Two great calibers for Texas whitetails and preditors. Thinking about expanding my inventory. What's your pick between the two and why?

I like the .25-06 better for whitetails because it can stabilize bullets up to 120 grains. I hunt predators probably 95% of the time, so I normally load 75 grain Hornady V-Max bullets, but I have also had good luck with larger bullets. The 25-06 is a very versatile cartridge, capable of taking anything Texas has to offer. However, to get the most out of the cartridge the barrel needs to be 24" or longer. Preferably 26".

The .243 is a good cartridge in it's own right, but it's not even the best cartridge of that caliber. The 6mm is a better cartridge. It just never caught on because Remington did a poor job marketing the round.

6mm is better than the .243 any day of the week.

.243 ammo is easier to find. Not saying it performs better, but it definitely beats the 6mm in popularity.

Actually, the 6mm Remington never caught on because the twist rate of the barrel on the original rifles didn't allow it to stabilize heavier bullets. They've since fixed it. The .243 had a more general purpose twist rate that allowed the whole spectrum of bullets to be used, which lead to greater popularity.

You'll be able to get a better deal on a .243 because you can just wait for a sale at WalMart or Academy and get one for nothing.

.243 is best for begginers. that's what i used my whole life up until two years ago when i got a .270. now, it's all about the .270. but, since it's between the other two guns, i'd have to support the trusty ol .243

If you're really interested in choosing between the two, do a little investigation on relative ballistics between the two cartridges using different bullet weights. Look at bullet drop and energy remaining at various distances.

Also, note that the 25-06 will throw a little bigger chunk of lead, with more energy for knocking down white tails or pronghorns at longer ranges.

In my experience, the 25-06 will shoot the lighter bullets (60 to 80 grains) very accurately, especially when using Hornady V-Max (as TechTard pointed out) or Nosler Ballistic Tips (my favorite for prairie dogs and long-range predator shooting). And, I'll second what TechTard said about the length of the barrel. Don't get less than 24".

In my opinion, the 25-06 is just as accurate and has a slightly "flatter" trajectory when shooting the lighter bullets. And it has the added benefit of shooting bullets in the 115 to 120 grain weight for deer and antelope.

And, the recoil - only a little greater than the .243 - is not offensive. You can shoot it all day at the range or plinking prarie dogs, and you'll never start flinching due to recoil.

Bear in mind that most of my experience with the .25-06 in the lighter bullet weights is based upon my own reloads - not factory ammunition. I have fired quite a bit of premium Federal and Remington ammunition in the heavier bullet weights and found those factory loads to be pretty accurate, but not quite as good as my reloads.

I have both rifles and like both of them for different reasons but the favorite is the 25-06 due to the fact I have killed about 90% of all my deer and such with it. I keep the 243 around for my nephews to shoot and shooting the occasional cat, coon, or coyote.

I second the 6mm Remington (.244 Remington) suggestion. Very accurate load, with the capacity to shoot heavier bullets. We shoot 100gr in ours, and it is a proven deer stopper out to 400 yards. Recoil is light.

go with the 25-06 or even look at the remington 260. the 260 can be handloaded with bullets from 85 to 160g. the best deer bullets being 120 -140g. i have a model 7 with a 20" barrel and have chronographed numerious (SAFE) 120g loads in excess of 2900fps. the loads i hunt with usually run about 2775 - 2830fps as they tend to be the most accurate. the problem with the 243 and 6mm remington is that they max out with a 115g bullet with the 105g bullets being the best deer bullet. although we prefer the 85g because because we have taken a "potfull" of deer with .243/85g combination. but if my only choice was either 243 or 25-06, i would go with the 25-06. the 25-06 handles a heaver bullet 120g which can be drive to higher velocities than the 105g 243.

The 6mm with a 100gr will be all you need for just about any Texas white-tail. I love the accuracy of it and it is great with lighter bullet too. I second what has been said about ammo for it being harder to find, but I think it is a better cartridge than the .243 and the availability isn't a problem if you load your own.

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6mm is better than the .243 any day of the week

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No doubt about it. I shoot a 6mm 99% of the time. Good ammo is hard to find but I manage to find it.

I like the 6mm as well.

The 25-06 is a little bigger bullet and has a little more power. If you open to calibers but want to keep it smaller than 6.5mm I would look at the .257 Weatherby. I have heard very good things about that caliber.

I have two .264s and I love that caliber. I have never lost a deer with my .264 WIN Mag.

Both will take care of what you want to use it for, TX white tail and predators. Just find the gun that you like, one that feels comfortable to you and that you enjoy shooting. They're both going to do the trick with proper shot placement. Ammo for both is readily available, as are reloading supplies. Both are plenty accurate for your intended use.

If I had to choose one I would go with the .243. My decision is an emotional one however. Reason being I have carried one for years. Not because I had too, I have several other calibers (including 25-06) but because I want to. It is a pre 64 Model 70 featherweight (mfg 1957). Confidence has a lot to do with it but when I point this gun at deer...deer die. I shoot heavier bullets than most. I like Speer 105gr hot-cors at about 2900fps.

That being said I last year I had a 25-06 built on a Rem 700 action with a Shilen select match barrel. It did the deed well this past season in the hands of my son (I took a couple does with it also). It was loaded with Sierra 100gr gamekings at about 3250fps. I will be switching to something else this next year as I was not impressed with the Sierras ability to stay together and go out the other side. I am probably going to try partitions but have also loaded up some 100gr Hot-cors and they worked well on pigs this past weekend. Odd thing about this gun...shoots a 1 1/2in group at 100yds and a 1 1/2 in group at 200yds. Weird I have not played with loads much, I am sure I could do better than this accuracy.

THAT being said, I am having another gun built right now (ready any day ) on a Rem 700 action with a 26in stainless fluted Krieger barrel in you guessed it...243 win. I want to semi retire my present one (it is a family heirloom). I plan on shooting 90gr Hot-cors (I like Hot-cors) or 95gr Sciroccos. I have been reading some of the benchrest forums and those guys are getting some phenomenal velocity out of the .243 with some newer powders.

What I would really do is buy one of each.!!

Sorry for the long post, I could talk about this stuff all day.

[This message has been edited by swampstander (edited 4/17/2006 11:14p).]

I'll say the .243, great gun.

My .243 has let me down in the past on a big pumped up whitetail buck. It took several shots to the kill zone to bring him down. I did shoot several deer, including a mule deer in Monatana, with it that dropped in their tracks. I like more than 100 grains for hunting deer, so I shoot bigger guns now. I still have the Model 7 Remington, will let my sons shoot it when they get old enough.

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It took several shots to the kill zone to bring him down.

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What?

Strange things happen sometimes. A couple guys I know in NM shot at an elk 14 (yes they had time to reload) times, hit him 9 times The heart was never hit, but plenty of its lung cavity was missing. The shot that finally brought him down was up where the neck meets the head. They were shooting .270's at somewhere around 300yards.

Anyone who has ever read one of my posts knows which direction I'm going on this. I absolutely LOVE the .25-06. It's my favorite round. Period. I've taken whitetail, mulies and antelope with it at numerous ranges. Shooting the right round it is extremely fast and very flat. It is a perfect all around caliber for Texas and the species you'll find there.

swampstander- the buck was in full rut, chasing does, I shot him smooth in the boiler room (heart/lung) and he kept jogging. I worked the bolt and put another one in him. He jogged away. I waited a few minutes, then followed the blood. He jumped up and ran again. I ran after him (I know, but I was a lot younger then) and finally got a shot that broke his spine. Game over. Total elapsed time was 30 minutes. When I gutted him, there was major trauma to the heart and lungs...I am not sure whether its fair to blame the gun, but I did at the time. I got myself a 30-06, which has been 100% one shot-one kill for me.

Get a heart shot and the deer or anything else will die. Just kick back and relax.

Has anybody shot the 243 WSSM. when i told my neighbor about the 243 - 25-06 thread he reminded me that he was looking at the 243 WSSM.
it is considerably faster than either the 243Win or 6mmRem

.257 Roberts is a great "light" gun, much along the lines of the .25-.06. The only problem I've found with it is ammo is not readily availible in mass market outlets.

But for a knock around gun you can leave in the ranch truck, can't go wrong with a .30-.30 Marlin, with the open sights. Here's a pic from gunbroker.com