Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 25-06 load for Antelope

I need load info-bullet and powder- for a 25-06 to use for Antelope up to 400yds.
All help appreciated.

Coach

I used 100 NBTs for my pronghorn hunt; not the best, not the worst. They are small animals, with light frames and succumb easily. I'd use any 100-120 grain bullet that you want and expect great results. IMR 4350 is a stand-by powder in the 25/06--expect excellent accuracy though with it you leave a lot of velocity on the table. I've better success all around with RL 22 and 25. Currently launching 115 NBTs with RL 25. 3200+ from a 24 inch barrel. That'd be a pretty good combo for pronghorn...

Old Coach, the load I am listing is going back to the early 70's but works like a charm on speed goats or mule deer.

120 grain bullet (Hornady for antelope) Nosler Partition for mule deer out to 400 yards.

IMR-4831 powder at"53.5grns" velocity is 3100fps, recoil to the shoulder is 16 pounds of felt recoil. My model 70 Winchester shot .750-MOA with this load using Hornady bullets. It also shot a .686-MOA using Nosler's bullet.

7828 and a 100 Horn will do all you need, same with about any bullet of decent weight.

Lopes are easy, 400 isn't very far and IME it's very easy to get closer than 400 on most lopes.

Dober

Wait a minute...how would you know that??? Are you in the 50/200 antelope club....?






Had to throw that out there after the turdcutter banter today...what a fuggin' tool....

either that or imr 4831 and a hundred grain ballistic tip

Yeah we're really gonna get it now...I pretty much use my 22/250 anymore taken em to 505 with it. Dat oughta get him going...grin

Dober

If I could get my hands on some 80grain TTSX's I'd be throwing them at 3600 fps+......that's an antelope round!

I can't speak for the 25-06, but in my .257 Wby, the 115 gr. Berger VLD Hunting was the most accurate of all similar hunting bullets, 100 gr. to 120 gr. that I tested. And, that included the TSX 100's, NAB 110's, Sierra 120's among others. May be worth checking them out. The lighter bullets, while fast at the muzzle, don't hold their K.E. as well at long ranges and are deflected more by cross wind. I'd test for accuracy and go with what my gun liked. Hitting speed goats is more of a challenge than killing them. They die pretty easy.

I have filled several arks full of critters with the .25-284 (same thing as .25-06) shooting the 100 grain Hornady flat base spire point. This is a phenomenal bullet that always stays together, is inexpensive and has a decent BC. I drive them just a tad under 3,400 fps with H4831 in a 26" pipe. Here is a double that took place in a matter of minutes. Complete pass through on both. The dog was about 50 yards standing still. The goat was about 175 yards booking 90! Both dropped dead at the shot.

You can see the exit hole in the goat in the high lung area. The dog exit hole is pretty obvious Flinch

Good shooting, especially the speed goat...

I used the Berger 115gr VLD out of my 25/06 ackley and was very impressed with it.

When hunting heavy boned critters, like this giant doe, I use a 100 grain Barnes XLC. This is the exit hole. Same rifle, 25-284 100 grain XLC leaving the muzzle at 3,500 fps. shot was about 100 yards. I piled up three running does in three shots in Alabama. Not a bad "30 seconds" of hunting. Flinch

I'm glad to see someone besides me is culling out those huge old does.....

Rel 22 and the Nosler 100 gr BT

Hornady 100gr and drive it about 3200-3400 with Reloader 22. Will kill any goat I've encountered.



Johnny $

My .25-06 load for 'lopes is 100 grain Hornady Interlock with 56.5 grains of Reloder 22 and a CCI 200 primer.

One of 'em would put that doe of Flinch's to shame though...it was a staggering 20 lbs (skinned and dressed, no head); a real monster! The dang hornless critters swithched order when the buck was in front of 'em, and I shot the first no-horn that came out (where the big doe shoulda been) fortunately the Wyoming tag said "doe or fawn".

I've done well with the Sierra 117 SBT (Gameking). My first choice for powder is RE 17 with IMR 4831 a close second. Both loads worked up for my rifle giving me 3100-3175 (RE 17 is faster for me with the IMR on the low end of that range). I have been using the Winchester standard primers (WLR). Accuracy is pretty good with both loads.

Ingwe, are those considered big deer in the town of Dinkdom Montana? Sounds like too much for a 7X57...

Coach, like many have said Hornady Interlockts are good bullets and I'd also suggest trying some 110 AB's and work them up with IMR4831.

Like Dober said, 400 really ain't all that far for lopes.

What rifle you shooting?