My girlfriend really wants a hunting rifle for her birthday this year.

She killed her first deer in December with a 22-250, but I would like to get her something with a little more knockdown. I was thinking about a 243, but I heard that the 25-06 is flatter shooting with about the same recoil, and more knock down than the 22-250.

What are the outdoor board's thoughts?

Edit: see the 2nd page for my purchase

[This message has been edited by Tony Almeda (edited 3/1/2012 10:47p).]

Have one, love it. I like it a lot more than a friends .270 I shot.

That said, I also have a .45-70 lever action guide gun and a .45 Sig P220 Carry that I'm also comfortable shooting.

The recoil on the .25-06 isn't bad and it's a great flat shooting round.

We've sold them to a lot of women over the years. 25-06 and 7mm-08 are both very popular.

-House

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.243, 6mm, 25-06, 7mm-08 would all be solid choices

Should be fine. .25-06 is a good gun all around, for anyone in Texas. Growing up my dad had 3 main rifles we used, a 6mm, .25-06, and 7mm-08. All were fantastic rifles.

Not a lot of noticeable difference to a new shooter between the .243 and 25.06 except the main one - the action.

.243 allows for a short-action while the 25.06 requires a long-action, meaning the .243 can be fired from a smaller, more compact rifle that some shooters prefer. I've heard the shorter actions have a shorter "throw" meaning you can cycle rounds faster, but I would not put much stock in that, especially for a newer shooter.

Both rounds are flat and fast. Probably easier to find .243 ammo in remote places compared to 25.06.

The .25-06 is just a great all-purpose round. It can be loaded for anything from varmints and predators all the way up to mulies and elk.

PS

"Knockdown" is a myth. You generally are referring to kinetic energy or what some term "killing power".

Chuck explains it well:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_killing_power.htm

[This message has been edited by BoyNamedSue (edited 2/8/2012 10:39a).]

Thats why I have a .25-06. Because it helps me score all the ladies.

Seriously, it's a solid round, flexible in its uses and will effectively kill anything in Texas. To make this TexAgs worthy it is plenty capable of taking down an elk if you are a decent shot (but it's not what I would carry for elk personally).

Thanks for the input everybody. Sue- very interesting read on killing power. I also looked at chuck's recoil chart which was pretty helpful too.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

It look like the 25-06 and the .243 have very similar recoils, so either one would looks good in that department. I'm not too worried about the cycle time of either gun, as she is indeed a new shooter (however a surprisingly good shot- I had to brag a little!)

Thanks for the help so far! any more feedback would be greatly appreciated.

25-06 is a Long Action cartridge so the rifle is going to weigh more as a result. Depends on the type of hunting you are doing and her body size...if she is small she wont like lifting it, carrying it, or shooting it (since it wont fit her).

Stick to one of the short action cartidges like 7-08 in one of the lighter rifles. She will like it better overall, AND you now have a light weight mountain rifle you can take elk hunting.

I'm a fan of the 6.5 caliber. A nice small ring sporter mauser in 6.5x55 would be good - it's lightweight and the round is lower pressure than a .243 or .25-06 so it is quieter and kicks less IMO.

It is very pleasant to shoot.

ETA: And it will kill almost ANYTHING. More versatile with bullets from 90 to 186 grains.



[This message has been edited by SWCBonfire (edited 2/8/2012 11:04a).]

Take her to a gun store and let her shoulder several different models. They don't all feel or fit the same. Depending on her height/arm length, she may be more comfortable with a youth/compact model.

I'm 5'3" and would prefer a shorter LOP rifle but I have a standard rifle for simplicity sake. Also keep in mind that a lighter rifle will kick more than a heavier rifle in the same calibler due to less mass.


Edit: If you really want to give her a gun but want it to be a surprise, take a little jewelry box and put a 25-06 round in it. 1) she'll never expect to get a gun out of that box and 2) it will be completely unexpected. That way, you can take her with you to pick it out or at least to shop so that you know she's getting a gun that she'll love.

[This message has been edited by Max06 (edited 2/8/2012 11:13a).]

.243 is basically a necked down .308 and .25-06 a necked down .30-06, right?

Mouth: Correct.

Giving a GF a jewelry box with something other than jewelry in it is not always a good choice...ask me how I know.

Puryear Playboy nailed it, a long action is a pain for shorter shooters and harder to mount a scope.

The 25-06 is a fine cartridge but the 243 (85gr Sierra Matchking's or 85gr TSX's), 260 (with 120gr Ballistic Tip'), 7-08 (120 Ballistic Tips) and 308 (155gr Scenar's or 150gr Ballstic Tips) are better in my opinion.

DO you have an HOA where you live?

7mm-08 is another very good girl /woman/kids gun . Short action low recoil, good round.

The 25-06 has been around for 40 plus years. I don't see how you can defend that it is the poorest choice for a female among a .243, .260, 7-08. A .308 should not even be considered IMO since you are looking at in excess of 50% recoil difference over the others.

It's a great caliber..

[This message has been edited by sunchaser (edited 2/8/2012 12:35p).]

Yeah I do have an HOA in my neighborhood. It's pretty lax though. Why do you ask?

My HOA would be pissed if any wimmenz tried to shoot a deer from the kitchen window.

Is this thing on?

Testing....

Testing....

Ha! rimshot...

sunchaser,

Who is knocking the 25-06?

The recoil difference is insignificant between the 25-06 and the 243/260/708 with 100gr-120gr bullets and very manageable with the 308 and 150gr-155gr bullets.

There are plenty of reduced load recipies as well.

If you are 6' tall, shooting a long action is most likely not a problem for you, but it is for short people with short necks like me. The ejection port on a long action moves the scope forward about an inch, many people would need an 11"-12" LOP to have a full field of view with most mid-range variable scopes.

243 and 7-08 are available almost everywhere, 25-06 not so much so availability of ammo may be an issue at times.

What distance does your girlfriend want to shoot?

If the shot is around 100 yards or less, a 30-30 is a hammer with little recoil. If you are after more of a long range rifle with a light recoil, a 25-06 is a good choice.

Look at the chart linked above... 308 with 150 gr projectiles can kick your butt in a lightweight gun. I have an XS7 in .308 and after a box of ammo at the range it really isn't very pleasant. Not knowing the specifics of the OP's rib, I don't think I'd recommend that caliber. JMO.

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7mm-08 is another very good girl /woman/kids gun . Short action low recoil, good round.

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Love it when I see this. Cracks me up.

SV, we're on the same page. Your post is spot on. I'm in the process of building a Kimber Montana 84M around the 120BT/120TSX...just can't decide what cartridge.

[This message has been edited by slip sinker 04 (edited 2/8/2012 4:41p).]

A well place 22 will drop any woman where she stands.......






Very disappointed this hadn't been posted.....

I'm hiring Max as my gift wrapping consultant... if I ever have a girl to buy gifts for

quote:

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Topic: 25-06 a good gun for a girl?

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Yes

EOT

Might be careful of that Skeet. I probably don't know too much about what *normal* chicks want.

based on my experience.... there are no normal chicks

What ever you buy, get it with a "bull barrel". They are more accurate and the extra weight takes out a lot of the kick.

I don't think any caliber listed here are good girls calibers at all.

They are all great calibers, regardless of what equipment the shooter has.

I have a model 7 youth 260 that my fiancé loves to shoot and it is a very accurate gun.