25-06
 

Hey, I was wondering what your guys thoughts were on the 25-06. I was looking at getting a 270 for deer, and a 223 for coyotes and prarie dogs, but then a fellow I talked to suggested the 25-06. I just wondered if any of you guys own one or have used one. Thanks for the input.

P.S. here you can't shootbig gamewith anything smaller than a 243 so I was thinking about using this gun for both.

Mark

RE: 25-06
 

Great choice for both types of hunting. You can load a 120 for deer. And an 87 for varmints. The caliber is based on a tried and true frame(30-06). I also like the 6.5X284 for both jobs. It is similar to the 260 Remington. Which is another great round. Insted of buying two rifles and scopes, just buy one high quality rifle and scope, and do not look back. Tom.

RE: 25-06
 

Excellent choice. IMO better suited as a varmit/deer rig vs the .243 for our larger bodied deer in canada.

RE: 25-06
 

i retired my wby .300 mag for my .25-06.......nuff said

RE: 25-06
 

its a good caliber

RE: 25-06
 

Definately a keeper!

RE: 25-06
 

Execelent caliber for deer and accuracy is great,I use mine in the summer for woodchucks 500+ yards...

RE: 25-06
 

Flat shooting and powerful; a great crossover cartridge for long range varmints and deer/antelope. I love my 25-06, would highly recommend it!

RE: 25-06
 

Where deer are concerned the 25-06 will do anything that the 270win will do, and the 25-06 is certainly more suitable for varmints.

RE: 25-06
 

I have shot a lot of deer with both the 270 and the 25-06. Out to 300 yards or so either will do a good job. Past 300 Give me the 270 every time. For varmits, the 25-06 Is most suitable IMO.

RE: 25-06
 

25-06, Ruger makes one that lots of people like.

RE: 25-06
 

I'm not going to be a nay-sayer, but I will say that I personally think there are better choices. Here are a few reasons why:

First of all, in my experience, 25-06's can be fairly finicky when it comes to ammo. While this can be true of certain rifles in dang near ANY caliber, it seems to exemplify itself in the 25-06 more often than not. And by finicky, I don't mean that it will shoot Federals great but doesn't like Remingtons...oh no...not quite that simple, more like it won't shoot any factory ammo much better than another, but certainly none good as it should (think around 2" or so at 100). While thats not bad for some short barreled deep woods brush guns...this is supposed to be a 400 yard gun...and 2" at 100...ain't really gonna get it done on medium game and espeically not varmints. I have spent some serious time working with some of my customers and they have spent some serious time and money handloading to get them to shoot those nice .5" groups you hear about so often. There again...this isn't always the case, but considering how many 25-06s I have had contact with (5 if I remember right, 3 with issues...all the same problem), its a fairly high percentage. Keep in mind...might just be a bum steer on my part. Luck does work both ways sometimes.

I'd steer you more in the direction of a 6.5x55 (if you can find one) or the .260, which is just sweet! If you want to do more varminting with the occasional deer hunt...I'd recommened a 6mm Rem, or a .243, though I prefer the 6mm. If you are a handloader, then the 7mm-08 is the way to go. I have loaded some 100gr flat based bullets that shoot like lazers, and the handloads you can produce with 120gr bullets will shoot flatter than factory 25-06 ammo. Plus, you have the option of loading up to 175gr bullets for big game, should you choose to, although I think a 160gr option would be better.

Just some food for thought. Nothing wrong with the 25-06, lots of loyal fans and many deer killed. Just make sure no matter what you get, you put your money into the scope, rings and bases!

RE: 25-06
 

It sounds like you are judging the cartridge based on a single gun,which is by no means a fair judgement.A hunting partner has a tikka t-3 in 25-06 that shoots virtually every load that he has tested into less than an inch at 100 yards.A few loads constantly do 3/4" or better.I have never seen a 25-06 that was as bad as the one that you describe.

RE: 25-06
 

If I had the choice between a 270 and a 25-06 i would pick the 270 in a heart beat for deer. Like stated earlier, over 300,325 yards I know the 270 has an edge.

I would also buy a 223 like you were thinking for varmints. Unless you are hunting coyotes on steriods or wolfs, do you really need 85 grainers? Normally if you hunt varmints you are firing a good amount of ammo. The 223 ammo is cheap and super accurate for the little critters.

RE: 25-06
 

It sounds like you have trouble reading an entire paragraph for composition. Go back and try one more time....in fact...I'll pick up where you left off....and I'll even highlight the important stuff for you...

RE: 25-06
 

I'm going to disagree with this. The 25-06 shoots as flat orflatter and has nearly as much energy at distances of out to400 and 500 yards. 300 yards is way too close IMO to see any "edge". Not dissing the 270, just saying the 25-06 can do anything on deer and smaller game that the 270 can. I'll give the "edge" to the 270 on elk, but I wouldn't be using a 270 anyways.

RE: 25-06
 

I would say that the 25-06 is an excellent choice with only one caveat....prairie dog shooting.

granted the 25-06 will work for this endeavor but itburns too much powder to be an excellent choice forthe dog town. generally speaking I like a small cartridge that doesn't heat the barrel up as quickly.when you go to the dog town your hope is too shoot a bunch of rounds. The 223 is a better choice for this situation in that itburns less powder, is easier on barrels, andcheaper to shoot.

RE: 25-06
 

Would an AR-15 be good for a prairie dog?

RE: 25-06
 

you fellows shooting the 25/06 what is the best powder to try with the 90 gr sierras? I tried some monday with R-19 but didn't do so good.Shot some with 3031 awhile back but could't get less than 1/2 inch.
troutdudes,either one the 270 or the 25/06 would be a great caliber I have both and one doesn't kill a deer any better than the other.If you reload you can make either one hump.
The 223 I would look at the savage with the 1:9 twist you can shoot light and heavy bullets.Don't know about how the tikka shoots in the 223 but I think they have a 1:8 twist not sure,but do know they shoot in the 25/06 and the 308.and a lot of other calibers.

RE: 25-06
 

My mistake,three problem rifles on your part.

But I will repeat

I have only fired four 25-06s myself,and while the others were not as accurate with every load tested as the t-3,all four would do sub MOA with their favorite load.And none were any more fussy than any other chambering that I have loaded for.

RE: 25-06
 

My feelings exactly.

RE: 25-06
 

with what a 90 grain bullet? I would prefer a 130 grain bullet.

RE: 25-06
 

Sighted at 200, ballistics comparison at 500:
270 130gr BST: 2171 fps, 1361 ft/lbs, 5mph drift: 8.1", drop 36.1"
25-06 110 acc.: 2177fps, 1158 ft/lbs, 5mph drift: 8.3", drop 35.5"

As you can see, not much difference. By the time you get far enough out its not about which gun but whereYOU can put the bullet.

RE: 25-06
 

If you get a very accurate one. Remember that a big prairie dog is the size of a 20 oz pop bottle.Inevitably you will be shooting 200 plus yards in a 20 MPH crosswind. Needless to say, the more accurate your weapon the better. Even with a 1/2 inch rifle you will miss more than you hit.My dad shoots a DPMS bull barrelled AR and loves it. Cleaning is a chore though. The gas operated mechanism gets really "cruded" after a thousand rounds.

RE: 25-06
 

Sorry to hear that has been your experience with the 25-06 caliber but you are the "ONLY" person I have ever heard claim that the 25-06 caliber has some kind of inherent accuracy issues. I have never found it to be the case that 25-06 rifles are more finicky about what they will shoot accurately. Are some cartridges inherently more accurate than others? Yeah, so some saybut we are talking increments of "better" that only a benchrest tournament shooter would care about. Ifgun experts madea list ofall the things that could affect the accuracy of a rifle and listed them from most important down to least important, cartridge type and design would benear the bottom ofthat list and completely overshadowed by a dozen or more other rifle related issues. I have a Tikka T-3 in 25-06 that shoots everything I have fed it very well and some things amazingly well. It will consistently shoot Federal Sierra Gamekings or Hornady Interlocks into sub 1 inch groups at 100 yards. And this rifle is certainly not the exception in 25-06 that I have encountered. I have shot many accurate 25-06 rifles. Enough tosay confidentlythat if you encounter one that isn't a shooter it's the gun and not the caliber.

RE: 25-06
 

with what a 90 grain bullet? I would prefer a 130 grain bullet.


Why the 90 gr? just to see how they shoot.I allready have the 87,100's,110,115,117 and 120 shooting tiny groups.After that will work on the 75 gr.Haven't ever seen a 130 gr bullet for the 25/06 .
I am shooting the tikka in 25/06 and it is a great shooter.But with some loads you get a lot of muzzle flash.If I was going to get another one I would probably opt for at least a 24 in barrel,perferably a 26 in barrel.
Thought if someone else was shooting the 90 with certain powder I could compare with.But don't guess anyone is.

RE: 25-06
 

What was meant was I would prefer a 130 grain bullet out of a 270 for deer.

RE: 25-06
 

The problem with a 25-06 is that its a long action cartridge that preforms best with a full 24 inch barrel....Most .270s come with a factory 22 inch barrel, a 25-06 will usually have a 24 inch barrel...If you don't mind carrying a longer gun than can be had in .270, and one that has less energy than a .270 then a 25-07 is a good choice...

If you reload, a 25-06 is an excellent choice, but around here, you have to really look for factory loadings and they aren't really that impressive...Out to 3-400 yards, you won't find much difference in ballistics of factory loaded cartridges between a 25-06 and a .270, if you stick with a 130 deer bullet for a .270 and a 115-120 deer bullet in the 25-06....and frankly most hunters will never shoot a deer at 400 yards....

All that being said, if you are talking about shooting a 3-4 boxes of shells a year at coyotes or prairie dogs, a .270 or even a 7mm-08 would make more sense than a 25-06....

If you are talking about shooting more than 3-4 boxes of shells a year at varmits and not hunting anything larger than deer, you might be better served with a .243...Take a look at the Winchester Supreme 55 grain Ballistic tip at 3910fps and the Federal Premium 85gr Sierra HPBT at 3320 fps....the 55 grain would work as a varmit round, while the 85 gr is good for deer and coyotes both....

And that's what's "wrong" with the 25-06....It sits between 2 of the most popular cartridges ever created...the .243 and the .270....Now throw in the 7mm-08 that came out in 1980, and is gaining popularity every year, you can see that there just isn't much market left for the 25-06...

RE: 25-06
 

"thanks" for using the quotation marks. Next time maybe you could say "And that's the challange the 25-06 is facing". 'cause there aint nothin "wrong" or wrong with the cartridge.