Not concerned about pelt damage, more concerned about wind and extermination.
243 or 25-06
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Not concerned about pelt damage, more concerned about wind and extermination.
I like the 87gr VMAX for shots out to 6-700 yards. Beyond that the heavier 95-105gr help retain energy and buck the wind at the father ranges. For coyotes though and most shooting, the 87 gets the job done.
I think I am going to go with the 95 grain classic hunter. Any wind savings I get with it over an 87 will be a plus with at least somewhat similar drops. Plus, the hybrids seems to be extremely easy to work up loads with as they are not near as sensitive to seating depth. When I worked up the 130 grain hybrids in my 270 win, it was as simple as getting about 40 thousands of the lands and start loading. Shot great from the start.
Ya and pray for straight and level chest/pooper shot !!!
Loss of BC and groups may or may not be good. Best thing to do is run a bullet that is 1.5 sg or higher at all temperatures you plan to hunt and shoot in at your altitude.
Wanfalt1
Active Member
I think the more powder capacity you put in a kids hands the less you get out of the kid. Noise and recoil are such a negative. Having said that I don't have a dog in this fight. A .243 is a true throat eater with slow burning powders and heavy bullets. And the most evil kicking rifle I have ever shot was a 700 ADL. 25-06. But I want the big rifle shooters to consider. A big rifle as an example my 7stw won't kill a coyote near as well as my little .17. The bullets don't expend their energy quickly enough. (Lung Shots) I have never seen an elk shot in the lungs with a 300 Win. Mag. Not run at least 50 yds. and you can't even with a partition bullet tell they have been hit until they fall over. Now a similar sized elk shot with an 85 Grain Sierra Gameking generally just fold up.
My thoughts here are big is absolutely not better when you are shooting well. And marginal shots with a big rifle are just as ineffective as they are with a small rifle.
I think the rifle manufacturers have learned this and they are selling 6.5 Creedmoor's like nothing we have seen before. I don't own a creedmoor.
My thoughts here are big is absolutely not better when you are shooting well. And marginal shots with a big rifle are just as ineffective as they are with a small rifle.
I think the rifle manufacturers have learned this and they are selling 6.5 Creedmoor's like nothing we have seen before. I don't own a creedmoor.
GelatinousPig
Active Member
Not sure of the outcome of this thread at this point, but what about the 260 Rem in a Rem SPS? I have never shot a 243, and never plan to own one as I prefer 6.5's (at least at this point in my life). I mention the 260 because you state you are partial to Rem, and I dont think they chamber the Creedmoor. One question a few pages back asked about the difference between the 270 and 25-06. The 25 has noticeably less recoil to me (25-06 Browning x-bolt ~7lbs firing 117gr SST's vs 270 Rem 700 ~7lbs firing 130gr power points). IMHO, 25-06 is superior to the 243 if the choice is strictly limited to those 2, but get at least a 24" tube as 22 does neither justice.
And with a 24 "er, if you run out of ammo you can pole vault your way back to the truck....
GelatinousPig
Active Member
I think the OP made the better choice, but having hunted quite a bit with a Roberts and hot handloads and a 243 with both handloads and factory fodder, I prefer the 243 to the 25 cal, for several reasons. One is the faster twists standard in the 243. Another is the cheap and widely available factory ammo. Another is the efficiency of the short action round compared to standard action rounds. And then there are the lesser recoil, higher SD and BC for same bullet weights, lower powder consumption, larger selection of quality bullets, generally lower gun weight, and greater selection of high-BC target-quality bullets in the 24 cal. It is a close call between the 25-06 and the 243 in many categories, but the only real edges the 25 has are in bullet diameter and in minute terms and factory rifles, bullet weight.
I picked up a Remington BDL in 243 last spring for my kids for 300 bucks, for when they get old enough to hunt. I tested it with several bullets and and loads. My preference fell to the 105 Amax and HPBT. With R-26, it is easy to push these over 3100 fps out of the 24" bbl. Three-shot groups hover around 1/2"-2/3". I liked it so well, I took it out to blood it last fall with the Amax load, which is what it happened to be sighted in with at the time. I shot a giant, 3x3 Muley who had funky antlers. He was the dominant buck in that area though. The shot was just a couple yards shy of 400, quartering to the rear. The Amax are a bit soft for this, but both shots made it through the ribs before they broke up. Very effective. There are better hunting bullets that will stabilize in the 9.125" twist though.
I picked up a Remington BDL in 243 last spring for my kids for 300 bucks, for when they get old enough to hunt. I tested it with several bullets and and loads. My preference fell to the 105 Amax and HPBT. With R-26, it is easy to push these over 3100 fps out of the 24" bbl. Three-shot groups hover around 1/2"-2/3". I liked it so well, I took it out to blood it last fall with the Amax load, which is what it happened to be sighted in with at the time. I shot a giant, 3x3 Muley who had funky antlers. He was the dominant buck in that area though. The shot was just a couple yards shy of 400, quartering to the rear. The Amax are a bit soft for this, but both shots made it through the ribs before they broke up. Very effective. There are better hunting bullets that will stabilize in the 9.125" twist though.
PNW EOD
Well-Known Member
Since the OP already made his choice, I'll use this to back him up. I love a .243 for coyotes and smaller deer. I have shot all of my coyotes since I was 14 with the same .243 loaded with the 75 grain Vmax. The only time I switch the load is during deer season, where I run the Barnes 80 grain TTSX. My rifle loves the bullets in the 75-85 weight, and hates anything else. This rifle is getting passed down to my little brother this year for his first deer hunt at 13 years old. For coyotes I have gone to an 18" Sig M400 AR, but my deer rifle graduated to a 6.5 Creed. I loved that .243 and will probably buy another in the future with a twist rate to handle the 105 breed of VLD bullets. Hope the new rifle works out for ya, I don't think anyone could be dissapointed with a .243!
Daniel Garmon
Member
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- Jun 5, 2017
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25-06 gets my vote , I use a 22-250 for anything that you may want to do with a 243, but if your trying to decide between the 243 and a 25-05 hands down 25-06.
