Weatherby / Ruger / or Remington??

[Zrt1200]

I am trying to decide which of these 3 rifles would be best?? The caliber is going to be 25-06. I have shouldered all 3 of them and my favorite is the Remington 700. The Ruger is very close on the heels of the Remington but feels heavy as does the Weatherby. I am looking for a all around deer / target shooting rifle and my son will be using it very shortly. My dilama is I can get a Weatherby for under $400. where as $600 + for the Remington and the Ruger. What are your thought on this?? Thanks guys!!

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[dario541]

If it matters, the Ruger and Remington are made in America. The Weatherby is made in Japan. I think all are of good quality, though.

 

[Buddhalux]

IMHO a 243 or 270 would be much more suited for deer hunting compared to a 25-06.

 

[ron22250]

My favorite is the Remington also, but how do they fit your Son ?
A Buddy just bought two new Weatherby's for under $400 each. He's very pleased with them. Lot's of bang for your buck.

 

[arjunki]

Remington, they still machine their actions out of a solid steel billet. Very Strong! and much more likely to save your face from a KaBoom especially from a hot handload. Ruger actions are machined out of an investment casting and I have seen them after a KB. The result is not pretty. Ask any competent gunsmith. I'm not sure about Weatherby except that they are pricey.I believe Savage is still machining from solid steel billets too.

 

[bwells]

Personally I would choose the Ruger, but I've always been a fan of CRF rifles, and I believe the Weatherby and Remington are both PF. For the most part I think Rugers are heavier rifles. I've always felt that 25-06 is marginal for deer. I'd recommend going with a heavier caliber in a Ruger because they are heavier and will soak up a little recoil. But being a lefty who likes CRF actions, I may be slightly biased

 

[arjunki]

Just thought I'd mention CZ rifles. They have become quite popular and are supposed to be a great bargain.

 

[JC9995]

Absolutely no logical reason at all, just my experience and love for Rugers. I have to wonder about the new Weatherby's...... Why can they all of a sudden sell a gun under their name for $400? Its either inferior to everything theyve ever made, which means you cant group them with the Weatherby or old, OR they are being made by someone else and rebadged, which means you really dont know what your getting.
Ruger. Never failed me.

 

[whphel]

Rem 700 not 720 or any othe the others just the 700. The action is better the trigger is better and all together better. Besides if you look at ANY high end rifle the bulk of them are made from or off the Rem 700.

 

[Zrt1200]

Personally I would choose the Ruger, but I've always been a fan of CRF rifles, and I believe the Weatherby and Remington are both PF. For the most part I think Rugers are heavier rifles. I've always felt that 25-06 is marginal for deer. I'd recommend going with a heavier caliber in a Ruger because they are heavier and will soak up a little recoil. But being a lefty who likes CRF actions, I may be slightly biased

OK, I am in the dark here. What is CRF / PF ???
I am not sure about buying a rifle with the actions made from investment castings.
As far as 25-06 goes it pack's a whole lot more punch than a 30-30 so I figured it would be fine for deer hunting.

 

[Zrt1200]

My favorite is the Remington also, but how do they fit your Son ?
A Buddy just bought two new Weatherby's for under $400 each. He's very pleased with them. Lot's of bang for your buck.

Regardless of what rifle I buy I will be buying another stock that fits him. How does your buddy like the weatherby's??

 

[orygun]

CRF= Controlled Round Feed. Almost always has the big "claw" type extractor of the Mauser style.

PF = Push Feed.

Ruger is CRF. Remington is PF. Not sure about the Weatherby, but I believe they are push feed, too. I prefer CRF but it probably really doesn't matter.

Rugers are indeed machined from an investment casting, but to state that they are weaker than an action that is machined from a billet of steel is ignorant and is just restating an old wives tale. The process is exactly the same as making rotors for jet engines, hip replacement parts and many other high stress applications. The parts have impressive grain structure, less possibility of stress risers and by being cast allow for little waste. Their bolts are made the same way and actually showed higher resistance to shearing the bolt lugs than one made of machined steel. It's also the reason that Ruger revolvers will have a separate section (along with the Contender) in the reloading manuals for hotter loads than other guns.

You don't like Rugers? Cool, it's your choice.

If you can't tell, I'm a Ruger fan, but that doesn't mean I don't like others.
My cousin and a good friend have Vanguards. Nice rifles.
Remington makes a very nice rifle. Usually very pretty, too.

To the OP, unless you are pinching pennys, buy the one that you like the fit and feel of best. What's a couple of hundred when it's something that you'll likely have for quite a while.

25-06? Much more gun than a .243 and most folks think that's a wonderful deer cartridge.

 

[UncalledForGabe]

I dont think you would be disappointed with the weatherby. Sure, they're big and heavy, buy very comfortable to shoot.

 

[country boy]

I highly recommend the Remington model 700. I have a model 700 mountain rifle (the blued version) chambered in .280 Rem. It is about a pound lighter than the standard model 700 rifle, which will also amount to more recoil since that is something you're probably considering, but it is a great rifle. As far as 25-06 goes it should be fine for deer, but if you plan on hunting bear or elk I would recommend getting something a little larger, perhaps a .280 or 30-06 with a good recoil pad (since your son will be shooting it soon). However, you will have a lot more bullet choices with the 30-06 (unless you handload, then you can create whatever load you want). Whatever you decide upon, happy hunting

 

[Zrt1200]

orygun, Thank you. Very good Info!! That's the stuff I like to here!! This rifle will be used for target shooting for me and a hunting rifle for my boy. I have a 300 Mag & a 12ga. rifled cantilever for my self but I do not want to start him out with such a big rifle.

 

[Gunner3456]

I love my .270 Win Ruger M77. (Tang safety model, not that it matters.)

I'd rather have a Ruger M77 used than a new Rem 700 or Weatherby Vanguard.

But, I am prejudiced...

I'd rather have a used Rem 700 BDL than a new Rem 700.

If I were on a tight budget, I'd go to Bi Mart and buy a new Weatherby Vanguard for under $400. I think they had them on sale this weekend for about $360.

 

[never2many]

the 25-06 is a great round and will kill any deer if you do your part. But to get the most out of it make sure the gun you get has a 24" barrel. I have a winchester model 70 in 25-06 and love it

 

[roguebowhunter]

i have a 257 wtby mag vanguard .. love the gun and its accurate also. as for the previous post about wtby made by another company it is its made by Howa... i'm not sure about ruger or rem. but my vanguard has an adjustable trigger also.. Don

 

[Gunner3456]

i have a 257 wtby mag vanguard .. love the gun and its accurate also. as for the previous post about wtby made by another company it is its made by Howa... i'm not sure about ruger or rem. but my vanguard has an adjustable trigger also.. Don

I agree. I think that Weatherby Vanguard can't be beat for a brand new inexpensive gun. Bi Mart often has them on sale for $359 - smokin deal for a new rifle. I think regular price is $389?

Aren't they made in Japan? (Nothing wrong with that for quality.)

They even come with a test target of three fired rounds so you can see how they group. Guys like to go through the boxes and find one that's well under MOA.

 

[Inspector]

The .25-06 is one of the best and most flat shooting deer cartridges out there. Anyone saying otherwise doesn't have the knowledge to make the statement.

My uncle built a custom Mauser and took over thirty mulies with it over the years and never had one run off. One shot was with my father present. The range finder showed 450 yards. My dad said "don't do it". Bob fired and the buck dropped where he stood.

He hunted exclusively with Remington factory ammo and 120 grain bullets. He also dropped three elk with it, and one at near 300 yards. It wouldn't be my choice for elk. That said, all one needs it a quality 100 grain bullet these days for deer with the .25-06.. Remember, it's all about energy and a 120 grain bullet can still impact at 500 yards with over 1,000 ft. lbs. of force. At 300 yards the same bullet is just over 6" low so if you sight in 3" high at 100 yards you're good to go. A 100 grain bullet is about 1" flatter so move your sight in to 2" high.

I own the rifle he built now and I restored it three years ago. It still has the original barrel and action and it'll still put three shots under a nickle at 100 yards.

Anyone who thinks it isn't enough cartridge needs to read more about it.

The Vanguard is hard to beat for the money but isn't made in a lightweight version. They are made by Howa so you can look at the Howa 1500 series as well, they are comparable. Both are accurate and rock solid rifles. I love my Remington 700's and they have a great trigger system now. The Ruger will work as well but you'll want to work on the trigger most likely. Of those three I'd go with what feels best.

The .25-06 has a strong following from those who actually hunt with it and is an excellent choice. It'll also serve most excellently as a high powered low volume varminter with 75 grain bullets. I push mine to 3800 fps with handloads. I can push even faster but the bullets disentigrate at about 50 yards.