Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 25-06 Ackley Improved

update on some fireforming tests.....18gr of 4759 with no bullet failed to form miserably....some cases have little sign of fireforming and a few of them had round shoulders...I dont' think Ill bother working up that load, Ill just keep on shooting 25-06 87gr. speers at paper for now.

I am sure that the RL22 will be just fine, but I use Retumbo in my std 25-06. Just another option for you.

yes I would think retumbo would work well with heavy bullets. Ill try to stick with my existing array of powders for now. I was pondering R-25 and 125 gr. bullets...

Finally, cooler weather has come...going to to be working 100's and Rl-22 this weekend. I was going to use some 100gr. sierras to workup and then do some finally tweaking and hunt with Barnes TSX..im thinking the TSX will run a little more pressure and QL seems to think so too. Anybody else work up with regular bullets then switch and use a Barnes type Mono ?

update: did some working up on weekend - Looks like im finding home around 61gr. of RL-22. Just using some 100gr. Sierra SP's right now...will switch to Barnes TSX for November's Deer Hunt.

Good to hear! I think around 60-61 grains of RE22 seems to be a "pet load" that works in several folk's rifles.

Any comments about using the Barnes TSX on Deer sized game. Some find that they dont' expand fast enough. I have a load worked up in the 25-06 Ackley (60.5 RL22 100gr. TSX BT). I was thinking they would open up ok at that velocity...my other option is to use the Sierra SP or even Hornady Interlocks but Ive never checked POI on those.

QL sucks for the 25-06ai.

60-62gr of '22 is around where you want to be for the 100gr TSX.

Retumbo made my 25-06 (not Ackleyed) shoot like a son-of-a-gun with 100s, very accurate and much faster than I would have guessed, it's worth trying.

Not the TSX but the 100 gr TTSX, hammered a WT doe last year on a hard facing quarter, hit her in the right shoulder and exited left ribcage, IIRC it was an 80 yard shot, she went two feet, straight down, and there were of course signs of expansion.

Gonna stretch the little AI out to around 500 yards and see how the TTSX's behave at that distance on deer, will report back if a shot presents itself in the coming weeks.

Gunner

I've been shooting mine with a load that I got from KenaiKing on this forum 3 or 4 years ago.I don't have it in front of me but it's a stiff jolt of RL22 behind a 100gr. TTSX.Very accurate. Monashee

cool, Ive told the TTSX expands quicker...Ill hopefully be reporting back favorably about the TSX in a couple weeks.

The TSX worked out well, shot were pretty close so results were not scientific but Im happy and im picking up meat from the butcher this week. On the off season Ill be playing with some 75gr. Sierra HP's among other things. Ill see about more predator hunting / varminting.

How much gain did you get from the ai compared to your standard 25-06. I have really been pondering the 25 Gibbs or ai. Rite now I'm shooting the 110 accu bond and that's what I want to stick to if and when I pounch it out

The speed ain't gonna be it..... If its speed your after get a weatherby. The nice thing about an ackley chamber is lack of trimming and a little speed. I'd not spend the money to AI If speed was all I was after. To each his own

I'm not a ackley basher. I have and like them in 223,22-250,250,280 and had two 25-06's

Agree with what Kaleb said.

Rechambering an 06' based cartridge to an AI or Gibbs for the sake of speed is a waste of money. BTDT. Spent the money, burnt out the barrels. If you want more speed, go 257 Roy.

Yep,if I had wanted top speed I would have bought a .257 Roy.I'm more than happy with my .25-06AI. Monashee

Started shooting some loads today for one I finished recently. 110gr ABs with 58.5 grains of IMR 4831 shot two seperate 3 shot groups in the low 3's, 3420 FPS avg over the 6 shots. 59 grains started showing slight ejector marks and opened up to a skoosh over 1/2in.

I had some loads with Retumbo and the 110s also. 61-63 grains. Something must be amiss with this can of powder...I posted about using it in my .264 during load development also. The velocity SUCKS! With the 63 grs, I was getting a hair over 3100fps. Running the same powder out of the .264, those Retumbo loads clocked right around 300fps slower than what I could get out of the same bullet with IMR 7828.

I have some 100gr Partions, and 115 gr BTs I may fool with later on, but the 110 ABs and 4831 loads I shot today ought to get it done.

Same as some of you here....never had any desire for a 257 Roy...always been a 25 cal slut, and never been without a 25-06 of some flavor.

its not 1955, no need for AI's anymore for the most part. Better powders, better barrels, more knowledge with reloading. 1960's AI speeds are basically today's modern pressure speeds. The 25-06 is still loaded below potential by most factories for some reason.

If you want to go noticeably faster, get the Weatherby (or STW if you want to play with a real barrel burning cat). If you want to go a bit faster, find a new powder.