25-06??

[WhitetailKiller]

Ive seen this round creeping around on the internet but havent paid it much mind until now. The Cartridges arent to overly priced (comaparble to my .270) but what are the main points that make it stick out against orher cartridges? Might pick me one up In a browning bar. It would be strictly a deer/farm gun.

 

[brasscollector]

The 25-06 isn't going to break any new ground for you compared to your 270. In my 25-06 I've shot anything from a 75gr varmint bullet to a 120gr VLD with great accuracy, but again nothing that couldn't be done with a 270 also. Both are flat shooting and have less recoil than a 30-06. I'm sure the internet bandwagon will be along shortly to tell you what to get instead.

 

[Aletheia]

Brasscollector is right IMO. If you already have a .270, you will gain nothing with a .25-06. A .270 is capable of pushing any bullet weight useful for big game hunting faster than a .25-06 can produce, and it also can utilize heavier bullets than you can get in .25 caliber which makes it a better choice for larger game should that opportunity arise. I believe the .25-06 can make a slightly better varmint cartridge than the .270, but there are better varmint cartridges available than the .25-06. In short, I would never buy a .25-06 if I already had a .270. I would want more "gap" down from my .270 than that and move to one of the 6mm rounds, or even a fast center fire .22.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

The above posts nailed it. I have a soft spot for quarter bores and 7mm's. But if you already own a .270 and it's shoots well and you like the rifle then a 25-06 won't do anything the .270 already does.

If it was gonna be a more varmint type rifle the I'd take the 25-06 over the .270.

 

[js8588]

25-06 in a BAR would be a sweet shooter & an excellent deer/farm gun.

That's all you need to know. Get it.

 

[Llama Bob]

The 25-06 is even worse in the twist department than the .270. It comes from an era when there was demand for varmint/medium game crossover rifles as a single rifle with a single load, so the twist was OK in that context.

As a pure long range varmint cartridge it's OK but greatly outclassed by for example the 6mm Ackley.

If you actually intend to use it for the original application of whitetails and varmints it works great but then again so would a .243. For targets it's as good as anything in close but the twist kills you out farther. Recoil is light and it's a reasonable choice for a recoil adverse shooter.

 

[Shuck M.]

When i see 25-06, the only thing that comes to mind is a description of it i wish i could take credit for; "He**, that's god's own coyote round!'

 

[Picher]

I have a couple of .270's and a couple of .243s. They two rounds complement each other, even though I've killed a Buck with the .243, I never really hunted deer with it, but it's a favorite coyote round and isn't too much for the occasional woodchuck, if needed, bucking wind better than my .223s. (We live in a windy area on top of a hill.) The .223s tend to be used for smaller varmints like woodchucks, around the house, but these days, more for informal range shooting.

The .270s have killed several deer for me from 40 to 400 yards and a bull moose at about 275 yards (one shot). All my centerfire rifles are sub-MOA, using handloaded ammo.

 

[TonyAngel]

The .25-06 can't do anything the .270 can't and the .270 can do it better, if only by a margin.

 

[Llama Bob]

When i see 25-06, the only thing that comes to mind is a description of it i wish i could take credit for; "He**, that's god's own coyote round!'

The Almighty must have lowered his standards then, because it's a mediocre one. The bore diameter is on the high side although usable, but it's definitely got too much taper both in the body and shoulder and thus increases bolt thrust, increases case stretch, and worsens headspace.

The 6mm-06 AI, 6mm Remington AI, .25-06 AI, .22-250 AI and even the rather pedestrian .243 have it beat handily

 

[WisBorn]

I like the 25-06 and have owned a couple. I always thought it was a good compliment to the 30-06. I don't see that same spread in performance with the 270 and either -06.
A better compliment on the lighter bullet side may be the 243.

 

[sage5907]

I grew up in western Oklahoma which is heavy farm/ranch country and from about 1965 until 1990 the 25-06 was considered the perfect farm/ranch rifle and it was king over everything else. Almost every serious deer and coyote hunter owned one and most of them reloaded their own ammunition. After 1990 many other cartridges came on the scene which reduced the popularity of the 25-06 and I don't hear very much about them being purchased today. That being said, I own two of the rifles and they are a joy to shoot, easy to hit with, and don't give up much to any of the newer cartridges on the scene. They have less recoil than a 270 Winchester and with normal loading they are easy on cases. I always preferred 117/120 grain bullets which makes they a good deer cartridge. I give most of the credit for the slump in sales of the 25-06 to the long range precision rife community that likes shorter cartridges in the 6 mm and 6.5 mm range.

 

[Dr T]

Some one has to say it: The 6.5 CM has the trajectory of the 25-06 with the power of the 270.

Seriously, I have all three and for me they are functionally equivalent. For me, the 6.5 has a bit less recoil than the 25-06 which has a bit less than the 270. All make excellent deer and farm guns (disclaimer: I have not killed a deer with 25-06 yet--it is a bit more cumbersome than my current hunting gun which is a 6.5). If the BAR strikes your fancy, then go for it. A 25-06 is as good a reason as any other for getting a new gun.

 

[jmr40]

I'm not a 25-06 fan. Yes, it shoots flat and will kill deer just fine. But it isn't really suitable for anything bigger than deer and there are better options for game smaller than deer. Typically the heaviest 25 caliber bullets used are in the 115-117 gr range. A 243 will shoot 105's to just a hair slower than 25-06 shoots 115's at the muzzle. But the more aerodynamic 24 caliber bullets will catch up down range and actually hit game harder at some point. No deer will notice the difference between a 243 with 105's and a 25-06 with 115's or .014" larger bullet diameter. And a 243 is a much better varmint round.

To move up to bigger game something shooting a 130-150 gr bullet is needed. That puts 26 caliber rifles at the lower end of acceptable. And while it does shoot flat with the lighter bullets, that just isn't a factor with most shooters anymore.

 

[someguy2800]

I have had one for 15 years and shot a bunch of deer with it. With the right loading its thunder on deer with more instant incapacitations than anything else I have shot deer with. Consider it to be a super duper 243 or a downsized 7mm magnum. What it does really well is shooting really fast and really flat but with moderate recoil, and has a good selection of both varmint and big game bullets.

I shoot 87 grain hollowpoints at 3400 fps for varmint devastation, and a 120 grain bonded big bullets at 3000 fps for deer. At the time I bought mine I envisioned it being a deer rifle and long range coyote rifle rolled into one. In today's more enlightened age of high ballistic coefficient bullets I think I would buy a 6.5 creedmoor for that role. It does basically the same thing with better bullet selection and burns 15 less grains of powder to do it.

 

[js8588]

Some one has to say it: The 6.5 CM has the trajectory of the 25-06 with the power of the 270.

Seriously, I have all three and for me they are functionally equivalent. For me, the 6.5 has a bit less recoil than the 25-06 which has a bit less than the 270. All make excellent deer and farm guns (disclaimer: I have not killed a deer with 25-06 yet--it is a bit more cumbersome than my current hunting gun which is a 6.5). If the BAR strikes your fancy, then go for it. A 25-06 is as good a reason as any other for getting a new gun.

False.

Out to 400 yards, the 25-06 shoots a bit flatter than most 6.5 Creed loadings. The creed has a little less wind drift.

For a "farm gun" 400 is more than far enough.

Also, much as we don't like admitting it, the 270 shoots flatter, further than the Creedmoor (at the expense of a little more recoil).

 

[Meeks36]

It doesn't do anything special. It's just a cool round to have In the stable. It'll take out deer and any varmints you run across. I'll add one someday. When I find one a decent price.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’m a quarter bore affectionado. Got three, but neither are .25/06.
.25-36M, .257Roberts, .257WbyMag.

My best friend has an Interarms MkX Viscount. With an old school load of 43.0gr of IMR4320 under a Sierra 120gr GameKing BtHpt, it shoots 3 shot clover leafs. I’ve seen him do it numerous times. He’s taken deer to 400yds hunting in-law’s property in E.WestVa and W.Pa.
He’s never wanted another centerfire “deer” rifle.

My .257Wby cost me less than the scope on it. $225+tax. LGS couldn’t sell it because 5boxes of factory ammo cost more than Rifle (Vanguard). But, it’s as accurate as buddies’06, and is closest thing to a laser to 350yds as you can buy over the counter.
With RL25 it’s a deer death ray with any bullet I’ve tried. 100gr Hornady Interlok runs 3,650fps. The ‘06 is just a couple of steps behind it.

But, elk rifles start at .270... Though a .257Bob, .25/06, or .257wby will make quick work of an elk with a 110gr Accubond... but I have better elk rifles... just saying.

 

[DocRock]

There will be the expected ad hominem attacks on Spomer and the usual suspects will cry various sorts of foul. It's an informative article. I don't have one but If I could find a really lightweight rifle in 25-06, I'd be happy to. I have no problem with cartridge overlap. I have like five different 30 cals in only God knows how many rifles...

https://ronspomeroutdoors.com/blog/25-06-remington-beats-6-5-creedmoor/

 

[js8588]

There will be the expected ad hominem attacks on Spomer and the usual suspects will cry various sorts of foul. It's an informative article. I don't have one but If I could find a really lightweight rifle in 25-06, I'd be happy to. I have no problem with cartridge overlap. I have like five different 30 cals in only God knows how many rifles...

https://ronspomeroutdoors.com/blog/25-06-remington-beats-6-5-creedmoor/

He's 100% correct. For punching paper, I'd rather have the Creedmoor (well, actually, I'd rather have my 6.5 Swede, but that's just nostalgia talking). For taking game up to, but not including elk, I'd take a 25-06.

 

[troy fairweather]

I've never really seen the 25-06 much of a step up over a 243. Would not pass up on a good deal for a 25-06 tho.

 

[joed]

I've owned and shot a .25-06 for over 42 years. I bought it for shooting groundhogs in Ohio, but have used it for deer and even black bear. With the light bullets it is one hell of a varmint rig. The heavy bullets are good for deer and I would not hesitate to use the cartridge on elk at reasonable ranges. The cartridge is very flat shooting which is one of the things I've liked about it.

It does overlap the .270 quite a bit but I don't think I'd let that stop me from getting one. Heck, I also own a .243 but it doesn't see much use as I prefer the .25-06 over it. jmr40 mentions the 105 gr bullets in the .243. Good luck with that one, I haven't seen a .243 in a twist fast enough to use that bullet. Also, for varmint shooting I use light frangible bullets to avoid ricochets in the areas I hunt, something the heavy bullet crowd hasn't figured out yet.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I saw mentioned by someone that the 25-06 they own has caused more instant incapacitations than any other rifle they own. I have to agree with the .25 cal bullet and also 7mm bullets.

For deer in my personal experience from my hands and friends and family hands the .257 100 grain soft point and a 7mm 120 grain Nosler is hands down the quickest deer killing bullets I've ever used. Give me one of those 2 and they just go DOWN.

 

[sage5907]

Threads about the 25-06 and the 270 Winchester quickly deteriorate to a discussion of the attributes of the 6.5 Creedmoor. I think it just make people feel good even though it doesn't add to the conversation. One of the comments was that flat shooting bullets weren't a factor with most shooters anymore. Bullets coming out of a 25-06 or 270 Winchester are at magnum speed and they ring a long distant steel target quicker and that's important to me.

The Berger loading manual lists a 25-06 115 grain bullet with 51.6 grains of H4350 at a velocity of 3088. The Berger manual lists a 270 Winchester 140 grain bullet with 58.3 grains of Reloader 22 at a velocity of 3045. The Berger manual lists the fastest load for a 6.5 Creedmoor 140 grain bullet at 2700 with 42.4 grains of Ramshot Hunter. It's important when comparing velocities to use the same bullet type.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I’m a lever action guy for the most part and I delve into pump rifles as well. For the most part 25-06 need not apply.

However, I like the round in theory as I have never owned one and if I really got a hankering for a longer range flat shooting rifle I would scour around for one of the very few 25-06 Remington 7600s that are out there.