Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Bob Milek on the 25-06

I'm surprised that nobody, especially Milek in Wyoming, talks about wind drift problems with 25 cal. 100 gr. bullets. 35 years ago I had a Model 70A in 25-06 that I glass bedded and it would consistently shoot 1/2 inch 100 yd groups with the Hornady 100 gr. Spire point over 53.5 gr. of 4350 at 3250 fps. I thought I had the holy grail for antelope. First one I shot off my Harris bipod at 383 paces dropped right there. This was before laser rangefinders. Wind was swirly, estimated 15 gusting to 20 from the left side. I aimed for the heart/ shoulder (mid chest with allowance for drop) and when I got to the carcass found the buck dead, from a spine hit in the neck 6 inches behind the skull. The bullet had moved up 15 inches and into the apparent wind 6 inches from my point of aim. I was dumbfounded. Could I have jerked the shot? I suppose, but it didnt feel like it, and there is no way I would have pulled it that far off. I concluded that the short little spirepoint just got blown around by the swirls and gusts, and that my first antelope buck was simply a lucky hit. I never used that 25-06 again, and traded it off a year or so later with no regrets. I started shooting my 7 Mag with 140 gr. bullets instead and never had a problem with significant wind drift again. After 20 years with that, I decided that with the good laser rangefinders now available, I didnt need to worry about a flat trajectory so much, and certainly didnt need the energy the 7 Mag brought to the table, so I bought a 6.5 CM and now shoot factory 140 gr. Hornady Nontypical Whitetail ammo, with 1" groups pretty much the norm. Wind drift with the slower bullet is even less of a concern than with the faster 7 Mag. and I have taken a half dozen lopes since, between 250 and 400 yards with good result.

All that being said, I always wonder if I had simply changed bullets to a 117-120 gr. with higher BC I could have gotten rid of the problem. I'll never know. We all are victims of our experience.

Or a higher B.C 100 grain.

The wind blew the bullet UP?

Is that article from the late 1980s?. If it is I remember reading it. Another writer from that period was a big 25-06 fan was the mostly bow hunting writer Chuck Adams.

I have never owned a .25-06 but the cartridge has intrigued me. One of the problems I've run into as a left-handed shooter with limited selections is finding the right rifle at the right price at the right time. Occasionally a LH Ruger 77 with a 24" barrel will appear. A couple of times a LH rifle with a 22" barrel would be for sale (both times it was a Sako) but I always wondered if that was too short. Would some of the slower powder still be burning as it exited the barrel? Or would this be of limited concern for an average hunter like me? I've heard mixed opinions on both sides. So I thought I'd ask here if anyone had an opinion or experience on shooting the .25-06 out of a 22" barrel.

I know a long-time Remington executive who upon retirement was offered anything he wanted from the custom shop. He had created a hunting lodge in SE MT known mostly for big mule deer and the occasional bull elk. He opted for a 25-06 M700 stainless. Last time I heard, he'd never needed a second shot on anything he'd targeted.

They are a good bit noisy.

Yes, wind can also push bullets up, as well as sideways, depending on the terrain between the shooter and target. Have seen it many times when prairie dog shooting.

Dang, thanks for posting the article. I sure miss Bob’s articles. I still remember him writing about 6mm Remington as well.

I have a model 70 Extreme Weather 25/06 w/ a 22” barrel. A Ruger 77 and a 700 custom shop - 24” barrels. When it came time to cut a custom barrel for my classic 25/06 i went with 23”. Balance being the biggest factor, if it was best at 22” then there is no arguing it. The difference in MV is irrelevant in a hunting scenario imo.

First custom rifle I have had built was a 25-06 on a stainless 700 action. Had Ernie Bordman from Brookings Oregon put a 26” PAC-Nor barrel on it. I still have it. And hunt with it every year. 100 TTSX out of that long barrel doesn’t give up much to the 257 WBY.

Neither accusing the OP of prevarication, nor the esteemed commenter of elaboration, but to my mind a crosswind of 15-20 mph doesn't result in bullets drifting upward that much at that range. I did guide elk hunts for a while in AZ & NM, and have seen thermals do some funny things. Also taught HS physics, and would like to see the equation that would result in that much lift on that projectile in that scenario. Sincerely and without the malice so prevalently exhibited on this site.

Thanks for your observation.

But one interesting thing about both prairie dog and pronghorn hunting is the ground is overall flatter than most elk country, but also "bumpier." The problem isn't thermals but gusts that hit a low "ridge," even as little as 10-15 feet high--and there can be several between you and the target.

Great article by great writer. Bought my first center fire in 1974, a Rem 700 in 25/06. It’s worked great on coyotes, antelope and deer.

I too enjoyed reading Bob Milek's articles, and they no doubt influenced me to get a 25-06 someday. One I should have kept was a Ruger Number One Varminter that had excellent accuracy with the stubby 100 gr Sierra GameKing.

The Remington 700 CDL is topped with the 6x Leupold and has served well. Someday I really ought to get rid of the dreaded J-lock, but in the meantime, it shoots great. Coyote, antelope and mule deer have been the primary targets. It's done real well with the Barnes 100 gr TSX & TTSX, the 115 gr Berger VLD and the 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. Typically I'll use Retumbo for the heavier bullets and H4350 for the 100's. Nosler's 110 gr Accubond has been very accurate, but I haven't yet tried it on game. Good things are expected from it.


About 160 yards with the 115 gr Berger VLD, there's a huge hole on the other side of this coyote:


420 yards with the 115 Nosler Ballistic Tip, almost no visible damage but instant drop & death:


Pronghorn with the 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at about 160 yards with that typical instant drop & death:


Muley at about 350 yards with the Nosler Ballistic Tip:


I was surprised when others started telling me about using the 25-06 on bear and elk, somehow I'd forgotten that ol' Bob Milek had written of using it on elk. Someday perhaps I'll give it a go. The only time I felt under-gunned with the 25-06 was hunting mule deer in Wyoming with a grizzly sow and cub somewhere in the area. The flat trajectory, light recoil, good accuracy and lethal results have made this a favorite of mine.

Regards, Guy

Thanks for all the pictures!

He was definitely the inspiration behind my 25-06 purchase as well.

Guy, have mentioned this a couple times in print, but not for a while. The most accurate factory rifle I have ever owned is a heavy-barreled Remington 700 .223 with a laminated stock. Aside from a few minor "accurizing" techniques it's factory original, including the J-lock--and when the barrel was relatively new it would average 5 shots with more than one bullet in 1/4" at 100 yards.

At some point in that early testing I decided to see how much difference the J-lock made, since so many people were moaning about it at the time. Had an older short-action 700 without the J-lock, so substituted its firing pin and spring in the .223. I couldn't tell any difference in group size.

Great read, thanks for sharing the article

Sick looking rifle.

Steve Timms is a big fan of the 25-06 as well.
All this 25-06 talk is going to cost me some money!