thank you country i'm kinda thinking 30-06

I use a 30-06, a nephew uses a 270 and my brother uses a 7MM Rem Mag. If you are planning to reload, don't overlook the 280 Remor 7MM-08. The 308 Winis another great deer round. For close shots I prefer a 30-30.

how has the 30-06 worked for you

It has worked very well. For deer, I wouldgo with a 150 to 165 gr bullet with 165 gr being the preferred weight. The 180 gr are really made for elk and not deer.

If you usethe correctbullet, have proper shot placement and don't outshoot your abilitiesnor the abilities of the cartridge, you will not have any problems with a 30-30 (200 yards max with regular 30-30 ammo),7mm-08, 308 win, 25-06 rem, 270 rem, 280 remor 30-06 for deer.

The reason I went with the 30-06 is it will work on any game in North America, and the ammo and reloading components are common. This may become more important as time goes on. Based on that criteria, I would choose between the 308 Win, 270Remor 30-06. One concern with the 308 is will thecurrent administration try to outlaw it forcivilian use as it is a sniper round used by the military and law enforcement (parts ofEurope has a ban like this).

There are better big game (big bears, buffalo, etc.) cartridgesthan the 30-06, but it is a great deer round and very versatile. Iconsider a 30-06 a deer rifle that is capable of taking big game.

Whichever one fits you better. Try 'em on, & see which one picks you.

As for your original question,

Among the 3 you listed, there's certainly no wrong choice. I'd personallygo with the .25-06. It will handily kill any deer alive, and will do it with the least recoil. Less recoil = less fatigue = more practice = betteraccuracy = more fun. All 3 cartidges are perfectly "shootable" choices, but the .25 bore is a tad moreso than the others.

FWIW, I'm a pretty good shot with my .30-06, if I do say so myself. However, I have a 7x57 that seems like it has next to no recoil when compared to my '06. I can spend all day at the range without having to concentrate as hard on my breathing, stance, "squeeeeeezzzzzeeee", etc. Since there's not a deer out there that would know which cartridge killed it, guess which rifle goes out for deer hunting?

FC

For deer only, I'll concur with pygmy-.25/'06.

I wanted a new A-bolt Medallion, looking on Browning's website I saw that they now only offer it with BOSS. Didn't want that. So I was in the sporting goods store here a few weeks ago buying some ammo for my HMR and just thought I would ask if I could get one without the BOSS. The guy told me that they did have some ordered, so I put my name down. $550 is all he is going to charge me. I was expecting to spend at least $850 for the gun, so I got a pretty nice scope for it. A new VX3 4.5-14. So I have the scope sitting at home and still waiting for the gun to show up...

The 25-06 shoots flatter than the other two,and has plenty of power for any deer,so it would be my choice..

Get the 30-06. If you are worried about trajectory put some 125gr bullets in it and let it fly........heck we used to shoot 90gr out of the old '06. Those really screamed.

I like the .280 best of all from the 06 case.Enough so I recently bought one!