I have decided after pondering for a few years on my next rifles to get.

1. For my wife a 22" bolt action in .223 should be perfect for her. She doesn't want to hunt and does not tollerate muzzle blast or recoil at all. My rifles are all too heavy for her - at 10 pounds - so I should be able to get a light gun with a medium heavy barrel to drive tacks with for her.

2. for me a .25 caliber. I was thinking for a long time about the 257 Roberts but I am having trouble locating ammunition so I have decided to go with the 25/08 (25 Souper). That way I can neck down from .308 Winchester which is available everywhere. Now that I know what I want I just have to wait to finish the garage and my shop - in process - (and my wife's little projects) and by then I should be able to find the pair of them.

I am thinking either Ruger, Remington or Savage but I am open to opinions and your reason behind the opinions.

The most accurate, out of the box rifle I have ever owned is a. 223 Savage. The finish of the riflr was excellent and the price affordable. The acutrigger is very crisp and can be tuned toabout 1.5 #s. While mine has a heavy barrel, I would expect comparible results from a more tapered one.

+1 on Savage, I have a model 25 lightweight varminter 223 with a 1-9 twist and it is a tack driver.

I would have to lean towards Savage since their rifles have improved so much over the years and have such a happy following. I am curious though, since your wife doesn't hunt, wouldn't a target quality .22 LR make sense? Just a thought.

I'd go with a .17HMR Savage, for your wife (silly me) cause it's the most fun tiny bullet I've ever experianced and the most accurate rifle/bullet combination I own (which makes it so fun). Ammo is cheap (you won't be re-loading for her) and seems to be always available (like right now).

As to your rifle selection for yourself I'm torn between Ruger and Savage. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye has many variations to choose from and I bet you could find one you'd love although they don't offer 25-08 (who does?) they do have 25-06. Well how about .250 Savage Improved? Speaking of Savage the model 14/114 with accutrigger would look lovely next to that monk face of yours. It's very classic looking (the rifle) and in the same price range as the Ruger I believe.

Paul, I think I'd stick with the .257 Roberts if it were me. Factory ammo is available for brass in the future. It is based on the 7x57 mauser case which isn't exactly hard to find either. Also more case capacity than the .25-08. Just my thoughts.

OK, you guys are so much help!

I was on the Savage website and there are a few guns there that my wife likes the looks of, so Savage is #1 so far for hers.

I have a great Remington 581 that drives tacks with 22 RF but it is "my" gun and she likes to have something of her own. The .223 is an easy cartridge to reload - and yes, I will probably do the reloading.

I have an older 30-06 (I own two) that I could rebarrel for the 257 Roberts but I was hoping to use a more common "military" round. I already own a 358 winchester custom made on a Remington 700 action and resize ammo from 308 to feed it. It would be a simple matter to size the 308s down to 25 caliber but that would mean getting another action and building the rifle from there. It would be good to rebarrel the older 30-06 to 257 Roberts and get some use from it - that is where I am torn. I could resize the 7-57.

Suz, I am a bit older than my avitar leads one to believe - I ought to update that....... I guess I am leaning toward re-using the 30-06 to make the 257 Roberts right now, I gues I could always get another rifle later on to make the 25/08.

Terry, I am leaning that way right now because I hate the idea of selling a gun when I can rebarrel it and have a "new" gun to shoot.

SingleShotLover, I have the 22 RF but it is "mine" and she would like one of her own. I would like her to have a gun with a bit more "potential" than the RF provides.

The 257 Roberts is "enemic" in the factory loadings but handloading it does give it a slight edge over the 25/08 however I wonder if it will be as easy to get an accurate load (1/2 moa or less) as the 25/08...

The battle in my mind goes on!

I will post a new avatar now.

Oh that's more like it Paul, a bright-an-shiny new face to look at!! Now we gotta get you a c'boy hat. Your avatar din't lead me to believe anything, it was a cartoon!! As for age....well....i'm well above my photo's age by about oh...30yrs or so, now Bushy, he's another story all together, he was around when they only had horses to get you there, I've seen photos uh huh uh huh.

PaulS wrote:

I have an older 30-06 (I own two) that I could rebarrel for the 257 Roberts but I was hoping to use a more common "military" round. The 257 Roberts is "enemic" in the factory loadings but handloading it does give it a slight edge over the 25/08 however I wonder if it will be as easy to get an accurate load (1/2 moa or less) as the 25/08...

Perhaps the 7x57 wasn't as common as others but it is still around !!!

I've never understood the factory loadings and availability issues from those that handload their own.

As far as achieving sub MOA........ spend the money on a good barrel and it's pretty much a mute point !!!

Have you thought about .257AI ???

My daughter shot my Rem 700 VTR in .223 for the first time a few months ago and you should have seen the smile on her face! I figure I'm losing another gun to her. (Of course I did finally get MY SR9 back, after I bought her her own...)

I think the .223 is a great choice except for possible ammo shortages.

Suz,
I have a few cowboy hats but don't wear them in the house. Cowboy hats are always on my head when I am outside - doctors order from 1968. I was visiting the LA area (Los Angeles, California for our international friends) and got my eyes sunburned. After being blind (bandages over my eyes) for a week the doc told me to wear wide brimmed hats and grey lens sunglasses. I bought my first cowboy hat and have been wearing them since.

Chambered,
I really won't need the extra 150 fps that the AI will provide - especially if I use the "+P" (or modern) load data. If I match the pressures of the 25/08 it will provide more than enough velocity to shoot out to 200 or more yards. If I use the -06 to make the Roberts out of it will get a good barrel with a tight twist (1:9) and I should be able to find a load it likes. I've done it more than a few times with my -06.

Pumpkinslinger,
I am sure my wife will have that same kind of smile. I don't see the shortage of ammo lasting more than 9 months to a year and then there is likely to be a surplus available for a short time. I will pick up brass and loaded ammo as it is available and then when the prices come down I will buy enough that I won't have to be concerned about future shortages.

Thanks all!