25-06 Your Opinion Please

sig232

This is an old caliber that had been around for a long time, but it has some nice characteristics. Works for Deer and Varmint hunting, I am told.

A flat shooter with a very light recoil.

Have you tried it? Own one?

Your opinion please?

spookster

Have had several,,, nice all around cal for varmint hunting ,,,also works nice on whitetails in open country,,,, And like any cal shot placement is everything !!

Jim

stevecrea

Sig232:

I have two Sakos in 25-06. I have been using them primarily for rockchucks here in Southern Idaho. I have shot various factory rounds, but the Hunting Shack loads a 75 grain Hornady V-Max that they advertise at 3600 fps that shoots quite well in my two rifles, and that is what I have shot the most of.

You are correct in that recoil is modest. The 25-06 is not nearly as much of a hotrod as the .257 Weatherby Magnum, which has a much larger case. However, the 25-06 can generally be loaded faster than the .257 Roberts.

The cartridge is very adequate for pronghorns, deer, and even caribou. It would work for elk with the proper bullet and good shot placement.

It is one of those cartridges that can easily be used for varmints and some big game.

22hipower

Maybe the best of the 25s from an all around perspective. Although saying something like that is sure to start an argument. I use most of the 25s; 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 257 Roberts AI, 25-06, 257 Weatherby, and the 25WSSM. If I could only have one it would probably be the 25-06 only because brass is readily available and it probably provides the most options (bullet weights) at the lowest cost. They're all fun though and the reaction on deer seems to be about the same with the possible exception that the Weatherby seems to smack them a little harder and put them down a little faster. Doesn't kill em any deader though.

dfletcher

I own 3 - a Ruger 77VT, a Savage 112 single shot target rifle and a 15" Encore barrel for handgun shooting. It is definitely one of my favorites although I found coming up with accurate handloads to be a bit of a challenge.

Just to piggyback on one other observation, I think it's only shortcoming is a lack of heavier bullets for elk sized game - it can be done certainly but I'd agree shot placement is extremely important and no margin for error. But for its intended use - long shots on medium & thin skinned game as well as target shooting.

I like it alot and to put it in non-shooting terms, the 25.06 is the pretty high school girl who never grew up & got old.

Mobuck

I've used the 25/06 in various rifles for several years. My first was/is a Savage 110FP that I intended to use for long range coyotes. When my handicapped son needed a bigger rifle than his 223 for a big northern Wisconsin buck, we downloaded the 25/06 somewhat and the added weight helped steady the shot and it only took one. A couple of years later when he was invited to hunt elk the same rifle was loaded with 115 Nosler partitions to about 2800 fps and two shots through the lungs put down a big 6x6( one shot would have been enough but he was still standing so we shot again). I used a standard 110 in 25/06 and a rebarrelled Mauser to kill several deer with only one requiring more than one shot and again that one just didn't know he was done. Most of my shooting has been with 100 grain bullets which I've found pretty useful for both deer and coyotes. Recoil is a comparative thing but I don't consider the 25/06 to have "very light recoil". A 223 has very light recoil and a 30/06 has significant recoil. The 25/06 is using twice as heavy bullet as the 223 at about the same speed so it has about double the recoil.

ern98

I and several of my friends own at least one apiece. Mine is a custom Mauser 98 and is everything that has already been said. It is an easy cartridge to reload for and is generally very accurate in a quality rifle. It is a very fast flat shooting cartridge and I have no problem with shooting mine out past 400yds with very high confidence. I like the 25-06 better then the 243win which is itself a great cartridge for most uses.

carbine100

I have a stainless Ruger #1 in 25-06. Very light recoil in this gun and has been effective deer getter for me.

kumate

My hunting companion shoots a m700 25-06,I shoot a m70 270 and the deer and antelope we harvest cannot tell the diffrance.She has taken 2 nice bull elk with the 25 but she usually uses a 300 win in its place.If you handload the 25 is a fine choice,but if not the 270 is better.As stated above shot placement is more important than ballistics

mbsams

Anything on an 06 case is great!

nononsense

sig232,

Wildcat Bullets, if they ever get their website up and running, will have heavy for caliber .25 caliber bullets available. Richard Graves originally started this company up in Canada but sold it to an American group last year.

The heavier bullets are nice as alternatives but are not necessarily required for killing deer or elk. Proper bullet constructions and bullet placement are the key to putting down large game.

The 25-06 is a superb cartridge for all-around use. Just be careful to pace your shots if you are trying to use it as the sole rifle in the varmint fields. There is a bunch of powder to burn when topped by the very light varmint weight bullets. I usually suggest bringing a couple of extra rifles to shoot in a prairie dog town. If you want to keep it simple, bring a .250 Savage or a .257 Roberts. The .250 Savage is a real workhorse for varminting.

Best.