What is a .25-06 good for?

What caliber would you choose for a general purpose Win M70?

  • 6.5x55

    Votes: 10 16.9%

  • 7.5x55

    Votes: 3 5.1%

  • .308

    Votes: 19 32.2%

  • .30-06

    Votes: 27 45.8%
  • Total voters
    59
  • Poll closed .
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spencerhut

spencerhut

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I got a freebie Winchester M70 (post'64) in .25-06. I guess the .25-06 would be a good deer gun. Don't really need another deer gun since I have matching 6.5x55 deer rifles for the wife and I already. The stock on the M70 is all hacked up so it has to go. Rest of the gun is okay. Not sure about the bore condition, looks fine, but the barrel has been hacked on by someone and is <20" now with a crappy crown job done on it.
Has a nice Timney trigger.

A new H-S Precision stock for certain.

Since we don't have any other .25-06 caliber guns I think the caliber should be changed something I already have like .30-06, .308 or make it a 6.5x55 too. I'm not against new things mind you, we already have guns in the calibers I feel cover all North American small and large game critters. I have little enough time to work up loads for each gun in those calibers. Until I can figure out how to become a full time load developer I'll stick with the few calibers I have.

What do you guys think?
 
7.5X55 would be an unusual chambering, for sure. I can't see any reason to go to the extra cost for the small benefits the 7.5 would confer over the .308 (3.43 cc for .308 and 3.9 cc for the 7.5X55 is the internal volume) when you could just get a .30-06.

Would a gunsmith have a 7.5 Swiss reamer on hand, anyway? Not to mention the brass can be difficult to come by at times, and it costs more, even though it can be formed from other cases with relative ease.

I love my K31s as much as the next guy, but I think I'd take a .30-06 or .308 over that chambering, and as you have 6.5s, I would go with one of them.
 
30-06 or 35 Whelen. Keep long action caliber since you have a long action. The 35 Whelen is like the Hammer of Thor on deer. I'm surprised it's not more popular actually.
 
I voted 308 but if it's a long action I'd say 30-06 instead. 25-06 makes a good antelope gun, long range varmint gitter, and can take elk with proper bullet selection and placement, but isn't recommended. It really isn't a bad cartridge, just never really took off as it didn't see really good performance until 20 something (I think) years after it was developed when better powder was designed.

Shoot it a bit and then make your decision.
 
Since you said general purpose a 30-06 would certainly qualify, but since you're gonna be doing all that work to it anyway why not be interesting and make it into a 35 Whelen? That's what I did when I ended up with a "spare" rifle
 
Overbore; do you mean the bore is too big or the cartridge is too large?
Click to expand...

Excessive powder capacity for the size of projectile.

The 25-06 is an impressive performer... but with the hacking you mention has been done to it (chopped barrel.) You might as well rebarrel.


I voted 30-06. But 35 Whelen would be my first choice.
 
Quote:
and it's still overbore

Overbore; do you mean the bore is too big or the cartridge is too large?
Click to expand...

By overbore I mean the combustion chamber (inside of barrel and case) cannot fully burn all of the powder. You see this on large cases that shoot small diameter bullets. These will be the cartridges that make flames shoot out of the end of the barrel. Overbore cartridges don't make the most efficient use of the powder and erode the throat quicker than a non overbore case. By comparison a 30-06 is NOT overbore even though it used the same case. Since the bullet diameter is bigger it has a bigger combustion chamber and can fully burn most powders before the bullet exits the bore.

The word "Overbore" is often confused with "Freebore" which is the distance from the front of the chamber to where the rifling starts. Weatherby's are known for having both overbore cartridges AND a lot of freebore. The idea being more freebore reduces pressure in their monster overbore Wby mag. cartridges.
 
Overbore isn't a binary condition. A 30-06 is hellaciously overbore compared to, say, the .45 ACP.
Click to expand...

Technically yes. Practically speaking...NO. Overbore is generally used as a term for any cartridge that doesn't burn the majority of the powder before the bullet exits the bore. While this may not technically be correct, this is EXACTLY what people are describing when they refer to "overbore" cartridges. By your standards the word overbore is meaningless since every cartridge would be overbore when compared to something else that is slightly less overbore.
 
30-06 or 35 Whelen. Keep long action caliber since you have a long action.
Click to expand...
i agree w/ this 100%.

The 35 Whelen is like the Hammer of Thor on deer. I'm surprised it's not more popular actually.
Click to expand...

the cartridge is not understood very well, and most people are afraid to shoot anything they perceive as being 'big'. thus, the reason why i believe the finest all purpose hunting cartridges have never been and will never be more popular (338 win mag, 358 win, 35 whelen).

anyway, given the circumstances here, i think shawnee is right: sell the thing and be done w/ it. even if you love the 25-06 (i like mine... dunno about love, but i like 'em well enough to keep 'em), this rifle is a basket case. do you really want to build a custom gun on this action? i'd trip it...
 
With the 20" barrel the 25-06 has lost its edge. Either rebarrel it to the original caliber with a 24 or 26", or to 270 Win. It would be a waste to use any of the short action calibers. A 6.5x55 would also be intriguing loaded to its full potential. With the cost of components rising, shooting smaller calibers makes sense to me. Would you ever need a 35 Whelen?

NCsmitty
 
Just ask the lawyer at my old hunt club...
Click to expand...

You might be a red neck if you close your reply with this :)




I love the .25-06, shot my first deer and several since with it. I'd re-barrel it, 24" and call it all good!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tony
 
I was also thinking .270 Win.

Lot of good info on this thread. I certainly wouldn't leave it .25-06 in that configuration.
 
I've got a Stevens 200 in .25-06 with a 22" barrel. I don't notice that much blast or flames shooting out the end (and I enjoy my Mosin M44 so yes, I'd notice).

At the low end with 75 gr. bullets, it's good for varmints. It has the capability to launch a 75 gr. slug at 3700+ fps.

At the high end, it can sling a 120 gr. slug at 3000+.

That puts it neatly between the .22-250 and the .270. I don't know if we need anything between those, but we have it because we can. I'd call it dang-near a .25 magnum, and good for almost anything below elk.
 
Ithink you should keep it, as you allready have 30.06 brass, and the 25.06 is one really flat shooter, long range western antelope eater.
 
Given it's a long action I'm down to the .30-06 and the .35 Whelen now I guess. They .35 Whelen looks interesting. The .30-06 is well, it's a .30-06. Not like I don't already have a few of those, mostly clip fed ;).

Anyone know a good place on the west coast to send it to for the rebarrel? May as well get it refinished while I'm at it.
 
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