Is the 25-06 better than the 270? Not a chance if you are talking about big game hunting. The 25-06 is a great round but the 270 takes your options a step further because it has heavier bullets available. The 280 take you another step with a bit heavier bullets yet. They are all the 30-06 case so it's all in what weight bullet fits your hunting needs. I like the 25-06 better when I may do more varmit hunting than deer hunting although its great for deer. If it's mostly deer and bigger then the 270/280 would be my choice. For deer with a rifle, I like a bullet with a SD of 200-250 with about 220 suitung me best. I always pick my bullet by what I need it to do then see what cartridge will deliver. The more options one rifle will fill just makes selection more simple.

SD is not everything but its a heck of a guide line. If you look at a caliber that has a good selection of well constructed bullet, say the Nosler Partition, the higher the SD of the partition bullet, the more penetration you will get. A happy medium is needed though because a bullet with to high a SD may not expand much if at all on medium game.

The 25.06 is an awesome caliber. I know it's not the caliber of choice for Elk and i would personally use something bigger for that but i alsowouldn't be scared to shoot one with it using a well constructed bullet like the partition. You didn't say you were looking for an Elk rifle though you said antelope and from what i gather an antelope isn't that hard to kill. The 25.06 would be the perfect caliber for that type work. I've killed countless deer with my 25.06 over the years and it continues to be my caliber of choice when i'm deer hunting. It's pure deer poison around here and justabsolutely kills deer like lighting....period!Although i've never killed an antelope with it i have no doubt that it would have the same effect on those as well. My bullet of choice for my 25.06 is the 110gr Accubond, it's very accurate in my rifle and it's performance on deer has been excellent for me.This is only my opinion based on my experience with the 25.06 but if it's an antelope or deer rifle you want thenthe 25.06 is the ticket. Load that baby with a good 100-115gr bullet and rest assured, if you do your part it will get the job done and done quickly.

Just a side note. I've also killed lots of deer with my 30.06 and a Hornady 130gr SP. Let me add though that my longest shotwith this load was 294yds so i have no ideal how well it would perform beyond that range but i wouldn't be afraid to try it.This particulardeer fell in the scope when i squeezed the trigger and the bullet went through both shoulders and exited so it was well up to the task and i don't think the results could have been any better than that.

Its upclose where the light bullets in 30 cal may have problems. The 130 works pretty well at lower velocities as in the Encore and contender. Also at long range after the velocity has dropped off, it can perform pretty well. The SD for that bullet is 196 so its darn close to that 200 minimum that I prefer for rifles. I have taken a few deer with the 125 Corlokt as well but they were also pretty long shots. I have taken lots of deer with the 25-06 and Nosler 100 grain Ballistic tips. In fact 99 percent of my deer with the 25 caibers, has beeen with the 100 grain BT's.

Thanks everyone for your advice and input. I probably should have mentioned that I'm not replacingmy .30-06.I'll keep that rifle for the big stuff, but it's a little hard on the antelopes. Sounds like the.25-06 may be the ticket, and it would provide some new shooting/huntingopportunities such as predators and varmints. I saw a couple red foxesthis past hunting season that I thought about shooting for the hide, but decided against it with the .30-06.Besides, I need a good argument to give my wife forneeding a new rifle.
Thanks again,
Mud

I think you will be real happy with the 25-06. I love the old 250 Savage for deer as well.

I reload for my 25-06 and have achieved blazing speeds and accuracy. It will do the job for ya. Take a look at this ruger http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdResults?function=famid&famid=31&vari ation=Target%20Grey%AE%20Target&bct=Yes&ty pe=Rifle

mine is a shooter

I've been very happy with my 25-06. I use mine primarily on coyotes, but deer and hogs are often on it's menu as well. If you plan on keeping the hides, use the same bullets you will be using on deer and antelope.

Just popped my first deer with the 25-06....worked awesome, results were impressive. Used a 120 Grain Core Lokt had a 1/2" hole on the entry side and a tennis ball exit. Shot was 2" behind shoulder going in and 5" behind the off shoulder going out. I have a Ruger SS(heavy but nice) I use 85 grain win Ballistic Silver tips and get 1/2 moa for varmints and the core lokt shot 'bout 1.5" for me. If you go by the numbers and take it's track record into consideration, it is a sweet round!

I have a 270 and would trade it in a heartbeat for a 2506. Great deer cartridge and near perfect for antelope. Nothing wrong with a 270 win though with todays bullets better suited to tackle the bigger game but still not ideal. Yes I have shot antelope, deer, black bear, elk and moose withthe .270 win.My personal preference is a 7mm rem mag for the above, as bullet selection and limitations with the .284 are an advantage.

I have a WSM (short mag) and I like it, but you dont need one if you wanna talk about need. In fact, I am a speed goat hunter and I would steer you clear from the 25 WSSM and steer you toward a 25-06. Ballistics are too close to call and the WSSM's sometimes have feed issues. And yes, go with a 25-06 over a 270 if you dont already own a 243. I love 270's but if you dont already have something close to that .243 diameter, grab a 25-06. EJ