Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles why the 25-06 is a great HUNTING cartridge

Like a dumb@$$, a couple years ago I sold a beautiful walnut stocked M700 CDL chambered in 25-06. I am still kicking myself for consigning that rifle. i never scoped it or fired it. I doubt I will ever find another M700 CDL with a stock that nice... but I am looking... pickin's are thin on GB at the moment. 25-06 seems out of vogue.

In the meantime... while I search for another one, please let us hear about your accolades for the 25-06!!!!

Heck, this even makes me think about the SB... Patriots (25-06) vs Rams (6.5 Creedmoor)...

grin

(same gun, different stock)

What Bullet?

The whitetail fell to a Hornady American Whitetail factory cartridge with a 117gr Interlock.

Here is an old 25-06. It’s marked, 25 Niedner, built by Iver Henriksen.

I have wildcats on both sides of the .25-06 (6mm-06 and 6.5-06 improved). Even though the 6s and 6.5s have a better high BC bullet selection I felt bad not having a 1/4 bore but didn't want to have a chambering mishap (all my 6-06 ammo is headstamped .25-06). To scratch the .257 itch I rebarreled a M70 to .257 Roberts AI. The AI gives me lower end .25-06 performance in an efficient little case with no worries about jamming a .25-06 in my 6mm-06.







With modern bullets I don't think there is much the old .25-06 can't do on medium sized game at all practical ranges.

Sweet rifle hanco!

Thank you, my favorite rifle I think. Made in the fifties.

I tend to be a bit slutty with rifles and lots come and go at my house but one like that would probably find a nice corner in my safe and stay there until antelope season every year

Dogger,
About ten years ago I was in Billings and stopped at my favorite gun store and ended up buying a new Tikka 695 in 25-06. Absolute tack driver right out of the box. Trigger is like like glass and I can't load a bad round for this rifle. Shoots everything from 87 grain to 150 and I have to work to make it come out of 1/2 moa. Great wood to boot.

W. Bill

Mine is a SS 700 Mountain Rifle with a Lilja in 25-06 AI. I'll never be without one one. 100 grain BT's and 100 Scirocco's do everything I need out of a 1/4 bore. One of my favorite rifles.

110 grain Accubonds @ 3200 fps into tiny little clusters are why mine is a great hunting rifle. It is a 700 SS DM with the enhanced engraving.

Had a few and sold them...will have another, love them. Just a nice rifle all round. If I had the money there would already be one in my safe.

I only have two 25-06's. One is a 700 ADL in a custom maple stock. It's a first year production from January '70. Over 3000 rounds down the tube and it still prints .75" groups all day long. I loath the day I actually HAVE to have it re-barreled.


When my Dad shot out his BAR, I gave him the above rifle and found a pawn shop rescue in 25-06. I put it in a nice piece of walnut from Fajen. No idea how many rounds down it when I got it, but I've since put just over 2000 rounds.



Both like a dose of IMR7977 and the 110 gr Accubond. Both print .75" groups or better. The blond stock has accounted for more than 150 whitetail in it's day as well as about a dozen mule deer and my first two elk. With the 2nd rifle, I took my longest measured, witnessed shot on a whitetail - 563 yards. The walnut stock has taken a whitetail at just under 550 yards. Both of those with a 120 Speer and IMR4831. Both elk were taken with 120 gr Nosler partitions.

I have one in a Howa. My oldest daughter and I filled a doe tag each with it this last season. Second time we shot deer the same day with that rifle.

I have had a .25-06 for a long time now but hardly ever use it. I do remember how well it was thumping good sized boars on the wheat crops the last time I took it out. I was using Federal 120gn Speer factory loads and it was just dropping the piggies straight down when hit right in the centre of the shoulder pads. I think I don't really like the rifle which is why I don't use it more often. Most of my hunting is at ranges of 100m or less so the .257 Roberts seems to do just fine.

Mine was a Ruger77V, tang model. Fiddleback from end to end. MOA out of the box, but only when I went to neck sizing fired brass. Before that it was about 3 MOA with factory ammo (Rem as I recall- only thing I could get in the village) - not real good for an open country gun! I used 120 gr Speers and a $19.95 Lee reloading kit. Slow, but effective, and those Arctic nights are long!

When I moved out of the Arctic the first time (1977), down into moose country, I decided it was "too light", and sold it to buy a .30-06.

What a fool!

In the two years I hunted with it, it killed more than 20 caribou from about 70 to over 500 yards., most of them over 200, under 400. All but the first one bang-flop, and that second bullet wasn't necessary anyway.

My observations on the 25-06 it kills about the same as a .270......maybe a little quicker. Who knew?

No doubt the 25.06 is my favorite caliber and i've been shooting one for around 30yrs. I've had several different rifles chambered in 25.06 over the years, Rem 700 adl, Rem 700 sendero, rem classic and currently a Rem 700 CDL. The 25.06 is accurate and easy to load for as well as a fast flat shooting round with mild recoil that hits the target hard and kills deer like lighting, whats there not to like. I could never see myself not owning one. Mike

The one on the bottom is my 25.06

Mine is a Weatherby 6 lug fiber mark version. Shoots great. Everything from 87gr Sierra to 117gr Sierra and all points in between. Currently loading 80gr and 100 gr Barnes TTSX but have yet to point them at anything in anger.