Since we need a new topic to chew on or a day or two has anyone else noticed there's not a lot of talk about the 25-06. We have 6.5 threads 243 threads 257 Roberts threads and so on but the 25-06 is only mentioned in passing

Limited options for high BC bullets for one thing. For another, it's boringly effective.

Because all the gaaaay looneys use a 270 & the real men use a 30-06.



Mike

Everyone's been waiting for you to bring it up.

And then of course there is the Poobah who "switch hits" by wielding a 7x57.

I like it a lot and even recommended it in a thread in the Hunting Rifles forum for someone looking for a standard bolt face long action build on a Model 700.

Maybe it's not more popular among looneys because there isn't a good short name for Adolph or Otto or Niedner. The .257 Nied? .25 Adolph? .25 Otto Ought Six? Nothing really lights a fire there...

I have one and it is my most "consistently" accurate rifle.
Model 70 Trued Push Feed action
26" Tobler #5 stainless and fluted barrel.
2 stocks, plastic and wood, both floated and bedded.
Timney trigger
Leupold 2 piece mounts
.Leupold 6.5-20 Vari-x 111 scope

Loves:
87gn Hornady
100gn Hornady
100gn Nosler BT
117gn Hornady SPBT
100gn Partition
100gn anything X Bullet
75gn defunct X Bullet
120gn Partiton and lots of others I have forgotten off the top of my head.
Best overall powder = 760/ H414.

John

Because if you use it on monster bears the bullets might bounce off

Or because it ends in 06.

Excellent observation. The 25-06 doesn't have the panache of the 257 Roberts. Or the name Weatherby attached to it.

I seem to remember that one Campfire loony published an article about handloading the 25-06 a couple years ago. But the article didn't appear on the Campfire so apparently doesn't count....

I have had more DRT kills with the .25-06 than with anything else. A 100 grain bullet leaving the muzzle at 3350 fps leaves a mark on deer.

If I had one I'd shoot the 120gr Partition w/IMR7828 for everything up to elk. powdr

JB,

Please quit being reasonable.

The 25/06 has a lot of things going against it:

1. It's cheap and easy to reload for-Therefore, no opportunities to expound on case forming, trying to find obscure or expensive brass, or some secret powder that will make it perform well.
2. It's not a marginal cartridge for hardly any North American game, destroying any cache that could be earned by saying something like "Yup, I kill elk with my 17/44-40 Ackley Improved by using Warren/Occonor/Keith flanged handmade bullets that I import from Pakistan at $11.55 each".
3. Recoil is mild, so there is no bragging rights gained by saying "I shoot a 25/06, but recoil doesn't bother me- I know most people can't handle it."
4. It shoots flat enough so that it outreaches the ability of probably 90% of hunters- Thereby dashing a potential source of alibis for misses in the 200-300 yard category.
5. It's reputation as a killer is so well established that no one proves anything by killing a deer or elk with it. It's "Ho-hum, you killed a big buck with a 25/06? So what, it's probably one of the easiest cartridges to kill something with."

It's a wonder they even make ammo or rifles in 25/06 any more.

I love the 25-06 and it is my second choice for deer hunting because it is heavier than my 270 and the 270 is what i usually pick up when still hunting, i built the 25-06 on the heavy side with a Number 3 McMillan SS barrel and Birdsaw coated it with the Black T Finish they offer, now that I'm older i prefer my model 70 in 270 because it is much lighter to carry. I still use it when i'm sitting on a stand all day and not still hunting. I use two bullet in it and it is a deer killer, the Nosler 100 gr BT and the 110 gr Accubond it loves both of these bullets grouping under a inch with both using Rel 22.

I like 25's but I've found the 25/06 don't do much more than my short action 25's, except eat a fair amount more powder.

That's my only complaint with the Ruger Hawkeye .25-06 - why in the world did they put a magnum contour barrel on it? Not that Rugers are lightweights to start with but they take what could have been a decently balanced rifle and turn it into this 8 or 9 pound muzzle heavy anchor.

Of course, it does shoot lights out with the factory barrel so that mitigates the criticism somewhat.

25-06 was one of my favorite since I was a kid ( many years ago ) until I had the last Lilja MR chambered to 25-06 AI.

Not many slick bullets for them but they sure swat deer size critters.

That just happens to be my favorite bullet for my .257 Wby. which, we all know, is superior and sexier because it has Weatherby in the name.

Not a fan of any 25.....

My go to rifle.

Because the magazines have stopped publishing Mr. Milek on how his family gets good results.

Friend had 17 one shot kills in a row with a .25 then got a new rifle for Christmas chambered for .270 swore it was noticeably more effective at producing quick kills!

I don't know that I've ever fired a .25-06 but that's pretty hard to dismiss based on his observation.

Mike

Mule Deer, I recall that article. One of the rifles used was a Ruger No. 1 AH. I think that article cost me close to a grand, perhaps a little more with , taxes, dies, components all while using an in stock scope. I may get around to shooting it soon.

Jack

I lusted after a #1V in .25 that had some amazing wood on it, but was poor college student working full time and on GI Bill at the time and resisted the urge to go in debt for it.

Mike

Yes, John is quite the facilitator!

I gotta ask though, if the .25-06 is compared to the .270 ad nauseum, why hasn't anybody done a comparison with the B-29???

I've got two. Shot my biggest whitetail with one of them.

Because Stick said there are no good .25 bullets.

Seems like a loony used one in Ireland a while back too.

How about not only the .25-06, but a 1960's sporterized Mauser, .25-06?

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...e_rythme_of_old_school_sport#Post9220012

I killed 6 big game animals with my .25-06 and 110 accubonds last year and so far this year have killed 4 with the same load. I like it but it is about done for and will be a 6.5-06AI after this season.

From coyotes to elk, it can handle things with ease. I'll be carrying it tomorrow for mulies and elk this weekend.

I ain't ashamed.

And said friend made this determination after how many 1 shot kills?

I'd have to ask him, but he usually got his 2 bucks and three or four does every year. Not sure how far he extended the streak.

Mike

There is something to be said for bullets designed to perform at certain velocities. As an example 25's for the 25-06 and 27's for the 270 Win.

I'd certainly ignore the cartridge if I didn't have four rifles to fit it. I know three fellows who bought one after shooting one of mine. None of those folks had ever shot a rifle that was as accurate or as easy to shoot.

I've shot mostly 100 gr. Sierra's. Tried BT's for a time but turned away from those.

243 Win is an awesome game cartridge. The 260 Rem, 6.5 CM and 6.5 Swede are awesome game cartridges. No way a calibre in between with superior powder capacity could be as good.

That's how I feel about it. If I'm going to carry a 30/06-length action and heavy 24" barrel it isn't going to be chambered for a 25 on an 06 case.It's a "tweener"; burns too much powder and kicks too much for all day varmints, kills no better than a Roberts,and is not as good a BG cartridge as a 270 or 280 (both of which have heavier, tougher BG bullets).

Have not had one in years.

Yes I've shot deer and antelope and piles of woodchuck with the 25/06;seen them on elk and done the post mortem of chasing bullets through carcasses. Never really impressed me.Pass the Roberts.

I took the 25-06 plunge a year ago, and I have been quite happy I did. I have not shot anything with it yet, but I am quite optimistic. I picked the 117 Hornady SPBT Interlock over H4831SC for a deer load. It is by no means a light rifle, but the recoil is MUCH less than an 30-06.

BTW: I thought the big idea of short vs. long actions was that you could get ALMOST the same out of short-action chambering as a long.

Just so you know: I bought 270 brass and sized it to 25-06. It was cheaper that way. I knew I would never own a 270 WIN, and it was just so much darn fun defacing 270 brass and turning it into something useful.

Using 270 brass in a .25-06???

Isn't that akin to wearing women's underwear?

Sharman: If you are intent on using inferior wares for your hunting, I'm the last to stop you.By al means, have at it!

The vision of an overweight pig of a rifle chambered for a "BG cartridge wannabe" ,the only attribute of which is that it kicks less than a 30/06, is hilarious

That you have never killed anything with it, but it makes you "happy",adds to the amusement.

Since you have never owned a 270,you aren't in much of a position to evaluate how it compares to a 25/06, are you?. I got a feeling you have not shot much of anything and have killed even less with anything.

Post back up in a decade, if, as ,and when you ever get this stuff figured out....you're doing really well so far...

A couple of years ago I was in the clinic for my yearly physical and Doc said he has a new Cooper 52 25-06 that he really likes and was especially excited about the handload he settled on. I asked him what bullet and velocity? He said Nosler PT 115 grain, but he did not know the velocity.

I told him to come out to my place sometime and run the load thru my chronograph. The day came and I brought a Ruger 77 tanger 257 Roberts with my handloads of the Nosler 115 grain Partition. His 24" bbl Cooper beat my 22" bbl Ruger by an average of 37 fps. He was even more tickled about the Cooper.

roundoak there is about that much more difference between them when you shoot them at animals, too...

There isn't anything wrong with the 25/06...just not enough "right" to care about. IMHO, of course.

[video:youtube]Xyh-JpWdGmQ[/video]

Geez bob. Best stick impression yet. Maybe go a little easier?

Lots of factory rifles have sloppy chambers, in the neck area, and sometimes one can improve/tighten the neck clearance, by necking down a larger case.

The .300 Savage is like that; many of the Savages I've owned had .008-.010" neck clearance in the chamber. Neck down .308 brass and you get .005 to .006" clearance, which is better.

I thought about the .25-06 for awhile, but after using a .297-250 can't figure why I'd need one.

OTOH, it is a quarter bore and a fella can't ever have too many of them. And it's not gay.

Bob, I have a Ruger 77 tanger LT (long throat) that would most likely hurl the 115 grain Noslers to match Doc's velocity or exceed it, but glad I did not chrony it that day along with his loads. Doc's happy and that's what counts.

Lots of assumptions about 25-06's having to be heavy.

Mine is under 6.5 lbs

I've loaded my 25-06's down on several occasions to match the .257 Roberts.

. . . and just so you know, I really enjoy turning 270 WIN into 25-06. I especially like the way the little brass cases seem to scream as they are transformed into a thing of beauty and utility. It is not unlike an ugly caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

I even tape a 270 WIN cartridge to the post next to my press, so that it can hear the screams and know it is going to get it last. Then I throw a party for the 25-06 cases and put nice shiny bullets on them like party hats and wipe them down and put them in a nice clean ammo case so that all the un-processed 270 WIN cases in their dungeon of a cardboard box will be jealous. I let the newly transformed 25-06 mingle with my 30-06 and 35 Whelen loads a bit so they feel righteous being with real ammunition. Then we all go out and dance under a full moon my ammunition and me. Until we retire to the gazebo where we all have a feast of Chianti and Fava bean casserole (thpthpthpthpthp!)

There. I said it.

Neck it down 1 more time, to 6mm, install some 87gr. V-maxes or 85gr. TSXs, and THEN it becomes sexy..........

I sometimes use the short action 25-06, called the 25-284. It shines with 100gr bullets at 3,300fps or so. Recoil is low. It makes a nice do-all chambering for deer and hogs where shots are fast and a flat trajectory is helpful. The 100gr E-Tip is a good killer with a relatively sleek profile. It digs deep.

Or just shoot 80 grain TTSXs, 85 grain Ballistic Tips, or 75 grain Vmaxs in the 25-06, outrun the 6-06 in the process, and have factory ammo availability when you don't feel like reloading.

I've got one in a 1903. Great gun and cartridge. 100 gr TTSX shoot very well and the deer haven't complained. Also have a 257 Roberts that I'll be breaking in this year.

None of the bullets you mention have nearly the same BC as the 87 V-max. Given the same weights, the 6mm will always have the higher BC and exhibit less wind drift accordingly.......

Not having had near the experience of many here, I find the twenty-fives to be quite useful, accurate, and fun to shoot. The current .25-06 is a Savage 116 with a 24" sporter contour Pac-nor and 1:9 twist. Just because. Light to carry, light recoil, heavy hitting on deer and antelope. What's not to like?

Took my first deer with a 270 in 1961. Got my first 2506 and '64. I have used them both a lot since then.

if there's any difference on a deer between a 270 with a 130 grain and a 2506 with a similarly constructed 120 grain, I have never been able to see it.

the only difference is the recoil of the 2506 ( or a 257AI) is such that I can watch the impact of the bullet. that's a significant advantage in my opinion.

Bob, you're mighty grumpy this morning.

I�d like to add to the conversation but need to clear my throat first...

GACK! GACK GACK GACK! Snoorrrrtttttt....GACK!

That�s better, but now I forgot what I was going to say. Oh well.

Something to the tune of 1" less drift at 300 yards. Big whoop. I'll take the additional selection of big game bullets available for the 25 every time. If I'm burning that much powder in the 6mm or 25 bore size, it's going to be for a hunting gun anyway.

You must enjoy trimming cases a heck of a lot more than I do.

You only trim them once, and since it's 270 WIN, it feels good.

I'm sorry. It's an irrational thing, I know.

southtexas: Geez....I said it was a good cartridge!

I mean, the OP asked why it doesn't get much attention. All I did was explain why I have had a couple (from when it was first introduced so it ain't spot news to me)and completely ignored it the past 30 years.


Hell....at least I used the damned thing to form an opinion.

Yeah, there is a 25-06 IN every 270 Win.

All you .257 haters better hope Berger and Nosler don't introduce a Hyb Hunter or a LRAB(both are rumored to, btw). Cause if so, you'll be eating lots of crow! Imagine a 115 grainer with a .550 BC exiting a 257 Weatherby spout at 3400 fps!!! Ohh, the possibilities.

? weather....who??







BTW - I'm not a 25 cal hater. means I was jokin!!

Just one of the bestest deer cartridges around along with at least fifty other contenders.

The problem with a 115 or 120 grain LRAB is the standard 10-twist. Bryan Litz's newish revalation about BC related to optimized twist rates would imply anyone with a 10-twist .257 barrel will have difficulty getting published BC rates.

Me, I don't give a [bleep] about BC. I prefer to move my feet to get within reasonable shooting range before touching off a shot.

And I have a 25-06. It's a very boring rifle that will shoot anything it likes lights out and anything it doesn't like almost as well. I gave up on "load development" for her because I would have to shoot a lot of rounds before a statistically significant difference appeared, and they all shoot very well. Now she's just a hunting rifle. Probably just the way every rifle should be!

j,

Wasn't directing comment at you. Just happened tohit the "reply" button on your post.

I have shot all of my best bucks with a 25-06 using 117 gr Hornady Interloct on top of 54 gr H4831. I prefer to use it from a tree stand as it has good range and is very accurate.

Ed

That's how we hunt too.

I like to hunt in the woods too so my shots are so short the rifle is really trivial a good light gathering scope is more important really.

I've got nothing against a .25-06, just bought a .270 first and of the many other rifles I've accumulated just haven't found the right combo to end up with a .25

I never meant my anecdotal comment about my friend to disparage the .25 just passing on what he said, and he had the experience to comment.

Mike

And some of us are fighting old screwball twist rifles. The one I'm planning to hunt turns out to have a 1 in 11" barrel. So far it's not keyholing, but it shot 115gr Ballistic Silvertips with so-so accuracy. I'll try 110gr AB's, and if need be, 100gr Partitions.

"I can watch the impact of the bullet."

Never owned a 25-06 but I owned a 270. I could not watch bullet impact with my 270.

Is there really truly that much difference? Was it just the rifle you had the 25 chambered in?

Your claim is very interesting.

^^^THAT^^^

I currently have two rifles in the 25-06. Both shoot bug-holes with the 110 AB. Combined I have taken 2 elk, 14 Mule deer (longest at just under 400 yards) and over 100 white tail. Oh yes, they have also taken black buck and axis as well. Rarely have something move after it's been hit other than to go straight down. The 25-06 is a boring, dull and totally effective cartridge as stated by others above. Probably the reason it seems to be ignored. I mean, c'mon, who wants a cartridge you don't need to tinker with while reloading or finding a factory round that shoots well?

Bear, is the 25-06 your go to elk rifle? I made the switch to the 25-06 a while back, love the round, lots of opinions on whether it's adequate for elk. I suspect it surely is with proper placement.

I had one in a Sendero some years back and it was so boringly accurate with just about any bullet that I sold it because their was no challenge shooting it.

I am a gun loonely and have been a .25 cal fan for several years on SW GA Whitetails , usually inside 275 yards and < 225 lbs. I bought a .25 wissum Win Coyote lite the year they came out,the gun is very accurate, lite and handles ,points like my nickle steel 16 ga mod 12 ! I later bought a 53'mod 70 with a Shilen barrel very nice syn stock,Rimrock. The gun is even more accurate, a true 1/2 inch gun. My favorite load in both guns are tipped with 110 gr accu bombs. or the 115 gr Bergers.
The only change I can see over my 308 and 30-06 is the whitetails do a little rodeo buck or dance before falling out, my 308 cal deer were usually BANG FLOP, No 25 cal deer have gone over 30 yards and most were 3 step max. No lost nor trail track.I shoot a lot so I take my time and shoot em right. very best on a great Cal. I will sell the .25wssm as I just do not need 2 ,25 cals plus the fact that my Favorite bolt guns are pre 64 Mod 70's. very best WinPoor

I always considered the .25-06 an oddball, over-bore, inefficient and completely stupid cartridge; a .257 Weatherby wannabe pretender hoping nobody notices it's lack of a belt and double radiused shoulder. Of course this from a man who is on his third .257 Roberts Ackley Improved, probably the finest, best balanced, most efficient .25 bore cartridge ever conceived. Nothing surpasses it. It glimmers in the sunlight like the Holy Grail, beaming rays of The Wisdom of Ackley throughout a world darkened by magnumitis.

Then one day I was bored, completely at a loss for something to do. So I loaded the pickup with my bulk and headed off to get some KFC for lunch. At least that's what I told the wife. I stopped first at the gun shop and bought a Remington 783 in .30-06 Springfield. It's Remington's new 788 offering all gussied up with a horrible plastic flex-o-matic stock equipped with vestigial bedding pillars resembling something that fell out of an old lamp where the cord passed through. But it has a barrel with a Savage type nut, and a clone of the Savage trigger. I couldn't resist - such a contraption is ripe for tinkering, and I am a tinkerer.

In a moment where I had too much left over Social Security money, I ordered a nice new Criterion Barrel from Northland Shooter Supply, and as a complete parting with my senses, I ordered it chambered for the .25-06 Remington. Now I have visions of Darth Vader greeting me on the Dark Side, where air conditioning has not been invented. So, in less than 14 weeks I will reassemble the rifle in .25-06, and begin the process of either going mad or discovering something good about a completely worthless cartridge. That's what passes for an open mind in my world of frenetic Irishmen practicing the art of contradiction.

P.S.: The 783 as a .30-06 shoots way better than it has any right to, something that I find as amazing as hulless popcorn.

Whether taking an antelope at 600 yards, a whitetail at 200 yards, a muley at 400 yards or a prairie dog at 500 yards, I find that the .25-06 Remmington to be one of the most versatile and accurate mid-long range cartridges. I have a Remmington 700 BDL chambered in .25-06 that I find to be one of the most useful firearms in the USA. I would not use it against bear, elk or moose, but that's not what I hunt anyway. For antelope or deer I use a Sierra 117 GR BTSP bullet. For prairie dogs and other long-range varmints I use a Hornady 87 SP bullet.

Genefk

Careful Gene, you are showing signs of rifle love, which precedes the more obsessive cartridge infatuation, followed by entry into a rifle looney therapy program.

That little wildcat .25-06 was first developed by Charles Newton (no relation to Sir Issac Newton or Alfred E. Newman) back in 1912 while he was having lunch only to be hit on the head by a falling jackshaft nut from an overhead power belt. He barely escaped when the pulley and leather belt came plunging down breaking his Thermos of milk. Newton never did understand why the close call inspired him to neck down the .30-06 to .25 caliber, although he wanted to squeeze the neck of the mechanic that installed the jackshaft. He went on to shorten the cartridge, inventing the .250 Savage, and later other rifle loonies raced to draw down all manner of cases to .257" if for no other reason than to waste printer's ink and provide argument at saloons and while circled around potbellied stoves. One poor Montana cowboy was said to argue the merits of the cartridge to his inattentive horse, as the horse was the only other living thing within fifty miles. When they finally returned to civilization, the horse drowned himself in a water trough.

So be careful, don't become too infatuated with the .25-06 Remington, as she's a little bit loose, and will soon do you dirt for a quarter if not closely watched.

I have both the 25-06 and 6mm-06 and i can't tell a dimes worth of difference in the killing power on deer. I use the Swift 90 gr Sirocco in the 6mm and the Nosler 100 gr BT and 110 gr Accubond in the 25.

At the time, yes, it was my go to elk rifle since it was either that or the 243 I had. I had shot that rifle out to 300 yards and knew exactly where it would hit.
The first elk was taken at a whopping 42 paces in heavy timber. Nosler partition in the ear = DRT

Since then I've picked up a number of different rifles in a number of different calibers but the 25-06 is still the first in the truck for just about any BG hunt.

Been packing one since Sept 10th.Haven't shot anything though. Love packing it with the 22 inch barrel. Think it's a good round myself. It's about as overbore as I want to go for a 25.

Could be partially due to the individual rifles. But I did a quick calculation of recoil and the 25 should be 15 or 20% less.

But I can tell you that it's true for both my 25/06s and my 257 AIs. YMMV.

Curious as to why you think the 25-06 is overbore and the 257 Weatherby is not also overbore.

25-06s are for sissies. Had three, gave the M77 tang safety to a stepson and instantly felt a tad manlier.



The other two ain't going anywhere.

Consider yourself lucky.My daughter claims my 700 in 25-06 and my granson now claims my t3 in 25-06.So far they are letting me keep my 257 weatherby.See how long this lasts.Im a sucker.

Imagine your T3 is a shooter. Mine sure shoots.

If you are driving 90 gr bullets from a 12 pound 25-06 at 2000 fps, you MIGHT see bullet impact through the scope.

Of course I only speak from a sample of two. Perhaps others whom have owned more samples of 25-06 can correct my observations.

Perhaps he meant that the recoil is light enough that he can hold the critter in the scope at the shot? That's how I took it.

Killed a doe at around 200 yards a few years ago with the M700 rested atop a woven wire fence and never lost sight of the deer as the 100gr Btip thumped it in the boiler room.

As I mentioned, YMMV. I can only share my experience. I have no idea what you can see or not see. And you clearly have no idea what I can see.

I can watch impact on steel at 300yards w/ my 8.25# 6.5 Creedmoor flinging a 127grn LRX at 2950fps, should be easier w/ a 25-06.

David

Just did a little experiment with a Rem sporter weight ADL in 6mm-284 at 150 yds. The rifle was on sandbags off the benchrest with scope on 4X.

55 gr at about 3000 fps over 37 gr 4046 just barely moved the crosshairs off the bull at 150.

95 gr ballistic tip at 3300 fps over 53.4 gr H4831, which would be very comparable to a light 25-06 load. The rifle recoiled enough to move the crosshairs four feet vertically off the bull. But I did not lose sight of the target.

This is in stark contrast to my memories of my rifles in 25-06. But I did not ever shoot them with the scope on anything but 12X, and I used the 117 gr Hornady pretty much exclusively.

So my opinion now is, if a 25-06 is rested well, with a light bullet and minimal magnification on the scope, one should probably be able to keep the target in the sight picture.

I wish you had not posted this! Now I am a thinking of getting one. Please send me the money. It is all your fault. HA!

But seriously, that is a good thing.

Your two 25-06's, are they varmint configuration or just sporters?

Both sporters. M700 and sporterized 03A3, Bishop stock, douglas premium 24" bbl.

Thanks neighbor.

No prob. Keep us posted on what you buy and how it works

I built one a couple of years ago. Montana 1999 SS action, 26" shilen #3 B&C medalist. Its no light weight, but shoots and looks pretty darn good. My first animal taken with it was a nice montana Antelope buck. 200 yards DRT with a 117 grain sierra GKBT. I plan on working up some loads with Bergers of perhapes Nosler accubonds. I have many rifles, but this caliber is really pleasant to shoot, and very flat. many friends swaer by this round. Seems like the perfect Antelope and mulie round. Mine is not going anywhere soon...thats for sure. Goodshot

My smith was chambering a new stainless Douglas barrel Saturday for .25-06, and then he was going to set up for another in the AI persuasion.

Last deer i killed with my 25-06 wast 375 yards on the laser range finder , one shot 100 gr Nosler BT buck went maybe 10 yards and piled up. The 25-06 will get it done if you do your part.

The old .25-06 has come to be one of my favorite three calibers..
Had my first one in the 60's.. Owned one .257 Roberts.. Also several 257 Wea. The 06 is the favorite..

Any idea where one could obtain that article?

Like mine just fine.

You guys aren't helping at all! Two things that keep drawing me back to getting another 25-06 (this would be #4, I think) are the low recoil coupled with very flat trajectory. Getting to (actually there) where I really don't care for much recoil but still like to pack a fairly light (7-7.5lb)rifle.
Helps that I typically only hunt deer and shots can be fairly long!

Great old buck!

DesertMuleDeer,

The .25-06 article appeared in HANDLOADER around the middle of 2012, don't remember the exact issue.

Is this what you are looking for?
http://www.bergerbullets.com/articles/john-barsness-a-pair.pdf

Sounds about right? I recall thinking at the time, that you were long overdue for an article on something useful?

Now I'm gonna have to root thru hundreds of pounds of Handloader and Rifle magazines to double check.

Thanks. Have one on the way. This is helpful. Sounds like 4350, magnum and Retumbo are all useful.

Got a Sendero that received the AI treatment, skim bed, action trued, etc & I like it quite well. It is true that a 1-8 and some 125-130 gr. bullets would be nice but within application for that rifle it does very well.

I was told years ago that if you were going to hunt deer in Texas you had to have at least one rifle in the "national cambering of Texas", which of course is the 25-06.

Have had many over the years and have sold/traded many to try new wonder cartridges. Have always kept at least one 25-06 around.

Was at the range yesterday to sight in my newest 25-06. A Kimber Montana. Using handloads developed for my Ruger 1AH it is showing great promise.

Will it kill deer any better than my 257 Roberts or the 20 some other carts I have rifles for? That's not the point for a loony.
And being a loony is why I'm ordering mounts for my new 257 Weatherby.

Next year I may go back to the 7-08 or 7 SAUM, or 250-3000, or...anything but a 270!

?
!

I'm a fan of the Brunette ones that are around 5'5" and weigh 115 lbs.

Shod

I thought the 25-06 was the Texas State Flower.

Doc

The last tag I filled in Kentucky this year was with my new 25-06, using 117 Hornady SPBT. I'd just settled into my box blind, munched on a braunschweiger and pepperoni on Kaiser sandwich when a doe sauntered out into the middle of the pasture. This was a good hour or two before I had expected anything in that field.

The 25-06 did a passable job, no better or worse than my 30-06 at 150 yards. She ran a bit, probably all of about 80 yards in a wide looping arc, back the way she had come. She made it over a fence and collapsed on the other side. The bullet created a .5" exit wound in a nominal broadside shot.

The only thing odd was, in cleaning her out, I found that the lungs and heart had been devastated, but the pressure wave had also breached her diaphragm and involved the stomach. Otherwise the rifle functioned in much the same way as any of my 30-something deer rifles only with a lot less recoil.

Here are the details:
Tagging Out, 2014

Shaman: You can use the winch mounted on the front of your truck to load game in the bed. Build a frame that sits in the forward stake pockets and is high enough over the cab so you can attach a block. Run the cable threw the block and pull up the ramp. You will need a sleeve or 2 so the cable clears the hood and front of the cab if the frame is not high enough.

I'd guess that the 25-06 isn't a bigger hit here at the fire because it is the anti-loonie rifle...

I hunt just enough that most of my rifles get used each year. But in reality, i seldom hunt anything that wouldn't be perfectly well taken with the 25-06.

Mostly, this year, I've carried the little H&R sako .222 for coyotes. It's aboot 1 1/4 lbs lighter, and a dream to shoot. Last shot I missed last week though was a "hail mary" (with the .222) that would have been a real possibility with the 25-06.
Last coyote I connected on (the day before) was killed with the 25-06 at a distance of about 50 feet...

Deer season saw me carry a new to me Winchester 70. I had planned to use it on a moose hunt that was cancelled for a family illness. So I used it for deer instead, and a 180 ballistic tip at 2900 or so does workman-like duty on a a dink whitetail. But the 25-06 would have done as well and carried a bit easier...

I see in some above posts that others use shorter, more efficient .25s, and feel that they are just as effective, on game.
I suspect that they are correct, at least to a certain point. Them and all the fans of the .24s and .26s. I expect that a lot of rifles in those calibers are anti-loonie rifles...

That's a cool idea. This is only the second season for the Hirschewagen AKA "DRV1" (Deer Recovery Vehicle), and it is sort of a work in progress. I was sort of thinking what you're thinking, but was worried about how strong I'd need to build the frame. I was going to hold off until I decide what to do with a ladder/canoe rack that I plan on installing one of these days. In the meanwhile, I bought a separate block and tackle for the back of the truck so I don't have to pull down the one at the meatpole-- total outlay was $10 at Harbor Freight. We used the rig you saw to pull a 250 lb buck in this year the double gang block made it an easy 1-man task and I'm also adding a plywood sled next year to make the whole thing fairly frictionless.

The 25-06 and especially the AI version used to be one of the more talked about and built rifles on this site. It's just fallen out of favor which I conclude is due to the high BC bullet offerings in .243 and .264.

Shaman-
I'd keep your same set up and just buy an inexpensive 12V ATV winch to use instead of the block and tackle. Rig it with alligator clip connectors. Pop the hood, run the wires to the battery and press a button.

The 25/06 might be ignored by Campfire Loonies, but I think there are lot of 25/06 owners out there shooting and hunting instead of endlessly pondering whether a 6.5X55 is better than a 260.

I freely admit that I am not a rifle loony. I am a hunter that shoots, not a shooter that hunts. My reasons for venturing into 25-06 :
1) I'm 56 and one of these days recoil is going to start bothering me. I therefore resolved to buy one more 30-06 and then start investigating smaller calibers. In that respect, 25-06 was a good first step.
2) I don't do a whole lot of varminting, and most of what I've done in the past has been with 22LR and 223 REM. 25-06 seemed like a good varmint/deer chambering. I have killed coyote before, but always as a target of opportunity.
3) My buddy had this custom 25-06, that he'd hunted with for 30-some years. He went blind at 84, and had to give it all up. I bought the rifle so it would have a good home, and I did not quibble on the price.
4) I don't have to reduce the powder all that much and I'm down into 257 Rob levels. It is always easier and safer to load down as to try and force it and load up.

I have one and like it. Works great on deer and antelope. I also think a 270 is a better mouse trap.

just a quick cell phone photo grab:



Dad's .25-06 pre-dates the round's standardization by Remington. It's in a Mauser of uncertain parentage - I was told he bought the rifle from a coworker who needed money. The heavy 26" barrel has a a 1 in 11" twist for some odd reason. It will shoot very well with 110 Accubonds, however. I launch them with a modest charge of Reloader 22, at just over 3000 fps, in deference to the old action.

The period Weaver K4 wasn't so hot looking into the setting sun, giving a lot of glare, but I did manage to see the doe well enough to hit her. She ran perhaps 40 yards before dropping. A little lower and I suspect the run would have been much shorter.

Yes you are right and along with the fact that the 1-10 twist rate has hampered development of future high BC bullets. Still for those that use MPBR type shooting of Deer/Hogs/Varmits it is a good one.

Funny I stumbled on this thread as I am heading to look at a Savage Long Range Hunter on Friday in the quarter bore. Rifle is brand new, been on the shelf 2 years and is at a way reduced price. Thinking I will try 115 Partitions should it come home with me. Don't know that it will work any better than my 6mm Remmy or my 270 but it needs a home anyways.

He was obviously pretty sadly underloaded on the 25-06 then...........

MM

To me the .25's are a little big for a varmint rifle and a little too small for big game.

Of course a 25-06 will blast down stuff.

A buddy from long ago hunted every thing from chucks to deer with his M722 257 Roberts.

He was up at the camp (VT late 1960's) then with it hunting deer and a hunter came by and asked him what he was shooting. When the hunter heard it was a .257 he lectured him that the 30-06 was what to use because of it's big bullet, power and reputation.

Not long after the hunter went up the hill a buck came by and my buddy shot it. The hunter came back down the hill to see what happened.

As he began to gut the buck and the intestines spilled out the expert lost his breakfast and threw up!

What's a 25-06???

I remember about 10 years ago or more here at the fire, the 25-06, 25-06 Ackley Improved, and 25-284 were all the rage of the rifle loonies. Big Stick and few others was pushing those chamberings hard at the time, and all kinds of guys here were building them. I even got a 257 Ackley for myself, which I still have. Then everyone suddenly got wise to ballistic coefficients, and the long range shooting craze took off about the same time. Suddenly the poor 25 calibers got no more love. Never mind the fact that 95% of the guys will will never shoot past 500 yards.

Every deer I have shot with the 25-06 has died within a couple yards. It has low recoil is easy to load for and shoots more than flat enough for any distance that most hunters have any buisiness shooting at. Its easy to get caught up in the high BC gack but at 300 to 400 yards and most deer are shot much closer the (sheety) 25 caliber bullets are just fine.Its a fine cartridge that will continue to survive quite well on its own merits IMO.

Unless its a Roberts the 25 bore gets no love like the 270 either you like bigger or smaller...
25/06 is fast and flat shooting and really rather boring...like the 270...both great carterages just people would rather rave on about somthing that on paper is better..

I had a .25-06 for years, killed a pile of Ground hogs with it. The things the old 75 gr sierra hps would do to them was almost gross at times...... I only killed on deer with it as the gun was built by someone else with a 1-14 twist barrel. It would barely shoot a 100 gr bt decent. I brought it with me when I moved out west. The wind here convinced me to put a 6.5 barrel on the gun and I never have been sorry. a .25-06 can not push anything as effective in winds as a 130 gr. JLK or berger offerings......

Curious as to what you chambered the new barrel to?
When I had my 25-06 barrel made up a while back, I strongly considered a 6.5-06 or even a swede.

The main reason that interest in the 25-06 has tanked is that not much new has happened with it since Remington legitimized it nearly 50 years ago...
The big reason that nothing has changed is that it was so good from the get-go...

And vld bullets do offer advantages, at truly extended ranges.
I'm convinced that most guys never shoot those distances in the field...

And I find it curious that guys have written to nosler asking for a .257 vld bullet. They state their willingness to have a new faster twist barrel made up to shoot it.

If I wanted to shoot a vld, I'd just do a new barrel for the several excellent .264 bullets so configured...

Actually, he doted on his "little blue pills", aka 100 gr.moly coated Barnes X in 257AI and 257 Wby.


I could never make 'em work in either of my rifles.

Maybe this will be the year I make the plunge and get a 25-06. I always end up spending the majority of my big game season with a .270 or .30-06 but from what I'm hearing the 25-06 is flatter shooting, kills just as well, and can do double duty as a varmint rig. And less recoil never hurt anyone. Pun intended.

moose, for some one not interest in extreme long range shooting the .25-06 is a dandy.. Had my first when it was still a wildcat, but just a short time later it was standardize.. Have had three or four.. Right now I have one on a 700 action with a 27 in Douglas barrel.. Put it together for long range coyotes and windy days..
Have a couple 06's, a 270, plus a bunch of magnums.. Right now the 25-06 is one of my three favorites.. I shot only one whitetail with it this fall, and one antelope.. It is good for both of these.. I think if a guy wants to hang with the ultra long range crowd, there might be better choices.. But for the guy who hunts medium game and does most of his shooting at less than 400 yards, it is a dandy..

My browning a-bolt II medallion topped with Swarovski z3 4-12x50 is my favorite all around rifle I own by far! And I love my .243's so that's saying a lot! I've had more DRT's out to 300 yards than any other rifle I own. Never getting rid of it!

When I was preparing for my first western mule deer hunt (MT), I was wearing the outfitter (who I respect a great deal and am now glad to call a friend) out with tons of questions through email and phone calls in preparation. At one point, I asked what calibers he was most fond of. I've always appreciated, and smiled, at his reply. He said his favorite was the 25-06, and least favorite was any of the 300's. Of course, I had to ask him why. He said it had been his experience with many hunters over the years that a well placed 90-115 grain bullet out of a flat shooting, low recoil rifle was much preferred to a larger grain bullet from a heavy recoiling rifle placed into the nearby hillside.

While I still enjoy my 30-06, 7Mag, and 300WSM, I've never forgotten that sage advice. I picked up a Ruger #1V on here recently, and it will be with me when I return to hunt with him in November 2015. I look forward to all that comes with a new (to me) caliber. Once fired brass tumbling in pins as I type.

.260 with throat set to give an OAL of 2.99 with berger 130 gr. Add a small helping of Reloder 17 in and presto, what .25-06. I know a long action 700 in .260 is silly but, hey it works and it was the action I had...... And after about 10,000 rds. through it it is even fairly slick now.......

I will get one for my youngest son for the simple reason that that was the day he was born

Can't think of a better rifle looney excuse than that...and probably an easier one to slip past the Mrs.

I'll bet it is slick... My 25-06 barrel is 5 yrs old now and with just under 2000 rounds I'm wondering when the accuracy will drop off...
I use it as a true dual purpose rifle with a hot deer load and a screaming coyote load.
when the accuracy does start to go, I'll face the decision once again... What's the next barrel gonna be???

As a hint, I still mostly hunt deer and coyotes...

I had it trued up when it got its new (third or forth) barrel and all is good...... Its an old one like 1970 vintage 700 so its a little closer to decent then most of the new ones.

Furthermost shot I've made with a 25-06 was 205 yds on a 150 lb whitetail buck. He was slightly quartering away and I distinctly saw the 100 gr Blue Barnes impact. Unfortunately it impacted the ground beyond the buck because I shot barely over his back. But fortunately he had a death wish and only gazed at the dust. I saw the next round impact as well but this time in the mid-ribs going into the far shoulder. Shot was made with a Mark X Whitworth and scope probably on 8X or 10X as I was standing a power line. That rifle and load just doesn't generate heavy recoil.