Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game .25-06 on Elk

I did a search in this forum for using the .25-06 on Elk. I couldn't find anything.

I have been thinking that's its low recoil and using a Barnes X-bullet maybe just the thing. As I get older, I like the punishment of the big magnums less.

The only person I know that regularly used a .25-06 for elk was Bob Milke (SP?), out of WY. I think his forte' was the single shot handguns.

The 115-120gr bullets have a low S.D., and this creates in me a concern. Any thoughts on the .25-06?

Prospector

I shoot a .25-284, which is the ballistic twin of the .25-06. I shoot the 100 grain Barnes XLC bullets at 3,500 fps and have NO problem hunting elk or moose with them. I shot a Texas longhorn last year at 100 yards roughly, and the bullet broke the near shoulder and was found under the skin on the off side. He didn't stay on his feet long. My wife absolutely loves shooting this round and it really jerks the rug out from under stuff with the XLC bullet. Flinch

Flinch,

I recently aquired a .25-06 and plan to use it for deer this season. I have no experience with it or with a .25-284. I have reloaded handgun ammo for a few years, but have yet to start reloading for rifle (next project).

Could you recommend some good factory ammo in .25-06 for deer and elk?

Any reloading tips for rifle reloading would be appreciated as well. Going to start reloading the for the .25-06 and .30-06. I'm in Germany with the military right now and will be moving back to the States next month. Got the basics for handgun reloading, but not sure how fast I'll set up for the rifle - plus I want to brush up on the manuals, so I don't know if I'll have worked out a handload for hunting this year or not.

Anyway, whatever info you can share would be great.

Thanks,

PRP

I guess I'm going to be the dissenting voice here. IMHO, the 25-06 is a great deer round with the 100-120 grain bullets, possibly lighter pills if in the Barnes X mode, but is mighty marginal for Elk.
Just about anything will work if you have the perfect shot placement and time to pick your shot, but that just doesn't seem to happen very often with elk. If you are going to elk hunt more than once, I can just about guarantee you won't get the perfect shot presentation most of the time. That is when you need a big, high BC bullet that will plow through bone, muscle, and organs from any angle and do lots of damage. The 25-06 just ain't that cartridge. No 25 caliber bullet, no matter how well constructed, is going to do the internal damage of a good .30, .33, or .35 caliber bullet.

Prospector, you might want to consider going to a .270 or 30-06 with X bullets, or a 35 Whelen. Recoil can be painful as you get older, but it is only for one or two shots. You can practice at the range with lighter rifles, then hunt with your chosen elk rifle and still shoot darned well as long as the rifles are very close to weight, size, and function. What is REALLY painful is tracking a wounded bull into a hell hole of a canyon and then having to bring it back out. I like to drop them close to where they are shot- from whatever angle presents itself as long as I can reach the vitals and break shoulders.- Sheister

I would say that the 25-06 Rem or 25-284 is more than enough for any cow elk or spike. If your talking big bull elk, my minimum would be any well placed 7mm, 154-160 grain bullet.

Well, considering that I have taken an elk with a 6mm Remington and an 85 grain bullet, the .25-06 Remington with a 120 grain bullet should do the job very nicely, if you do your part and put the bullet where it counts.

As long as you remember what is in your hands at the time of the opportunity, you should be fine. Despite what others might lead you to believe, it can't do the same things a .338 could in every situation, so pick your shots carefully and don't be tempted to stretch it beyond its abilities.

Keep in mind a bullet like a 130 XLC out of a .30-06 will have practically the same recoil as a 130 grain bullet out of a .25-06. A 120 grain bullet vs. a 130 is all but the same. Another option that I am headed towards is a .308 and 168 grain Barnes triple shocks in a very light weight rifle for those brutal high country hunts.

I'm sure it'll work just fine. Hell, my friend just got back from Adak Island and took 2 caribou with a 223 and hollow points. And they say it's too small for deer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Go figure.

I've watched the .25-06 kill elk class critters for years. Like Shiester says not for fanny shots or snap shooting in the brush. Even the .338 has a tough time with that.
But work they do. Keep in mind even with a solid hit from a .338, they can go a long way.
I see Federal makes both their Throphy Bonded bullet ( 115 gr.), the Nosler Partition (115 gr.) and the Barnes XLC (100 gr.) in their line of Premium ammo. Cabela's sells it. This is what I would use. The standard Remington Cor-Loks and Winchester PEP don't always exit. They do break a near shoulder well, however.
You want to keep in mind that the smaller rds. loose their velocity and energy much faster as the range increases as well. I wouldn't want to take a shot much over 250 yds. with one. E

Here's one of those topics that confuses me..... The 257 Weatherby is often cited as being enough for elk but the 25-06 is not? And the reasoning behind that is, what?

The double radius venturi? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Sorry PDS, I had to.

Pick Your shots well, and You will do just fine. Not the caliber I would go with tough. I draw the line for elk sized game at 6,5 mm caliber.

The sectional density of a 120 gr. .257 bullet is .260. That compares well to a 140 gr/277, 150 gr/284, or a 168 gr/.308. That's pretty good company.

If someone likes hunting with a bazooka.....that's cool, but we all know that bullet construction careful placement are the keys. Light recoil can be a major factor there.

JimF

Jim.

I agree with you that bullet construction and placement are the keys here, but one must remember that we also have a duty to kill the animals we hunt in a human way. A small cal will allow a large animal to stay on their feet for a longer period than it would with a 7 mm or a 308. If one goes to low in cal selection you will end up with a caliber wich not always are up to the job. A 200 grs 30 cal bullet has the same SD as a 300 grs 375 cal or a 535 grs 510 cal bullet, but that does not make the 300 win mag or the 30-06 an elephant or buffalo rifle.

Of course less recoli has it`s benefits. I am not saying that you should use a powerhouse of cartridge that one can`t controll, but one should not use a to small cal for the game you want to take. Anyone can handle the recoil of a 7X57, 270 win, 260 or similar, so it is not really nessesary to use a cal less than 6,5 mm.

A 25 cal bullet is small, but it will do the job for sure if one pick shots that are close to optimal.

Prospector, the .25-06 is more than adequate for elk and even big elk. I have personally witnessed WAY too many elk kills with .25-06 rifles to think otherwise. One of the biggest bulls was a huge 6x6 that was shot through both shoulders at 75 yards. The bullet exited and the bull dropped. All of my in-laws use .25-06 rifles and plain old Remington 100 grain factory ammo. I can't tell you how many bulls they have killed, but a bunch, clear out to 350 yards. I have seen them do it many times. They are HORRIBLE shots and don't wait for good shot angles, but they get their bulls every year and they don't lose any. I really like the Federal 115 grain Trophy Bonded bullets. They stay together VERY well and plow through heavy bone. The 117 grain Hornady flat base factory ammo is really good stuff for elk and deer as well. Pick your shots and you will be fine. Flinch

Just for the hell of I'll give the other side of the coin. First off I have never hunted elk although I will be going for the first time this year with BP. However I have a casual aquaintance I run into once a month or so who is a hard core eastern deer hunter and a year round shooter.
Last year he mentioned he would be going on a elk hunt using his bread and butter 25 06 with Rem. 120 core lokt's. I mentioned I felt it was on the light side however did'nt push it as I said I have no actual experience. Ran into him a month after the hunt with a sheepish look on his face. Story goes that he shot a big cow at 75 yards behind the shoulder ,he says that he even saw the blood spot. The cow basically ran up and over the mountain and he lost her. Turns out he hit another one too and lost it. Now I know you can't say what happened on a unrecovered animal but I do know from talking to this guy and people that know him that he is a good shot and one who comes home usually with what he shoots at. However he says next time he goes it will be with a 30 cal. with 180's. Would it of made a difference who knows but I think you should plan for the worst and try for the best. Being that elk can range from under 500 # to well over 800 lbs. that is quite weight range. I hear people argue over the 243 for deer and guys from the big plains say,"well, our deer can be over 300 lbs. on the hoof." as a reason the 243 is too light for them. I can't help but think a .243 is a much better deer round than the 25 06 is a elk round. Personally if I was looking for a light recoiling elk round I think a 260, 6.5x55, or 7mm08 shooting 140's would be a much better place to start regardless of how the KE numbers match up with a nod to the 7mm08. A 30 06 with 168 xlc'c and a recoil pad is'nt much of a recoiler either and would be up to snuff for any elk at a reasonable angle I'd wager. As far as thinking bullets of differing caliber but equal S.D.s traveling at the same speed being pretty much equal go shoot some big stones with both and see what that extra weight really means when it encounters something. If the bullet has to go through a section of a full paunch that can really eat up some energy. I have no doubt the 25 06 will kill elk all day long when things are right but think there are better choices for when "Murphey's law" comes into play without going to the big magnums.

My friend shot a mature bull at 30 yards with his 25-06 in 2001. Took the first shot to the lungs, second to the shoulder area while departing, and a third one in the neck, killing it. Load was a 120 gr. Speer Grand Slam handload. The only shot to exit was the broadside lung shot. It killed the bull, but who knows how far it could of gone if he didn't break its neck.

I don't suggest a 25-06 for elk, but it will work with very good bullets, and excellent shooting. 100 & 115 gr. X bullets, 120 gr. Swift A-Frames, and 115 gr. TBBCs would be the only bullets I'd sling at an elk from a 25 cal. Better yet to go to a 28 cal, and shoot a premium 160 or 175 gr.

While there is no doubt that you can kill elk with a 25-06, considering the hunting conditions, and the number of times you might get to go, plus the liklihood of finding a huge trophy elk, I believe it is unwise to use a small cartridge.

I don't care how many kin have killed big elk at 350 yards, the 25-06 is not the equal of a 30-06 or better yet one of the .338 cartridges. Sooner or later there will be wounded and lost animals, and maybe there has been and no one knew it.

You might wound and lose an animal with most any cartridge, but if you do it with a small caliber such as the .25 you will regret that you did not use a larger cartridge.

If recoil is that much of a problem, at least settle for one of the 6.5s with 140 or heavier bullets.

I would not use the 25-06. If that were the only rifle I had, and I got a chance to go bull elk hunting, I would buy or borrow another and larger rifle.

Jerry

Hmm...1/8" of skin and an inch of ribs to get to the vitals. Yup, the .25 is way too light, but the .270 is great with 10 grains more bullet weight. I never understood that thinking. Elk are bullet proof, especially for guys that have never hunted them. I have lived with them and hunted them since I was a kid. I have killed large and small bulls, as well as cows. I have used an assortment of rifles and the worthless bow and arrow. I don't know how many I have killed. They just aren't hard to kill! I have watched them drop on the spot hit with .243's and .25-06's. Two last year didn't go 100 yards after taking an arrow. Make a bad hit and it doesn't matter what you shoot them with. I personally know a guy that hunts them with a .375 HH. He has lost two bulls for two shots! Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. Yes, .30-06 is a better choice, but the gentleman asked if the .25-06 was enough for elk. It most certainly is when GOOD bullets and marksmanship are practiced. Flinch

If I had only two rifles, one a 25-06 and one a 30-06, assuming both shoot equally well with bullets of say 120 grains and 180 grains respectively, and further assuming that carrying either gun was immaterial. What on earth would get into me to take the 25-06 on an elk hunt? All I can think of is that I would want to brag about how I shot my elk with a minimal caliber. I am sure somebody has killed an elk with a golf ball. Does that make it an appropriate projectile? I don't think so.

I can just hear your brain working now.....Why, if I can kill one with a 25-06, next year I think I'll take my 243 Winchester just to prove my point. Maybe take my Dad's old 25-35 the year after that. Heck, why not even the ol' Swift. I am sure that will kill an elk too. Now, that would really prove to everyone that I am a GREAT hunter, wouldn't it?

Think about it. Where is the logic in doing such a thing? What if you shot a nice animal and then lost it and deep down within your soul you knew it was because you were under-gunned or under-bulleted? Would it be worth it then?

Respect your game and use an adequate firearm and bullet. Don't attempt to do the deed undergunned and be sorry. For you, wounding an elk is only a messed up target and hopefully a bad memory. For the elk, it is an unnecesarily long, lingering death. But, on the other hand, if you don't give a rip, go ahead. Go undergunned!