Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger barrel contour

The Ruger 25-06 in the classifieds kinda got me looking into Ruger barrel contours. After doing a little research it appears that Ruger chose to use only magnum contour barrels for the 25-06. Is this because they wanted the 24 inch barrel length and didn't want to retool to get a standard contour barrel? Just seems odd to add the extra weight to what most would consider a caliber suited to a light, handy weapon.

Also, I read on one of the Ruger sites that the 7mag was the only caliber that was offered in both a magnum contour and a standard contour barrel.

So, some questions:

If Ruger chose to make a 24 inch standard contour barrel for the 7mag, why not use it for the 25-06?

I own a 7mag and the barrel measures .565 at the muzzle, same as my Ruger in .280rem. I assume this means my 7mag has the standard contour barrel? Or do the different barrels have the same measurement at the muzzle? If not by muzzle diameter, how can you tell the difference?

Which Ruger 7mags are more common, the magnum contour or the standard contour?

Opinions?

Dunno, but years ago I had a Ruger 77V in .25-06, with full fiddleback end to end on the stock.

Factory standard it shot sub MOA with fire-formed brass and handloads, but about 5" groups with factory. Never did figure that one out..., but I kilt a lot of caribou with it before I decided it wasn't "enough gun" for moose, and like a fool sold it on moving from 'bou country to moose country...

Please, KICK ME HARD!

It also put the first one from a clean barrel about 4 inches high and left, every danged time, so whenever I went hunting, a mile out of town I did an "airshot".

I don't know, but I sure wish I could know FOR SURE that ONLY the magnum-contour barrels are used on the 25-06s (and what the exact diameter at the muzzle is). I'd love to know the same thing about the Creedmoors. If I could know that FOR SURE, I'd be a whole lot less hesitant to buy. I love the heavier barrel profiles; the lightweights aren't of much interest/use to me.

Not real sure of the exact question, but ruger used to make a varmit and sporter barrel in the original tang 77's. I cant tell you how sporty the sporter barrels were on the tangers. One of the few I've not owned in a tang Ruger. To really throw you for a loop ruger even made a run of 264's with a sporter profile. I've never heard of a 7 mag with a sporter barrel but it wouldn't surprise me. Ruger does use a magnum contor for their MkII and hawkeye 25-06's I don't know why and don't care. I got one and love it. I guess most would say they're heavy, but I like the weight and balance of the tube. Try measuring the barrel where it screws into the action on your 7 mag and 280 and compare.

The creedmoore hawkeyes are sporter contored.

When I get mine back from the smith I'll try to remember to measure the OD at the muzzle for you. What I can tell you is that the "Sporter" model .25-06, stainless with the salt and pepper laminated stock, weighs 9 pounds 1 ounce with their rings and a Leupold VX-II 3-9X40 scope on it.

It holds really steady but it is definitely heavy.

My 338 SS/Lam MKII weighs a few ounces more than that at 9# 6oz with a similar scope. So, I'd say they are definitely using the magnum contour. Though heavy, I've never felt overly burdened with the weight. I probably will buy something lighter for the hunts in tougher terrain, but a 25-06 setup like that would make, IMO, a great open country rifle. I know my 338 has been for pronghorn/deer in open places.

My Hawkeye Standard 25-06 measures .625" at the muzzle.The weight comes from the shank and it is quite heavy throughout.All the 25-06 sporters I have seen from Ruger are magnum contour.It feels about one pound heavier than a Rem.700 with their magnum contour.