25-06 vs 30-06?

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pinetree64

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Hey guys. I've a 30-06AI that I have grown tired of making the ammo. I'm going to pull the trigger and have it rebarreled. Not to mention I had a heavy long barrel put on it and it gets awfully heavy. I'm thinking 25-06 so that I would have a light kicking fun to shoot gun at the range yet have something to take on my open area deer hunts. I could go back to 30-06 but that seems boring to me.

My hunting is 300yds(max) and less. With this rifle I hunt southern whitetail possibly coyotes. I have a Ruger #1 in 45-70 that is my woods/swamp gun.
 
Lots of good cartridges, 25-06, 270, 280, 7x57, 6.5 Swede will work for what you want. I`ve found the 25-06 to be a great round but bullets are limited to hunting types, no target styles I know of are available if that is a consideration.
I say go for it.....
 
I'm a big fan of Nosler so I'd be shooting 115 Nosler BT's. I don't shoot benchrest. My target shooting is hunting practice.
 
As mentioned, you really do have a LOT of options. But since you've already narrowed it down, and prefer the 25 over the 30, then follow your heart. For your requirements you really can't go wrong.
 
.25-06 was simply the factory validation of a hugely popular wildcat. Lots of shooters consider it a great improvement over the .30-06 in terms of velocity, trajectory, and lightened recoil. Getting your gun lightened and in the quarterbore will pretty much make it your new favorite gun.
 
If you haven't already put your mental stake in the ground, at least think over the 6.5-06.

Merely by increasing from a .257" diameter bullet to .264" -- a scant 0.007" -- you get access to a much wider range of bullet weights (85gr. @ 3400fps up to 160gr. @ 2700fps), and generally, a host of superior ballistic coefficients.

How does a 140gr B.C. of over .770 grab you? Best I can find in a .257 is about 0.400.

In general, the sectional density of the 6.5's are better than the quarter-bores as well, given their length/weight ratio.

Just a thought. I know I could not be happier with ny 6.5x55 and 6.5-284 toys. The next sixe down (for me) is the 223. Never had much use for those dang .257's or .243's. :)

YMMV!

Rich
 
I have standardized on two basic long-range hunting chamberings; 25-06 for lighter stuff and 270 for the bigger stuff. I like these two because they're relatively efficient (given enough barrel), available in many rifle platforms and factory loadings, and handloading components are readily available. For game work, the choices available for .257 and .277 bullets are are good as for any other bore size. There may sometimes be better options (depending on who's making what bullets at any given instant in time) but overall they both will take a back seat to very few other chamberings.

The 6.5mm chamberings are really nice if you have the jones for target work; there aren't many super high BC .257 target bullets out right now. On the other hand, there isn't a plethora of 6.5mm-06 or 264 WinMag brass out there, either and finding factory loads in the lighter bullet weights is well-neigh impossible. I think that the 6.5x55 is a sweetheart of a round to reload for and is a viable option for you if you stick to the lighter bullets, but if you want to be lazy on occasion and use factory ammo you'll likely not be happy with the longer-range performance of the currently offered factory stuff.

Bear in mind that most any relatively overbore chamberings (e.g. 25-06, 6.5mm-06) really needs a long tube to be effective; I'd recommend 24" at a minimum and maybe a 26".
 
I love my 25-06 just because it is easier on the shoulder and more fun on the range. 30-06 is great for big game, but anything I would hunt my 25-06 will do the job.
 
having shot and reloaded for the .25/06, .257Roberts, and .257WbyMag, I vote for the .257Roberts.

Don't let the loading manuals fool you. In actual use there is VERY LITTLE difference between it and the .25/06.

About like the .308 vs. .30/06, only less....................


The .257wbymag offers a consideralble improvement in trajectory but not that much increase in killing range or power (wind drift gets you.............)

Read what John Barsness has written about the .257Roberts. His experiences are exactly that of mine. I get 3,100fps with a 100gr bullet and 46.0gr of H4350, or 3,050 w/ 45.0gr of Imr4350. 3,100fps with H414 also, and unbelieveable accuracy w/48.5gr of H4831 at ~2,900fps.

With the 117gr and 120gr bullets, I routinely get 2,800-2,900fps and this kills most light big-game like lightning, only more accurate !!!!

If not going with the Roberts, I'd go with a 6.5 of some flavor, probably the 6.5-284 or .260 Remington.

But, having used the "Bob" for 25yrs, I prefer it and the 7mm-08 over most every thing I've fooled with from .22"-.45".
 
Best I can find in a .257 is about 0.400.
Click to expand...

Berger sells two .257 match bullets. A .432 BC 87 gr FB that's also listed as a varmint bullet and a .532 BC 115 gr BT VLD that also doubles as a very good deer bullet. Even deer at very long range should fear the 25-06.
 
The 2506 Is A Great Round! But When I Build A Custom Rifle It Will Be In 280 Rem, Hand Loads Are Just Behind The 7 Mm Rem Mag, Csa:)
 
When I Build A Custom Rifle It Will Be In 280 Rem
Click to expand...
Great chambering, but not much behind the 30-06 in terms of recoil and muzzle blast. The advantage to the quarter-bores is the fact that they simply shoot 'softer'.

The 257 Roberts is a fine choice that's very efficient. If you want to shoot factory ammo, tho, then 25-06 might be a bit easier to keep fed.

Between the two, I've always chosen the 25-06 because I can load a 25-06 to 257 Roberts levels but you're really pushing the 257 Roberts to match the legs of the 25-06 with heavier 117gr-120gr bullets. Frankly, it always seemed silly to have to get a long action for the 257 Roberts and not also get that additional handful of grains of powder capacity to play with if needed.

But that's a quibble; either are simply superb.
 
Idle comment. I have noted that whenever the 25-06 comes up, there is always a Roberts comment that goes with it. I have often wondered why? To me this always seems like 308 vs. 30-06 question but not as close. Especially with the slow burning powders and the need to push the Roberts past standard pressures for the round to compete with the 25-06.
 
If you've got a small-ring Mauser that you want to sporterize (or that's already been sporterized and needs a new tube), the 257 Roberts is one of the few options available other than the original chamberings.

Why folk with a modern long action would willing choose it is probably mostly nostalgia, or just to have something different. It's not like using the 257 Roberts in a Remmie 700 or Win70 instead of the 25-06 gives you a lighter rifle, or one that is inherently any more efficient/effective.
 
I have been killing deer with the 25-06 for 26 years now. It is easy-kicking caliber that I can be very accurate with. I have 30-06 rifles and like them very much, but the .25 will work great on deer and be easy on the shoulder when you take it to the range for practice sessions.
 
If you like Nosler bullets and decide to go with the .25-06 then make sure you look at the 110 gr Accubond. They shoot great out of my gun. I'm looking forward to see how they perform on a whitetail in a couple weeks.
 
25:06 if you can not get a 260 Remington to work in your action. The 25 is fast - take it easy on the powder charge or you will shoot the barrel out quickly.
 
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