hotled

Well I actually got a chance to go shoot a bit yesterday although the north wind was a bit chilly.
One of my buddies at work has a .243 and a .308 that I was able to test out. Now either Im getting tougher in my old age or my .270 possibly did not fit me well at all.
Because Neither gun was harsh on my shoulder but I did like the reduced recoil of the .243 a little bit, it was a great difference but it was enough to notice.
With that being said, I would opt for any round with a varmant barrel and a good recoil pad that I could use for Hog-Deer- possibly coyotes at long distances......looking at that info is the 25-06 the viable choice because it's a flat shooter (will it still punch a hogs shoulder) or would it be the 7mm-08?

Hmmm after looking at some manufacturers sights it looks like heavy barrels are usually not offered in these calibers.

CamoCop

i have a heavy barrel for my T/C .25-06

retrieverman

hotled
If you are not opposed to a single shot, you can set a T/C Encore up with any barrel weight from standard to full bull. I would personally recommend something from the T/C Custom Shop or a custom barrel maker, but that is just me. Do you have any idea what you are intending to spend? I don't own a 25-06, but my hunting buddy shoots it in a Remington Sendero (which would fit your bill for a heavy barrel too) and kills hogs and deer with ease. You might want to look into a Remington Sendero as well as the Encore.

hotled

Retr...
Ya I looked at the Remington Sendero but it's a little out of my range. I will probably have to opt for a standard T3 .

ipscshooter

Seems to me that, if you liked shooting your buddy's .243, it fits your specifications pretty darn well. It's potent enough to take deer anywhere in the state, out to about 300 yards. If you're worried about whether it's got enough juice for big hogs, go to the hog hunting forum and check out the porkers that Guess and his wife have shot using .243's. It's a sweet rifle. If you do your part, it'll take down anything in the state.

retrieverman

I have never looked at Tikka rifles before, but from the ones I looked at on gunbroker, that seems to be an excellent choice. Good luck with your choice and post back how you like it.

zrexpilot

I honestly would stay away from a heavy barrell. I own a .243 in heavy barrell and it sucks ! They are way to damn heavy.

North Texan

I'm not a fan of heavy barrels, either. They add a lot of weight without adding much benefit. Just more weight to lug around, slower to shoulder, and harder to hold steady andshoot off-hand.

ipscshooter

Yeah, if you get a mild caliber like the .243, there's really no need for the heavy barrel. There's some recoil benefit with big calibers. But, the .243 is mild enough that you don't really need it. My 13 year old son has a .243 Remington Youth Model 7. Very lightweight rifle, and still a very mild kicker. Heavies aren't bad if all you do is drive up to your blind and sit for four hours, but, if you do any walking around, they get a bit tedious.

hotled

Just read the 25-06 thread, think I am sold on that caliber[:-] so far that is!