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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,643
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,643 |
Used to shoot the hell out of my 25-06's. Factory WW 120gr open pt expanding loads. Then got into 5 boxes of 120 gr open pt boattail Sierras. Worked up a load with fed 215 primers in WW cases with max doses of surplus H870. 3100fps with good enough groups for deer and antelope. Shot whatever got in front of me coyotes, pd's and other varmints. Those sierras were OK on ribcage shots but on quartering angles they didn't hold up well. Back then a guy could buy bulk 120 gr Remington corelokts sold as component bullets. Shot a lot of them and H870 , aren't very high bc but they shot well and held together. Wandered to some older 100 gr corelokts (red& white boxes with metal corners) and the were pretty explosive at 33-3400 fps. Looking back on it they were probably made for 250-3000 velocity levels. After 3 antelope with baseball sized exit holes in the ribs I used them up on pd's. Bought a couple boxes of 120 Hornady hollow pts. They didn't expand at all on antelope lungs, just penciled thru so I shot pd's with them ,they were very accurate though. Now days the 117 gr horn btsp sees action and do have a supply of 115 npt's and 115 nbt's to work up. That old mid 70's model 70 has some barrel wear on it, shot it alot it taught me that the 25-06 isn't a good choice for dog shooting. Few here and there to check your zero but that's it.A couple of years ago I picked up a ss m700 lnib for a song will see if she will sing. Some life left to that m70 I just don't want to finish her off. Interesting as I semi retired a 80’s model 70 in 25.06 in 2006 when I bought a 700 BDL 25.06. It shoots just as well as the old one with 117 Sierra Pro Hunter, 53 grains RL22. My favorite bullets for deer are in order 117 pro hunter ( I bought 10 boxes while I could) 120 Speer 115 BT although I had a couple of pencil throughs with the early ones, tried em again about 5 years later and they worked fine. 110 AB. Little stout unless you have armor plated deer. 100 grain Sierra (once) since if using a 100 grain I usually went 243.
Swifty
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 8,891
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 8,891 |
Way back when I first got that m70 it had weaver bases on it. Regardless of all the people who look down their nose at them they work fine and the system is repeatable. I had at the time a old Burris full field straight 6x, old long tube model with short eye relief paid 60 for it. Put it on with med. height weaver rings. Had all of 310 dollars in it some of the best money I.ever spent. Shot it on everything and anything just didn't know that there might be a better rig for p dogs to deer. Used some imr 4831 and h4831 in it until I scored a pile of h870 surplus ,sure made the 25-06 sing. I suppose I could owe up to the fact that I have many nicer guns but sure don't have many that ever did any better in the field....mb
" Cheapest velocity in the world comes from a long barrel and I sure do like them. MB "
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,357
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,357 |
Plenty of good options. I started with a 117 Interlock @ ~3100 fps in mine. I think it was the 2nd or 3rd deer I killed, the jacket separated on broadside shoulder shot at just under 100 yards. I decided to go tougher, and went with a 100 gr Barnes Triple Shock (before tips were available) at ~3350 fps It worked fine, but always left a fair amount of bloodshot meat in its path. Decided to try the 110 Accubond, at ~3200 fps it is one of the more accurate loads I’ve ever had in any rifle. Works well, at least at most ranges I hunt. I killed a pronghorn with that load at 570 yards, and it appeared the Accubond was a bit too tough for that low of impact velocity. It somewhat penciled through without much damage. The pronghorn went down, but I had to put a finishing shot on it after getting much closer.
My rifle didn’t shoot the ELDX particularly well, so I never shot an animal with it. I have some Sierra TGK’s on the shelf to try, but haven’t done so yet.
Don't speculate when you don't know, and don't second guess when you do.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,781
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,781 |
Excellent stuff here. I have used the .25-06 when it was still a wildcat. My current one is on a 700 action with a 27" Douglas barrel. I love it. I mostly shoot 100 gr Sierra's just hunting coyotes, antelope etc. I have shot several nice mule deer with this bullet, it did exit, but not much of a blood trail. But the buck only went 75 yards. I shot a lot of deer and antelope with 115 gr NBTBT's. Still one of my favorites. I used to say if I had three rifles they would be: 22-250, .25-06 and .300 WM. That still is one of my favorites, but the last few years, the .270 is kind of edging out the .25-06 as my middle favorite.
Molon Labe
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 496
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 496 |
I load a 115 grain partition and RL22 in my tikka 25-06 with impressive results on deer. Attached is an old article from Russell Thornberry as the gun writer from Buckmasters with his experiences with this combo as well. The article didn't make me try this particular load but I will say my experience with the 25-06 and the 115 grain partition mimics his. https://www.buckmasters.com/Magazines/GunHunter/Articles/ID/2176/contact
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,289
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,289 |
i like the Hammer bullets ,this year out of our 257 Weatherby mags. we plan on shooting 103 gr. Hammer bullets at a average speed of 3680 fps these Hammmer bullets group well too. today at 300 yards my group was only 3 shots 1 1/4 inches .this is a hunting rifle for deer and antelope that i will use out west so i don`t need to shoot it all day long for groups besides it was 87 degrees and humid. good luck with your choice of bullets,Pete53
LIFE NRA , we vote Red up here, Norseman
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,825
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,825 |
Pete: 87 degrees and humid sounds heavenly! 😅
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,343
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,343 |
Try the 115 Ballistic tip. Tougher than you think.Use them in my 25-284. Quartering shot through a 225 lb hog won’t catch you one. Deer haven’t slowed one down yet either.
GreggH
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 50,169
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 50,169 |
100 TSX and 115 NP.
But almost anything will work out of that cartridge.
The only thing worse than a liberal is a liberal that thinks they're a conservative.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,524
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,524 |
I like the 100gr. Partition. It works dandy on Missouri whitetails.
You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,219
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,219 |
Are there any bad bullets manufactured now??? As long as you aren’t loading a Varmint bullet, they all should be great for deer!!
I’ve never killed a deer with anything less than a 25-06, but have sat with grandkids when they had 243 reduced loads. They killed deer and pigs as well as I do with my cannons. They made well placed shots, animals dead right there or ran a few yards. That has made me reevaluate my need for magnums.
Last edited by hanco; 07/25/22.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,781
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,781 |
Molon Labe
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Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 177
Campfire Member
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Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 177 |
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 546
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 546 |
Between the SST 117 gr and the 115 BT which is more likely to hold up on impact Are both beat easily by the 117 Interlock for hitting bone
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,080
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,080 |
I have a couple of older boxes of the Speer Hot-Cor 120 grainers. Anybody had any experience with these? I believe they are flat bases. I haven't used any of them in my 257AI due to mag box length but just acquired a 25-06 take off barrel I'm about to screw on a 721 I had picked up for the action. I used then on about 20 caribou over 3 years, in the mid 70's, in a RU 77V, from about 30 yards to over 500. Mostly 200-300 yards. Hammer of Thor. MOA from an unmodified gun, that did NOT like factory ammo. Only one that was not a bang-flop, one-shot deal (if hit) was a fair sized bull at about 200 yards, quartering toward. The bullet went in at the base of the neck and lodged in the opposite hip, turning him sideways. The second one through the boiler room knocked him flat. That was the first caribou I shot with it too.  I recovered one other bullet, from a cow. I am not certain of the range (before range-finders) - probably beyond 500 yards. The rifle was zeroed 5 1/2 high at 100. After seeing where the first round kicked up snow on the hillside under her belly, I put the cross hairs just above her (broadside) erect neck/head/ears. The bullet centered both shoulder blades, lodging, after penetrating, in the far shoulder blade by it's base. The rifle was equipped with a 3X9 steel Weaver, and had not been adjusted from 3X, from a 30 yard mass-shooting an hour before as a group of 9 came boiling out of a ravine, single fie. My bud and I got all 9, taking turns.... and I had room for one more on my sled. But I forgot to turn the scope back up.
Last edited by las; 08/17/22.
The only true cost of having a dog is its death.
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,825
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,825 |
Been using them on deer since the early 90s in a 257AI. Always great performance. No complaints.
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 546
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 546 |
Could I get a rating from best to worst from those that might know or have a pretty good idea which of the following from 20 yards to 200 yards on a deer shoulder shot at 25/06 velocities
SST 117
115 BT
117 Interlock
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 10,779
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 10,779 |
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Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 403
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 403 |
Could I get a rating from best to worst from those that might know or have a pretty good idea which of the following from 20 yards to 200 yards on a deer shoulder shot at 25/06 velocities
SST 117
115 BT
117 Interlock For shoulder shots only of the three you listed I'd personally only use the 117gr Interlock. If behind the shoulder I'd use any of three. If I had to rate them I'd probably say..... 1. 117gr Interlock 2. 115gr BT 3. 117gr SST
Life's Tough, God's Good, Pray Hard!
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 216
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 216 |
100 gr. TTSX and you will have no worries. This is what I shoot as well. One of the best all-around bullets in my experience. Same here. The 100 gr. TTSX bullet can’t be beat in 25-06.
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