I admit I have never owned or hunted with a 25-06 but I have a couple friends who do and the report the same thing you do: 100gr bullets work the best. Both prefer Speer Hot Cores to your Ballistic Tips but maybe they haven't shot the BT's.
I just don't know about Ballistic Tips. I hear all the time both sides of the arguement. They kill and penetrate or the blow up and wound. Leaves me scratching my head. I've shot boxes of them in about every rifle I own because they are accurate, but I have never killed biggame with them. I've seen them blow small holes in a coyote with 150 BT's from my m88 308 Win. The velocity from 44grs H4895 runs them about 2700fps. The small exit hole on a coyote tells be they would work fine on deer. To me, coyotes are a good inditator on terminal ballistics: If they leave a realitive small exit hole in a coyote, they would make a good hunting bullet. If they leave big holes in coyotes, then they might be prone to violent expansion on biggame. I use this theory but realize it has holes, for a 130gr Partion will nearly cut a yote in half from my 270 if the range is close, yet they do shoot through most broadside deer.
I have often contemplates using more Ballistic Tips on game to find for myself.
CM
