack up?
 
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