Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 25-06 top end with 100 grains

I'm trying to push the envelope with my 25-06 and get to 3375-3400 with 100 grainers. I have a chrono coming in the mail as a b-day present to myself. Is it going to be hard to get this high with a 24 inch tube?

I also would like to try the 100 grain tsx. The barnes website shows the bc to be .37 while midway says the bc is an incredible .42. Which figure do you think is right? On second thought swift has a hundred grainer the shows a bc of .43. Maybe I should try this load.

Lastly I would really like to try some of these tsx bullets or even some swift ones. Would someone like to trade some nosler solid base 100 grainers, 87 grain ballistic tips, 87 grain hornady, 120 grain hornady flat base hollow points for some swift or barnes tsx 100 grain bullets? I wouldn't necessarily need a ton of them either and I do have alot of the above bullets plus some .284 and .222 diameter bullets that I could trade.

thanks
drew

No TSX has a high BC after Barnes re-calculated the BC.

Case in point the 375 cal 270 gr use to boast a BC of .505 now it iis about .35 or so.

Anyway unless the TSX has another T in fron of it it will not have a high BC.

Now for Hornadies and Ballistic tips 3400 is doable within sane pressures with RL 22 or 25.

I hit 3375-3400 in my 26"bbl via H4350

That velocity is definitely doable from a good (not slow) 24" barrel.

The most current published BC for the TTSX (the tipped version) is 0.397. The standard TSX is probably 0.37ish.

I guess Drew I just gotta ask why....3375/3400? Seriously, what's that gonna get done for you that running @ 3300 won't?

IMO, yeah it's gonna be hard to get Sanely to those kinds of speeds. Can you yes, but should you? Unless you have an incredibly fast tube I'm gonna say no. I've not seen a 24" tube that will do that yet in a manner in which I am comfy with and I've worked with more than a couple 25/06's.

As for powder I'd work with to try to get top end no doubt I'd be going with 7828.

Dober

I have had no problem reaching 3400 fps in my 25-06 using 100 grain bullets. The original 24 inch Remington barrel or the current 24 inch Lilja barrel would both reach that velocity safely.

Using standard large rifle primers and working up carefully to about 54 grains of either IMR 4831 or H 4350 I found I could get 3400 fps shooting the 100 grain Nosler Partition. That was my all time favorite 25-06 load. However, the dumb ass state of California now says I cannot shoot lead bullets in this area. I now shoot 54 grains of IMR 4831 behind the Barnes 100 grain TSX and get a little over 3300 fps. As much as I hate to admit it, that Barnes 100 TSX is putting game on the ground for me quite nicely. I shot a BIG wild hog the other day and that bullet really worked well, went clear through and this hog was very thick through the shoulders.

Just get a .257 Weatherby and be done with it. If not, please announce to everyone at the range ahead of time that you are shooting handloads that have the envelope intentionally pushed, so those other shooters can make an educated decision as to how close they would like to be when you touch one off!

As both you and Jordan state, given the right powders, 100gr. pills can and do have safe MV's of 3,400 fps out of 25-06's......mine does as well.

My particular 25-06 happens to get 3,415 fps MV with the 100gr. TTSX's.

There will always be those that jump right up there to max published loads....don't go there. Work your way up and if you come up short of the #'s you might have hoped to achieve or think you should get....so what? Play with what's safe in your rifle, not with what's safe in some manual or buddies notes.

Having said that, there will also always be people that poo-poo or attempt to disparage others ideas/goals/intentions of getting the most out of there rifles/loads, whether completely safe or not. It's no different from everyday life where that one guy at work can't understand why everybody else doesn't do it exactly the way that he does.....'cuz IT'S the RIGHT way to do it. Just because a person finishes his load development and ends up with a max charge of this or that with a MV which exceeds others efforts, doesn't mean he is either being unsafe or doesn't know what he's doing. That makes about as much sense as saying that compressed loads are all dangerous or inherently so because the case is filled to capacity with powder......WTF?

Do the work, keep good notes, ask the questions (as you have obviously been doing), cross reference reloading manuals, but mainly.....if you get to where you'd like to be.....great. If not, it likely won't make much difference as has been said, but if you're a go-for-it guy.....do so. Just know where the line is drawn and don't cross it.

Good luck...............

I ran my 25/06 to a top end of 3,350 with a few 100gr. loads, generally with RL-22 or 7828.

The 4350's and 4831's from both makes always seemed too fast for me.

If I still had the gun I'd be looking at RL-25. I don't think that particular gun would safely get there regardless.

First, let me assure you that I know and understand the desire to get the most velocity from your load/rifle setup. Secondly,
after 52 years of loading various cartridges, I know and understand Murphy's laws forwards and backwards.

At the pressures you are going to approach, tiny variations in case wall thickness, bullet diameter and weight variations, primer make and power differences, tiny changes in powder from lot to lot and day to day, temperature changes in firing conditions and a host of other variables all come into play.

If you find a load that is just barely safe, and some or all of the variables change in the wrong direction for the next shot, you have a Murphy Special situation.

Why not try to balance the quest for velocity with a little more caution? I'm pretty sure the better accuracy and relaxation of a stiff but safe load will appeal to you more than a few feet per second.

Wayne

Has anyone tried RL17 with any of the 100gr bullets?

My Sav112 with 26" tube has had the best accuracy with 75gr
bullets and RL17 at just under 3500fps. Other powders have
been very accurate, but RL17 has been the best.

Don't know if the 100gr bullets could be pushed to 3400, but
if such accuracy as this was obtained with the 75gr pills,
even at 3300fps with the 100gr pills, I'd stop right there.
Accuracy is king, speed comes in 2d place. (OK, that's just
one opinion.)

I have to agree with Mark and Wayne.

I haven't been handrolling for that long, and I don't own a 25-06..

But I have found out in my rifles that Scirrocos and TSX's will top out, speed wise, before other bullets.. But that doesn't mean they can't kill things dead.

IMO, chrony's should be used to stay safe and make up dope sheets, not see how fast you can go.

If you MUST run that quarter bore at 3400, have a good Smith run an AI reamer in the chamber. That way you can use more of the slower powders and keep the pressure down under about 60K.

Wayne

All reasonable, sound points, without sounding like a "MV Nazi"......nice approach.....

I've established and employ an approach which I feel helps to alleviate such concerns or diminish such variances as you've mentioned (temp. and/or any component deviations). These variances, as you say, can affect MV's and perhaps result in higher pressures. I finalize all load development in temperatures which are at least 10 degrees higher than the highest temperature's of when and where I have any intention whatsoever/wheresoever to use that rifle/cartridge combination (I have dedicated rifles/cartridges for different game, used in different temperate zones.....YMMV). I also buy ALL of my components with the same lot#'s in bulk, big time, as it is the best way (IMHO) to both limit variances in components and to ensure that my perfect/forever/gold standard load doesn't change (sans throat erosion and other less controllable aspects).

Murphy never becomes a non-issue in ANYTHING that we choose to involve ourselves in, but "his" opportunities to adversely affect us can be severely limited if we approach such activities in a prudent, thoughtful and responsible fashion.

YMMV........

I get 3340 fps in my 257 AI w/ 50.5 gr IMR-4350 so I'd be shocked if you couldn't get 3400 fps from the '06 with slower powders like RL-22 or 4831.

I am getting over 3550 with my 25-06 and 100gr tsx's. I am using a 30" tube, and 60.5gr RE25. You sould be able to get close to your goals with a 24" using this powder and working up from a staring load. This load is not max in my gun but is super accurate and fast so its what I use.

The 25-06 is a very capable round and will do much more than most will give it credit for. And do it safely.

Good luck.

B

Drew, I've taken a couple of mule deer with the little 100 gr TSX at 3340 fps mv from a 24" Remington factory tube.

Am loading that bullet over H4350, and worked up to the load. Barnes used to recommend H4350 with the 100 gr X bullet and the coated version as well. I used that old data, and the load recommendations from Barnes at the time to work up my load, which has been reliable and accurate for several years now.

I note that Barnes doesn't list H4350 with their 100 gr TSX anymore. Don't know why, and I've had great success with the combo, so I'm sticking with it. Not pushing the pressure either, I loaded hotter in load development, but found a "sweet spot" at the 3340 fps level. Good accuracy. Mild recoil. Excellent performance on game.

Have also used Retumbo and the 115 Berger, but that's a different topic!

Regards, Guy

I'm averaging 3312fps with the 100gr TSX using 53gr of IMR4350 with zero pressure signs in the heat of summer...from a 22.5" T3.

Im getting 3325 out of a 26" Sendero with IMR 4831 and 100 NBT's...no pressure signs.