25-06 for Mule Deer
 

Never been Mule deer hunting and going to Pagosa for first rifle and was wondering if the 25-06 would be enough for a mulie?

yup...good caliber...just make a clean shot...it is 10% gun and 90% shooter...


Good down range energy, good accurate caliber, and nice shooter for Muleys...

It's on ok cartridge (cailber is only the bullet size) for deer but I'd like something a little heavier if it were me. I look at the 25-06 as a good goat and coyote cartridge and is a great varmit getter.

Oh wait I forgot nothing matters but placement anymore. Go to sniper school and then use anything you want. I'm not sure why they even bothered to make different calibers and cartridges.

Or just get a bigger caliber and fling bullets at them without aiming? One or the other should work huh? Even if you have a larger caliber rifle you still need good shot placement.

The 25-06 is a great deer rifle cartridge. The reason they make different calibers of rifles is so we can buy more guns! I thought everyone knew that!!!

Yeah you've got a good point so I just got a really weird idea.....but brace yourself it's out there ........I mean it's really in left field.....maybe BOTH shot placement AND cartridge matter?!?! Working together they somehow increase your odds at making the cleanest kill possible. Do you guys think maybe even bullet weight and construction make a difference too. My mind is so blown right now. All these thoughts are hurting my head.


Seriously though I don't understand the beer commercial this subject has turned into.....Tastes great!!! Less filling!!! Shot placement is important but using the right cartridge is also important IMHO.


Yeah that's certainly my reasoning.

There isn't any deer hunting in the first rifle season?????

sorry, 2nd rifle, but first rifle you can hunt deer. non resident what do you expect. :action-smiley-099:

I have a 280 but it needs better glass and i don't have the funds right now to upgrade. May still take it haven't decided yet. thanks

The 25-06 is more than adequate for deer, if I had one my one load for everything would be the 110 gr Accubond. I shoot 117 gr Hornady Interloks out of my 257 Roberts.

The 25-06 will be just fine that is the gun my brother used his first couple of years hunting and it worked just fine.

Sorry, was more interested in answering the question than worrying about pedantic semantics...

My intended response was that a 25-06 is more than sufficient for deer sized game...loaded with 110 gr. accubonds, it has enough energy at 400 yards to cleanly make a kill (as defined as 3X the impact energy in foot pounds as the average mule deer weight) thus making it (in most within the general hunting worlds opinion) an ehtical, useful, and worthwhile cartridge for deer sized game...


is that more specific so as to not trip your sniper trigger? :)

If you use your 25-06 the situation will go someting like this.

Saftey off
Squeeze the trigger
BOOM
Thud
Kick, kick, kick,
MMMMHHHHH backstrap

Nice! Thats my opinion too... I love my 25-06, it has been great on whitetails and Antelope and plan on totin it for mulies in the near future too..

LOL....yep that's much better. Seriously though there is a valid point I'm trying to make and I think you understand what I was trying to say.

To get back on topic though it's an ok deer cartridge. I know you asked a simple pass/fail question but I just can't asnwer that way. The 25-06 gets a C from me as far as deer cartridges go.

It's a classic deer cartridge, so its perfectly adequate.

Watched my cousin drop a mulie in its tracks with a .25-06, meanwhile the rest of us with .270s and .30-06 has mulitiple shots.

Plenty of power for a mulie, make a good shot and you'll have a dead deer.

I shot a 25-06 for years and killed pigs, mulies, black tails and white tails with it. I used Remington Core Lokt 100 gr bullets and literally rolled a 300lb white tail with it. I only went to a .300 Win Mag because some outfitters get nervous about the "small caliber." My daughter still shoots the 25-06 and has killed several animals, including BIG pigs with it. It's accurate as can be, you can shoot it all day long without pain and you don't lose the sight picture. Enjoy it, great choice!

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You guys are all under gunned for mulies. You really need a 375 H&H to get the job done. Makes a good caliber when all you see is rump exiting stage left.

I have killed quite a few deer (whitetail and muley) using my 25-06 Wby. I love the gun and haven't had any trouble with it just wounding a deer. Of course, I am one hell of a shot too! :biggrin: But really it is probably my second favorite rifle in my gun cabinet next to my .270.

I had a Wichester M70 .25-06 with a Leupold 3.5-10X40 VariX III on it. I just shot 120 grain Wincheter CXP2 bullets through it since they were fairly cheap and the rifle liked them. I took around 20 mulies, 20 antelope, and 4 elk with it over 8 years. While I had other rifles at the time, I found myself picking this one up when it was time to go hunting since the recoil was tolerable and with a good rest (and not too much wind) I felt comfortable shooting out to perhaps 350 yards.

So yes the .25-06 has plenty of power for mule deer.

Good Luck and happy hunting! Mulies rock! I think you will have a memorable time!

would a barnes 100 grian be a better choice? i hear a barnes 100 grian hits like a 125-130 grian partition bullet.

a little light in my opinion just use 100+ grain ammo and make a good shot and it will work. I personally would opt for at least a 270 but if the 25-06 is all you have and its what you shoot well with then use it.

Wow.

While I'd expect this kind of debate regarding the .243, which is on the small end of "legal big game caliber" in most western states, I'd never have expected us to have graduated to making the case that the .25-06 is insufficient on deer as well.

What's next? The .270? After that, the .30-06? After all, they're not THAT much bigger than the .25-06 and are all based on the same case....

I lived in Archuleta County in my youth. It's where I started big-game hunting. My neighbors there owned Pagosa Hardware for a time. Back then, if you used a "magnum", you were using a .300 Win, Wby, or H&H. Mr. Alexander kept a few Weatherby rifles in the rack for "tourists", but most of what he sold and stocked ammo for amounted to .243, .30-30, .270, .30-06, and yes, .25-06. Alley Mercantile never sold rifles that I recall, but stocked ammo in basically the same calibers.

Why the history lesson? It wasn't until the "magnum-craze" of the late 80's into the 90's that suddenly the tried-and-true deer and elk calibers now became "too small". Now you go the ammo shelf and have to negotiate a myriad of .300s and 7mms. The deer must've mutated and are now larger than the record muley that was taken back in the early 70s.

Having taken antelope, all species of deer, as well as elk with the "tiny" .243, I take issue with the prior statement that "caliber plays a role". It takes a role, yes - but a far overrated one in comparison to shot placement. I saw plenty of deer hanging in camps this fall with holes blasted in them in nearly every body region BUT the boiler room. Yeah, they were all dead, but it often makes me wonder if that was the first deer the hunter shot at, and if not, how many wounded ones were left to crawl off and die? I heard an awful lot of multiple shots this year, where I should have heard just one.

A poor hit with a big cartridge is an irresponsible substitute for a good hit with a small cartridge. I'm no fan of the .25-06 (it's too in-between what I currently own), but I see no logical reason why one shouldn't use it on muleys, PROVIDED they handle it well.

Your 25-06 is a great choice for your mule deer hunt. I have killed many mule deer and whitetail deer with my 25-06. I do not think mule deer are any tougher to kill than whitetails.

Good luck hunting,

WK

Do you still drive a 55 Chevy? Do you have a black and white tv? Does your lawn mower have a motor? Is Pong your only video game? How"s your 8 track holding out? We know you have a computer so you have been able to make some advances. Just joking with you.

That being said, I love my .243 for deer hunting and I'm hunting antelope with it in the morning. Nothing wrong with a magnum though. They are just more advanced, more effective and far superior. Who's to say rifles can't get better? I've never seen a magnum shooter try and make a bad shot yet. I just wish the cost of ammo wasn't so much more. LOL:happy0157:

To the OP,......The 25.06 is a great choice and will do just fine.

"Advanced" is what you call it? I might buy that argument if you were talking projectiles, particularly if we're talking bullet-to-bullet consistency and jacket construction. However, all a rifle-cartridge combination does is get the projectile to the target, which it will not do without significant operator intervention.

Unfortunately, I AM seeing a trend where guys who poorly hit animals, either losing them or causing a long trailing operation, are suggesting later that "they ought to just buy a bigger rifle", like it wouldn't have happened if the size of the rifle could make up for their poor shooting? If I'm comfortable and EFFECTIVE (key word) killing deer with a .243, do you think I'd be comfortable and effective killing deer with just about anything else that's bigger? I don't see the need to launch 300 grain .375 slugs at deer, but if it's all I had - I could do it.

The bullet fired from an "advanced" .300 WSM is often the same one fired by a cartridge developed nearly some 90 years earlier. It can also be the same bullet fired from the proprietor's "other" magnum of some 40 years earlier, at about the same velocity, just through a longer action.

Once that bullet leaves the barrel, the rifle and shooter's jobs are done. It's about the bullet, how it travels, and about what it does where it hits the animal. It matters none that it was fired through a .300 WSM, a .30-06, or a .300 Win Mag.

Remington.com reports that a 180 grain Premier Accu-tip travels at the same velocities and produces the same energy across all range increments, regardless of whether it's fired from an "advanced" .300 WSM or a 1963 .300 Win Mag.

Guys have been shooting "long range" years before all of these "advanced" rifles and cartridges showed up. Arguably, it might have been more difficult than it is now, but nonetheless, the ability of a rifleman to put that bullet into a target at just about any reasonable range has existed for longer than smokeless powder has been around. But, not all hunting is considered "long range".

The skills aren't new. The bullets are interchangeable and the velocities have been achieved before. Now, tell me again what's so "advanced" about these new rifle/cartridge combos?

On the other hand, not so much "advances" as they are "conveniences". A shorter action can save a few ounces of weight. Ammo may weigh a little less. If you reload, your powder may last you a round or two longer.

"Conveniences" are also things like fast food, power windows, and air conditioning. Some of us did without those things before, and we could get along just as well without them if we had to again. While you're out deciding that your diesel fuel jelled up overnight, I'll just bang a bit on the carburetor (anyone remember those) and be out to the goose pit before you this morning! :cool:

:party0005::party0005::party0005::party0005:

Love my 25-06. No better round for deer, though many are as good. Flat shooting, light recoil, and powerful. Mule deer are just deer. Lightest load I've used is a 75gr hdy HP, no problem to drop a deer with that. 100gr+ are even better.

You are putting words in some of our mouths. No one is saying it's insufficient. Some of us are saying it's an ok deer caliber and one should know their limitations. I would prefer a larger cartridge but a 25-06 will get the job done in the right hands.

Please don't put something on us that we never said.

There are cartridges that perform better at longer ranges and in quartering situations IMO.

2506 is fine. Mine shoots 100gr barnes tsx's & 110Ab's very well, either one would be a solid choice. Another would be a Nosler Partition. Somebody mentioned the 117gr Hornady Interlock a good buddy of mine loads these which he's taken many large bodied canadian mulies and whitetail with. while the 280 is a great choice it sounds like you have more confidence in the 2506 setup. IME lack of confidence in your equipment isn't a good thing when it comes to hunting.

Good Luck

How about it OKIERUT? Did you use it? How did the hunt go?

Sorry guys kinda forgot about the post, checked on it before I left and then it slipped my mind. I took my trusty ole 280 instead of the 25 not sure why just have lots of faith in one and just don't feel I have shot the 25 enough. It didn't make much difference, I didn't get a shot. a buddy got a nice 4x4 and we had a great time. I don't know enough about Muleys to know why but we didn't see many deer. I think the population is down in that area, one guy that went with us said we saw in a week what they used to see in a day. All around great hunt, going back again but probably to another unit. Thanks for all the responses couldn't believe it when I finally got back on here. I will have to get the 25 tuned in and give it a try on some hogs and whitetails. Thanks again.

I couldn't agree more!!!!! While I will say a .243 IMO is a bit small for elk I just don't get these magnum loads!!

I think the 25-06 is a great caliber and would be quite fine for mule deer. My only problem with the 25-06 is that there is not much bullet weight, so you don't really want to lose any of the bullet due to fragmentation at all or else you will lose your penetration. Because of this I recommend using some type of premium constructed bullet along the lines of the Nosler Partition, Nosler Accubond, Barnes Triple Shock or well you get the idea.

hell wouldn't bother me to use a 25-06 on elk great rnd.....

Are you guy's hunting with a .25/06, using rifles with longer barrels? Does the performance suffer a lot with a 22" barrel?

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