Combo Varmit Deer Caliber...

[acpick]

I want a new long range rifle to use on both deer and varmits...I don't hear much about 25 caliber rifles....25-06...25 wssm...257 roberts....Seems they would be perfect...or should I go with a 6mm...??....thanks for any advice...thanks

 

[Preacher]

You never heard much about the 25's cause there were never many good bullets to play with..
That has changed with Berger making a few good weights that will shoot...
The 95 and 110 grain do very well in my 25/284 XP rifle.....
Not a thing wrong with the 6mm either, but I would prefer the 25 for longer ranges
on deer sized critters.....

 

[coyote32]

My 250 Savage pulls double duty pretty well. Mild recoil and very accurate. My 1-10 twist stabilizes 75 gr V-maxes for varmints and a 100 to 110gr for deer size game. One of the best and most versatile calibers I own. Alot of people overlook the 25's,but there missing out.

 

[rstreich]

My vote goes for the .243 Win. You've got a lot more choices for varmint and hunting bullets, more choices for good brass, and it's more than enough for deer-sized game.

 

[2506]

It all depends on just how far you are going to be shooting and at what. A 6mm in like lets say 243 Win. is great on varmints but light on bigger game like deer. I have shot a few deer with the 243 Win and I would keep it inside 300 yards and it will get the job done with 100 gr bullets. The 243 is a very good varmint round out to about as far as you are capable of hitting a critter. Now the 25-06,in my book), is about the best deer killing round I have ever squeezed the trigger on. I have killed way over 200 deer in my life and have killed them with about every factory and some wildcats from 22LR through 45-70. I have found nothing that kills deer like the 25-06 with a 100 to 117 gr Sierra bullets. I have killed over 100 deer from pointblank to over 500 yards with 25-06's and I can count on one hand the ones that have take even just one step after being hit. Those that did take a step after being hit went less than 3 jumps before they piled up. They just drop in their tracks when hit. As for varmints like ground hogs with 87 gr bullets and lighter, they just explode. Now with either round you most likely would not want to do a big PD town because you would burn the barrel out from the heat in short order. Take into count that most deer are killed inside 100 yards and most groundhogs are killed inside 300 yards. My pick would be the 25-06.

 

[MrMister]

In order of "my prefrences":

1. .243 Win,I live in California and Blacktails fall to this round. Might be a bit light on larger deer) but it's cheap and will scramble vermin.

2. 6mm Remington: Same as above info,pretty much the same round!).

3. 25-06: Perfect on all deer but expensive on a digger squirrel colony.

4. 257 Roberts: Same as above.

Glad to see no one said 223 Rem or 204 Ruger. I've been on other sites where people swear these rounds "drop big game like a sledge hammer". All I can say is BS!

Respect the game. I could kill an elk with a 17HMR if I got lucky...but why even try?

Sorry-got on my soap box.

 

[CJ6]

Minnesota just passed the ALL 22 CF cal and up for deer hunting.Which means that some NUT,CAN'T FIX STUPID) is going to try a 400yd + shot with his 22 hornet or 221 Fireball with 35-40gr SPs and wonder why the dang deer didn't drop like struck by lightning

 

[wvuredneck09]

I disagree that all 22cal. guns are out of the questions for deer. I'm a whitetail hunter and while i prefer the firepower from my 270wsm I have taken two whitetails with my 22-250 that both piled up, both at around 200 yards,180 and 213) so I dont know that you can count them out with the right round and shot placement. With that being said I will however suggest the 243 as well. Cheap available ammo and reloading components. Plenty of power for any whitetail inside 400 yards and there is something about watching a groundhog "explode" when hit with a ballistic tip varmit bullet. Just my 2 cents

 

[sewwhat89]

I would go with a 25-06 if you are looking at factory built rifles. They are available from Savage and Remington in heavy barrel varieties. If you are building a custom, I would go with a 257 Ackley. It is basically a 25-06 in a shorter package. This is what I am planning to do when my 25-06 burns out. For vermin, you can shoot the 85 gr NBTs at 34-3500 fps and step up to 100-120 gr bullets for up to mule deer and elk if need be. Just my thoughts. . . .

 

[CJ6]

A cart. from 22-250, with proper bullets )to 308. my favs. are the 250Sav. IMP and 260 rem IMP very modest recoil, accurate and very deadly at reasonable ranges.

 

[CJ6]

wvuredneck I would agree that a larger cased .224 could be used 223WSSM,22-250,220 swift etc.with the proper bullets,partitions,swift,and Barnes).But the state said ALL .224 CF Cartridges that's what I don't agree with.Yes I did voice my concerns at some of the various meetings that the state DNR held

 

[264WSM]

If you go custom try the 6.5-06 AI, it will give you alot more horsepower for long range deer and groundhogs, coyotes and such. I would rather be a little over powered for the small stuff and be able to anchor the deer instantly at the longer ranges. The 120gr ballistic tip is a good compromise for everything and are easy to get to shoot well

 

[357Mag]

AC -

You did not mention the range, however...

In .25 cal, the .250-3000 made its name by being superbly flexible for use on BOTH deer and varmints.
This pre-dated the advent of the .243 WIn and 6mm Rem.

A 250-3000 loaded w/ Varget, H380, or I4007 and 75 "V"-Max or
Sierra 75HP; would be a "death ray" on groundhog.

100gr bullets for deer, along w/ a good skinning knife !

Best of luck in your endevors.

Regards,
357Mag

 

[MOO1072]

I use the .243 Win for both small game and medium game. Up until recently I was using different bullet types for different game. 70gn Nosler BT for small game and 85-95 grain bullets for medium game. It is very rare that a rifle will shoot different bullets to the same point of impact. This meant that I would need to adjust sights when changing bullets which is rather inconvenient when I just want to take my rifle out of the safe and go hunting.

I've recently adopted a new theory and that is to have one bullet for both purposes which means I don't have to mess around with the sights and I can be confident that my rifle will shoot straight. The bullet has to be light enough to be driven reasonably flat but strong enough to hold up in bigger game.

At present I am using 95gn federal fusion ammo as my all round load. Ideally I would like to use the 90gn swift scirocco but they are hard to get and expensive in my part of the world.

My point is that you may like to consider selecting a deer bullet you trust first, and then a cartridge that will drive that bullet flat enough for varmints. Its just my .02 but I would consider a .25/06 110gn Accubond combo for an all-round rifle.

Otherwise, buy 2 rifles, and set one up for varmints and the other for deer. There is no such thing as owning too many rifles.

 

[pintopete]

acpick, You are on the right track with your choices. Just remember that a 25/06, 257, and 6mm have much larger case volumes than other "varmint cartridges". If you are going to handload and shoot it a lot, it will be more costly than a 22 hornet, 221, 222, 223 type cartridge. I have worked with .257 Roberts, 6mm and love them. Just get the correct twist and you will be all set. If you want a cartridge that is in between, the 250/3000 has an in between volume but will not have as high velocity as some of the others. The .257 and 6mm have the same 7x57 parent case. The .257 Roberts was loaded to a lower pressure standard than some others. You can see this when you compare the velocity results. As others have stated, decide on your range that your shots will likely be and that will help you decide on the caliber. The good thing about the 25/06 and .243 is that you can most likely go to any sporting goods store and buy ammo. This may not be true with the others we have mentioned. Good luck, Peter.

 

[65BR]

Glad no one told me or the deer that this was not supposed to work.....before it did, but my longest deer kill was at 400 yds, 105amax/6br/2840mv, range had been checked w/LRF.

Double lunged, went MAYBE 25 yds.....dropped.

 

[Lapuatom]

I do a lot with my 243. Shot an antelope @396yds. no problem. Usually distances are around 100-250 for deer.Excellent varmint round,a little heavy for fox hunting,a lot of pelt damage),but great for groundhogs,coyote. Makes a lot of heat in a prariedog town though.Ammo can be found anywhere in a pinch.