Which caliber fits the bill???
 

Need a rifle my wife and young kids can deer hunt with. Plus...I'm thinking about doing some coyote hunting in the future.

Light recoil, flat shooting, and effective on small game up to deer is what I need.

I was thinking 25-06 or 7mm-08.

How does the 25-06 handle deer?


What do you guys think?

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

243 is what you need. A 25-06 will do the job also. But its a tad overbore. A 243 can do it more effectively.

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

It depends on which is most important. The 243 is a great cyote gun. The 25-06 is a MUCH MUCH MUCH better deer rifle than the 243. If you need to do both with the same gun, grab the 25-06 and don't look back. If it were just for deer then the 7mm-08 would get my vote.

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

The 25-06 is very effective on deer sized animals. Also, factory loads are available for varminting. The only drawback for the 25-06 as a lady and kid gun is that it isn't available in a scaled down rifle.

The 7MM-08 is a good deer round and nearly as flat shooting as the 25-06. There once was a 120 gr. HP load available from Remington for varmints. That load is long gone. I do occassionaly see them at a gun show here and there.

So, I guess if you will use the gun yourself most of the time buy the 25-06. If you are primarily buying for your wife & kids I would opt for the 7MM-08. One gun I like alot is the Browning Micro Hunter. It is light and has a shorter length of pull and overall length to fit smaller statured people. The model 7 is available from Remington & Winchester has a compact all available in 7MM-08. Your deer load for the 08 should be 139 or 140 gr.

I do own a 25-06 and have owned a 7MM-08. My preference is the 25-06. It shoots flatter and seems to drop deer in their tracks. In my opinion the 06 needs a 24" barrel to reach it potential. For some smaller people a longer barrel makes the gun feel like it is forward heavy. The compact 7MM-08 guns will have 20" barrels and balance better for smaller people.

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

The 25-06 is a great gun for deer and coyotes. It will quickly dispatch a deer, as well as reaching out to touch a coyote.

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

Given the two choices you noted, I'd go with the 25-06. Plenty of power for deer, very flat shooting, accurate. Would make a great coyote rifle as well.

However, you might want to take a look at two others you didn't mention, the .243Win.
and the .260Remington. The .260 is plenty for deer, and would also be good on varmints
including coyote. If you handload then this is the one I'd give serious consideration.
It's available in some nice light rifles too. The .243Win. is, IMHO, a minimum for deer, but will do, and would also make an excellent varmint rifle. Very accurate, and also
available in light rifles. Come to think of it, if you handload, take a look at the .257 Roberts. It's available in the Ruger Ultra-Light (6lbs., 20"barrel). Recoil with the .257 is
mild. Factory ammo is available for the heavier bullets for deer hunting, but you'll need
to load your own for varminting. Another option in the same rifle is the old .270Win.:D

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

Everyone...thanks for the input.

Yep, something to consider...seems all the rifles chambered in 25-06 have '24 inch tubes. It could be too big for a small woman or kids.

Guess I'll have to get the old lady to handle both to see which one she likes for me...I mean for her. ;)

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

My vote would be the 243, it is a proven deer round and will easily take them out. yote are no problem either. a 243 with 100 gr nosler partitions is a perfect package for any deer. my dad only had a 243 up to recently and has used it to take moose, dont question this little guns power.

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

As a 25-06 owner I believe that it will do all you have asked it to do. I would be a little concerned that if your children & wife have little shooting experience that the recoil my be a little too much for them. If this is the case a .243 may be a better choice.

Good Hunting

RE: Which caliber fits the bill???
 

If you can find a 257 Roberts you'd have a great deer/varmint rifle. Unfortunatley, unless you handload you won't have much of a selection to choose from. My vote is for the 243. You have quite a selection of bullets and loads and you can find the caliber in almost every rifle. I'll second the micro hunter recommendation. I own a micro medallion and it fits me perfectly. I'm only 5'-9" and have a stocky built, but it's my rifle of choice in any short action caliber. My 257 is a sub MOA rifle and has little recoil(similar ot the 243) and is almost unoticable to carry.