Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .257 wby mag or 25-06 ?

In the market for a .25 caliber rifle and those are my two picks any pros and cons or certain rifles I should stay away from

I have both, Weatherby is a little more powerful of course, but the 06 isn’t a slouch

Are you a reloader?

06 probably a bit cheaper and ammo cheaper to eh?

Yes

I own both as well. Prefer the 25-06.

25-06 - I’m on my second one.

Wby mag = high dollar brass, ammo issues (factory), .... and small resale market, not to mentions shorter barrel life if you like running them hot.

Also the WBY requires a longer barrel to get the max speed out as well.

If one takes a caliber and goes with Weatherby, that round will usually win a race. If one can afford the rifle, he can afford the brass as well. Expect some spectacular damage with any close in shots.

I've shot a few Weatherby's but i've never owned one. Been shooting a 25.06 for over 30yrs and love it, no doubt my favorite caliber.

The Wby will push 115-120gr bullets at the speeds of 25-06 100gr loads, with a similar barrel length. No flies on either, really.

I have a couple 25-06’s. I’m not sure more case capacity would be beneficial enough compared to costs and availability of brass and ammo.
In short, I’m happy with the 25-06 cartridge.
Years ago I thought several calibers were lacking in bullet selection. The 24’s, 25’s and the 26’s We’re all in that boat - at least that was my belief. (Ok, you could get partitions in 26.)
It seem to me in those days the buckets either didn’t expand or they violently expanded.
Today bullets are so much better.

What is the purpose of the rifle? Strictly hunting or shooting steel & paper or I guess all of the above For hunting what game are we talking here just deer size animals or is elk & moose on the menu? Also what is your normal range you take game at? I learned to reload on the 25-06 shot a lot of deer with it but moved on to the .257 Roberts and I haven't been without a "Bob" for 30 years. I have 3 in the safe now.

I like both but the difference between them is not as great as some people think, For a 100 grain bullet with a BC of 387 the maximum point blank range difference is 272 for the 06 at 3,300 fps and 295 yds at 3,600 fps. for a whopping 23 yds. difference in this example. The 06 is maxed out at that velocity the Weatherby could go a little faster but 3,600 is doable in most rifles with 26" or more barrel. I decided to make them a mismatched pair and will be shooting 85 grain bullets at 3,600 in the 06 to come pretty close to the 100 grain load in the Weatherby.

The 25-06 is more practical and friendlier on the wallet. The Weatherby sometimes you have to scramble to find brass several times I found what I was looking for only to try to order the next day and it wasn't available. If you are not a Weatherby fan the 25-06 is the way to go. If you want maximum speed the Weatherby gets the nod. So the gun loony choices are get both or do what Fotis did and split the difference in a fast twisted 25-06AI with a 1-7 twist.

I think you will enjoy any of the 25s so it is more of a choice in the platform unless it comes in both cartridges.

If you decide to go with the .25-'06, I've got a nice Sako AV FS in the classfieds:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/15137473#Post15137473

-Chris

I have both handloaded for and hunted with both the .25-06 and .257 Weatherby considerably. Eventually sold all my 25-06's and went with the two .257s--Roberts and Weatherby.

Am always surprised by those who think the .257 Weatherby barely beats the .25-06--or that the .257 Wby. "needs" at least a 26-inch barrel. Have owned two 24-inch .257 Weatherbys, and its easy to get 3550 with 100-grain bullets and published data. In fact my present .257 Wby. is a New Ultra Light Arms Model 28 with a 24-inch barrel, which gets right around 3550 with 100-grain Nosler E-Tips and H1000, grouping them into less than an inch--at 200 yards. (My first .257 Weatherby was a factory Vanguard Sporter with a walnut stock, also with a .24-inch barrel. It shot just about as well, but weighed 9 pounds scoped. The NULA weighs under 7 scoped.)

Here are the actual trajectory figures for that load, shot here in Montana in typical October hunting conditions:
100 yards: +2.5 inches
200 yards: +3.5 inches
300 yards: +1 inch
400 yards: -5.5 inches

Of course, the NULA was built back before "everybody" started twisting elevation turrets, but the above numbers make the .257 Wby. an excellent "point and shoot" rifle for open country. Have never had a .25-06 that shot nearly as flat, even the one custom Mauser I owned with a 26-inch barrel. I suspect part of this is because higher velocities tend to increase ballistic coefficient somewhat, and the .257 Weatherby beats the .25-06 by around 250 fps in equal-length barrels. That's right in line with the 4-to-1 Rule, because the Weatherby has about 80 grains of powder room compared to 62 for the .25-06.

I have also found bore erosion isn't nearly as bad as in the Weatherby as many people think--unless, of course, you plan to shoot prairie dogs with one. But have also found bores on other "barrel eating" cartridges last longer than shooters who "estimate" barrel life would guess.

If you don't want to pay for .257 Weatherby brass (I have found of very quality, both dimensionally and case life) it's easy to make: Just run a 7mm Remington Magnum case into a .257 Weatherby full-length die. Normally the neck thickness is still within specs.

In reality, .257 Roberts velocities are closer to the .25-06 than the .25-06 is to the .257 Weatherby. This is because the powder capacity is closer: According the the 4-to-1 Rule the difference in potential velocity is about 150 fps, which I have found just about right. I generally load the Roberts to around 3150-3200 fps with 100-grain bullets and 2950-3000 with 115-120s in a 24-inch barrel, which is just about 150 fps slower than the .25-06. But they are still more similar in performance than the .25-06 is to the .257 Weatherby.

All that said, the .25-06 is no doubt the most practical, compared to either of the .257s. You can buy factory ammo just about anywhere, and brass is affordable and easily available as well. I like it too--and the .250 Savage. But eventually pared my selection down, after considerable use of all four 25s.

Both will be harder to find ammunition for, both have expensive ammunition, when you can find it. (For brass)
Reloading components will be easier to find with the 25.06, where I live anyways.

I would buy a .270 for similar performance and avoid both of those issues.

If I had to choose between the two? 25.06

What Mule Deer said.

I have been using the 7mm rem mag to 257 Bee brass conversion for decades.

In cars it’s hard to beat cubic inches. For hunting I like velocity. Hasbeen

I've both and like both. My 25-06 has a 24" bbl and does 3730fps with 80TTSX, my 257 has a 25" bbl and does 3675fps with a 100TTSX. Do you feel like a deer will know the difference in either of those?

The 25-06 has less recoil, but not that either kick hard. The worst con for me is that the 257 has far more blast, it makes my ears ring for hours if I don't have plugs in while hunting. The 25-06 doesn't seem to bother me after one shot at game and I despise plugs while hunting.

I've got a 25-06 and stumbled into it by chance. Its been my go to hunting rifle for several years and although I've never killed it big buck with it has put a lot of meet in the freezer. Like others have said the ammo will be more expensive in the Weatherby otherwise a Ford vs Chevy argument. Either way reloading will be the way to go as factory ammo can be limited and not always stocked due to demanding. Find the one that fits you best and don't t look back.