Lance86 Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I am looking for a new rifle for my daughter and am leaning toward the Remington 700 ADL in 25-06. Reason being that while she will use it for Michigan whitetails, I will also use it for antelope and hogs. I'm waffling between it and the same gun in .243. I've heard that I will need the extra punch of the 25-06 for the hogs and that it will give me a flatter shot at long range, but almost all other things are equal. Does anyone have advice, especially with regards to recoil? My daughter is 13 and I don't want to scare her with a big punch of recoil- if she can't practice with it, she won't hunt with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griz Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I have had great luck with this Rifle... 350lb. Hog at 183 yards... Check it out... http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98013 Really...I would go with the 25-06... It is an awesome round... Griz... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m gardner Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I had a custom Ruger I built and made the mistake of letting my friend's girls shoot it when we hunted prarie dogs. They loved it. I ended up selling it to him. They shot lots of deer and elk with it. You can use bullets in the 90 grain range for practice then hunt with 120's if recoil is a problem. Find someone who has both calibers and let her try them. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 Don't have any first hand hunting experience with the .25-06, but the .243 for the girls here has done really well on these whitetails. Don't think antelope would be any tougher than deer. Recoil from the .25-06 is a little bit more than the .243, but should be manageable. Whether it is bothersome to your daughter or not would depend on her, my oldest daughter was shooting my .270 pretty regular last year, she just turned 14 in March. I like Mark's suggestion of letting her shoot each and see how she handles it. If she is ok with the .25-06 would probably opt for it if it were me, but the .243 will effectively put deer and antelope down at reasonable ranges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterbobb Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 You can use bullets in the 90 grain range for practice then hunt with 120's if recoil is a problem. Mark The 25-06 is definatly the way to go. It is a much better caliber than the 243. Recoil even with a 120 gr bullet is very manageable. As mark says she can practice with 90 grain bullets and then hunt with the 120's. If she does practice with a 90 grain bullet there will actually be less felt recoil from the 25-06 than a 100 gr load from a 243. Not only is the bullet lighter but because the 25-06 will have a longer action the rifle will weigh slightly more. All of this will contributes to less felt recoil. Unless your daugter weighs only 50 pounds and is a real girly girl, I am sure she can handle the 25-06. :gun2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muleyman Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 We have a .243. It is an awesome caliber. It takes deer down perfect. It is a Remington 710. I really like it so far. I am 12 and am fine shooting that gun. There isn't very much kick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I'd say go with the 243 given her age and your concerns about recoil, if I had to choose between the two. It's a great little round if put in the right spot. But don't overlook the others it shares the case with - 308 and 7mm-08. Personally with her age I'd go with the 7-08. The extra mass will make it a more forgiving round, and I'm guessing you're not having her in situations with long range shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnf Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I've got two identical guns with identical scopes and mounts in 243 and 25-06. The 25 has significantly more recoil, though it is not unpleasent. Of the two, I would go with the 243 for a young girl. I would however take a look at the 7mm-08. My BIL has one in the same gun and it's recoil is only slightly more than the 243 and is ballistically close to the 308. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Bucknasty Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I've got the exact 25-06 set up you're talking about and I absolutely love it. Either one would be sufficient as long as she's comfortable with it. The 25-06 might be a bit louder which may be something you'd want to consider. Also, if you don't handload, the .243 is usually easier to find a variety of ammo for at least in this part of the country. I'm sure it's different out West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse8953 Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 Youy can find .243 ammo just about anywhere and it isn't to much $.jmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redgreen Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 She will be able to handle the 25 06 just fine. Great for everything from mice to moose. Have a look at the Rugers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 The .25-06 is an awesome round. I bought one in a Ruger M77 Mark II a couple years ago. I can go to the range and fire 100 rounds out of it and it doesn't hurt my shoulder at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 I have both the 25-06 and 243. If it was just for you then i'd choose the 25-06 but for your daughter then i'd go with the 243 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimPic Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 Both are fantastic rounds that'll cleanly kill deer and black bear. I prefer the 25-06 but for a youngster,I'd choose the short-action .243. Another great round is the 7mm-08(my favorite deer cartridge). Recoil is mild,short-action,and they really put a smacking on deer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelund79 Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 25.06 all the way. Its bark is alot worse than its bite. My wife is petite, and that is the rifle she likes to shoot besides my AR. I also like the ballistics over the 243, but that is jmo....Congrats on getting them involved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missed160 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 I would lean towards the 25-06, or even 308/ 7mm-08 - Most ammo manufacturers are now selling "Reduced Recoil" ammo. My son has shot a couple deer in Minnesota with this ammo & it worked awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance86 Posted April 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 thanks for all of the great feedback. It's difficult to try before you buy and it's rare to find the person that has both guns and can comment. I'm hearing much of what I expected- almost a toss up and that I need to consider my daughter's preference for recoil and noise instead of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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