lighter deer/goat caliber 243 vs 25-06?

The "best cartridge", is an ongoing argument, in the same class as arguing religion or politics. The 243, or 6mm Rem are primarily a fox/coyote cartridges, that can be used for whitetail. They are limited to 100 gr bullets. They are fun to shoot, and in the light, short barreled, carry rifle, the recoil is manageable. Shot placement is important. The 25-06 is an amazing performer, giving up only range when compared to the 257 Weatherby. Better performance has a price, muzzle blast and recoil are more and the 25-06 is better suited to a longer barrel.

If I were to hunt Island deer, I'd choose a 260 Rem, as every increase in caliber, has a slight advantage in performance. Ammunition availability is a consideration, and the next step up is a 270, bigger than necessary for little deer, IMO.

In the 243, bullet selection become important, use premium ammunition or ammunition that you know performs well, from experience or scientific studies. My own experience with the 243, on Manitoba Whitetails, gives it a fairly low rating. Realistic performance in the field, ranges from dismal, to adequate, but never spectacular. I don't own one anymore. I wouldn't recommend it as being a good rifle for the one rifle hunter. I've never hunted the Island, but if I were to, I think I'd carry a 35 Rem, as you never seem to have to track whitetails very far after shooting.

25-06, is a different beast entirely, most hunting ammunition uses heavily constructed bullets, varmint ammunition is more explosive. But if I felt that I needed a 25, I'd prefer a 250 Savage or a 257 Roberts, as they bark less, are a bit tamer to shoot. The 250 Savage and 243 are almost the same, except the Savage has a slightly bigger (diameter) bullet.

I had 2 relatives that hunted the Island, 270 and 303 British, and both were one rifle hunters, and they never felt they needed an upgrade.

A good sight for ammunition evaluation is http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html
Pretty good stuff, I've donated to the sight, very good research.
 
hoytcanon said:
The .243 vs .25/06 is more interesting than .243 vs 7mm-08... otherwise you are just comparing the same case with larger bullets, and the results are a conclusion of physics... the smaller lighter bullets will be faster, the larger caliber heavier bullets will eek out more energy with better efficiency... discussion done. .243 vs .260 vs 7mm-08 vs .308 vs .338F vs .358W Same conversation as 6mm vs .25/06 vs .280 vs .30/06 vs .338/06 vs .35W... etc... etc...
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It is all a "conclusion of physics". I dose not matter what case a bullet comes from if its the same bullet going the same speed then the results will be the same on impact.
i am comparing short action to short action. As "Juby" said in his first post " he wants a shorter action
 
Also IMO the 25-06 is too fast for them tiny island deer.
not a lot of meat left if you take a shoulder shot
But again that's just me.
 
I am going to echo the ".243 since you already got a .30-06" post.

And I have seen some "spectacular" kills with the .243. On REAL sized deer here in Alberta. So do not discount it as a decent deer rifle. My wife has NEVER failed to bring home her deer once she has decided to take the shot and no long tracking bouts, either! Huge blood trails for 12-15 yards, bowled over and dead, or dropped right there! And this is with blue box Federal 100gn bullets. Nothing special needed on our whitetail deer, why need anything bigger on Island black tail?
 
regulate34 said:
Also IMO the 25-06 is too fast for them tiny island deer.
not a lot of meat left if you take a shoulder shot
But again that's just me.
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I've shot tiny Island deer (Vancouver Island, Texada, Quadra, and Queen Charlotte) with "faster" rounds like the .257 Wby and 7mm RM. There is plenty of meat left when you take a proper behind the shoulder shot. I can't see a good reason to shoot these little deer in the shoulder. Additionally, shooting them in the shoulder with a .243 will be no better, especially if you use a plain old bullet that fragments easily.

In the end I don't think it matter which one the OP chooses. They will both be effective. I would take the .25-06 because of the flexibility to load 100gr bullets to .243 levels while at the same time have the option of a good 120gr Partition load.
 
I have both, and shot Island deer with both.

243 will be fine, I have shot using the 95gr Berger; shot placement is the key factor.
In some case it drops there with huge exit hole, some other case, bullet blew heart in pieces no pass through, run 60 yard. No blood track at all.
25-06, using the 100gr BalTip: OMG they all dropped on the spot; but if you hit the shoulder blade, it will make a bit more damage than the 243. I have more pass through shot with the 25-06.
I also have tried the 25-06 with the Sierra 90gr: bullet didn’t go through it, but the vitals were Jello; 15 yards max after shot.

The 243 is fine, as long as you’re placing your shot carefully as usual. Not much blood trail but its case per case depending of: placement/range.Etc…
The 25-06 has definitely more oomph and I believe I had better results with the 06.
My 0.02 cent
 
I'd throw the 260 Remington into the mix, it's got a lot of potential with120 -140 grain bullets; depends on your own taste. It's not an inherently popular caliber - like a 243 or a 270. But it's something that can do the job effectively. Savage is making them now, but no one knows for how long...? The 260 is different then most run of the mill calibers, but the ballistics make it a nice caliber of choice - that would provide some assurance in bullet weight over the 243.
 
nowarningshot said:
Well i own both dogs in the fight. Firstly there is no loss here, both are excellent. Personally i would favor the 25-06, here are my reasons.

Longer action vs shorter rifle is a non issue. If this is a great concern, i know of two hunters on the island ...one of whom has a gun room not a safe...that use Model 94 30/30 because of the lush bush. If saving 2" and 2 ounces is a issue, use a 30/30. Further many recent manufacture "short action" calibers like the 243 use a long action with a bolt stop, so the rifles are the same length and weight.

Vancouver Island has no Moose or Grizzly, but have Limited Entry Elk. i would prefer the extra ooompf of a 120 25-06 on Elk should one be fortunate and get a draw.

I took my first Moose with the 243, and it never leaves the safe. The 25-06 is a real shooter, even better than the 243. A bit predisposed to it as a dual purpose Varmit/Deer rifle. No loser here though, either are excellent for the purpose. Cost of ammo is only a issue if one doesnt reload or shoots hundreds of rounds. A box of 20 is going to start about $25 for 243, and $30 for 25-06; however, the 243 is easier to find. If that cost is a issue, the reality is you probably cant afford either.
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Well you should sell your seldom used 243 to buddy on Vanc Isle,
 
Charlie38 said:
Tikka just puts a stop in their magazines(clip as some say) . They use the same "clip" for 223 as 338 Win Mag just different cartridge stops for 223 class, 308 class, 30/06/338 class. Not sure of the WSM ones. Same action length for them all. (3006 length)
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ok, now I understand! Thanks.
 
c-fbmi said:
RJ........bite your tongue !!!! You'd recommend a T3 before a nice Rem Mod 7 in 243, I can't think of a nicer Island deer rifle than a Mod 7 in a 243, 260, 7-08.............Keep this up and we're gonna demand a change of moniker............LOL
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Sorry Doug lost my head there - and i have a Rem M7 243 Win 20 " barreled rifle too with a 4-12 Vortex on it ! Liking those T3's too - also just got 2 Weatherbys a 240 and a 257 ! LOL ;) RJ
 
The whole thing is a Ford vs Chevy thing.
Higher velocity has nothing whatever to do with "outshooting". Neither will outshoot the other. The real difference is the length of the receiver and that has nothing to do with outshooting either. Both the .25-06 and .243 will kill deer of any size. However, the .243 is a lot easier to find in small places.
 
Find a rifle and sight that catches your imagination and worry less about what cartridge it's chambered for; any modern chambering of moderate capacity is suitable for your needs. The rifle should be light enough so as not to be fatiguing to carry, and it should handle easily and quickly. When you shoulder the piece, the sights should come to bear the instant your cheek hits the stock. This might be more difficult to arrange than you might imagine. The choice of sights, both irons and optics, and their mounts, should be considered carefully. Its a common mistake to choose a scope with too much magnification which restricts your field of view, and/or irons that are difficult to use, and slow to pick up in subdued light. Like scopes, after market iron sights are often better than the ones supplied as part of a rifle package. The mounts need to be high enough so that the bell of the scope clears the barrel, and allows you to make a solid cheek weld so you don't have to balance your chin on the comb of the stock, or mash your face hard onto the stock to acquire a sight picture. Consider a shooting sling like a Safari Ching Sling, over a simple carry strap. I only mention this because I believe a good shooting sling is the least expensive shooting aid that will actually make a difference to your field marksmanship. With practice you can sling up in about a second and a half, and when used with a supported position, the steadiness of the sights will improve your confidence of a first round hit.

The challenge of using a high velocity small bore rifle for medium and big game is bullet selection; in that its easier to choose an inappropriate bullet than with larger cartridges, particularly if you rely on factory ammo rather than handload. If you handload its easy to select a Partition or a TSX, but finding these bullets in factory ammo can be a frustrating exercise. Should you choose a bore size of 6.5 or larger, you are less likely to encounter the fragile bullets designed for explosive expansion on varmints or pest animals under 50 pounds. If you're savvy with respect to bullet design, the 6mms and quarter bores have much to offer, but if one bullet is pretty much the same as another in your estimation, a 6.5 Swede, a .260 Remington, a 7-08, or even a .308 will prove to be better choices. Another advantage of these slightly larger cartridges is that should you be tempted to hunt some of BC's larger critters, you will already have a suitable rifle that you are familiar and competent with.
 
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Calum said:
All things considered...

http://woodlandtrails.net/the-saga-of-jim-jordans-buck

If a 25/20 win can harvest a record Buck then a .243 on our tiny island deer should be just fine if one does their part to practice to a level of proficient with ones hunting rifle.

Also IIRC the Milo Hanson buck in 1993 in Saskatchewan was taken with a .308.
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There's no room for logic like that in an outfit like this!
 
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