Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 25/06 and 'Yotes

I recently picked up a T-3 25/05 pretty reasonably with the idea in mind of using it as a crossover truck rifle for 'yotes and deer, mostly some long range 'yote shooting.
I've handloaded for a lot of years but my experience with the 25/06 wouldn't fill a thimble so I'm looking for some load suggestions where the bullet would more likely stay inside the 'yote.
I don't have any idea what the furs are bringing these days but, I thought if they were worth anything they might at least offset some of my trigger time costs minus the exit hole.

Thanks,
BD

Shoot 'em in the head. You never seen a coyote head coat before, didja? Otherwise keep lotsa needles and thread around......

Nope, never seen a head coat before

Blackdog, the old .25-06 is one of my absolute favorites for coyotes..I have had a couple..the first just before Rem. brought it out..Lots of powders work well..IMR 4831 is the one I would pick if I were buying powder for that caliber..but I shoot lots of IMR 4350 and Re 22..For coyotes I have used 75 grain Horn Vmax on up..I guess if I were picking one all around bullet wt. it would be the 100 grain..My current .25-06 doesn't seem to warm up to the 100 grain Balistic Tip..if it did that would be my choice..Right now I am using 100 grain Serria,s..I have also killed quite a few with the 87 grain Serria, and 85 grain BTBT..I love the big .22's for coyotes, but when I decided to build another .25-06 maybe 10 years ago, my score on dogs went up and stayed there..mostly due to the heavier caliber in the wind..
You will love it..I use mine some on deer and antelope, but I am not as fond of it on long range deer as most..but lots of guys have great success with it there too..

7828 and a 100 Horns tough to beat

Dober

Thanks fellas, your info is much appreciated. To be honest with all of you, I'm an older guy coming around to this later in life and I'm just really getting started rifle hunting them and need some advice/help getting myself sorted out with it.
I'll apologize now if my questions seem about as green as grass.

Thanks,

BD

My 25-06AI has a 1-10 twist barrel and I only had to look at one powder H4831sc with 100G bullets. 600 yard shots on groundhogs are really no longer impressive. It's the 800 yard shots on prairy dogs that really gets me excited.

Geez, 800yd P-dog shots are pretty impressive to me!
My T-3 has a 10 twist also... I have high hopes its a accurate bugger.

I am burning up a couple boxes of 90 grain Blitzkings over 58 grains of H4831 Extreme for 3320 fps and groups just over 1/2 minute. NOT FUR FRIENDLY!!

25/06 works great for cutting the dog in half for the pack out too.

Miss my 25/06. H4831 and 100gr BT's were bad news as well as Sierra HP's that were 87 or 90 gr jammed into lands. Been a while but I remember it would turn a crow inside out from a good distance out.

+1 on the 100gr BT's and H4831 or H4831SC, not a pelt load, but you don't get too many "spinners", they just collapse dead in their tracks. T.S.

Blackdog1 ,

For shots that would stay inside a coyote on a regular basis -those shots/bullets will be few and far between.
I have had great performance with the hornady 75 v-max 49.7 gr H varget powder 20K off lands and nosler 85gr bt 58gr H 4831ssc 20K off lands.
A Tikka 25-06 shooting bullets 90gr and down will be a coyotes worst nightmare -have fun.
Mike

I used IMR-4350 and Reloader 19 both earlier this summer to work up a good Sierra 90BK 25-06 load for a buddy. Went with 4350 in the end, using Fed210GM match primers and seating the bullets long (.015 off at most). Haven't chrono'd it yet, but it sure did make some nice audible whallop! sounds on ground-hogs we were smacking.

Thanks for the tips and advice guys, It's much appreciated.
I have to be honest with you guys and let you know that a stainless T-3 in 22/250 came home with me last night and is now sharing space in the safe with the T-3 25/06.
After some sage advice from a fellow fire member with a long history with these two cartridges, I made a decision to acquire both and round out a varmitting kit.
In hindsight I realize how naive I must have sounded looking for a .25 cal.bullet that would basically disintegrate inside a 'yote without damaging a hide. I'd also considered using solids but had some concerns about poor performance.

BD

Just blow 'em up and smile all the way back to the truck.

Another bullet not to ignore is the Speer 87 grain TNT.
In my Ruger #1 the TNT shoots to the same hole at 100 yds as the old Nosler 120 grain Solid Base.
Inside 50 yds the TNT is destructive on bone......

I had problems with my 22-250 blowin some nasty holes until I switched to a 60gr SP from Hornady. I kept havin to load my V-maxs light so they weren't movin so fast then they weren't gettin the job done. Now that I switched I'm gettin great results!!!!

I love my 25-06 period. My first hi power rifle. I have killed many deer and yotes with it. My favorite all around load is 100 gn bullets and near max load of H 4831sc. Bad medicine for deer and yotes. Good shooting!

100 gr Speer HPs do nicely from my Bob AI. 3330 fps w/ IMR-4350:

I used a 87gr Remington PLHP over H414 for about 3600fps.

Accurate and flat, but fur damage was inconsistent. Sometimes no exit, others the poor creature was neatly gutted.

Personally, I've moved on to a 55gr VMax in my 22-250. Much more consistent results, dead, but not blown up.

25-06 relegated to a wolf rifle for predators.

My .25-06 is sudden death on coyotes - but the bullets don't stay inside, and sometimes the results are real messy.

Shot quite a few with a .250 and a bob. I doubt you can find a bullet that will stay inside in the 25/06. TSX bullets have made the smallest exit with the savage and bob.

Very true, but there is the coyote head hat!

Gotta get me one and attend a PETA rally...



John

love it I think its the best duel cartridge out there

My sample set is small....3 dogs. But the idea if a 100 Barnes TSX is a sound one. Very minimal damage. One shot was facing straight on. Into the low throat. Took a while to part the hair to find the exit honestly. About 1" left if the Cheerio...no mess. 22 inches of penetration.

I like H4831 and 85 gr NBT. Very explosive and accurate. That is the main thing Accurate. I haven t shot anything with the Hornady 75 gr v max but they were pretty accurate. 115 NBT's on Deer and H4831 powder.

Thanks for the tips and advice fellas, I like the idea of the TSX being friendlier to the pelt and leaving a smaller exit hole. I recently pulled out an old copy of Rick Jamisons book " The Riflemans Handbook" that was in a box of other older hunting books my father gave me sometime ago. In the book, he mentioned how much he liked the Speer 52gr. flatbase HP in the 22/250. He remarked about how well it tended to stay inside the coyotes he shot... It also shoots very well in my T-3.
I'm heading over to eastern Oregon next week with my new FoxPro to see if I can perforate a couple of coyotes and find out for myself.

If you hit bone with the TSX, the exit won't be small. I shoot quite a few with that load, but southern coyotes have no value. If I were thinking fur with a 25-06, I would think a controlled expansion bullet of some sort would be the answer.

85 gn NBT 54gn 4831 cciLR ~3450fps and blows a dog in half and shoots like a laser.
115gn NBT 51gn 4831 cciLR ~3000fps is devastating on white tail.

You will love the 25-06. One of the most versatile calibers out there.

90 gr Sierra hpbt
It did not exit and it was drt.
whelennut.

My rifle has always been fond of 100 gr. Noslers and Speers with 52.0 gr. of IMR4350. My brothers 25-06 likes the same load. Use normal precautions working up to that load or any other. It's death on coyotes and antelope.