Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Am I missing something? (.25-06)

I've mostly been a .270 and .30-06 guy. Been pretty content with those two cartridges but have played around with another dozen or so cartridges at various times. Lately this forum has me thinking though. I hear so many good reports on the .25-06 and what it has to offer on here that I can't ignore it anymore. Is this cartridge really as good as it's made out to be on here? Is it really as serious a big game cartridge as the .270 Win? Have I been missing out on something? Just wondering if I need to look into investing in one or if all the hype is really just that, hype?

Yes, Yes, Yes and no, it's not hype. Wonderful cartridge when used appropriately, and with modern bullets, it's more appropriate then it used to be. A 25-06 and a 7mm Rem Mag would make a pretty good two gun combo for North America....

Reason I'm asking is because I have damaged shoulders from years of drywalling. So I don't shoot my .30-06's as much as I'd like to because of shoulder pain. My Ruger .270 doesn't bother me near as much but I'm wondering what I'd be sacrificing by dropping down to the .25-06? My inlaws are devoted .243 guys and what I've seen out of the .243 through the years hasn't won me over as I like my cartridges to have a little more azz.

25-06 is a fine round, but it will never replace either the 270 or '06 as they will always be more capable and reliable in the field.

Moose,

I am in the same boat...I hunt mostly deer, sheep, caribou and such. elk too. I just bought a 260 rem and I am sure it will work just fine.


Lefty C

Moose, Have you tried any of the newer squishy recoil pads? I have put them on several of my rifles as their ability to absorb shock and/or sting is remarkable.
While I have changed over my Whelens, a 300 Win Mag and one of my 270's, my 13 yr old grandson (now) happily shoots all of them. I can come home from a warm weather range session without a mark of any sort on my shoulder.

I've always worried they'd snag on my clothing when I was trying to get the gun into action on an animal.

On the right rifles a muzzle brake also makes a heckuva difference in felt recoil. Last night my bud brought over his new toy that he bought at the show Saturday. It is a Ruger M77RSI 30-06 with a brake and squishy pad installed. I was skeptical because I owned a rifle just like that once and it kicked me into next week, but I had to try his just once. It was amazing! That rifle didn't kick as hard as a 223! Now I'm jealous of his new rifle, but that's nothing new. We trade rifles back and forth like kids used to trade pogs and slammers. It's only a matter of time until that rifle graces my safe.

Oh by the way, I can't tell the difference in kick between a 25-06 with 120s and a 270 with 130s.

I'd go .260, but a .25-06 with 100gr TTSX is no slouch.

Yes. One is missing the 257 Weatherby. It will leave the 06 in the dust every day of the week.

I am chiefly a deer hunter and wouldn't hesitate a moment to replace my 30'06s w/ my 257 AI, which is nearly identical to the 25'06.

Using appropriate projectiles and sticking them in the proper location you're sacrificing nothing in comparison to a 270.

Seems like an over generalization to say that the 06 or 270 is "more capable and reliable in the field" w/o first asking what is being hunted and under what conditions... At the very least.

For deer I don't think you lose anything.

MooseM -

In your OP you said "big game".

Deer are at the Bottom rung of that ladder. For 'deer' , mulies, or whitetails
the 25-06 is more than adequate.

As you go up the ladder to Elk, Moose, etc. you CAN NOT load the 150 or 160
Nosler PT or comparable bullet 'weights' that the 270 shoots well.

Only you can decide what your needs are.

IF you add the 25-06 for deer, you COULD re-pad the 270 or 30-06 for
larger big game.
Good Luck.

Why not rebarrel the 30-06 to 25-06 ?

moosemike,

An awful lot of elk are taken each year here in Montana with various .25-caliber rifles, with no problems. The .25-06 is the most popular.

I'm a .25-caliber fan from way back, and have what some people would call too many .25's in chamberings from .25-20 to .257 Weatherby. If forced to pick one it would probably be the .257 Roberts, but the .25-06 would be in the running. It kicks noticeably less than the .257 Weatherby (which recoils much like a .270 Winchester of the same weight), and ammo, brass and bullets are easy to find. The .25-06 also tends to be very accurate, though that can be said to a certain extent of all the .25's.

I'd have no hesitation on deer. If I had moose or elk on the menu I'd much prefer something "bigger" like a 7 mag or 30-06. I know they have been killed with 25-06 or smaller, but it would be far from my first choice.
All that being said, I sold my 25-06 after last season as I didn't see that it gave me anything a 270 didn't do at least as well, for what/where I hunt. The lack of recoil in the 25-06 was nice, same as my 7-08 and not much less than a 270, for me.

I wasn't a .25-06 fan until the last few years. The old bullets were not designed to handle the speed of the .25-06 and we had several deer shot at camp that were not recovered and the ones that were recovered had a lot of ruined meat. With the introduction of the "premium" bullets several years ago the .25-06 became a viable big game cartridge in my opinion. The Nosler, Barnes and Hornady offerings have up-gunned it so to speak. I now own one and like it a lot. I use Nosler 110g AB's, Hornady 100g Interlocks, and primarily Barnes 100g TSX's.

I am a fan of the .25-06 too. You can load 100gr bullets down for very light recoil or use 120gr Partitions at similar velocity as the .270 Win gets with 130gr Partitions. The .270 Win with 130gr Partitions is a proven big game load, and I say the .25-06 with 120gr Partition is pretty much the same, but with ~20% less recoil.

I have an uncle and family that live in BC - Prince George area, and all the women in the family hunt moose with a 243. Mary (my wife) killed her first moose with a 243. Did a right tolerable job. My uncle reports his women folk kill moose every year as well. I said that to say this, if a 243 will kill moose with properly placed shots and 100 grain or lighter bullets going around 3000 ft/sec, why wouldn't a 25-06 shooting a 100-120 grain bullet at 3200 ft/sec + or - do as well or better. And like someone said, how much difference do you think a moose or elk will feel between a 130 grain 270 and a 120 grain 25-06?

I prefer something a little heavier, but why not the 25-06? Put a TSX at warp speed through the lungs, and watch 'em pack up.

Nothing wrong with something 25-06 -ish. I've had good luck with the 120gr Partition and the 100gr E-Tip. If a guy wants to run a .25cal, have at it. Playing devil's advocate, the 270WCF now has some good 110gr offerings that have comparable BC's to the .25 caliber bullets in the 100-115 grain range. They can be scooted pretty fast.

Moosemike: Regarding the recoil pad, just coat the top part with superglue and you won't have any problems snagging your hunting jacket. I do the same with my beretta for sporting clays and I have no problem with mounting the shotgun.