Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .25-06 for sheep?

When I sold my Rem Ti .270 I knew I would regret it. It appears I drew a desert sheep tag here in Arizona. I built a custom 25 on a 700 action w/ a Ti stock and my wife used it successfully on her a Kaibab deer hunt last year. She used the 100 gr Barnes ttsx, but I'm considering a heavier bullet. Don't say 110 accubond without a link where the .257 is in stock.

Would you use a .25-06 and what bullet would you run?

Thanks for your time

How far are you planning on shooting? What's your scope?

120gr Partition. Great bullet.

Inside of 500-600 yards my answer would be 'Yes'. If not the 110's, the 115's should do the job nicely.

+1

I will strive for not beyond 500. Scope is 4.5 x14 vx3 b&c

120 partition is where I was leaning. Barrel is KS contour Shilen 10 twist

The Hornady 120 gr hollow point,this bullet is tough enough for Elk.

Doc

Use it,then go forth and practice with the rifle. Then post pics of the ram you kill.

80gr TTSX will get it done with less mess and fuss.

There is this kid...

I use the 115gr partition from Federal and they worked great last fall on my bull moose...

Using the reticle vs dialing and not going over 500... I'd run either what you have or the lighter 80 gr TTSX. No need for something heavier for weight/penetrations sake. LR, BC, and dials... That's change your scope setup too.

First thing I'd try is the 100gr E-Tip. Sturdy construction and good BC. I shoot them in a 25-284 over RL17. A .400 BC at 3,300+fps is fairly dang flat and they dig deep on flesh and bone.

100 Ballistic Tip @ 3300.
Desert sheep are petite compared to Rocky Mtn's. Shooting them is a precision game, no super premiums needed.

Congrats on the tag! I packed a .257 Roberts with a 110 accubond as my back up rifle on my hunt and had no doubts it would work fine, a 115 partition might be better yet. What units did you apply for?

200-300 yard shots could be reasonably expected in most units.

Sheep hunting very deliberate and selective. It is about stalking. Also, you need to get close to evaluate the ram.
Forget the long range BS. Precision shooting is the thing.

My best hunts were for desert sheep.

I agree, Doc. Great Bullet. Too bad Hornady, in their infinite wisdom, has discontinued this bullet 😁

Yep, I do have an extra box or two I bought when Hornady shipped the last of the production run of the 120 gr HP last December.

Doc