I want to get some advice from other long range shooters. I currently shoot a .300 Weatherby for long range deer hunting. My plan is to switch to a smaller caliber that is easier on the shoulder,cheaper to shoot and load for,and just a little more fun to shoot.I mainly will only be hunting whitetails and maybe coyote with the gun. I have narrowed my choices to .25-06 Rem or .308 Win. I currently own a Remington 700 SPS Stainless in .25-06 . The gun is stock but I do intend on doing some necessary work on it to make it all it can be. I will change the trigger and the stock and have the gun glass bedded. I dont intend on getting rid of this gun regardless of the choice in caliber that i make. My question is this . Which caliber is gonna get me the most long range performance for my money. I would like to be able to make 400 yrd shots without a lot of guess work. Can I expect the .25-06 to be as accurate as the .308 in comparable rifles. I would like some one who has experience with both calibers to give me the pros and cons of both.
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25-06 or 308
- Thread starter Bkknupp
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bthomasb1
Active Member
First question do you reload,if you dont go with the .308 ammo is cheaper and match ammo is available as well as scopes with reticles to match .308 ballistics.
If you do reload I would go with the 25-06 and shoot the highest b.c. bullet that suits your hunting needs it will have a little flatter trajectory and will work for any deer or yote you shoot and with 115g berger with a .466 b.c. going 3100 plus with a 230 yards zero will be 2 inches high at 125 yards and 15 low at 400 .just my .02 good luck
If you do reload I would go with the 25-06 and shoot the highest b.c. bullet that suits your hunting needs it will have a little flatter trajectory and will work for any deer or yote you shoot and with 115g berger with a .466 b.c. going 3100 plus with a 230 yards zero will be 2 inches high at 125 yards and 15 low at 400 .just my .02 good luck
Eastcoastshooter375
Well-Known Member
Stick with the 25-06. Mine is fun to shoot, shoots great, and does a number on deer. Thumped a "half rack" buck yesterday at 380 yards with my 25-06 pushing Berger VLD's. Recoil almost doesn't exist and it is flat shooting. 257 bullet offerings from deer destroyers down to crow/groundhog vaporizers. Mine shoots 75gr Vmax, 85gr Nos BT, 100 BT, 117 Sierra, and 115 VLD's to the same point (within 3/8"). On a hunt, I'll stick a few Vmaxes in my pocket in case a crow gets a little too mouthy...
Before you change anything on your gun, how does it shoot now?
Before you change anything on your gun, how does it shoot now?
RangerBrad
Well-Known Member
I'll start by saying I know nothing about the .308 but will say that the 25-06 will do everything you asked and more. I have shot mine out to 730 yds and would shoot further if I could find a place to reach out that far. Brad
I have shot the gun very little . With Federal Premium 100 gr NBT the gun shot a little under an inch @ 100. With Hornady Custom 117 gr SSt it was about 1-1/4 in. With Superformance 117 gr SST... those things were junk !!! I would think the gun can still do better with factory ammo . I was in a hurry the day I shot the gun so I wasnt to worried about those results . I have a friend that is an experienced reloader who is gonna help me develop a load for this gun . He wants to try to use the 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Silver Tips.
Either one will be fine as long as they are accurate and you are confident with them. I'v puhed a 257 Roberts well beyond 400 on deer with good results. Don't worry about high bc bullets for 400 yards. I've used 100SMK's and 100 NBT's alot for that range + with great results
Does any one know what to expect out of the new Rem 700 barrels ? The one on my gun is just a standard sporter 24in SS. I have been told that the new barrels may not be as accurate as the older models. I would really rather not have to re barrel a brand new gun.
ReachOutNTouchSomething
Well-Known Member
I have both a 25-06 and 308 both in Rem700s, the 308 is a new sps-v and the 25-06 is an older 70's model 700 that is incredibly accurate with 117gr sierras. The plan was to build the 25-06 but i couldnt justify messing with it because of how accurate it shoots. As for 400 yard shots the 25-06's velocity makes it simple, with a 200 yd zero (which is what i use) you can figure about 15-20" of drop depending on your bullet. Out of all the deer ive taken with the 25, from 30 yards out to 468 only one has taken a step. I got the 308 for a strictly long range build and left the 25-06 alone for a carry gun.... for now, in the future i think it will be wearing a 25" varmint contour fluted barrel and a new stock but we'll see how the 308 works out
Since it looks like you will be working up a load for the 25-06...
Best factory ammo in my 26-06 is Federal 100gn Barnes Triple-Shock.
Best load is Retumbo with 110 Nosler Accubond. -- The Retumbo gives me the best speed of any power I have tried and speed is important with the 25-06. The Accubond is the most accurate bullet I have used. I discovered this load on the Nosler forum. It is quite popular wit the 25-06 guys on that forum. The load is also listed in the Nosler reloading manual.
Best factory ammo in my 26-06 is Federal 100gn Barnes Triple-Shock.
Best load is Retumbo with 110 Nosler Accubond. -- The Retumbo gives me the best speed of any power I have tried and speed is important with the 25-06. The Accubond is the most accurate bullet I have used. I discovered this load on the Nosler forum. It is quite popular wit the 25-06 guys on that forum. The load is also listed in the Nosler reloading manual.
The 25-06 and a .308 will each kill deer to 400 yards. The 25-06 has the advantage of a much flatter trajectory because of its' speed. With the flatter trajectory you can skip compensating for range out to 250+ yards on deer. The 308 has the advantage of match ammunition being available and the potential for throwing heavier bullets.
For me it's 25-06 without question. I've owned a .308 but I own and cary a 25-06. Enough said!
For me it's 25-06 without question. I've owned a .308 but I own and cary a 25-06. Enough said!
Moondoggie
Well-Known Member
To say any particular factory load is junk is 'jumping the gun'. (pun intended) There are so many variables, even within the same gun model. Then you have environmental variables such as wind, temperature, and even humidity. Have you shot the 117 sst in any other gun? Because most guns are notoriously finicky, they will like a particular powder, bullet weight, or bullet shape better than another. The only gun I have that consistently shoots any factory load you feed it is my Browning A-bolt chambered in 30.06. Even then, it 'hates' the Norma 55 gr accelerator (probably has to do with the sabot).
I own both and both shoot well. My .25-06 has definitely been my go to rifle for many years. It drives tacks with factory Federal Premium topped with 117g Sierras. Don't even know if you can still buy that ammo, been reloading for years. I'm getting ready to work a load using 92g Hammer Hunters. Also, I recently turned my .308 into a hot-rod with 124g Hammer Hunters over RamShot TAC, found great accuracy at 3,150 fps. That rifle just got interesting on deer and pigs inside 400 yards!
