25-06 caliber thoughts

[ms6852]

I guess I am just cheap, I mainly use 99.9% of the time a 30-06 to hunt with. My brother use the 25-06 for every thing especially Aoudad and pronghorn.

I have compared both wound channels and found the 30-06 to be more extensive. But in all fairness I shot my deer at 147 yds. (lasered), using a 150 remington core-lokt and my brother took his down at 181 using a 120 gr nosler partition. So there was no apples to apples comparision.

 

[plodder]

My first center fire was (& still is!) a Remington 700 BDL in 25.06 that I purchased as a young lad in 1972. Many a deer has fallen on first & only shot with 117 & 120 g. bullets of various lineage. I've since added many rifles to my arsenal but come deer season, the 700 comes off the rack first.

Just recently I picked up some 75 g. bullets and have been playing with some different powder combinations. Makes a flat shooting hot rod out of it (pushing 3750 fps).

You will enjoy that calibre.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Great round and like cookies, you can't stop with just one. I have a 25/06 sendero and a Ruger #1 in 25/06. Accurate, versatile and fun to shoot. Also you don't get beat up if you want to go and shoot say 250 rounds in a day like you can with some other calibers like 270 or 7mm mag.

Both of mine do not like mild loads. Go full bore for best accuracy.

 

[BrainOnSigs]

That is the caliber I use to harvest pronghorn out west.

I took this buck at 275 yards using my Cooper Model 54 Excalibur in .25-06 (hand load). He dropped straight down.





My load:

Winchester brass
Remington 9-1/2 primer
100 gr Sierra Pro Hunter SP bullet (#1620)
52 grs of Hodgdon H4831SC powder

It will shoot 3/8" groups all day long at 100 yards. I haven't bothered to try and improve the load since it isn't one of my benchrest rifles.

 

[MachIVshooter]

A 700 BDL in .25-06 was my first centerfire, bought on my 18th birthday after a very long wait in a no-gun household. It has been my primary critter getter for over a decade, only just this year supplanted as an elk rifle by an 8mm Rem Mag because I don't want to take a pass on 500+ yard shots at big bulls. At moderate ranges (under 400), the .25-06 is plenty for elk with the right bullet and good shot placement. As a deer and pronghorn rifle, it is really unsurpassed. For varmints, it's downright devastating, but the recoil in a sporting weight rifle will get tiresome after 100+ rounds in a day.

whats everybody reloading in the 25-06, I may need to go to the handloading page.

Everything from 75 gr. varmint bullets to 117 and 120 gr. spitzers for big game. My primary hunting load is a 117 gr. Sierra Gameking over 54.4 grs. IMR 4831; It chrono's 3,195 FPS from my 24" barrel and anchors game right where they stand.

 

[bangaway]

100 gr sierra pro hunter flat base. IMR 4831 powder. 28 inch savage custom 25-06. 3502 fps. 32 deer all one shot and when you come back down to target only 3 or 4 of their are in the air wiggling. Never found a bullet. Great cartridge and flat shooting. Have fun and bangaway.

 

[mshootnit]

The 100 gr and heavier bullets perform better out of the 25-06 (and 257 Weatherby) but not because of bullet construction. They perform better because they are impacting in the range of speeds where a copper jacketed lead core bullet is designed to open up and stay together. The lighter bullets hit much faster and are more likely to separate/ fragment especially if they run into something substantial like bone. A polymer tipped bullet of any weight can cause funny results when hunting even if they are interlocked (I think bonding helps but I am not personally convinced). And funny ain't ever good.

 

[Cranky CJ]

thank you everybody for the responses, I've been sort of busy that last couple days. It is a Marlin XL7 in stainless. We reload and will be looking to load up some special medicine for next year. I have until next fall to get something worked up. Looking for a deer, possible elk load (cows).

Current rifle powders in inventory are IMR 4831 and RL19. Got good results for the 270 and 300wsm out of both of those powdwers this year. I was thinking of getting some nosler partitions or accubonds to reload with. Haven't looked up recipes yet. May have to go with another powder though.

the 12 yr old can shoot my 12 ga without any real big issues so I think a 25-06 will not be too much for him once he has had another 6 mo to grow. Looking forward to shooting and using it this next hunting season. The wife gave it to me for Christmas, I guess she felt I was a good boy this past year....

 

[DM~]

The 100 gr and heavier bullets perform better out of the 25-06 (and 257 Weatherby) but not because of bullet construction. They perform better because they are impacting in the range of speeds where a copper jacketed lead core bullet is designed to open up and stay together.

AND that is determined by "bullet construction"!!

The lighter bullets hit much faster and are more likely to separate/ fragment especially if they run into something substantial like bone.

This is ALSO determined by bullet construction! I can design you a lighter 25 cal. bullet that "won't separate/fragment if i wanted too, so it's ALL about bullet construction!

A polymer tipped bullet of any weight can cause funny results when hunting even if they are interlocked

What kind of "funny" results? Once again, a good hunting bullet CAN and has been designed with a polymer tip. I've built some myself... The polymer tip was designed to keep bullet damage down when the loaded ammo is in the magazine, BUT, if the jacket is of a thin design with a lot of taper in the nose, they WILL expand fast! This is why balistic tips have a reputation of doing a lot of damage on deer. (read expanding FAST) Also the plymer tip pushes down into the nose of the bullet, starting expanding even faster...

(I think bonding helps but I am not personally convinced). And funny ain't ever good.

Considering i mfg'd "bonded core bullets" for many years, useing them myself and seeing them used all over Alaska, on MUCH big game, i'm hear to tell you...they DO work. A properly bonded core bullet with a jacket of the right construction, will NOT separate no matter what it hits. The lead and jacket become one, and although shooting one into the face of something like a rock could break the bullet up, every piece of the jacket will still have lead attached to it.

Once the core separates from the jacket on any bullet, it soon stops penetrateing, NOT going to happen with a bonded bullet as the core and jacket become one.

DM

 

[MachIVshooter]

Current rifle powders in inventory are IMR 4831 and RL19........... May have to go with another powder though.

No need, really. IMR4831 is a great powder for the .25-06 and most other 50-70 grain bottleneck rifle cartridges

 

[Elkins45]

I killed my first buck with a borrowed sporterized 98 Mauser in 25-06. Bangflop dead with Remington factory ammo. There's just something about that fast 100 grain .257 bullet that really is the perfect combo for whitetails!

 

[Eb1]

Yes, there is.

Shooting 49 grains of IMR4350 with a 115 grain Combined Tech BT. I am getting right at 2900 fps out of my 22" XL7. BTW.

I haven't chrony'd the factory Winchester loads, but I bet they are around the same. And with 100 grain BT (blue Tips uncoated) and 50 grains IMR4350 I am getting about 3100 fps, but the accuracy isn't there yet with these bullets.

I took to the field with me this year regular old 100 grain Core-Lokts. I was getting 1" to 1.25" consistently with my XL7 with this round, and with all the load testing before the season. I just sighted in with these factory bullets. I have no doubt they would work well for me.
There is one more youth hunt coming up. Please stop raining so I can get my little girl to the stand. Thank you.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Eb1;
I'm in agreement with you all the way. I've used the 100gr Rem. Corlokts and they do shoot well. A bit slower to expand than a Nosler Partition, and in my experience, penetrate just as well, or better. My wife killed her first deer with my .257Roberts with a 100gr Corlokt handload @ 3,100fps from my rifle. Perfect performance with a heart/lung shot. Ran 75yds and dropped. Bullet exited leaving a 3" exit wound.
However, there's just no beating the accuracy of the Sierra bullets. I too really like the flat-base ProHunter's. However, not as accurate but just as effective on game and holding together as well, is the Hornady 100gr flat-base Interlok. I've shot more game with these from both the .257Robt as well as .257WbyMag, and the few I've recovered have held together marvelously. One from the .257wby @ 3,500fps m/v recovered from a doe shot through the chest at ~90yds held together and weighed 63.5gr. Perfect mushroom. Oddly enough, they will penetrate better when fired from the .257Robt @ 3,000fps. Never recovered one fired from the Roberts... Except a 117gr BTSpt Interlock @ 2,800fps from a 275lb buck I shot at ~270yds and bullet traversed the torso and was lodged under the hide on the far shoulder. That bullet weights 105gr and a perfect mushroom that reversed (swapped ends, like a badmitten birdy) due to the imbalance of the mushroomed shape and was base first against the skin. Deer was a bang-flop even though no spine or CNS was hit. Very suprising as he was chasing a doe at the time.

There is only one thing wrong with a Marlin XLS in .25/06..... The 22" bbl.
Thats the only reason I don't already own one in .270wcf...... But, if I run across a used one at a Pawn-shop, I'm sure it'll go home with me!!! (either a .25/06, or .270wcf for that matter....). I had one in .243 (blued steel) and was pleased with it. However, a friend pried it out of me for his son for Christmas '10.....

 

[joed]

RL19 and 4831 are excellent choices for the .25-06. My go to powder is RL19 as I get 3550 fps with the 87 gr bullet. Other favorites of mine are H4831sc and IMR4350.

Amazing how many have had their .25-06 for such a long time. Mine was a Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special purchased new in 1978. It now has a new Krieger match barrel and accuracy is amazing. It was my only center fire rifle until 2002 when I bought a 700 Classic in .300 H&H for bigger game.

You can take a good guess which rifle gets used the most.

I've found Sierra bullets to work the best with Nosler as a close second. The .25-06 can be finicky with primers. I've found Winchester LR the best followed by Federal LR. If it doesn't shoot accurately try another primer, it will probably surprise you.

 

[mes227]

...

 

[splithoof]

A very prolific deer hunter I once met used one for half a century down in the Santa Monica mountains of southern California (before all the parks took over much of it), and swore by it. He likely shot over one hundred.

 

[finnwolf64]

My brothers father in law was an importer of rifles to Australia & held the agency for Sako & Marlin for many years. His rifle collection was many & varied & he hunted all parts of the world with executives from the rifle manufacturing companies. Norman always told me his 25-06 was his favorite hunting rifle & he took several moose with it in Finland.

 

[hinton03]

I have had two 25.06's, both Ruger #1's. The first a #1 B was a death ray on Coyotes but a little to heavy for tromping around in the mountains; now I shoot a #1AH and at 1.5' lighter it is a pleasure to carry. I shoot 100 grain Nosler BT for White Tail and below and 117 grain Hornady's for Mule's: I own enough guns to specialize and step up to 7mm Mag for Elk and Moose.

 

[sage5907]

Although the 25-06 doesn't have heavy recoil you would do well to have a gunsmith install a recoil pad like the Pachmayr F-325. The recoil pad will improve your shooting. The rifle needs a scope like a Leupold VX-3 with a power range of 4 to 10X. I have been reloading 25-06 cartridges since 1965 and my favorite load is 49 grains of IMR 4831 with a Speer 120 grain Hot-Cor bullet. It is deadly on anything you will shoot. Don't fall into the high velocity game with the light bullets because they don't perform on heavier game like the 120 grain at about 2900 fps. BW

 

[joed]

Unlike the rest of you my .25-06 sees more 87 gr bullets then the heavy stuff. But my rifle is a varminter and that is its main use. For varmint hunting I have yet to see anything better. My velocity is close to 3600 fps, most times I find 1 hole in a ground hog. With this combination it is one spectacular varmint rifle.

Not that I haven't used this rifle for larger game. It's gone bear hunting and deer hunting with me also. My preferred bullet is 115 to 120 gr for the larger stuff.

 

[Cranky CJ]

To update for those interested. My 12 yr old and I shot the 25-06 this past weekend and were pleased with the results. The trigger is very good for a less expensive gun. We mounted a redfield revolution 3x9 on it and the bore site was excellent. My first group, all three rounds touched, 3" high and 2"left. His second group was dime sized, 3" high. Those were the best. He shot a couple pretty wide groups and a few fairly tight- tight enough for hunting purposes.

The loads we experimented with were starting charges of IMR4350, 44gr, using a hornady 120g HP. Got good groups with the 4350. When we switched to the RL19 loads we worked up we did not get the same tight groups. However the wind was now up so who knows how that effected the shots. I did get two close (half inch) and one flyer- seveal patters like this.

the next loads worked up, but not tested, yet are with imr4831, rl17 and imr4350, and rl19, all at midrange charges using a variety of bullets, Nosler 115g Ballistic Tips, Sierra 117g BT and the HDY 120g HPs.

he managed the recoil very well. recoil will not be a factor, he never complained or seemed concerned about it. I think we have a shooter and have about $550 into the setup. Pretty pleased so far.

 

[SimplyChad]

Is a light weight boomer. And a great addition.

 

[mshootnit]

If you ever get a chance... try a 257 Weatherby Magnum.

 

[Kachok]

In terms of ballistics the 25-06 while not an uber high BC caliber shoots very flat, and maintains deer/pronghorn killing power out to about 500yds, as far as I care to attempt a shot. While not a large caliber it still has a very good reputation for putting them down pretty darn quick especaly with 115gr Ballistic Tips and 117gr Game Kings, recoil is on the mild side, not 243/6.5x55 mild but close. Long story short it looks a little shakey on paper, but in practice it has the makings of an ideal CXP2 class caliber, and is a favorite of pronghorn hunters out west for good reason. Some use 120gr partitions for elk and other CXP3 class game, I think it is a little on the light side for that, but as it has been proven over and over it will do the trick in a pinch, just watch for marginal shot angles as the penatration of .25 cals is not very high. Handloads for the 25-06 can exeede factory loads by a good margin, especaly with 100gr bullets, these can be loaded to near 257 Wby mag speeds.

 

[Old Dog Man]

25/06 Shooter

I built my first 25/06 in 1974 on Mauser BRNO action, just ordered it's 3rd barrel today from Douglas. I've made one shot kills with it for many years, using mostly 100 gr. Nozler, Serria, and Hornady bullets. I like the way the Nozler 110gr. Accu-Bond works and have switched to it. Shooting out 2 barrels has taken a long time and many rounds, ( mostly hot handloads ) i've owned 1 other 25/06 a Rem. Sendero for PD's, and it was set-up for long range shooting 1000yrd's and beyond. I used the Hornady 120gr. HP for that, It's very accurate but won't open on deer sized game. Unless they have changed the jacket, it's like a FMJ bullet. Al