Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Favorite 25-06 deer bullets

115 Berger.

The last 3 deer I shot with .25-'06 were with partitions, 2 different rifles, one a 115 and two with 120s. That's where I'd start. I prefer 120s but if the gun likes 115s or even 100s better, that's fine.

I had very bad luck with the 110 grain accubonds blowing up .. in a .257 Roberts. 2 shots, 2 deer, in about 2 minutes, both recovered. Both shots were behind the shoulder, missed the shoulder blade and leg, just ribs, meat, and lung air, and both grenaded, hit the far side of the rib cage as tiny fragments creating massive meat loss on the off side. No exit of any sort. I talked to a friend who reloads commercially 'bout that and he said his customers were reporting the same thing. Maybe Nosler let a bad batch out the door, maybe they'd be ok now, but I don't think it is worth the risk when there are bullets that have proven themselves to me available.

I have not had good luck with accuracy with Barnes X bullets but still worth a try in a new gun.

Of cup and core bullets, I'd look at the Speer 120 grain flat base first, then probably Hornady 117 grain BTSB. My favorite .25 cal cup 'n' core was the 120 grain flat base HP hornady but those were discontinued a few years ago. Sierras generally shoot well but my experience, when they hit meat, is similar to what happened with those 110 grain ABs and I would not use them except as very last resort.

Tom

100gr Spitzer
100gr tsx

Been killing whitetails with a 25-06 since the late 70s. M700 ADL and later built another rifle with a heavier SS Douglass barrel.

Started with 100 and 117 Sierras, used 87gr Sierras for varmints, in the M700. When the 100gr Btips hit the market, both rifles really liked them, so that's all I've loaded in the past 40 years. 54grs of IMR 4831. Lots of newer powders in the years since, never had any reasons to change?

I've personally killed well over a dozen deer with that load and my hunting buddy racked up about the same tally with his M700 BDL 25-06 and that load. Some of mine out to 450-500 yards with the HB rifle, several beyond 300 yards. Most were one shot kills, right through the boiler room. Only ever had to search for one deer shot with a 25-06 and that was my fault. Tad shy of 400 yards, got tired of waiting for the doe to get out of the brush. But I found her. Worst shot I've ever made on a deer, ain't figuring to repeat it?

Have heard all the stories about this bullet "blowing up" on deer. Has never been my experience and they are far more accurate than the Sierras ever were.

Like others here, I've used a variety of 90-120 grain bullets in the 25/06 for whitetails. The most consistently impressive killer I've used is the 120 NPT. I switched 20 or so years ago to the 115 NBT because of availability at the time and found it nearly the same. I've since used the 115 NBT for caribou and found it works just as well for 3-400 pound animals as it does for 150-200 pound deer.

115-120gr NP or if you like Monos, go 100gr TTSX. Put the hole where it counts & remember - shoot for your exit.

For deer we have been very pleased with 100gr ballistic tips.

That bullet at 3,250 fps over H-100V out of my .257 Robert’s is pretty close to 25-06 performance. That load is a WT and hog killer; it’s also accurate.

DF

I use a .25-06 and a .257 Roberts more than anything else. As mentioned the best bullet ever WAS the Hornady 120gr HP.

Since it's not available, I have been using various others. I have Sierra 120gr HP GKs that shoot very well but don't have much on game experience yet, so far they've worked almost like the Hornady but not with the consistent exit.

The partitions work well if you can find a load that shoots. The TSX and TTSX in 100gr worked well, just less volumous wound channel.

I tried the ACP 100gr and wasn't impressed.

The 1 time I used the 120hp hornady was on a buck antelope at 250 yards the bullets just penciled thru without expanding. For some strange reason I didn't think they were worth a fug.
Mb

IVE Been Shooting The 80 Gr TTSX Out Of My 25-06 Mountain Rifle..Full Load Of H100V Gives Me 3762FPS. AND it Kill's Like Be Struck By Lightning.

The load I've used in mine most often is the 100 npt over imr4831. It works well, although meat damage is pretty bad.

100gr pro hunter with h4350. Now discontinued by Sierra but I stocked up.

In a fast .25, I like a Partition or a mono. Whatever will shoot accurately enough. Exits are important around here.

I've had good luck over the yeas with the 120 Hornady HP, 120 Speer Hot Core, 100gr Hornady IL, 120 Speer Deep Curl. I won't tell you what I'm trying now, it will likely be discontinued, too!

Ain't that the dying truth! Mb

Un scientific experiences, but my gal was shooting 120 gr HP Game Kings in her tang safety M77, when we hooked up decades ago. It's what her ex had loaded and she insisted on staying with it. She killed a deer every year, mostly at 100 yards or less, but the best I could get that rifle to bench at 100yds, was around an inch and a half..

When she quit hunting and it became my third 25-06, loaded up 100gr Btips and the first trip to the range, got three shot groups a bit under 3/4". Gave it to her son several years ago. He uses my loads and has killed deer past 200yds with it.

Back when I started loading for the 25-06, the two worst loads in my M700, were 75 and 90 grain Sierras. The 90gr HPs never shot better than an inch and a half at 100 yards.

The 87gr Sierra spitzers shot the best of any bullets back then, which is why they were my woodchuck loads. Not unusual to get three shot groups in one ragged hole and that was with a Harris and a rear bag from the bench. Similar result with the new 100gr Btips, when I made the switch. Was nearly out of the 87s at the time, so the Btips became my dual purpose bullet. Never used any more 100gr Sierras for deer, after killing my first one with the Noslers..

I shot an untold amount of deer (mostly adult bucks but a few smaller does) for 10 years with 100 gr NBT. Loved it but did get an occasional deer that didn’t leave a blood trail. This was due more to the amount of fat they had that would plug the quarter size hole then bullet performance.

Switched to TSX 100 gr and I feel it was an immediate upgrade in both accuracy and performance in my old M700 BDL.

I am now shooting 4 different 25 caliber rifles. Two 25-06, 25-284 and a 25-06 AI. I am shooting different bullets in each. Still shooting 100gr TSX, also 100gr TTSX, 101gr ETIP, and 117gr Sierra. All have performed very well on deer sized game.

I think there are many bullets out there that will perform much better than most shooters.

Another vote for the discontinued Hornady 120 HP. I still have some, thankfully.

Have also had good luck with the older Hornady 117 and the SST.

My rifle, which I have owned for 45 years has always preferred the 117 or 120 grain of most manufacture. In all honesty I’ve shot a bunch of factory ammunition of that weight as well and it’s always worked , including one bull moose with the 120 grain Remington.

Have to think the Nosler partition would work pretty well .

Fill truck loads the rest of your like with


115 Nosler Partitions. Whicked as [bleep] gets.