25-06?
 

I love my 30-06 for deer and elk, butI'm looking for something with a little less punch and a little more reach for antelope. I like how the 25-06 looks on the charts - fast and relatively flat with plenty of end energy out to 500 yrds - but I don't have any real-life experience with this round and I don't knowanyone who owns a rifle in this caliber who I could ask for a test drive. I'm not really sold on the short mags, but open to the possibility.One buddy suggested just buying 100 grain bullets for the 30-06 instead of a new rifle.Not a bad ideaand I'll try some at the range, but I also like the idea of a new rifle, maybe thenew and improved Ruger M77 MKII Hawkeye. Anyway, anyone care toshare their experience with either the 25-06 round or the light-weight 30-06 bullets? Much appreciated.

RE: 25-06?
 

100 grain 30 caliber bullets are not for hunting any big game. The are varmit bullets. You need more sectional density in a big game bullet. The 100 grain bullet from a 243 or 25-06 has a high SD and are made for deer size game. The 25-06 is an excellent deer round and has taken a lot of elk as well. For elk, its a little light but with good bullets, its been use with good results for elk and excellent for deer.

RE: 25-06?
 

First of all, you don't need a short mag, second, the .25-06 is an excellent caliber for long range medium game hunting.

RE: 25-06?
 

I know that I am starting to sound a bit redundant, but what about the .270? And I ask this hoping that somebody will point out how well it would do out to 500 yards. I know that the 130 gr bullet will get out there and shoots very flat. But I am not certain as to how much energy it would carry with it.

RE: 25-06?
 

I believe the .270 has a little over 1,000 ft lbs at 500 yards.

RE: 25-06?
 

It wasn't 500 yards, but my Ruger 25-06 worked great on goats.

RE: 25-06?
 

Nice picture, CJ.
I had to read up on sectional density. I can say I learned something new today. Good advice. Thanks.
I don't have anything against the .270, it just seems to be such a nominal step from my .30-06 that the investment in a new rifle is hard to justify. I think the .25-06 hasless dropthan the .270 and a little more energythanthe .243. I'm not counting on always taking those long shots,but it would be nice to have a rifle with that capability and one that didn't cause as much damage to the lopes at any range.

RE: 25-06?
 

And I did some research and found out that the 25.06 is just another necked down 30.06 round like the .270. From what I have read, out of my new book "Cartridges of the World", a 25.06 is very similar to a .270 in performance, but there is a line in there that states that a 25.06 doesnt do anything that a .270 doesnt do better. The book also states that a .243 is usually only around 100 fps slower in any given round. I am doing my best here to pass along information here without haveing to go and get that book lol. Anyways, from what I have gathered, the 25.06 and the .270 are very similar rounds. I dont think that you can go wrong either way. I also read in my Hodgdon reloading manual that a 25.06 is also a descent elk rifle if using the right bullet and good shot placement.

RE: 25-06?
 

i own a .25-06 and love it. i have shot .270's and agree they are a good rifle but i like my .25-06 better. most people that shoot .270's will refuse to admitt there is anything better. like i said, a .270 is a good round but i like the .25-06 better. the .25-06 and .270 are both excellent deer calibers but the .25-06 IMO is better than the .270 at varmint hunting.

RE: 25-06?
 

I can imagine that the 25.06 is a bit better of a varmint round. I dont claim that one round is better than the other, everybody has thier own favorite round. Although I shoot .270 I dont claim it being my favorite round. As much as I like it, I am still playing around with different calibers trying to find what suits me. So far the .270 is it, but pretty much just because I have not found anything that is better for the style of hunting that I do. The .270 is what I take when I am getting firewood and hunting season is active, and is also what I take when I am hunting the fire roads where a long shot might be needed. But for around the house in the tight woods it is the 30/30 or 44 magnum levergun. As close as the ballistics look on paper I cant imagine that a person could go wrong with either caliber.

RE: 25-06?
 

Is the 25-06 better than the 270? Not a chance if you are talking about big game hunting. The 25-06 is a great round but the 270 takes your options a step further because it has heavier bullets available. The 280 take you another step with a bit heavier bullets yet. They are all the 30-06 case so it's all in what weight bullet fits your hunting needs. I like the 25-06 better when I may do more varmit hunting than deer hunting although its great for deer. If it's mostly deer and bigger then the 270/280 would be my choice. For deer with a rifle, I like a bullet with a SD of 200-250 with about 220 suitung me best. I always pick my bullet by what I need it to do then see what cartridge will deliver. The more options one rifle will fill just makes selection more simple.

SD is not everything but its a heck of a guide line. If you look at a caliber that has a good selection of well constructed bullet, say the Nosler Partition, the higher the SD of the partition bullet, the more penetration you will get. A happy medium is needed though because a bullet with to high a SD may not expand much if at all on medium game.

RE: 25-06?
 

The 25.06 is an awesome caliber. I know it's not the caliber of choice for Elk and i would personally use something bigger for that but i alsowouldn't be scared to shoot one with it using a well constructed bullet like the partition. You didn't say you were looking for an Elk rifle though you said antelope and from what i gather an antelope isn't that hard to kill. The 25.06 would be the perfect caliber for that type work. I've killed countless deer with my 25.06 over the years and it continues to be my caliber of choice when i'm deer hunting. It's pure deer poison around here and justabsolutely kills deer like lighting....period!Although i've never killed an antelope with it i have no doubt that it would have the same effect on those as well. My bullet of choice for my 25.06 is the 110gr Accubond, it's very accurate in my rifle and it's performance on deer has been excellent for me.This is only my opinion based on my experience with the 25.06 but if it's an antelope or deer rifle you want thenthe 25.06 is the ticket. Load that baby with a good 100-115gr bullet and rest assured, if you do your part it will get the job done and done quickly.

Just a side note. I've also killed lots of deer with my 30.06 and a Hornady 130gr SP. Let me add though that my longest shotwith this load was 294yds so i have no ideal how well it would perform beyond that range but i wouldn't be afraid to try it.This particulardeer fell in the scope when i squeezed the trigger and the bullet went through both shoulders and exited so it was well up to the task and i don't think the results could have been any better than that.

RE: 25-06?
 

Its upclose where the light bullets in 30 cal may have problems. The 130 works pretty well at lower velocities as in the Encore and contender. Also at long range after the velocity has dropped off, it can perform pretty well. The SD for that bullet is 196 so its darn close to that 200 minimum that I prefer for rifles. I have taken a few deer with the 125 Corlokt as well but they were also pretty long shots. I have taken lots of deer with the 25-06 and Nosler 100 grain Ballistic tips. In fact 99 percent of my deer with the 25 caibers, has beeen with the 100 grain BT's.

RE: 25-06?
 

Thanks everyone for your advice and input. I probably should have mentioned that I'm not replacingmy .30-06.I'll keep that rifle for the big stuff, but it's a little hard on the antelopes. Sounds like the.25-06 may be the ticket, and it would provide some new shooting/huntingopportunities such as predators and varmints. I saw a couple red foxesthis past hunting season that I thought about shooting for the hide, but decided against it with the .30-06.Besides, I need a good argument to give my wife forneeding a new rifle.
Thanks again,
Mud

RE: 25-06?
 

I think you will be real happy with the 25-06. I love the old 250 Savage for deer as well.

RE: 25-06?
 

I reload for my 25-06 and have achieved blazing speeds and accuracy. It will do the job for ya. Take a look at this ruger http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdResults?function=famid&famid=31&vari ation=Target%20Grey%AE%20Target&bct=Yes&ty pe=Rifle

mine is a shooter

RE: 25-06?
 

I've been very happy with my 25-06. I use mine primarily on coyotes, but deer and hogs are often on it's menu as well. If you plan on keeping the hides, use the same bullets you will be using on deer and antelope.

RE: 25-06?
 

Just popped my first deer with the 25-06....worked awesome, results were impressive. Used a 120 Grain Core Lokt had a 1/2" hole on the entry side and a tennis ball exit. Shot was 2" behind shoulder going in and 5" behind the off shoulder going out. I have a Ruger SS(heavy but nice) I use 85 grain win Ballistic Silver tips and get 1/2 moa for varmints and the core lokt shot 'bout 1.5" for me. If you go by the numbers and take it's track record into consideration, it is a sweet round!

RE: 25-06?
 

I have a 270 and would trade it in a heartbeat for a 2506. Great deer cartridge and near perfect for antelope. Nothing wrong with a 270 win though with todays bullets better suited to tackle the bigger game but still not ideal. Yes I have shot antelope, deer, black bear, elk and moose withthe .270 win.My personal preference is a 7mm rem mag for the above, as bullet selection and limitations with the .284 are an advantage.

RE: 25-06?
 

I have a WSM (short mag) and I like it, but you dont need one if you wanna talk about need. In fact, I am a speed goat hunter and I would steer you clear from the 25 WSSM and steer you toward a 25-06. Ballistics are too close to call and the WSSM's sometimes have feed issues. And yes, go with a 25-06 over a 270 if you dont already own a 243. I love 270's but if you dont already have something close to that .243 diameter, grab a 25-06. EJ

RE: 25-06?
 

Sheesh after reading this, I think ya'll sold me on the 25-06 over the 7mm-08 and .243 and .270.
I was also looking for a Texas hog/deer/coyote gun, seems like this fits the bill nicely.
Now to figure out which gun lol toss up for me T3 or Ruger right now I think.