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

I recently picked up a Marlin X7 in .30-06, with plans of rebarreling in either .257 Roberts or 6.5x55. Idea was to build a rifle my 11yr old could hunt with next season, which would give us a few months to get comfortable. In the process of deciding on a barrel, ended up snagging another rifle that may put the build on the back burner.

Years ago, I picked up a somewhat odd duck of a rifle, a Mauser M96 straight pull in .25-06. I kept the rifle for a couple years, but ended up getting rid of it. As luck would have it, another one popped up locally, so I am officially back in the .25-06 game. Its not quite a .257 Bob or 6.5x55, but should be perfect with 117-120gr bullets.

I may still end up putting together a 6.5x55, but right now I'm going to start working up a load with the .25-06. This may finally give me a reason to use up the Norma MRP & Reloader 22 I have, I'll just need to order some 117-120gr bullets. I never loaded for the 1st one I had, so I still have a few boxes of commercial ammo to try in the rifle.

What's the general consensus on the .25-06?

6.5x55

Pretty darn good cartridge for a kid or anyone else, for that matter. So is the .257 Roberts and the Swede. IMHO, the Bob is about the ideal deer cartridge for a kid. A .30-30 works pretty well too. Especially with managed recoil loads.

Mine really likes 54 grains H4831 and 110 Accubonds. It’s a great deer and antelope cartridge, and several use it for elk. Mild recoil. Not much to complain about!

I have one. Super light rifle I made for a good friend, Bob E. He was dying and willed it back to me. So even though I have a few 270s and even though I prefer the 257 Roberts for my favorite 25 caliber, this rifle is now very dear to me.
It shoots very well with 117 and 120 grain bullets ( slightly under MOA) but the very best are the 100 grain Barnes TMX which group as tight "Micky Mouse heads". Center to center it is often 1/2 inch and sometimes even smaller.It shoots every bullet I have tried so far at their best with AC-3100, but now that powder is out of production. Thankfully I have enough of it to last me for the rest of my life,and I have about 300 rounds of loaded ammo for the rifle. I would try IMR 4831 if I ever ran out, but that is unlikely. I only use the 3100 in one of my 270s and in the 25-06 and I have about 32 pounds left .
Bob E. was a superb game shot and used to kill his deer and antelope with head shots and would call the shot even with the game on the run and dump them. I saw him do that about 8-10 times so it was not just luck. I made him 13 rifles in the years I know him, but the 25-06 ended up becoming his favorite. It is an honor for me to own it now.

25-06 is a great round! Shoots flat, hits with authority, and low recoil. Perfect for mulies, whitetails, antelope, etc.

I still want to put together a 6.5x55, and have been accumulating brass & bullets...still have to decide on a barrel for the Marlin.

A perfect choice for putting a high speed wallop on a deer with a suprising light recoil.

I have a Marlin MR-7 in 25-06. It does the job very well on deer, coyote, woodchucks, and porcupines.

Have a Sweede, it's great with 120s.
With hunting bullets, compared to a 25-06?
Speed vs BC at reasonable hunting distances= well, equal.


Honestly, the best reason to prefer the 257 or 6.5 is
romantism. At best, they might come close to the 25-06
In performance. One requires a long action, the other benefits
from one. And the recoil differences are not worth mentioning.

That said, I never wanted a 25-06. (Would definitely grab a deal though)
I jumped on the Sweede.

25-06 is an excellent cartridge. I would suggest borrowing a .243 Winchester and a 25-06 and allowing the 11yr old to shoot both to find which he was most comfortable with. Either will take deer, antelope and hogs.

I like 25-06’s. This is an Iver Henriksen built rifle on a Husky action. It’s marked 25 Niedner.

How does the bolt lock on the straight pull? Is the section of bolt with the lugs turning independent of the exterior tube so it rotates internally and turns lugs to lock? Never seen these before. Seems like a cool collector's piece.

Couldn't have said it better!

I own a Winchester Super Grade III in 25-06 and (3) in Ruger Express rifles (yes, very rare) and my wife owns (1) in the Ruger Express, all 25-06s,

We have taken numerous Antelope in CO & WY with them, and both Mulies & Whitetails. One shot is always enough.

I have two female friends who hunt their elk each year in Colorado, with one using a 25-06 and the other a 257 Bob. Not my first choice for elk, but works fine for them, as one weighs 90 lbs. and the other 100 lbs. They love the recoil, or rather lack thereof.

I have had my .25-06 for about 25 years.. Owned several before that, even had the round when it was a wildcat.. Over the years I have killed lots of game with it up to mule deer.. It is one of my favorite coyote rounds, but I have kind of cooled on it as a deer round.. It works, but I like a .270 better.. But for a young person, it would be a great place to start.. Light loads to begin with as they grow heavier and faster ammo..

I have two. Weatherby Vanguard S2 and a Remington 700 CDL. They are both great rifles. The cartridge is extremely impressive for the recoil or lack there of. My Weatherby shoots 80grn TTSX and 100grn TTSX 1/2 inch with Reloader 17 and Reloader 22. I only tried a few loads in my 700 but it was not hard to get it shooting at an inch and under. 85grn Ballistic tip with H4831, 115grn NBT with RL22 and H4831, 80grn TTSX with Varget and 4831 all shoot under an inch. The Hornady Whitetail 117grn factory shot 2/3 of inch in my 700. Mine are used for coyote so I can't speak on their game performance but I have no doubts they will drop antelope and deer with no issues.

I'm sure the 117-120gr bullets will work fine, but the 100gr Barnes TTSX and 110gr NAB are both sure killers with light recoil. I've also got some 80gr TTSX to try, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Had one in a Ruger #1V, and traded it several years ago. Duh! Current .25/06 is a Savage weather warrior with a 24" 1:9 Pac-nor barrel. Shoots 115 Bergers nicely, and 100gr Nosler solid base into one hole, backed by 52gr IMR4350. Light recoil and wallops deer with authority.

I'll have to post a few pics, but it has multiple lugs that rotate in place to lock the bolt...pulling the bolt unlocks a small piece, which then allows you to "un-cam" the lugs and open the action. Honestly, it looks to be ridiculously over complicated, and the bolt requires tools to remove it from the action...and the recommendation is to NEVER disassemble the bolt assembly. I think Mauser introduced them to the market in 1995, and sales were less than impressive. In fact, I *believe* they were only sold for a couple of years, and then discontinued. Interesting thing is, they did offer it in a 6.5x55....maybe I could find someone to swap with me!

Thanks. If you get a chance, photos would be interesting!