Inbetween 243 & 270

I'm looking for information about what rifle is between a 243 & a 270. I'm looking for something a little bigger than a 243 but with less bang/kick than a 270.

I'm looking at this for my son for Christmas.

25-06----- Love me some 25-06

second choice would be 7-08

+1

Another one for 25-06. Love mine. There is a lot of good press on this board about that round.

25-06 is the way to go .

If you want less noise and kick stick with a short action cases like 257 roberts, 260 remington. The recoil and noise on a 25-06 will be close to the 270. The 7mm-o8(.284) is a great choice but is actually larger than a 270 (.277)as far as bullets goes just in a shorter case.

25-06 with 100 grain TSX or Partitions.It will still be loud, but felt recoil is about like a 243.

I like the 257roberts, 25-06 would be next in line.

You'll get more out of a 25-06 than a 257 bob, but the 257 still has all you need to take down anything in Texas.

IMO a 7-08 would be a good choice for the situation.
Less recoil and noise than .270 with the advantage of a larger diameter and heavier bullet.

My next pick would be .257 Roberts.

IMO Using rifles of identical weight a 120 grain 25-06 has so close to the identical felt recoil of a 140 grain 7-08 I doubt anyone could tell the difference.
If your going to use 100 grain or less bullitz might as well buy a .243 and be done with it.

Are you buying him a youth model?

If possible have some friends meet y'all at the range with different calibers, let him shoot them to see which one he likes best.

Here are the calculated recoil numbers (ft-lbs) for the loads mentioned. Actual felt recoil will be impacted by factors such as stock design, weight of rifle, and recoil pads:

100gr 243 @ 2960 fps: 7.6
100gr 25/06 @ 3230fps: 10.1
120gr 25/06 @ 2990fps: 10.8
140gr 7-08 @ 2800fps: 11.2
130gr 270 @ 3060 fps: 13.4

velocities are factory published, rifle weight was 9lbs in all cases.

Here is a link to Chuck Hawks recoil chart!

You will notice the 25-06 and 7mm-08 and .270 are pretty much on par when it comes to recoil.

You might think about using the 7mm-08 or the .270 with the reduced recoil ammo that Remington sells and then when he grows out of it he will have a full house deer round.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

I've used the reduced recoil ammo and out to 100 yards it's pretty much dead on with full house loads. MOD D=deer.
http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/centerfire/managed-Recoil.asp

A 7MM-08 using managed recoil is a sweet shooter for a kid, and then you can shoot the regular load in the same gun if you want to use it when the kid won't wake up the morning of the hunt.

I'm not going to mention who did this, but I know a guy that sighted in his daughters 7MM-08 with regular loads and then let his daughter use the managed recoil ammo to practice with, and when they got into the stand he loaded the real deal into the gun and when she shot a deer with it she never even noticed the change. BTW I'm in no way recommending anyone do this......Just sayin!

6.5x55 is easy on the shoulder...

I vote 260. Im using my grandfather's 260 this year while he sets me up with a new scope on my 7MM 08. The 260 seems just right to me for what the OP is describing. The 260 recoils noticeably less than 7MM 08 but is still plenty of bullet to drop a fat axis buck at over 200 yards.

I shoot a vintage .257 Roberts

Accurate as can be, flat trajectory, low recoil.

Have to go to a gun shop to buy rounds.

I wouldn't consider a 7-08 to be between the 243 and 270, mostly because it is an equal to the 270 in almost every way.

If I had to get in between those two rounds, I'd be looking real hard at the 260. I did in fact when I bought my 7-08. But choose the 7mm because of a broader choice of bullets in 7mm at that time. The 260 has caught up quite bit in that area since then though.

Any of the 1/4" bores would fill that gap nicely too.

Decisions, decisions!

Get one of each!



Jay

this might help
relative recoil factor
.243=1.25
.25-06=1.57
.270=1.82
.7mm-08=1.80

My vote would be for the 260 or 7mm-08!

And if you want to get a little more exotic I would say the 25WSSM!

25-06 will be a great starter deer rifle and then can be his Predator rifle when he's older.

IMO, the 25/06 is not just a great starter rifle, it's a great lifetime deer rifle! No need for anything bigger in Texas.

x2 Mmmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiillllllllllliiiiiiioooooooonnnnnnnn

love the 243 but the 25-06 has the ability to do so much more.

I have a lot of differant rifles ranging 22-250 all the way up to 300mag.
6 foot 235lb, ex college football player. I can shoot my 300mag just as well as my 25-06... I have shot my 300 mag once in the last 3 years. Just don't see the benefit of it when 25-06 DRT any thing I hunt, and I hunt Oklahoma/Kansas border the most and those WT are well over 200lbs many pushing 300(escpecially the mulies).

I went thru this same excercise couple years back when I was not quite ready to hunt after rehabbing a severly surgically damaged shoulder I had been told I would never recover from. Never say never to someone as stubborn as I am ! As a 270 shooter for 40+ years I knew that the sharper quicker recoil I was familair with was related to the chamber pressure (aka bullet speed) x's bullet's weight x's the gun weight weight. I had also shot a 257 Roberts and a 243 for about 10 years each, and a wide range of other calibers including a 25/06.

2 years ago I chose a 6.5x55 Swede in a Tikka T3 as it answers every one of your concerns, from low recoil, a wide range of bullet weights exactly equal to a 270, and a world wide 100 year reputation for extrodinary killing power capable of elk, black bear & moose because of the 264 diameter's aka 6.5mm unique super long bullet shape that on average penetrates deeper than other bullets of the same design in other other calibers at much slower speeds.

While there are certainly no flys on a 25/06, IMO the calibers limitations for your application are: same chamber pressures as a 270 ='s approx same recoil in same weight guns & bullets; limited to 120 gr bullets max weight & why I chose a 257 Roberts the last time I rehabbed an unrelated bad disc until I could start back with my bigger calibers again, 25/06 also is almost impossible to find in barrel lengths shorter than 24"s for a reason - they are over bored - aka larger powder capacity than normal to generate more speed otherwise they are basically not much faster than the 85 year old 257 Roberts, and more speed equals added recoil; my experiences in the late 1960's and 1970's with a 243 convinced me that I needed heavier bullets than a 100 gr'er despite being able to write both my initials on a business card at a 100 yards accuracy wise back when I was shooting 2500-3000+ centerfire benchrest bullets a year, leading me to try a 25/06 for a couple years before settling on a 270. A 260 Remington caliber - 264 diameter or 6.5mm - is based on the same 308 case & powder capacity as a 243, 7-08 & some larger calibers & generate approx the same chamber pressures @ + 52,000 CUP or + 60,000 PSI... and recoil.

I would reccomend either the Reduced Recoil ammo in a medium weight rifle totalling scoped and loaded at about 7 1/2lbs that comes closes to FITTING PROPERLY the young shooter in a 270 or 7-08... or some of the older lower chamber pressure calibers like a 250 Savage, a 257 Roberts, my 6.5x55 Swede or a 7x57 Mauser. Even the venearable 30/30 in a Marlin 336 would make a good choice for the very same reasons and ALL of these, except the 30-30, will reliably kill Texas WTails with ease out to 250-300 yards or more in the larger calibers, with the 6.5 Swede & 7 Mauser being the best of the bunch ...and all of these have chamber pressures at about 80% of any of the 308 or 30'06 based calibers ...or about 42-45,000lbs CUP or 48,000 - 50,000 PSI. OBTW The 257 Roberts is simply a 7 Mauser case necked down to a 25 caliber when it was done commercialy in 1925.

JMHO and YMMV ...but I've been doing this since 1969 and finally decided to pay attention to what distances I kill 98% of my critters at...under 300 yards ...but I still like shoot a 300WMg in 180's at 31-3200fps ...and now have added a 1905 designed Mauser 9.3x62 at 2400 fps in 285 grain bullets capable of legally killing Cape Buffalo too ...just for funsies LOL!
Ron

250 Savage, 260 Remington, 257 Roberts, 6.5x55 Swedish.

went thourgh this recently, ended up with the 260, because it has the best bullet as far as ballistics. the 6.5 sweede is a great round, but its a long action. so is the 25-06. 257 roberts is a mid range, not a true short action. I wanted a true short action rifle, which the 260 is.

\

This is a great post!!

How old is your son and how big is he?
What it boils down to is this, first do you reload?
Some this ammo is hard to find and when you get it at a specialty store at a high price!
I personally like the 6.5 x 55 and the 257 Roberts.
The next decision is how big of game will you hunt and how far will the game be?
The 257 Roberts has a very mild recoil it was a 7 Mauser necked down to 25 cal.
The factory load are loaded down for the weaker actions.
A 257 Roberts may be hard to find new or used.
Have you considered a Knox comp stock which is a recoil reducing stock.

HERE IS THE LINK FOR KNOX STOCK WEB SITE
I have one on my 300 wsm and it works great

7mm-08 with 120 gr bullets would fit into your criteria almost perfectly.

A 25-06 uses a necked down 30-06 case (just like a .270). I would say they would kick just about the same. If he wears proper hearing protecton (yes in the feild too!!) than "bang" should not be an issue.

.257 roberts would probably be your best choice from a recoil standpoint.

Kimber still makes rifles chambered in .257 roberts.

AR in 6.8spc. feels like a BB gun

Can still find a few browning lever action 257s as well. My dad has had one for the longest and it is a shooter. He is just ticked b/c winchester no longer loads 100gr silver tips for it.....(and I haven't been able to find any to reload either)

With the comp stock a 270 will shot like a 243 with out the muzzle break noise .

A 257 Roberts is a fine round that can be hand loaded up to nearly 25\06 or factory load that kick less than a 243.

WildBoar, you wrote EXACTLY what I was going to write. LOL . To the original poster, If you are looking for "calibers" in between 243 and 270 then there are several.But I am assuming recoil is an issue with the .270 and the .243 just isnt enough gun. The 260, falls in there. The 257 roberts is a nice little round. If you dont mind going up a little in caliber, the little 7mm Mauser(7x57 Mauser) is a very easy going game getter. It is a favorite of many a well known hunter. Jim Carmichael lamented it. The 7mm-08 is another. I is just a touch hotter than the 7x57. I suppose you could reload a 7x57 a bit hotter than a 7mm-08, but they are usually milder because of the many OLD rifles still around. They want to keep the chamber pressures down. But if you have a relatively new 7x57, then I think there is probably alot of reloading potential for it...Sorry, I get excited, and have a tendency to ramble on..............good hunting

I would say 6.5x55 or 260. The .264 bullet they both shoot has an excelent reputation for both long range accuracy and penatration. I've never owned a 260 but have owned several 6.5x55s and they are very accurate and my 105 lb wife can shoot it with no recoil issues. She also dropped a 250lb hog with it with full penatration through both shoulders. 140-160gr bullets in the .264 diameter dont play.

25-06 w/ 117gr in long action
260rem w/ 120gr rem in short action

Hmmmmm... little outside the box here....

What about a 308? With reduced recoil rounds it kicks about like a 243.... but is instantly upgradeable to a "man" rifle in a few years by changing ammo and re-zeroing....

I agree sig! To be honest he said "in-between" .243 and .270, so i didnt know if it was a recoil issue or caliber issue.So , I left out the 30 caliber. When I was 11, I was already a seasoned pro, LOL!!!...well for an 11 year old, anyways. My dad let me choose the caliber I wanted. He told me later that he knew I would make a good choice. The .308 win (Win Model 70 XTR Featherweight) is what I chose because the recoil is manageable, and it is almost as versitile as a 30-06 ( I wanted something that would be ok for elk too). Also , I wanted a shorter bolt throw. I thought about all of those things. I am happy with the choice I made, and it still holds it's place in my rifle battery. You know I hear so many guys these days scoffing at the .308. It is right on the heels of an '06! Maybe it is just the Magnum fad..i dunno.

I'd vote for the 25-06 between the 243 and 270. BUT, the 6.8 SPC in an AR would be AWESOME. Although, it will be heavy to carry around, but the recoil is so low and the caliber is awesome for any game here in Texas.

I would say a 6mm remington.

Well said. I'm still a fan of the .300 Savage. That or the .250-3000 are both light recoiling cartridges.

In a Model 70 Featherweight with the factory rubber butt pad, it kicks hard and will turn your shoulder black and blue.

A lot of the recoil equation is rifle weight. Better to get him a standard weight rifle with a good rubber recoil pad than concentrate on what caliber (of all those mentioned, I'm not saying a standard weight rifle will tame a .338 WM!).

What he said. Except I'd go with the .270 WCF and the managed-recoil loads for the range and the regular loads for the actual hunt. Some south Texas outfits consider the .270 the minimum acceptable for their big deer, so I've read here.

Interest, and sounds about right. However with the .270 managed-loads, the .270 has less recoil than the .25-06.

Take a look at the Remington ballistics cart for the .25-06 standard load with a 115 grain bullet and the .270 with a managed-recoil load. The .25-06 sends that bullet along at 3000 fps and the .270 managed-recoil velocity is 2700. But, with the .270, he has the ability to grow into the .270 full loads.

Further, with the .270 Hornady Superformance ammo (just recently announced), the .270 WCF almost matches the .270 WSM! So, if he ever goes after elk, he could use those. The .270 is really like 3 calibers in one now.

.25-06 vs .270 managed-recoil

.257 Roberts is the ultimate for women and young adults

Ah, but the .270 with managed-recoil loads is almost identical to the .257 Roberts:

117 @ 2650 vs 115 @2710

Remington Ballistic Chart

And then you have the growth path all the way to an elk/moose rifle as I mentioned above.

Damn stop over complicating things.... The kid needs the 25-06... You all know its the best cal. ever invented.

Cool glad we agree

Great caliber!!! If I didn't already have a 257 Wby Mag, my next rifle would be a 6mm Rem. It has a significant advantage over the 243 Win. The problem in the case of the OP, you are still limited to 100 grain bullets.

Its hell to find ammo for a 6mm unless you like corloks. Love the caliber, I here its a handloaders dream. BF's wife shoots the 6mm. She extremely deadly with it.

I had a 6mm Rem when it first came out, but isn't it obsolescent? I mean, no one makes a rifle in that caliber anymore, do they?

I would go with the 25-06 if you are going to shoot factory ammo as this is a fairly common caliber, with a good selection of loads avalible. However, If you reload then the 260 rem would be the one I would choose. either way most all the calibers sugested will work. Heck if you where to find a 243 with a 26" barrel that could push the 100 gr bullets to 3000+ fps it would be my fist choice.

I think you might be able to still order a custom one from Remington, or have an barrel for Encore built.

Federal makes several loads for the 6mm. But you're right, to take full advantage of it's capabilities, you need to reload.

I don't know of anyone still making them, but you can find plenty of Remington 788's on GunBroker. The 788 is a helluva rifle.

Those have killed scores of deer. I am totally suprised that the little 250-3000 Savage is so forgotten. It was a good little gun.

6.5x55 Swedish...hands down.

One of the greatest rounds ever created!

25-06 with 115 gr Fenderal Premium NP will make short work of anything in Texas. A few folks out West also use them for Elk hunting, but make sure you are a dead shot if used on something that large. Bought a new 25-06 this year and my 270 hasn't left the house since.

I would look at a 257 Roberts, 25-06, or 7-08. First two loaded with 115 gr. Nosler B-Tip or 110 gr. Nosler Accubond. The 7-08 is very versitle with little kick with the 120 gr. Nosler B-tip. This are fairly easy gun to find, especially the last two. 257 Roberts is probably a little harder to find. I have one of each.