Ruger No.1B 25-06

S

soup

Active member
Folks,
I'm going to be looking at the above rifle. I don't know much about the 25-06. Anyone that has one, are they good for coyotes with light bullets and deer with heavier? How about powders, I've got; IMR 4350-IMR 4064-RL 17-Varget -N160-N140-N150 and IMR 4895. Bullets I have nothing. Looking for suggestions on bullet brands and weights.
Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Semper Fi

Soup
 
There are no bullets that will make them fur friendly in light bullets. You might as well use the bullet you plan to use for deer then you will know it well and not have to make the transition from predators to deer.

I'm kind of old school and have high regards for Partitions 100 to 115gr mono-metals around 100gr should work well also.

I haven't used a 25-06 but have killed a number of deer and coyote with 25-204, 250-3000 and 257 Roberts
 
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The lighter bullets will work just fine for deer! I use to shoot the 87gr bullets for both coyote & deer.
As AWS mentioned, this is not exactly a fur friendly cartridge! But it does have the muscle to reach out a long way. The benefit of shooting lighter bullets for both animals is generating a little less recoil, less powder is used to achieve velocity & less wear & tear on the rifle in general. Most the powders you have listed will work better for lighter bullets.
 
A great do all bullet would be the 80 Barnes ttsx. It should scream. You might have to take what you can find right now.
 

The 25-06 has been one of my favorites for years, going back to 1994 when I got my first rifle in that caliber, a Browning Composite Stalker. I settled on one bullet for everything, though I have not shot any coyotes with it. Whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope, Corsican Ram, turkeys, groundhogs and crows have all fallen to that bullet - a Speer 100 gr. BTSP.

The late and famed Bob Milek talked about a powder that would make the 25-06 shine, and that was H4831. I have been using that powder and the 100 gr. Speer ever since.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9277860/re-milek-and-the-25-06

As to the Ruger #1, it is a beautiful and classy rifle, though you may find that accuracy may not be quite as good as you would get from a good bolt gun.

My guess is the 25-06 will make good size holes in coyotes. If pelts are not what you are after, then there’s no doubt it will drop them with authority. If your particular rifle likes the powder and bullet mentioned above, I think you will find it will cover your needs very well.

 
I think the No,1 is/was the nicest rifle Ruger ever produced. Something about them always catches my eye. But like 6mm06 said, accuracy is hit and miss. Probably plenty good for larger game but small targets...not so good. Seems they are either tack drivers or just so-so. My last Ruger No.1 was barely in the so-so range. It struggled to get one inch groups with anything I tried. But it was pretty.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI think the No,1 is/was the nicest rifle Ruger ever produced. Something about them always catches my eye. But like 6mm06 said, accuracy is hit and miss. Probably plenty good for larger game but small targets...not so good. Seems they are either tack drivers or just so-so. My last Ruger No.1 was barely in the so-so range. It struggled to get one inch groups with anything I tried. But it was pretty.
They do seem to be a hit or miss from one to another. I have owned three but currently have two of them.

Years ago when groundhog hunting was a big thing, I tried my #1-A .243, but quickly learned it was just not a varmint rifle. Was a great little deer rifle, though. However, my #1 .218 Bee was more than capable of blowing up Wyoming prairie dogs with consistency at 175 yards with 40 gr. V-Max., and a few beyond that range. As to coyotes, I think closer would be better, and unless I happened to have a very accurate #1, I wouldn’t try shooting distances.
 
There are lots of tips on accurizing #1's. I was able to use a off the shelf #1B 300 Win Mag.for my longest shot on a deer. It did have REAL preference for heavies, shooting 200gr SGKs into tiny groups, lighter bullets left a lot to be desired.
 
The accuracy of any rifle is largely dependent on the trueness of the lock up. With that in mind its no wonder why it really is luck of the draw when buying a rifle. Several yrs ago I had two 25-06 rifles. One was a Ruger 77 Tang safety & the other was a H&R Ultra. As bad as the chambers are in the H&R/NEF/Rossi break barrels, that particular Ultra would flat out shoot the Ruger 77! IME, a accurate rifle tends to shoot most loads well while the opposite is true of a rifle thats lock up parts are not properly mating.

OfCourse, everyone realizes that the 25-06 is not one of the easiest Varmint cartridges that there is to shoot. It does take some getting use to.

To the O.P - I have some old 25 bullets if ya want them. Not sure how many or what gr! but your welcome to them.
 
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