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ORIGINAL: andlan17
hello all,
I am a new member to the forum and have been hunting for many years. I am looking to get a new rifle for christmas and ireally likethe 25-06 in Ruger M77 Hawkeye. I have done a lot of reading up on the 25-06 and am very impressed with its trajectory and power out to long ranges. I mainly hunt whitetails,pigs,yotes in GA but recently went on an elk hunting trip in coloradoback in october and hope to go back next year. I know manyhunters say that a .257 caliber is too small for elk but i know if it is put in the right spot it will do the job. I used a short barreled .308 in colorado and had shots of 500 and 600 yds so if i go back i would like to have something that is laser flat. does anyone have experience with 25-06 and what would you suggest about using it for elk.
ps. I am not a fan of the 270 so no one suggest that please.
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The .25-'06 is a great cartridge, & there are a handful of fans who use it on elk, most with 120 grain TSX bullets IIRC. For me, however, it wouldn't bring enough confidence in the field for such game. Whitetails are usually under 130 lbs., and even the "giants" top out at 300 lbs. This is well within the capabilities of the .25-'06.
However, even the tiniest elk start at 500, and they go up from there in a hurry. When I approached the elk I shot last month, my first thought was, "Holy Sh!t!, I just short a short-legged horse!"
There's no doubt the .270 has proven itself in the elk fields, but since you don't care for that cartridge, just add another .007 and get a 7mm-08, or a 7x57 Mauser, or a .280 (which is a 7mm-06, or a .25-'06 on steroids, if you will), or a .284 Win., or a 7mm RM, or a 7mmRUM, or a 7mm WSM, or a 7mm STW, or a 7mm WBY, or... Start your elk quest there. There's nothing wrong with any cartridge from there on up to .375, either.
Quote:
ORIGINAL: andlan17
i agree about the distance of shots. those were the furthers i have ever attempted and i was not comfortable shooting that far. but what i was shooting at was a 400+ world class elk so i thought i would take my chances.
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Here's where you lose me. It's called hunting, not shooting: nobody guarantees you'll come home with a critter. You need to respect the game, and the sport, and yourself, and be willing to walk away from a crummy shot opportunity. When youwound and lose a 400+ bull under such circumstances,
or even a cow, everyone loses. IMHO, walking away from a low-percentage shot is the highest expression of our sport. The stories you get to tell will be just as good, because you made the effort to get out there & give your best effort, vs. all those who sit on their couches, or post on the internet forums about, "some day...".
Any of the cartridges listed above will humanely take elk-sized critters to about 300 yards, with a premium bullet, and
with a well-prepared shooter. Whatever cartridge you choose, you need to settle on what load you'll be using, then practice
a lot, and only from field shooting positions: prone (not too useful unless you're shooting from a concrete pad with no vegetation between you & your quarry), sitting, kneeling, offhand (which may very likely be the only opportunity you get), off a day pack, with a vertical rest (like the side of a tree), etc. If you figure a 10" to 12" kill zone on an elk, you'll know your maximum distance. If you can't put 8 out of 10 shots into a 12" circle beyond 150 yards from any given position, then you don't attempt that shot in the field.
My $.02.
FC
25-06
