7mm Rem Mag vs 25-06

joachim slim · Post by **joachim slim** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:29 pm

could someone please tell me the pros and cons of both rounds? im ignorant when it comes to reloading and ballistics.

Post by **Old Savage** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:34 pm

What do you want to shoot and how far?

Bigahh · Post by **Bigahh** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:39 pm

I'm going out on a limb to say they may be equal in trajectory, but the 7 mag will hit much harder, and it wears a belt. The 25-06 is a terrific antelope round.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:32 am

Ditto.....what's it for, please?

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:41 am

For many years after it's introduction, the 7mm Remington Magnum held the 1000 yard accuracy title, finally being beat out by the 300 Winchester Magnum, IIRC. The little .25-06 has no such distinction. Although it is a fine round in its own right.

The 7mmRemMag will use much more powder to run at its potential and will use magnum primers to do it. The .25-06 has less powder capacity and uses standard large rifle primers.

The .25-06 can be reformed for rather cheap .30-06 brass, the 7mmRemMag can't.

The 7mmRemMag has viable bullets from ~100 grains up to 175 from a variety of manufacturers, the .25-06 ranges from 75 to 120 grains.

Post by **Old Savage** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:02 am

If it is deer antelope - the 25-06 will work well at any reasonable shooting distance. If the game is heavier the 7 mag is likely a better bet.

joachim slim · Post by **joachim slim** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:01 am

either would be used for whitetail. my cousin swears by his 7mm Rem mag. another thinks his 25-06 cant be beat. thye both use them for whitetail and are trying to convince my i need one or the other. i like my 308 winchester though.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 3:18 am

I just love it when someone tries to talk me into something. Reminds me of my Dad tellin' me: "they've likely found themselve kneedeep in fresh horse manure... and want company." You're certainly not undergunned with a .308Win. Your ammo is likely to be cheaper, no matter where you buy it.

Let's look at recommended loads in appropriate bullet weights for whitetails: (my opinion)

.25-06, 120 grain:
powder bullet dia. OAL, grs veloc pressure grains veloc pressure
Retumbo .257" 3.150" 56.0 2806 43,700 CUP 60.0C 2991 50,300 CUP
H1000 .257" 3.150" 52.0 2772 44,900 CUP 55.5 2902 50,600 CUP
H4831 .257" 3.150" 48.0 2705 45,800 CUP 51.5 2856 51,200 CUP
Hybrid 100V .257" 3.150" 46.0 2796 44,500 CUP 50.0 3009 51,200 CUP
H4350 .257" 3.150" 44.0 2643 42,900 CUP 47.5 2816 50,900 CUP
Varget .257" 3.150" 38.0 2584 45,100 CUP 41.0 2755 51,900 CUP
H4895 .257" 3.150" 37.0 2541 45,400 CUP 40.0 2694 51,700 CUP
Supreme 780 .257" 3.150" 49.8 2821 44,600 CUP 53.0 2984 50,000 CUP

7mmRemMag, 140 grain:
Retumbo .284" 3.250" 71.0 2955 46,100 CUP 75.0C 3107 49,400 CUP
H1000 .284" 3.250" 67.0 2934 46,200 CUP 70.0 3036 50,600 CUP
H4831 .284" 3.250" 61.0 2841 46,300 CUP 64.0 2950 50,200 CUP
Hybrid 100V .284" 3.250" 57.0 2895 49,100 PSI 63.0 3138 59,800 PSI
H4350 .284" 3.250" 56.0 2808 45,500 CUP 59.0 2927 50,000 CUP
H414 .284" 3.250" 58.0 2897 46,700 CUP 60.2 2967 49,300 CUP
IMR 7828 .284" 3.250" 64.0 2867 50,000 PSI 69.0 3095 59,200 PSI
IMR 4831 .284" 3.250" 61.0 2880 52,200 PSI 65.4 3053 59,400 PSI
IMR 4350 .284" 3.250" 59.0 2877 51,400 PSI 62.8 3045 58,600 PSI
IMR 4007 SSC .284" 3.250" 56.4 2867 50,900 PSI 60.0 3025 58,600 PSI
Supreme 780 .284" 3.250" 65.1 2976 50,500 PSI 69.3 3134 58,000 PSI

Now for your .308 Win, 150 grain:
Varget .308" 2.800" 44.0 2788 43,300 CUP 47.0C 2937 50,300 CUP
BL-C(2) .308" 2.800" 45.0 2661 40,200 CUP 48.0 2839 50,000 CUP
H335 .308" 2.800" 41.0 2619 42,600 CUP 44.0 2787 51,200 CUP
H4895 .308" 2.800" 43.0 2742 43,200 CUP 45.5 2870 51,000 CUP
Benchmark .308" 2.800" 39.0 2521 38,800 CUP 43.0 2752 49,900 CUP
H322 .308" 2.800" 37.0 2508 39,100 CUP 40.0 2702 50,500 CUP
IMR 4007 SSC .308" 2.800" 44.7 2578 44,700 PSI 46.0C 2648 48,000 PSI
IMR 4320 .308" 2.800" 44.1 2658 44,600 PSI 49.0C 2936 59,800 PSI
IMR 4064 .308" 2.800" 43.0 2663 44,700 PSI 47.7C 2903 57,100 PSI
IMR 4895 .308" 2.800" 42.6 2631 42,300 PSI 47.3C 2920 57,700 PSI
IMR 3031 .308" 2.800" 40.2 2658 44,300 PSI 43.5C 2881 59,200 PSI

The first column of velocity and pressure are the minimum recommended, the second listing of velocity and pressure are the maximum. So... what does the above tell me? The .25-06 is slightly slower than the 7mmRemMag in maximum loads, with a lighter bullet, as is your .308 with a slightly heavier bullet. Your .308 generates slightly higher pressures at max loads than a 7mmRemMag. Your .308 will have a slightly more "bow" shaped trajectory than either due to the heavier bullet and slightly lower velocities... but not by much. And this will only come into serious play @ ranges that exceed 200 yards. IMO, bullet selection will come into play as velocities increase in order that they don't "blow up" when coming into contact with game. Both the 7mm and .308 bullets shown are Nosler Ballistic Tips while the .25-06 are soft points. I happen to like the Nosler BT in my 7mmRemMag on deer. I've used 'em on both whitetails and mule deer. Have not had a failure in 25 years of using mine. YMMV.

Again, IMO, you don't NEED a new rifle in either cartridge. But, you could certainly use a .30-30!

That way you have a good excuse to buy a new levergun!

Kansas Ed · Post by **Kansas Ed** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:06 am

I've never owned a 7MM Mag, but my 25-06 will probably never hunt deer again while I have it...coyotes yes, but probably not deer. It just ruins too much meat and makes too much mess for my taste. I'll stick with something slower and heavier thank you.

Ed

getitdone1 · Post by **getitdone1** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:16 am

Easy question.

Deer and varmints mainly--25-06

Lots of Elk, grizzley, etc.--7mm mag

Regarding 25-06 ruining lots of meat. Should not if tougher, 115-120 gr bullet used. the 7mm mag would ruin as much or more with some of it's lighter bullets.

For most people's hunting the 25-06 is plenty for all their hunting--assuming use of right bullet for the game. Much less recoil and noise and less expensive to shoot.

The correct bullet placed accurately--that's the main problem.

Don McCullough

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:37 am

..........and then you've got the .257 Roberts -- very close to the .25-06.

The Remington 7mm Magnum is very popular here in Northern CA because of the open mesas, tables, range, etc. and very long shots for deer and antelope are common. However, plenty of guys use the .25-06 for the same kind of game and shooting. Up around Davis Creek, CA (20 miles North of me) there's an old-timer that only owns one centerfire rifle. It's a Remington Model 700 BDL in .25-06. He uses it for everything -- antelope, deer, elk, coyotes, etc.. Just goes to show that when it comes to hunting, nothing is written in stone, which keeps things from getting boring.

Post by **Old Savage** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:59 am

M Ed, I have a friend who does the same - he got his literally from a fire sale. One side was a little scorched on the forend. I never loaded for him but did for two other fellows who shot antelope and deer at long ranges. Same load for both 120 boattail with 50.0 gr. of IMR 4831. One has a Ruger #1 the other a custom Remington with an HS Precision stock.

I was in my office one day when I get a call from the Rem guy (cell phones). He says he is looking at an antelope at 352 yds in the laser and wants to know the bullet drop. I ran it through the ballistics program we used (we had sighted this load a couple of weekks earlier.) 20 minutes later he calls back and just says "as adveritsed, talk to you later". The other fellow shot a deer quite a bit farther as he and the guide stepped off. Too long for me. But if you look at that load with the sectional density and retained velocity from a 3050 start it performs pretty well.

Ist rifle I saw really shoot a good was a 700 BDL in 25-06 (not me, not mine) had 4 shots right on top of each other. Apparently a good combo.

Modoc ED · Post by **Modoc ED** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:20 am

Interesting info OS. If I were going to my local gun shop today to get a long range rifle, I'd probably get one in Remington 7mm Magnum (more clout) rather than a .25-06 BUT if they didn't have a Remington 7mm Magnum in stock, I'd do very well with a .25-06. Not to worry though. The guy that owns the gun shop has started carrying Browning BLRs (lever action) in Remington 7mm Magnum along with his normal stock of bolt actions so it is unlikely he would be out of Remington 7mm Magnum rifles.

Savage99 · Post by **Savage99** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:32 am

If I couldn't chose between a .25-06 and a 7mm mag..I'd get a .270win if you want a 7mm try the .280..

RSY · Post by **RSY** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:50 am

As popular as it admittedly is, the 7mm Rem Mag has always been neither fish nor fowl for me.

It doesn't really do much more than the .270 or .280 will for the amount of powder it burns, and it has a reputation of being a squirrelly round to load for from a safety standpoint (i.e. secondary detonations). It has been one of the most down-loaded cartridges by the factories if you look at original MVs compared to today's stuff. Hmmmmm...

Ironically, I would say you already have the better whitetail round between your two buddies and yourself with your .308 Win. But, your .25-06 pal is on the right track.

Good luck,
scott

Post by **Hobie** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:12 pm

My friend Mike used them both extensively taking 4-5 deer a year with each for several years. He also tried the 7mm Mag and .338 Win Mag on elk. In the end he had settled on the 7mm Rem Mag for everything. His last gun was a TC Encore with .50 ML barrel, 12 ga. shotgun barrel and 7mm Rem Mag barrel. He only used it two season before he died.

Bigahh · Post by **Bigahh** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:29 pm

If you do decide on a 25-06 you may want to use a super premium bullet just in case the game you hunt happens to be at close range. I have heard reports of bullet failure in a 25 cal bullet more than any other for some reason,all stories seemed to be a close range problem, and one way to remedy that problem is to use a good quality bullet. Griff is correct in his opinion of the .308 being a quality deer round as long as your quarry is not in the other county.

RSY · Post by **RSY** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:54 pm

Bigahh wrote:If you do decide on a 25-06 you may want to use a super premium bullet just in case the game you hunt happens to be at close range. I have heard reports of bullet failure in a 25 cal bullet more than any other for some reason,all stories seemed to be a close range problem, and one way to remedy that problem is to use a good quality bullet. Griff is correct in his opinion of the .308 being a quality deer round as long as your quarry is not in the other county.

If short-range shots are on the menu, the .25-06 can easily be loaded down to .257 Roberts velocities and topped with a 117-gr. roundnose.

If you simply must have a small-caliber belted magnum, then I'd get a .300 Win. Mag. over the 7mm Rem.

7mm Rem Mag vs 25-06

7mm Rem Mag vs 25-06

7mm Rem mag vs 25-06