The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - the 7mm-08 vs the 25-06 which is better

taylorce1 · November 20, 2008, 07:26 AM

Montana has more to offer than just deer so plan for what you might get to hunt while your brother is living out there.

If all you are going to do with that rifle is kill deer then the .25-06 would probably be the better choice. Deer don't require heavy bullets to put them down and 90-120 grain will do the job just fine, and if you get the chance to put down a pronghorn the .25-06 will be the better tool for the job.

The 7mm-08 will be a more versatile cartridge if you throw elk in the mix. For deer you can use 120 grain bullets that will even work well for pronghorn. For the elk you can use a premium bullet in 140 grains all the way up to the standard bullets in 175 grain. The 7mm-08 pretty much duplicates the old 7X57 Mauser which has been killing game for longer than most cartridges.

If you don't mind I'll throw in a caliber that bridges both of them. Look seriously at the .270 Win. With a 130 grain bullet for deer it is similar in ballistics to the 110-120 grain out of the .25-06. With the 150 grain bullets for elk the .270 will out perform the 7mm-08 across the board. The .270 has bullets starting a 90 grains all the way up to 160 grains, so it covers most of the same popular weights of bullets in both rifles.

Sorry Ropadop didn't see that you had already recommended the .270.

November 20, 2008, 07:26 AM	#4
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,249	Montana has more to offer than just deer so plan for what you might get to hunt while your brother is living out there. If all you are going to do with that rifle is kill deer then the .25-06 would probably be the better choice. Deer don't require heavy bullets to put them down and 90-120 grain will do the job just fine, and if you get the chance to put down a pronghorn the .25-06 will be the better tool for the job. The 7mm-08 will be a more versatile cartridge if you throw elk in the mix. For deer you can use 120 grain bullets that will even work well for pronghorn. For the elk you can use a premium bullet in 140 grains all the way up to the standard bullets in 175 grain. The 7mm-08 pretty much duplicates the old 7X57 Mauser which has been killing game for longer than most cartridges. If you don't mind I'll throw in a caliber that bridges both of them. Look seriously at the .270 Win. With a 130 grain bullet for deer it is similar in ballistics to the 110-120 grain out of the .25-06. With the 150 grain bullets for elk the .270 will out perform the 7mm-08 across the board. The .270 has bullets starting a 90 grains all the way up to 160 grains, so it covers most of the same popular weights of bullets in both rifles. Sorry Ropadop didn't see that you had already recommended the .270.