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best .23 or larger deer/varmit caliber

bambihunter
I hunt in Kansas where the rule for deer hunting is .23 caliber centerfire or larger. I have been "downsizing" my collection a little and was wondering what the highest power (both energy and speed) cartridge would be that would meet these requirements. I am thinking something no larger than a 25-06 and not a wildcat round (since I don't reload, and don't want to build a custom rifle).
The chamberings I have looked at were .243, 6mm, and 25-06. The rifle I am thinking of getting is another Remington Sendero, but I don't see any of these calibers listed anymore.

Also, what's your opinion of the Remington Ultra-mag rounds? If you have one, do you like it? Do you think it is here to stay, or will it pass the way of the dodo bird? I currently have a .300 win mag, I am not sure it is worth changing just on the ballistics, what do you all think?
Thanks

It doesn't matter what you shoot, just shoot it well...
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • 257izmycal
    As you can tell I am quite fond of the .257 caliber. I think the 257 Roberts is about the cats meow for the same Kansas deer I hunt. I LOVE my 257 Roberts and think it is slightly better than the 243 ONLY because of the larger frontal size of the bullet. You also would in my opinion have a hard time overlooking the 7mm-08. Awesome little round. If you want to stay with a common round then the 25-06 will offer you the best for what you might encounter. Since you do not say the distance of your shots and knowing Kansas you could be hunting eastern Kansas and have a 200 yards shot at the longest or you could be hunting western Kansas and have a 400 yard shot. The 243 will handle the 200 yard shot with ease but not the 400 yard shot. You might want to look at the 308 also. Or 270, 30-06, 260 or 6.5x55. All of which can be dual purpose rounds with some discretion. JM2CW
    257

    You're a statistic whether you want to be or not.
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  • gskyhawk
    DON'T FORGET THE 280
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  • JustC
    bambihunter, The sendero, used to come in 25-06, and I would bet you could find one on the auctions or even at a wholesaler like Jerry's sports. They also came in 270 if that would interest you at all. I have the 7mm mag, and it is a pleasure to shoot.

    I shot a Sendero SF in 300RUM that my neighbor purchased. It touched the first 3 bullets out of the box at 100yds, and then the next 3 bullets at 150yds. All of that with core-lokt ammo. They are accurate to say the least. They will be around for quite a while IMHO, due to the fact that the magnum industry is moving away from the belted cases to the non-belted, hybrid safari cartridge derivations. It will do what the 300 win will do, only faster and flatter. The recoil from the sendero was very manageable, and I think you will see the bullets come down in price over the next several years.

    Another option is to rebarrel a 700 action. I don't mean custom either,...takeoff sendero barrels can be had for CHEAP, in unfired or barely fired condition. So can takeoff sendero (HS Precision) stocks.[:0][^]

    I'm a man,....but I can change,.....If I have to,......I guess.
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  • Jim Rau
    If you are asking about a combination I would say if you will be doing more varmits than deer go with the 243, if the opposite is true go with the 25-06.[^]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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  • kingjoey
    6mm Remington. Unless you attend the "Church of GHD" then you can settle for a 25.06 [:D][}:)][:D]
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  • Sunray
    Jim Rau, that's nonsense. Either of 'em are just fine for deer or varmints. Likely more deer taken with the .243 though, but I'm guessing based on the number of rifles in each calibre around. Up here there are more .243's. The only decision bewteen 'em is based on the availability of ammo and if the action length is important. .243 is available nearly every where, but not so the .25-06. .243 is a short action, .25-06 a long. .25-06 can use a slightly heavier bullet, not that a deer would notice. However, to suggest the .243 is more of a varmint round than a deer round is nonsense.
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  • WIN 1894
    You might check out the energy on the new 243 Short Magnum however the
    25-06 is hard to pass on. Good Luck

    Frank
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  • aglore
    And that is why the 243 is still around and the 6mm Remington is a dead horse. Each company had a chance to market their own product and Winchester won the battle by marketing the 243 as a varmit and deer cartridge while Remington marketed the 6mm as a varmit cartridge.

    Bambihunter I have a 7mmRUM and 300 RUM, satisfied with both and do believe both will be around for a long time to come. If you already have a 300 Win Mag there would be no sense in switching to the 300 RUM as it will not kill anything better than the 300 Mag. Only thing it will do differently is launch a 180 grain bullet a couple of hundred FPS faster.

    AlleninAlaska
    Delta Firearms & Supplies

    He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
    -- Thomas Paine
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  • laxcoach
    From the pews of the Church of GHD
    25-06 !!!! 75,90, 100,115, 117, 120 grain bullets available (I may have missed some).
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  • Jim Rau
    No it's not non sense, it is common sense!!
    I grew up in eastern Co, where you can,t tell Co from KS with out a sign!!
    I have owned both and shot both deer and and varmits with both. Both will work, but the 25-06 gets expensive and recoils a bit much for alot of varmit shooting. (heats up quicker too, I prefere a 22-250 for varmits and 7 m/m for deer but I am answering his question).[:D]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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