Looking for recommendations for whitetail bullet for a 25/06 Shots will be 25 to 250 yards with most under 100 yards. Want something that will hold together at high impact speed on a shoulder shot. I have one box of Hornady ELD-X 110 gr and not sure how these will hold up on a shoulder at close range. What other bullets is the ELD-X similar to in performance/construction? I've never heard of these bullets before and not sure what they are designed to do best.

ELD-Xs are relatively tough for plastic-tipped cup-and cores, but haven't used them at 3000+ velocities. Like Hornady Interlocks, they have a jacket-ring on the inside of the shank of the bullet to help hold the core place, but it's not as thick as on Interlocks.

Have seen one 143-grain 6.5mm, started at 2700, broke both shoulders and the spine of a 300-pound mule deer buck at 100 yards. The jacket and core were found separatedbut almost touching other under the hide on the far side, in total weighing about 60% of the original weight.

Just get some Nosler 115 grain Partitions and be done with it. Or if you're worried about Pb contamination in your meat, pick one of the mono-metal bullets from Barnes, Hornady, or Nosler, e.g. the Barnes 100gr TTSX.

#1-117 Sierra Gameking.

#2- Hornady 117 grain SST.

^^^^^ Great advice, and add the 120 partition to the list ^^^^^

100 gr. TTSX and you will have no worries.

117g Sierra....magic med for white tails. If you can find any, old school 120g Nosler solid base lead tips. For the largest hogs, 120g Partitions.

Old school, H4831

Now, R#25 with a Fed 215, would try R#26 if I had any

30 years ago, I shot 100g Sierra and 100g Hornady flat base, never had anything but dead deer and antelope, running them at 3300 fps with a hot load of IMR 4831.

I have killed deer with 115 gr Nos Bal Tip in 25-06, 257 Roberts Ackley, and 25 Krag Ackley.

No complaints.

I get slightly better groups with 100 gr NBT, but never enough to make me hunt with it.

This is what I shoot as well. One of the best all-around bullets in my experience.

This is what I shoot as well. One of the best all-around bullets in my experience.

The ELD-X is a high bc bullet meant for long range yet expansion when it arrives. There are no guarantees, not of success, not of failure, but comparatively short range with high retained velocity aren't the ELD-X's strong suit. I'd prefer a tougher bullet or I'd load them down a bit.

My vote is for a 120 grain partition, Nosler e-tip, or Barnes X design.

117 Sierra's or 115 Partitions (if your rifle likes them).

Partitions or mono-bullets if you want exits on shoulders with your 25-06. BT/DT.

The Nosler 120 gr is one tough bullet and you will get entrance and exit going thru the boiler room. Since I started loading it for the wife's 25-06 , she has not lost a deer and most are DRT out to 200 yds. She doesn't shoot beyond that , she is not sure of herself and her shooting yet!!!

When I was using my .25-06 AI a lot, I used 100 grain TSX's. Never had a problem. Tho most memorable shots: 1. caribou bull at 400 yards, busted rearmost right rib goin in, out through the chest, dropped immediately and I never saw so much blood come out of an animal. 2. Whitetail buck right around 200 pounds, almost dark, browsing in alfalfa 90 yards from my tree stand and facing me. He was twenty feet from a thick, cedar swamp and I didn't want him running in there that close to dark so I waited until the head went back down into the alfalfa and spined him about six inches from the base of his neck. Bullet went down through the spine, top of heart, between the lungs and out. He went straight down and never moved.

Sounds like there may be better options for my intended use. MD what would you recommend given my original intentions?

Not MD, 117g Sierra btsp and flat base will get it done. 120g Nosler partition is awesome to say the least. 100g Partition is awesome at at the yardage you are talking about.

You know that shot placement is critical.

87g Speer spt is also awesome on broadside shots.....

The pro hunter 117 flat base is no longer made. Shame it is.

The 85gr Ballistic Tip has been a dynamite killer out of my 257 Weatherby. I’ve used it on plenty of deer and caribou, never had to shoot one twice.

dimecovers5,

In the .25-06 I've used the 100-grain TTSX, 115-grain Nosler Partition and 120-grain Remington Corelokt to take deer (and other deer-sized game such as pronghorns), and have only recovered a couple of 'em, a 115 Partition from a mature mule deer buck that was angling away at around 250 yards, and a 120 Core-Lokt from a doe fallow deer facing me at around 200 yards. Both went through close to three feet of deer.

Suspect all would work for your purposes--except I dunno about the construction of Remington Core-Lokts these days. But either the 100 TTSX or 115 Partition would work. (I tend to prefer the 115 Partition over the 100- and 120-grain .25s, because over the year's have found the 115 to generally more accurate in wide range of .25-caliber rifles, though have had .25s that shot both the 100s and 120s very well.)

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...15563229/re-25-06-spongebob#Post15563229

Dave

I have a friend that been shooting one for a lot of years.

The 100 grain BT or partition will get the job done with no problem.

We have loaded bullets from Barnes,Berger and others in the heavier weights and they kill them dead as well.

It took me a while to get him to quit using the 85-87 grain BT for deer because they were tearing up to much meat.

Thanks MD

The 117 Hornady Interlock has served my son, brother in law and father in law well. My son shot a doe in the chest at 90 yards and the bullet came out her hip. I have some 120 Partitions for it but the Hornady works so well I’ve never bothered to load them.

Always surprised me that Nosler lists this as a Varmint bullet. Not my pick for varmints out of a hot 25, far too tough.

100gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. It will mess up a little meat though but kills very, very well on deer sized game.

110gr Nosler Accubond will act exactly as a Partition and penetrate very well. I've shot alot of Axis with this and the 100gr BT and in the end can't really tell a difference in dead animal count, as long a shot placement was good. The shoulder shots with the BT's did have quite a bit more bloodshot or ruined meat though.

Hope this helps.

BBQ

I load the 110 Accubond for mine, kills deer and pigs just fine.

I have only used the 115 Partition and the 110 Accubond on deer. No complaints…they go down with good blood trails. I have one rifle which really likes the Hornady 120 hollow point (discontinued) which I have yet to use on game.

110 grain AB.

I have a couple of older boxes of the Speer Hot-Cor 120 grainers. Anybody had any experience with these? I believe they are flat bases. I haven't used any of them in my 257AI due to mag box length but just acquired a 25-06 take off barrel I'm about to screw on a 721 I had picked up for the action.

I've never really understood how the Accubond and Partition differ in performance ( not construction ) they seem to be about the same on game from the accounts I read on here. what was the accubond supposed to do above or different from the Partition when they brought it out?

Higher B.C than a Partition.

Wider expanded frontal diameter.

The 120 Hot Core has been my go to bullet for about 30 years in my 257AI. Lost count long ago how many deer I have taken with that combo. Always perfect performance. Sometme it seems that every bullet I like gets discontinued!

For almost 20 years used 100gr Hornady Spire Point, pre-Interlock on nearly 30 head of deer. Shot from 75 to 300+ yards. All DRT. Recovered one bullet, on a 100yd facing shot. Found a perfect mushroom against the pelvis. Replaced that M700 25-06 with a handier BLR 257 Roberts running a 100gr at 3000fps.

Pretty much. I stopped using the 110NAB because I kept catching them, sometimes on broadside shots. Pretty mushrooms, but I wanted exits. Back to the NPT and monos for me, at least in 6mm and .257cal.

Pre-interlock? Must be some oldies. The 100gr Hornady IL shoots well in my 257R at a little over 3000fps. Do you generally shoot shoulders or heart/lungs. Where I hunt the deer are almost always just a step or two from thick thorny brush so I usually take high shoulder shots and have been wondering if the 100gr IL is up to the task. Thanks

Nosler Partitions or Swift A Frames and you are good to go.

I almost always get exits with Accubonds on deer, but I'm using mostly 6.5 and 7mm bullets, so the bullets are heavier.

Southtexas, usually heart/lung shots with a few neck shots on closer ones. Tried to avoid high shoulder hits. Hard on meat. Never chased or lost one.

Got it. thanks!

It will work.

Maybe a little rough on shoulders but I don't fret over 2 pounds of meat.

Far enough forward and up and you really don't ruin much.

Thanks, 10g.

Lots of good choices out there but I'll throw another punch for the Speer 120gr Hot-Cor, it pure deer poison from the 25.06. I've been using this bullet for as long as I can remember with excellent results on deer. When I found out they were going to be discontinued I purchased enough to last a lifetime so I'm good to go.

I really liked how the old discontinued Hornady 120 Hollow Point worked in a 257 Ackley. SE Texas deer/crows.
I used the 115 Nosler Partition in a 257 Weatherby (24") on Blackbuck and Black Hawaiians.
Also used the 100TSx in a 26" barrel 257 Wby for another Black Hawaiian.
I used the Sierra 117 SBT on Mule Deer here in Utah from a 25-06 Classic.
Of them all...I much preferred the Nosler 115 Partition. But finding any today....???

I recently got another 25-06 that came with ( just threw them in the deal) 6 boxes of new 120 Remington CL factory ammo ($44/box!) AND an older VXII 3x9! ha Bought for the proverbial song too! So for handloads later, I am going to start out with some 97gr Power Hammers ( for a coyote/deer/antelope bullets) see what we get!

I knew several guys back in Texas who started out with the Hornady 87gr sp, for decades. Some went to others just tot ry. None complained about that 87gr though.
Good luck to you pard! Have a ball!

I have taken deer with the Nosler 110 grain accubond and the 100 grain Nosler partition and would recommend either.

I got a couple boxes of those that have been sitting on a shelf for about 30 years now, gotta be half inch of dust on the boxes. I call em waste bullets to use just for giggles when I just have to shoot a 25.06. Never will hunt em again.

2 of em recovered from a buck at 175 yards.

#1 blew up on impact



#2 blew up hitting the spine

I'll be testing the 110 Sierra TGK soon. A bit tougher than the 110 ELD-X and a better bc than the 110 Accubonds and most others.

My kind of bullet for deer. Many pieces end up killing like lightning.

Without reading through 3 pages, I'm sure the 100 TTSX has been advised.

+1

Thanks for the reply South Texas. With 2 full boxes of these and a partial to work up loads with I should be good for a long time if they will group good. That way I'll save all the 100 to 110 grain stuff for my 257AI.

I’m with you here the Sierra 117 has done a great job for me.

This is my pet load with the Speer 120gr Hot-Cor. Shoots just as good with RL25, not quite as accurate but still very good accuracy with a little more velocity. Really snatches the ground out from under a deer and kills like a lightning strike!

Excellent accuracy. For clarification, was that with Hot-Cors as stated in your text, or spitzers as noted on the target? Hopefully, it was spitzers. Sadly, 120 Hot-Cors in 257 are no longer available.

It was a Hot-Core, the Hot-Cor is a flat base spitzer. Mike

I’m shooting the 100gr TTSX and 115gr Nosler Partition out of my 257 Roberts. Ranges are sub 300 yards and velocities are more mild compared to the 25-06. I can generally keep all of my shots inside 1 1/4-ish at 100, with sub 5-inch group at 300 yards off my pack. Not match grade, but it should be fine for anything I’d shoot at from chucks to deer.

117 Gr Hornady Interlocks have always shot very well out of my Tikka 25-06. Whatever alloy they are using in those bullets just seems to be a tad harder than your standard cup and core lead bullet. I have yet to recover one from an Alabama deer. And I have killed quite a few with them.

I'm aware of that.

However, Speer produced two different 120gr .257 spitzers. One was the Hot-Cor, which they no longer produce. The other is the one currently offered that they simply call Spitzer. It is not a molten lead core process and is a boat tail design.

Since your target simply reads spitzer, I was unable to determine whether that meant Spitzer or Hot-Cor. Hence, my question.

I used 120 Speers on 20 something caribou. Bang,flop. Every damned time!

I had the other problem on antelope they just penciled thru so I just shot pd's with them..mb

I loaded 120 grain Grand Slams for a long time. They worked well.

25-06 works well as a speed kills round. 75 grain hammer hunter running 3300 or so makes a no-holdover round that will put any deer on the ground. Anything over 2600 fps impact speed punches way above it's caliber/weight and the monolithic solid copper round performs the same regardless of top speed. Very little bloodshot meat, complete pass throughs and drt pretty much every time.

Before Nosler came out with Partitions it was not easy to find a bullet that worked well in 6mm or 25 cal. There probably were some, but limited resources kept a guy from buying/trying different bullets especially when he only had one deer tag a year. Back then, it seemed to me, there were 3 good deer cartridges: 270, 280, 30-06. I didn't have a 270 until much much later though as I thought the 270 was for the guys that couldn't handle recoil. The 30-06 worked so very well, my old Springfield got used most every year. Now it seems there's plenty of fine bullets for the 6mm and the 25 calibers. I have used Interlocks on pronghorn in my 25-06 and my 6mm, so I imagine they'd work well on deer also. But, in my opinion, a guy will never go wrong with Partitions, up close or further away.

I used 100 grn. Rem core-loks for many years. Then switched to Nosler Accubonds 110 grn. Have always been very satisfied with performance.

I’ve had bullets do that - really seems to me as though the bullets did it’s job?! You got the deer correct? I guess unless the bullet looks like the ad for the bullet and 80% plus weight retention it’s a complete failure? Some people just can’t handle anything less than “perfection”😄

PennDog

I never hunted with anything but 115 Partitions in the .25-06 I built back in the early 90s and still use. The only bullets I ever recovered were on two different antelope that were bedded when shot and I think the dirt they were lying against kept the bullet from popping through the skin. My Dad killed the biggest bodied mulie I ever saw in AZ with that load at over 300 yards and it worked great.
I have used the Barnes 100 TSX (not the TTSX - just never got around to those when they came out) a lot in the .257 Roberts and never recovered one of those, and never lost an animal. Shot some big Montana mulies with that load.
I see a lot of respondents recommended both of those and based on your parameters I think they will be just fine, but lots of other bullets probably would be too. Based on the way the front end of the Partition tends to fragment, I wouldn't be surprised if it kills a little faster than the TSX with lung shots, but have not observed enough lung shots with it to say with confidence.

Good Hunting,
Rex

One I don’t recommend is the 120 gr pep by Winchester

My 25-06 likes 100 gr TSXs. Most deer have run 30-75 yards unless a high shoulder or CNS is hit but there is always a blood trail since the bullets exit. The TSXs seem to destroy less meat too.


I have not hunted my 25 in a few years but this thread has me wanting to break it out again. The round flat out works on deer.

What circumstances would lead one to use the 100 gr Partition over the 115?

Maybe someone has a slow-twist barrel that won't stabilize the 115.

Maybe someone prefers the perceived advantage of a faster start over the perceived advantage of a better BC.

Maybe it's all that was available at the LGS or online at the time.

I have some limited experience with 25-06. IIRC I have had 4 rifles in that chambering, three remington 700s and one custom barreled model 70 (pushfeed). Two rifles shot well (one very well), the other 700 was mediocre (with limited testing somewhere over 1" 3 shot groups) and the custom barreled model 70 was a big disappointment. I was never able to get it shooting even decent groups with several 100-117 grain bullets and a few different powders. It was a 1-10 twist but was a solid 2" or worse gun. On that rifle I believe the issue was the smithing done on it. Tore apart a perfectly good model 70 winlite fwt 30-06 to make up that rifle, one of my bigger rifle tinkering mistakes!
In general I found that 100 grain bullets typically shot somewhat better than heavier stuff, again on a limited # of rifles. Shot a total of one deer with a 100 ballistic tip. A poorly placed shot and one followup to finish it resulted in a lot of ruined meat. I'd not personally use that bullet again on game, either going with a monolithic or at least a heavier premium.
All that being said, I'd have another 25-06 as I think they make a really nice deer rifle for where/what I hunt and recoil is noticeably less than my beloved 270s! Of course there are a lot more good bullets in 6.5 but that is another discussion!

I’ve been using 120 Partitions from my 25-06 XBolt. No complaints at all, which is typical for a Partition.

I don’t mess around a lot with different bullets in a rifle if I have a load that works. I like the one bullet I use to work for most anything I would conceivably shoot with that cartridge/rifle, so I tend to go heavy.

My load for M70 25-06 is a 120 gr partition and RL22. It will make about 3150 fps and will shoot under an inch if I do my part.

My favorite was the 100 grain Hornady flat base that is now discontinued. My 24 inch barreled Savage clocked 3350 fps with that bullet H4350. I will go with the Hornady 117 IL and Ramshot Magnum now.

117 Sierra PH was my go to before they quit making them. Switching to the 117 Hornady when I run out of the last of my Sierras.

Does the 100gr Interlock hold up on shoulder shots? It is accurate in my 257R and works fine on heart lung shots, but I prefer high shoulder shots as the deer where I hunt are typically only a few steps away from thick, thorny brush. Thanks for any intel.

I’m a Hammer fan. Don’t still have a 25-06, but would certainly load Hammers if I had one and see what the gun liked. Terminal performance is spectacular.

DF

The flat based bullets seemed to. I never really examined the bullets a lot. Never recovered a lot of them. I will say that every deer I shot with the Hornady 100 grain flat base was DRT. They never took a step. They just folded up right there.

I have used a variety of bullets for deer in the 25/06.

I have not had any failures, crazy, eh? 87g Speer, 100g Speer BTSP, 120g Speer, 100g Sierra, 117g Sierra btsp is biscuits and gravy, 100g Hornady Flat Base, 117g Hornady Flat base.

The 100g Partition has performed beyond any and all expectations!

The 120g Partition with a hot load of R#25 with a fed 215 in Win brass is shocking.

A custom 9T X caliber barrel shoots the 115g Berger at 3300 with R#25 and fed 215's, 26" bbl, win brass

I turn my .25-06 brass into .240 cases with a CH4D die. The 100 NPT is the accuracy champ in my HS Precision .240, terminal performance is typical Partition. No surprise there.

DF

Used to shoot the hell out of my 25-06's. Factory WW 120gr open pt expanding loads. Then got into 5 boxes of 120 gr open pt boattail Sierras. Worked up a load with fed 215 primers in WW cases with max doses of surplus H870. 3100fps with good enough groups for deer and antelope. Shot whatever got in front of me coyotes, pd's and other varmints. Those sierras were OK on ribcage shots but on quartering angles they didn't hold up well. Back then a guy could buy bulk 120 gr Remington corelokts sold as component bullets. Shot a lot of them and H870 , aren't very high bc but they shot well and held together. Wandered to some older 100 gr corelokts (red& white boxes with metal corners) and the were pretty explosive at 33-3400 fps. Looking back on it they were probably made for 250-3000 velocity levels. After 3 antelope with baseball sized exit holes in the ribs I used them up on pd's. Bought a couple boxes of 120 Hornady hollow pts. They didn't expand at all on antelope lungs, just penciled thru so I shot pd's with them ,they were very accurate though. Now days the 117 gr horn btsp sees action and do have a supply of 115 npt's and 115 nbt's to work up. That old mid 70's model 70 has some barrel wear on it, shot it alot it taught me that the 25-06 isn't a good choice for dog shooting. Few here and there to check your zero but that's it.A couple of years ago I picked up a ss m700 lnib for a song will see if she will sing. Some life left to that m70 I just don't want to finish her off.

Interesting as I semi retired a 80’s model 70 in 25.06 in 2006 when I bought a 700 BDL 25.06. It shoots just as well as the old one with 117 Sierra Pro Hunter, 53 grains RL22.

My favorite bullets for deer are in order
117 pro hunter ( I bought 10 boxes while I could)
120 Speer
115 BT although I had a couple of pencil throughs with the early ones, tried em again about 5 years later and they worked fine.
110 AB. Little stout unless you have armor plated deer.
100 grain Sierra (once) since if using a 100 grain I usually went 243.

Way back when I first got that m70 it had weaver bases on it. Regardless of all the people who look down their nose at them they work fine and the system is repeatable. I had at the time a old Burris full field straight 6x, old long tube model with short eye relief paid 60 for it. Put it on with med. height weaver rings. Had all of 310 dollars in it some of the best money I.ever spent. Shot it on everything and anything just didn't know that there might be a better rig for p dogs to deer. Used some imr 4831 and h4831 in it until I scored a pile of h870 surplus ,sure made the 25-06 sing. I suppose I could owe up to the fact that I have many nicer guns but sure don't have many that ever did any better in the field....mb

Plenty of good options. I started with a 117 Interlock @ ~3100 fps in mine. I think it was the 2nd or 3rd deer I killed, the jacket separated on broadside shoulder shot at just under 100 yards. I decided to go tougher, and went with a 100 gr Barnes Triple Shock (before tips were available) at ~3350 fps It worked fine, but always left a fair amount of bloodshot meat in its path. Decided to try the 110 Accubond, at ~3200 fps it is one of the more accurate loads I’ve ever had in any rifle. Works well, at least at most ranges I hunt. I killed a pronghorn with that load at 570 yards, and it appeared the Accubond was a bit too tough for that low of impact velocity. It somewhat penciled through without much damage. The pronghorn went down, but I had to put a finishing shot on it after getting much closer.

My rifle didn’t shoot the ELDX particularly well, so I never shot an animal with it. I have some Sierra TGK’s on the shelf to try, but haven’t done so yet.

Excellent stuff here. I have used the .25-06 when it was still a wildcat. My current one is on a 700 action with a 27" Douglas barrel. I love it. I mostly shoot 100 gr Sierra's just hunting coyotes, antelope etc. I have shot several nice mule deer with this bullet, it did exit, but not much of a blood trail. But the buck only went 75 yards. I shot a lot of deer and antelope with 115 gr NBTBT's. Still one of my favorites. I used to say if I had three rifles they would be: 22-250, .25-06 and .300 WM. That still is one of my favorites, but the last few years, the .270 is kind of edging out the .25-06 as my middle favorite.

I load a 115 grain partition and RL22 in my tikka 25-06 with impressive results on deer. Attached is an old article from Russell Thornberry as the gun writer from Buckmasters with his experiences with this combo as well. The article didn't make me try this particular load but I will say my experience with the 25-06 and the 115 grain partition mimics his.

https://www.buckmasters.com/Magazines/GunHunter/Articles/ID/2176/contact

i like the Hammer bullets ,this year out of our 257 Weatherby mags. we plan on shooting 103 gr. Hammer bullets at a average speed of 3680 fps these Hammmer bullets group well too. today at 300 yards my group was only 3 shots 1 1/4 inches .this is a hunting rifle for deer and antelope that i will use out west so i don`t need to shoot it all day long for groups besides it was 87 degrees and humid. good luck with your choice of bullets,Pete53

Pete: 87 degrees and humid sounds heavenly! 😅

Try the 115 Ballistic tip. Tougher than you think.Use them in my 25-284. Quartering shot through a 225 lb hog won’t catch you one. Deer haven’t slowed one down yet either.
GreggH

100 TSX and 115 NP.

But almost anything will work out of that cartridge.

I like the 100gr. Partition. It works dandy on Missouri whitetails.

Are there any bad bullets manufactured now??? As long as you aren’t loading a Varmint bullet, they all should be great for deer!!



I’ve never killed a deer with anything less than a 25-06, but have sat with grandkids when they had 243 reduced loads. They killed deer and pigs as well as I do with my cannons. They made well placed shots, animals dead right there or ran a few yards. That has made me reevaluate my need for magnums.

Good advice!

Partitions

Between the SST 117 gr and the 115 BT which is more likely to hold up on impact Are both beat easily by the 117 Interlock for hitting bone

I used then on about 20 caribou over 3 years, in the mid 70's, in a RU 77V, from about 30 yards to over 500. Mostly 200-300 yards. Hammer of Thor. MOA from an unmodified gun, that did NOT like factory ammo.

Only one that was not a bang-flop, one-shot deal (if hit) was a fair sized bull at about 200 yards, quartering toward. The bullet went in at the base of the neck and lodged in the opposite hip, turning him sideways. The second one through the boiler room knocked him flat.

That was the first caribou I shot with it too.

I recovered one other bullet, from a cow. I am not certain of the range (before range-finders) - probably beyond 500 yards. The rifle was zeroed 5 1/2 high at 100. After seeing where the first round kicked up snow on the hillside under her belly, I put the cross hairs just above her (broadside) erect neck/head/ears. The bullet centered both shoulder blades, lodging, after penetrating, in the far shoulder blade by it's base.

The rifle was equipped with a 3X9 steel Weaver, and had not been adjusted from 3X, from a 30 yard mass-shooting an hour before as a group of 9 came boiling out of a ravine, single fie. My bud and I got all 9, taking turns.... and I had room for one more on my sled. But I forgot to turn the scope back up.

Been using them on deer since the early 90s in a 257AI. Always great performance. No complaints.

Could I get a rating from best to worst from those that might know or have a pretty good idea which of the following from 20 yards to 200 yards on a deer shoulder shot at 25/06 velocities
SST 117
115 BT
117 Interlock

115 BT!

For shoulder shots only of the three you listed I'd personally only use the 117gr Interlock. If behind the shoulder I'd use any of three. If I had to rate them I'd probably say.....

1. 117gr Interlock
2. 115gr BT
3. 117gr SST

Same here. The 100 gr. TTSX bullet can’t be beat in 25-06.

The 80 gr TTSX is also great and can be pushed to 4000 fps in a long barrel.

Assuming that the 101 LRX should work about as well as the 100TTSX, no?

My son has used the 80gr TTSX on the largest bodied bull moose I have ever dealt with... and there have been a huge number of them. Caribou, a brown bear, multiple black bears, Sitka deer, a mountain goat... A total of three bullets recovered. One penetrated a huge elbow and half of the other... with some sternum between. Another went through a bedded Sitka buck and tangled in the hair after bouncing off the rock behind. I forget what happened with the third... if it happened.

On Antelope, white tails, mule deer and black bear, the Nosler 100 gr. BTip always performs great in any medium to big cased .25. The 115 Partition would be my second choice in an off-the-shelf .25 cal. bullet.

Good shootin' -Al