The more I use this .25-06, the more I like it. Somewhere along the line I got into the "more recoil is better" frame of mind, and used mostly magnums for my hunting... Then... I decided that I really was, primarily, an open country mule deer hunter. Went through a couple of .25-06 rifles, fell hard for the cartridge. Ended up with a Rem 700 CDL, shortly after they were introduced. Rockchuck. Coyote. Mule deer. Everything falls over when hit, might twitch a time or two, then it's over. No recoil. Mild report. Good accuracy. Flat shooting and extremely lethal.

Was out scouting for mule deer today and zapped another coyote. Got me to thinking about how much I like this rifle. It rapidly became my favorite!







Who needs recoil?

In resent years I�ve grown quite fond of the .25�s. I have two, a .257 Roberts and a .25-06.
I have yet to figure out what .25-06 can do that a .257 Roberts can�t do.

You may well be right on that one... No argument from me!

25's are wicked good.

are they more finicky to load accurate loads for???

im loving my .25

wish I would have added one a long time ago.

Thanks Dober!!

No they are not.

Yes, I would avoid them.

[bleep], Scott, you are being difficult tonight. As if we didn't know you were being facetious...Didn't get laid lately? the move must be making you more contentious than normal.

Fool that I am, I sold my Ruger 77V in a short-pockets moment. One shot kills on about 25 caribou- and if I'd waited 30 seconds, that first one would have fallen down as well....

I'm not difficult. I know the dudes I hang with don't spend 87 hours a day talking politics.

And nope on getting laid, but I'll be Soldotna soon..........

Never had a 25 be any more trouble to make shoot than anything else. To many other factors in the mix than to point at bullet diameter for not shooting.

Guy,

Got any pictures of the exit on that prairie pup?

I still have my 25/06, but a 257 BYOB is getting shot in its place.

I do have some 110 AB's that the Bob hates; might fling from the 25/06 at pork, or not...

Glad you like the 25; it works.

Running 100's at everything?

Glad you are having fun with your .25-06. I have a soft spot for .25's as well. I've been discussing a .25-06 Ackley lately, just for the extra uumph over the two Bobs in the safe. I bought one for my son when he was old enough to hunt deer, and just got in a Kimber Montana in the Bob. If I can get my wife to turn loose of her .243, we'll be .25 all around.

I've not had a chance to kill anything with my 25-06 but I love shootin it. As far as loading for it the first two bullets I tried shot great so load work up done. Can't say enough good about mine.

Yep, the 25-06 is a neat little round! I like the package you have it wrapped-up in too! The CDLs and the old Tis are about the only R700s I like.

The first hunting rifle actually originally made for commercial sale was a Ruger 77 25-06. The rifle still lives in my gun cabinet. It likes the 100 grain partition very well. The only thing I don't like about the cartridge is a tendency for meat damage above and beyond the call of duty.

No .25-06 in my safe but not because I didn't want one. Was literally leaving a gun show after selling a shot-out .22-250 to go buy a .25-06 when I bumped into a guy trying to sell a like-new slide-safety Ruger in .257 Roberts. There weren't even any scrtches in the bluing under the slide. A Leupold M8 4x was in the rings and we came to an agreement at $400 for the pair. since I had just purchased a similar scope for $100 a couple months before I figured I got the rifle for $300.

It has since become my favorite rifle and has accounted for several song dogs at over 480 yards. My loads us Winchester +P brass and it flngs 75g V-MAX at over 3500fps. Barnes 110g TSX are wicked accurate at 3013fps, Swift 120g A-Frames 100fps slower. It likes 110g AccuBonds, too.

No real need for a .25-06 these days, the Bob has that area covered -not quite a .25-06 but more than good enough for what I want. If the Bob can't do it there is always the 7mm RM or .300 WM...

Congrats, Guy - the .25-06 is one of the great ones.

I'm shooting the 100g Speer BT in my Rem at 3475 fps, and at 300 yards it shoots 1 1/2" groups, hits real hard at 400 yards.

I am not well versed in small caliber cartridges, what do I get from the .25-06 that I dont get from a .243?

Also I am not trying to start a caliber war, but is the 25-06 a "better" performer on deer than a .243? I have never truly been comfortable with the .243 round, but I would like to get a smaller caliber deer rifle. Opinions?

Have both. In my opinion the 25-06 is the better deer cartridge, but tens of thousands of deer are killed cleanly each year, with the 243. Same old story: Good bullet, good shot placement, dead deer.

Been loading for and shooting a 25-06 of some sort, for well over 30 years. Will never be without one and am now back to two of 'em again. Have probably killed more deer with that cartridge, than any of the several others I've used.

Ya get a 100gr TSX from the 25-06 at 3300fps as opposed to a 85gr TSX at same speeds from a .243,also a bit better B.C. with the 100gr

Onliest reason I bought the 25 Bob over the 25-06 was cause of its history and my love of odd cartridges. Boy does it shoot and boy am I happy I went that route. There is no dust on the 25-06 for sure, but I am over the top with my Bob

Randy

Boxerdog, in my experience a 25-06 is a much better killer than a .243. I used 100 grain bullets in each, and got greater velocity and bullet diameter with the 25-06.Comparing the two cartridges on deer and antelope, the 25-06 drops them noticibly faster. YMMV - good luck

I've had much better results with all my .25s than a friend has had with his 6mm Rem. The .25/06 drops them quick, but so do the .250 Savage and the Bob. I love 'em all.

Congrats and nice pics.

Have been enamored with the 25-06 since I dropped my first deer with it, as was my son. Nothing but DRT's and in spectacular fashion.

One week from today I'll be packin' my Sako 75 in that cartridge on our deer opener. I'll be most confident in doing so.............

Read a nice one-page article about the 25-06 earlier this evening in one of the current hunting magazines over at the local B&N library. Nothing but good things to say about it, too.

What's the difference in the 243 and the 25-06????

100gr @ 2950-3000fps

or

100gr @ 3350-3450fps aka: Death Ray

you do the math...


Brett

The 25 06 is awesome. At times I have need to put down cows/bulls that weigh anywhere from 1400-2000 lbs. Sometimes I use the opportunity for a bullet test. From what I've seen a 100 gr. TSX will do at 100 yards there isn't a bone or critter in NA that bullet won't smash and penetrate.

Have shot mule deer with the 25/06;piles of woodchucks here in NE as well.Cooked a 25/06 barrel in one season(!)Seen the cartridge work on elk as well; but then,on the same ranch have seen them taken with the 250 Savage as well,and spent a good many evenings in a cold barn tracing the path of 25/06,250 Savage and 257 Roberts boolits through thoroughly defunct game,after seeing the stuff killed that day.

I've used the 257 Roberts much more, on many more game animals.I like the 25/06,but having used the Roberts a lot,and the 25/06 some,I can't see a lot of difference.Before I will reach for a 25/06 for big game, I will grab a 270.

I sort of concluded that with a 25 cal rifle, I did not want to burn that much powder,use 24" barrels,etc.I have run the Roberts at 3200 for a 100 gr bullet,3300+ with the 87,and never found it lacking for anything I wanted to do with a 25......at the end of the day, I'll take the Roberts,but that does not detract from the 25/06 at all

Hey CrimsonTide,
I still have that .25-06 you sold me, and it still shoots lights out (even with me at the helm). That rifle made me a .25-06 fan for life.

I've been tagging my mulies and whitetails with a 25.06 for close to 20 years. For deer of any size, IMHO it doesn't get any better. Are some others as good, sure. But not any better.

Used mostly Federal Premium 117gr. Sierra GameKing BTSP. The very few deer that didn't fall to one shot were my fault, not the rifle's.

Some critics have knocked the caliber for recoil, say compared to a 6mm, which I think is just plain silly. If one can't handle the kick from a 25.06, one isn't terribly serious about shooting center fire rifles.

I LOVE the 25-06 period!!! I grew up hunting as a kid with a 30-06 and feel head over heels for it but the 25-06 has 3 things we all love

easy to shoot
flat shooting
mild recoil

If I didn't have the itch so bad for a Marlin 35 Remington and a 760 pump 30-06 I would buy a savage package I found for less than 400 bucks!!

I got to wondering if you still had that rifle the other day. I am glad to hear that you do. It shot well when I had it, and I figured it had very little to do with the nut behind the bolt.

I have a Ruger 77 in .25-06 that I bought new for $137, so it was a few years ago (early 1970s). First ammo I tried in it was Winchester 120-gr Positive Expanding Points and it shot under a half-inch (3 shots off the bench at 100 yds). I reload for it now, and it shoots as good with Hornady 120 gr Interlock HPs. Have killed lots of deer, feral hogs, coyotes, crows, maybe a turtle or two, rattlesnakes, etc. and all have been dead on the spot but for one buck that took a shot thru the heart at 75 yds. He ran about 25 yds into the thickest prickly pear cactus patch on the ranch, and died! Yes, I have a 7mm Mag that I love to shoot, a .22-250, a 6mm Rem, etc, etc, and I have to make sure I give each of them equal time in the field.

A Ruger 77 was also my first 25-06. It was slightly used and had a custom stock, bedded full length. It wore a Leupy 2 X 7 X 33 which likely works just fine today. It shot the 120gr. NP with IMR 4831 like they were made for each other. Federal Match brass was my personal choice of brass back then......been awhile. I took my first 20 or so bucks with that rifle and my son took his first 10 bucks with it as well.

The accuracy started to go south and at that time I wasn't savvy enough to know to chase the riflings a bit or to try other methods of prolonging it's usefulness to me. I sold it with some hesitation, but have owned several others since and have survived it's departure. I guess I was one of the lucky model 77 owners who got a good barrel as they were notorious for having some very bad barrels.

My current 25-06 is a Sako 75 and I expect that it will forever (my lifetime anyway) remain one of my dedicated deer rifles. My 75 seems to be a bit more on the heavy side as each season passes, but aren't we all.......grin.

My 25-06 Remington 700 BDL is the single most accurate rifle I own. (actually it ties with my ruger #1 in 405win) Constantly shoots 1/4" groups or less at 100 with anything from 75gr. vmax on up.

I love the rifle and the round.

Warning- voice of dissention follows. Curious- so, would a 25wssm or 25 weatherby at 3600fps be even better? I am glad so many like the 25-06 but I could never warm up to it. I look at the case and feel 277 or bigger belongs there. Speaking only for myself, I don't see much need for exceeding 3000fps. I am glad you all like them and I too like .25's but just get the extra powder, longer barrel, heavier rifle (for caliber) or quest for max velocity for the ovwehelming majority of situations. The thing is loud and kicks for a .25. Please don't kill me. The thread is titled 25-06 so it is just one mans opinion.

I think it has to do with the dimensions and look of the case itself......any and every caliber bullet stuck in it seems to look and feel like it belongs there. Sounds like a gal I once knew.......

If you've set 3,000 fps at the top end in your mind at least, your not likely to choose the faster cartridges you've mentioned....makes perfect sense, the 25-06 being no exception. No harm, no foul, you're lucky enough to have certain expectations while the rest of us must choose and decide from a much larger pot. Feel blessed..................grin.

The first 25-06 I had was a Ruger M 77 vamiter tang saftey with the mid-weight barrle.It loved 115 gr Noslers Partitions,I don't know how many deer feel to including the muley in my avatar.Like a fool I traded her on a 450 Marlin.
I have probaly had 16 diffrent 25-06's after that one,all did the job,but none held the magic that old M 77 did.
The 25-06 is great round,I've taken prarie dogs to elk with it.Glad to see the love for it.
BBJ

Mine was also a mid-weight barrel. I liked the tang safety, but there must have been issues with such as they are not the first choice of manufacturers these days. I've never had a problem with any safety, be it how it works or it's placement.

Perhaps I can be enlightened as I am interested and have only owned one employing a tang safety......anyone?

Magnumb,
I think it was a saftey issue(no pun intended).The only way to unload a loaded rifle was to take the saftey off and after a few accidental discharges and ruger getting sued they went to a 3-way.
Also I think cost was part due to extra fitting a machine work on the safteys.

I think not know,so could be another reason.
I to like them for the simplicity of them,no fumbling for it just a push with the thumb.
BBJ

Thanks Jack. Always wondered as I'd never had issues with the tang safety. 'Suppose some people could figure out how to have AD's with any safety as some are more talented than others in that regard.....grin.

Never found it hard to remember, "forward means fire" with my 'ole M77.

Take care....

The longest shot at big game that I have ever made was with a heavy barrel Ruger M77 25-06. It was a very old buck antelope, just short of 400 yards. If I remember correctly, it was a 120 grain Partition. He went straight up and straight down. My favorite rifle now is a 257 Roberts.

You gotta love the 25's........also those 120gr. NP's. They did give absolutely spectacular results. My current 25-06 doesn't like 'em at all, but loves the 110gr. AB's. From the short time I've used it, they also put meat in the freezer.

The several "straight up and straight downs" ala rodeo style I've had, were hit mid to lower chest. That's what's nice about the 25's......the scope stays on the action and you get to see the results/terminal effects.......bonus.