Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 25/06

Pac Nor builds barrels every day

25-06 is over bore to start with

My AI experience

260 & 223

I wouldn’t. The .25/06 Remington needs nothing. Top performer.
Dave had in in a BDL. I swear I saw deer hit the ground before I heard the gun crack.
When I got home from the Army, he was bitching that it was shot out, because I wouldn’t hold a group.
I took it home and cleaned it with copper solvent over a couple nights. When we shot it that weekend, it was still a tack driver!
Somebody broke in and stole it.
Reon

Well, with this one you are right in my wheel house. I love to shoot quite a variety of cartridges but, along with .284, the .257 long ago became my fave. And, after everything from .250 Savage and .257 Roberts up through .257 Weatherby, the 25/06 is tops.

All things considered, and listing possible gains/losses - I can't see any reason to do that.

Yep.

I love AIs, and that one could give you marked improvement. Plus case life increases. Plus they look cool as heck.

Yes and double gay

Generally speaking, if you take a 7x57 and AI it then load it 70k psi. It will give better performance against the anemic 45k psi factory loads............

The real benefit of the Ackley Improved design is more stable brass , less trimming, otherwise its just exercise.

If I was building one, from scratch with no dies brass loads…. I’d AI and fast twist it.


A 257 on the cheap, and better(at ranges longer than I shoot)

Otherwise, I’d let it go.

I used a 25-06 as a year around truck gun for 10 or 15 years. 85 BTs & 100 partitions. Lots of critters died to it. Can't remember ever once wishing I had another 80 - 100 feet per second, shorter barrel life & a few hundred less dollars in my pocket.

I have a friend in Colorado who has killed around a dozen elk at various ranges. He has used his .25-06 on all of them with no problems. He uses factory ammo.

FWIW.

L.W.

257 Roberts, also applicable to 6mm and 7 Mauser.

Had 2 25-06s they have there place in long range work but don’t fit the bill in my brushy neck o the woods

Myself I would leave it as factory. It will do what ever you need it to do with out the extra 150 FPS. I mainly use 100 grainers for my best results. It is your gun you do what YOU want with it. I do not see ant great advantage.

This. At 65,000 psi in either cartridge, the AI might give you an extra 25 fps.

I had my 25-06 for about three years and 100 cases for it. (necked down GI 30-06 brass) I shot those cases about six times each year with no trimming and no annealing. They went with the rifle, loaded, when I sold it.

My buddy has the AI version. It’s one of the most accurate hunting rifles I’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting. Had it out on a private ranch spotlighting jackrabbits. I just aimed at the eye and it was absolute carnage. His runs a couple hundred fps faster than a standard 25-06

I have the standard 25-06 and shoot 75 gr Vmax for varmints. My oldest boy shot his first buck with it; a nice 4x4 muley. I took it coyote hunting with a couple friends; one of which is a world-class coyote hunter. Won lots of contests and all that. He saw me pull that out of the case and chastised me for bringing such a big gun. He brought a 22 Hornet. I was living in NE Nevada at the time and he really wanted a pelt from there for some reason. Well, we called a trio in but they hung up at about 400 yards. One sat down between two sage brushes and I let her have it! My friend jumps up and heads out to the dog as me and the other guy are laughing (he’s the one with the AI). We’re watching him through the binos as he picks it up and he’s cussing like a sailor and shaking his head as he’s walking back with it. He gets back, and shows me the softball size hole in the offside and tosses it into the truck still swearing about all the sewing he’s gonna have to do. I get 3800 fps out of those little vmaxes and they tear [bleep] up when they hit!

I used to have lots of Ackley guns but have kinda gotten away from them the last ten years. I’ve gotten kinda lazy about case forming and all that. Still have a 22/250, a couple 243s and a 6mm Rem version tho. Either way you go, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a shame the 25-06 isn’t more popular. Darn good round!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^°

this

I have a .25-06 AI Encore barrel, 26” with a VXiii 3.5-10 on it. Killed a lot of stuff with it for several years including longest ever shot on a caribou; one and done with a 100 grain TSX at around 400 yards. It’s been on inactive reserves for about 15 years now, just got it out a few months ago, started loading and fireforming some new brass, going to play with different bullets. Maybe I’ll kill some more stuff with it.

I have no opinion one way or the other whether it’s “worth it.” A lot of the stuff we do with rifles won’t stand close scrutiny under the light of pragmatism. Those AI cases sure do look cool though.


If I were to get another.25-06, I would be very happy with the regular version ( which I was when I did have one. If I wanted the fastest.257 I could get, I would go .257 Weatherby.

I have a few AIed cartridges and they do have an improvement on the parent.

I also have a 270,280,35whelen and a 25-06 and if i hold out a 30-06.

These have done everything i have asked from them and don't believe i would gain anything.

But that said it's your rifle so it is up to you,if you do get the twist that stabilizes the 130+- bullets.

Good luck

Wow, 4 pages into this thread and nobody has awaken Big Stick from his slumber

That’s a blessing in itself.

Don’t AI, but if you must scratch the itch, rebarrel with a slightly faster twist rate. Still get the same performance with traditional weight projectiles, but open the door for some of the heavier for caliber options if you wanted.