Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 25-06 Obsolete?

I sure hope not as I recently acquired my first, a Ruger #1 AH.

I'll just keep shooting my obsolete 25-06, while using discontinued bullets, and discontinued powder:



I need to recheck this load in the colder temps:

Based on some experience, the guy who made the comment doesn't really know the definition of "obsolete."

But not knowing a word's definition isn't uncommon these days, especially one the Internet....

Well said.

I just found 8mm Lebel ammo for sale! Not concerned about the good old 25-06.

Quit wasting your time on that French crap find me some reasonable priced 25-20, 44-77 2 1/4"sbn or some 44-60 2 5/8" sbn..mb

Yes, the 30 30 is also obsolete. Many of today’s writers are just publicists for the gun/ammo makers newest, bestest products.

I understand and like the way you make your point!

But, I'll offer a definition, too:

obsolete (adjective) cartridge

1) An obsolete cartridge is no longer in general use and/or fallen into disuse.
2) An obsolete cartridge is of a discarded or outmoded type and/or out of date.


The 25-06 doesn't fit either description. Think the writer the OP read on "internet" probably wants attention!
Seems a lot of writers use this word "obsolete" for attention but very few offer a definition much less a list of obsolete rifle cartridges.
Even Wikipedia doesn't go there with a list to back it up!

Here's one shot at Obsolescent North American rifle cartridges I found:

.224 Weatherby Magnum, .225 Winchester, .25-20 Winchester, .250 Savage, 7-30 Waters, .284 Winchester, .300 Savage, .307 Winchester, .30-40 Krag, .300 H&H Magnum, .308 Norma Magnum, .32-20 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, .348 Winchester, .356 Winchester, .358 Winchester, .358 Norma Magnum, .375 Winchester, .38-40 Winchester, .300 Rem. SAUM, 6.5mm Rem. Magnum,.224 Weatherby Magnum, .225 Winchester, .25-20 Winchester, .250 Savage, 7-30 Waters, .284 Winchester, .300 Savage, .307 Winchester, .30-40 Krag, .300 H&H Magnum, .308 Norma Magnum, .32-20 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, .348 Winchester, .356 Winchester, .358 Winchester, .358 Norma Magnum, .375 Winchester, .38-40 Winchester, .300 Rem. SAUM, .225inchester, .25-20, .25-35, .32-20, .38-40, .30-40 Krag, .300 H&H Magnum, .250 Savage, .300 Savage, .284 Winchester, 7-30 Waters and .32 Winchester Special, .348 Winchester, .358 Winchester, .307 Winchester, .356 Winchester, .375 Winchester, .308 Norma .224 Weatherby Magnum, .225 Winchester, .25-20 Winchester, .250 Savage, 7-30 Waters, .284 Winchester, .300 Savage, .307 Winchester, .30-40 Krag, .300 H&H Magnum, .308 Norma Magnum, .32-20 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, .348 Winchester, .356 Winchester, .358 Winchester, .358 Norma Magnum, .375 Winchester, .38-40 Winchester, .300 Rem. SAUM, 6.5mm Rem. Magnum, .224 Weatherby Magnum, and .358 Norma Magnum.

[b]Maybe we should make our own list?![b]

Not that it matters, but did anyone else notice that the above list is the same group of cartridges repeated 4 times over?

Sounds like a clickbait piece to me. Get the boys all worked up and pocket the nickels.

Don’t have one, and always figgered my .270s filled the same role and offered a bit of bonus bullet weight, but it’s a fine round, and like the .270 could be updated a bit with a faster twist barrel to shoot the few high B.C. bullets available, if that trips your trigger. Not worth it to me here in the Wild East; 100-160gr are plenty.

If I had one, I’d find some high-quality brass and pick up 200-300, along with a supply of bullets it liked, because the ammo and component market is pretty iffy. IIRC .25 fans here have been complaining about their favorite bullets being discontinued for a while now. Prepare, Grasshopper!

No LOL, you noticed first even before me. Sorry about that. I was cut and paste to try to keep it simpler.
I did find a UK list too. But didn't include them, just the North America list.

I have 5 that are on the list and enough supplies to keep them going for a long time

Thats why i bought 10 boxes of 117 Pro Hunters when they decided to discontinue them.

The 25-06, the 270, the 280 and the 30-06 are all obsolete. The bullets from these rifles will only bounce off animals any more, that is if the bullets get that far.

Boy ain't that the truth! :-)

I shot a deer with a 225gr Sierria Game King from a Pre64 M70 FWT in 358. The rifle, caliber and now the deer are all absolete

The 87gn Hornady is overlooked by many for the .25/06. I used it a lot in the .257 Weatherby loaded over 2800fps during the 70's and 80's so it was a natural loaded to around 3600fps in the .25/06 where it proved very accurate and useful in my 26" barrel.

Best choices overall that I found were the 100gn Hornady and Barnes TTSX (probably the most useful) with the 117gn Hornady BT and 120gn Partition also proving very accurate and at plus 3200fps velocity levels. Those 100 grainers shot under half inch using 760 powder at 3450 to just over 3500fps.

Tried a lot of others from the 75gn original X bullet up to 115gn TSX and a few others but the best 2 for me with a common sighting was the 100TTSX and 120gn Partition.

56.7 grains of H4831sc behind 100 grain Hornady SP is the most accurate in my 700 ADL and 700 Classic. Of course, Hornady stopped making that bullet.

I guess the 117 SST shot really well, but I shot a doe with that bullet, and it had a soft ball size entrance wound. I hear the bullet has been improved. I'll never know from my experience! When I die, I hope to have the bean-counters at Hornady be my pall bearers so they can let me down one last time.

I'll be working with Barnes and Nosler this year with that cartridge. Bye bye Hornady!

The best load so far with the Partition is: 100 grain Nosler Partition, 9 ½, 51.9 grains IMR4451. I have only a pound or so of that powder and the outlook of finding more seems bleak.

I have not worked with Barnes yet though. I got my hopes on 80 grain TTSX's. According to Barnes, their most accurate powder is H4831sc with that bullet:

H4831SC 57.0 grains 3396 fps, to 62.0 grains 3656 fps

Made me laugh, TFF 😂

I have had good luck with the NAB 110gr but with Nosler thinking there stuff is worth $75/box when the supply is gone I'll look for something else like the Sierria 117gr Game king