25-06 reviews

j_valdez

j_valdez

Member
Anybody have pet loads for the 25-06? If you have used it on Deer or Elk how did it perform? How accurate is this round?
 
It's hard to beat for deer, can be loaded for varminting, all around a very useful cartridge. I personally load 100gr Barnes TSX's for deer and 75gr Sierra hp's for everything else. Easily sub-moa in my gun, which is a Ruger hawkeye. Have tried Hornady V-max 75 gr, but my gun just likes the Sierra's better. The TSX's have performed flawless for me the last 5 years, with DRT one shot kills, from 75 to 478 yards.
 
Mine loves the Barnes 100g TTSX and RL22. I'm also new to the round and thus far only shot an antelope with it. I shot the buck at 408 yards and absolutely killed him stone dead in his tracks. My rifle also shoots the 110g accubond sub moa with IMR4350. Haven't hunted with that round yet and not sure that I will given the performance of the Barnes load i've got.
 
Mine loves rl19 with 85 grain NBTs for varmints and 117 grain Sierra game kings and imr4350 for deer. I love the performance of the SGKs on deer most drop in there tracks. 25-06 is a great cartridge probably my favorite.
 
115 gn NBT 51 gn 4831 CCI large rifle primer. Drops whitetails DRT. Got a pretty neat double last year and recovered the bullet from the second and was amazed how well it held up to 3 front shoulders. Retained probably 45% mass
 
It is a hard to beat caliber. I killed my elk this year with it at 275 yards and love hunting deer and antelope with it. I have shot antelope with it at 450 yards and the caliber sure does a number on them. Drops them in there tracks. Mine likes handloads and will shoot submoa all day. It is a Sig Sauer.
 
Mine is a Remington 700 and it's by for the pickiest rifle I have tried to load for. I've got close to 100 rounds of reloads through it and I think I'm now just getting to its sweet spot. I'm still shooting about 1-1/4" but I'm gonna try and get out today and shoot a few more to see if its in the right direction. I've been using 87-100 bullets and H4831,h4350 and still have varget to try if these don't work out.
 
I love my 700 classic! What's not to like about the 25-06? Low recoil high velocity. It does everything a 243 does only better

Nasty. Try some RL17 my rifle loves it. 100 gr ballistic tips at 3450 and 110 gr accubonds at almost 3300 and only 1" difference in point of impact!
 
I have a howa and a ruger neither one it really picky. But will shot sub moa the howa will shoot half moa or better if I do my job behind it when using 85 NBTs and rl19.
 

First of all, the 25-06 is a great cartridge in my opinion.

I have a Browning A Bolt that I've had for many years. I found a great bullet for most everything with the Speer 100 gr. SP Boat Tail #1408. That bullet has accounted for five antelope, one of which was at 300 yards, a mule deer, corsican ram, groundhogs and crows. It's very accurate and seems to work well for everything I've used it on.

My load is (use it at your own risk): 54.4 grs of H4831, Remington brass and CCI BR2 primers with the Speer 100 gr. bullet. I generally get 3-shot groups around 1/2" to 5/8", and that being from a slender barrel and a rather stiff trigger. The load is not necessarily a fast one, but it's accurate. That's what matters more to me.

As to performance in the field, most of the antelope I shot with the Speer 100 gr dropped. The 300 yard antelope ran probably 100 yards. It was dead on it's feet, but managed to run a bit. The mule deer dropped on the spot, as did the corsican ram. I did shoot one whitetail deer with the old Barnes X bullet, 100 gr. The deer ran maybe 75 yards and fell. The bullet completely penetrated with a broadside shot. My experience with the X bullets has been limited, but accuracy was not as good as I like.

The Barnes TSX bullets are good ones, very accurate and penetrate into tomorrow. I have used them in three other larger calibers, but not the 25-06. The TSX is a bullet you might want to try, especially if you plan to hunt larger deer, elk etc.

DavidAntelope.jpg




 
Best all around caliber I've ever owned. I've had a 700 BDL and a ruger M77 varmint in it and wish I still had them both. Still have, and won't be parting with, a Sendero. I don't reload, Hornady 117 custom or the superformance shoots as well as I can. It's nice using one gun with the same round for most any situation I encounter. The one exception I've found is it's strong dislike of heavy brush. Which gives me a reason to keep the '06, 308 and 7mag around.
 
I have never even shot a 25-06 but you guys are raising my interest in one. the issue with me is I have never hunted anything larger than a deer and I can only hunt with a shotgun in Ohio so I really don't have a use for one.
 
Nasty , I had similar problems with my steven's 200 only giving ok groups (about 1 1/4") . I changed to magnum primers and my groups tightened up to about 3/4" .
 
The two guns I ever regret selling was cz 17rem and a first gen Sendero 25-06.It would shoot neat little holes and was Thors hammer on coyotes.
 
Quote:115 gn NBT 51 gn 4831 CCI large rifle primer. Drops whitetails DRT.

+1 with the 115gr NBTs and deer size game. My buddy shoots them over retumbo powder and his Savage Axis in 25-06 is scary accurate. He has taken an antelope and two whitetail with this load. The NBT is an excellent round for Mule deer and under.

IMO, the 25-06 is one of those cartridges that has been completely under rated by alot of hunters. This chambering just plain and simply is an outstanding hunting caliber for Mule deer and under and alot of folks have had success after success with elk kills. The 25-06 is an extremely accurate round and is not that hard to find tack driving loads for. It is one of my favorite chamberings.
 
I have a tikka t3 all weather whitetail hunter in the 25/06 that is a pleasure to drag up and down the hills/mnts. It loves the 100 grainer. Shot the hornady patricians but it really likes the 100 gr. BTHP from Sierra. Loading them with 4831 and not hot either, they shoot 1 inch groups at 200 yds. Sorry, but I only shot three shot groups not five shot groups. Taking as many of my mistakes out of the groups that I can.

I have tried lighter rounds and the groups opened way up and the same with heavier. I didn't play too much with them though due to just wanting a deer load, not a yote round or elk round.
 
My favorite cartridge...killed everything up to elk with it.

Very accurate and not picky to load for, easy on the shoulder, very hard on game.

I like the 100g nbt at 3375fps, it flat wacks dogs and doubles up nicely for deer.

For deer only the 115 nbt at 3200 is awesome out to 600 yards.

Ill never get rid of mine...
 
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