Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 'Best' 25-06 Bullet

Okay, I know this is a can of worms but here goes. I have fired all my factory ammo in 25-06 and am ready to start reloading. I will use the rifle for antelope to mule deer and for ranges on the longer side (>200m). I have bigger rifles for elk and smaller rifles for varmints. I am a big fan of NPT bullets but don't think they are the best choice for this application. I shoot 100gr Core-Loct in my 257 Roberts but want a 'better' bullet for the 25-06. I am leaning toward the 115 BT but want some other opinions, so let's hear what you have to say...

I've used both the Nosler Partition in 120 grn., as well as the Barnes TSX 115 grn. Both have performed great in my rifle that prefers the heavier bullets!

100gr. TSX,Seirra, or NBT.

110 Accubond, used them in my 257 Wby this year on antelope, no complaints.

Dad uses 100 grain Interlocks in a 25 WSSM on antelope and deer, never had one come apart yet. He shot one antelope doe this year, crawling under a barb wire fence. Hit it in the left eye, came out the back of the head, reentered on the right side of the spine, exited behing the right shoulder blade. To say the thing was a DRT, is an understatement.

100 grain Hornady Spitzer flatbase. 100 grain Speer. 100 grain Ballistic Tip (I rarely keep one in a mule deer at 25-06 AI velocities). Any of these should work great.

110 accubonds or ttsx

I like the heavier bullets. Have had good luck with the 120gr Hornady Hp, the Speer 120gr Hot Core (sadly discontinued, with no replacement, yet) and the 120gr Sierra HPBT.

I've killed alot of deer with the hundred grain hornady and the earlier model ballistic tips. I think that with the possible exception of the speer 100 grain hollow point any 100 grain bullet will do the job. Many people on here seem to like the hundred grain hornady because it expands quite similarly to the premium bullets. It doesn't have the greatest ballistic coefficinent however that doesn't matter at 25-06 velocities unless your shooting past 325 ish yards.

The newer production hundred grain ballistic tip is cheap, accurate, and seems to hold together pretty well. I have used some of the old ones and had them start to come apart at high velocity. Point is that if someone tells you that they blow up ask them when the last time they used them was.

I did shoot some hundred grain swift scirroco's and found them to be really accurate. They have a really good ballistic coefficient so they should hold energy well. Some other posters on here say that hold together well enough that there wouldn't be a problem shooting things larger than deer with them.

The tsx bullets seem to get good reviews because the are accurate, lead free, and hold together very well. That said I haven't personally tried them except in my .222 with good results. That said they don't really have a good ballistic coefficient so beyond 350 yards they start to fall pretty fast. The company also makes an 80 grain tsx in .257 diameter that can be loaded to really high velocities which should make it a 425 yard point and shoot 25-06 load. I have been planning to try this out some time.

Truth of the matter is that noone can tell you which bullet is the best for your rifle. I can only hint that if you tried some of the above bullets and found the one that shoots the best in your rifle it could be considered the "best" one for your rifle.

In the Nosler book the writer says that he uses 100 grain Ballistic Tips for varmints and 100 gr Partitions on game animals. You could do worse IMO.

100 TTSX or TSX....the end

I have used a bunch of different bullets for pronghorn and deer in the .25-06: 100-grain Barnes TSX's and Tipped TSX's; 115-grain Berger VLD's; 100-grain Hornady SP's and 117-grain BTSP's; and 100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips, AccuBonds and Partitions in every available weight.

All have worked, even those darn Partitions. Believe it or not, even 120-grain Core-Lokts have worked fine. So I dunno what to tell you, other than to shoot straight.

I like the Nosler Accubond for my 20-06 model 70 using 100 grain Nosler (B.C.-418/s.d.=.238) Accubond bullets on coyotes. However, for mule deer I go to the heavier bullet in the 120 grain Nosler (B.C. .391, s.d.= .260) Partition. Anything else, gets a 100 grain Hornady B.C. 357 s.d. = 216

I had good results last year with the 100gr Nosler E-Tip. The mono construction, polymer tip, and BC are great for a high-vel .25cal.

95 grain Partition will do the job well.

Redleg: I am curious why you say that? Has someone told you Partitions don't kill past 200 m's?


I've used the 100,115,and 120 NPT from the 257 Roberts and 25/06 on deer and antelope out to a max of about 400 yards.....I'm certain there are other bullets as good but doubt there are any "better"....

I do recall a pal drawing down on a stud mule deer buck in eastern NM at about 300-325 yards with his Sako 25/06 and handloaded 120 NPT....at the crack of the rifle the buck collapsed........another pair of bucks, unseen, spooked at the shot about 250 yards away...I grabbed his rifle, flopped to the sit and cracked one that collapsed in 40 yards...

Two down in about 30 seconds!

I'd say that ain't bad and don't know how it gets much better.....

Yep!

If I had to pick only one of the .25 caliber Partitions it would probably be the 115, both because it's shot more accurately on average than either the 100 or 120, and because I've crumpled some really nice antelope and deer with it. But any of the 3 certainly do the job nicely.

Maybe the Partition is just too old-fashioned--or maybe the lead tips get dinged up in the magazine. I solved the last problem with my latest .25-06, a Ruger No. 1, but can't do anything about the first "problem."

hornady 120gr hp and nosler 110gr accubond. its a toss up.

Probably any of the above mentioned.......Which ever shoots the best in your rifle. I shoot the 100gr. TSX and have zero complaints with it.

I have no complaints with the Partition and use it in almost everything else that gets upgraded from cup and core bullets (my absolute favorite is the 210 PT in my 338-06, killed a ton of stuff with that). I just bought in to some of the aerodynamic hype and was looking for a 'better' bullet for thin skinned game at longer ranges. The fact that I don't need all that penetration and the PT is a fairly expensive options weighs in to the decision a little too. I am leaning to the BT/AB or a Hornady selection, probably in the 110-115 weight but may go down to 100gr, I tend to like heavier bullets...

That is the one right there. Shoots clover leaves from my 257 AI and performs beautifully at 3250 fps point-blank all the way down to 2400 fps at about 360 yards.

I guess it really kinda depends upon your definition of "better" though. Better construction? Better BC?