While I don't have much experience with the 25-06 AI, I am a huge fan of AI cartridges having owned five chamberings In at least nine rifles, a 257 AI has been my go to rifle since 1982, with a 257 AI 've taken over 100 game animal, most with a 120 gr partition or a Barnes 115 tsx at ranges measured in feet to beyond 600 yards and animals as large as kudu and waterbuck, I feel everything I need this rifle to do can be done with either bullet at velocities in the 3000 to 3100 fps range out of barrels 21 to 22 inch, so I don't feel the need to try any of the newer long range bullets, if I need something more I have a 338 lapua AI for that, as for that 06 what are you needing it to do, what is you target velocity, I have found, ( and I would be very curious as to what other shooters have found ) I have two standard 25-06's and have worked up loads on 4 or 5 others, shortly after I became emotionally involved with the 257AI I traded into a very nice custom mauser gorgeous wood fine checkering, I really didn't need it, but I sure wanted it, this was back when H 4831 was about the slowest powder around, and all that was readily available i found 54 grs behind a120 gr slug comfortablly gave over 3200 fps 200 fps faster than my 257, a few years later Re22 came along, being a little slower I found 56 grs to offer trouble free pressures along with better accuracy and clocked in at over 3300fps, a few more years went by and along comes Re25 a few more grs of that added another 100 fps, when all was done both the 110 accubond and 115 gr Nosler produce over 3400 fps, a full case of the same powder pushed the 100 gr BT and a ttsx over 3500, these velocities are exceptional i realize some barrels are faster than others, I've owned 7 different chronographs so it wasn't a faulty unit, nor as it turned out wad my barrel a exception, 20 plus years after I acquired the custom 25-06, a multiple gun trade produced a Browning A bolt in 25-06 that I didn't need or want, but a new gun needs to be shot, it came with several boxs of hornady 117 gr factory ammo that produced horrible groups, I still had a good supply of the old loads for my custom 06, all three loads produced groups in the .700 to .800 range, a few of what i consider nongame bullets cluster bullets under a half inch. Why would anyone get rid if a gun like that, makes a great back up, the Browning was a shooter after all, as long as I stayed away from factory rounds, this gun only has a 22 inch barrel but it still produces velocity over 3200 fps, I haven't purchased a new reloading manual now in over 10 years, prior to that i collected most of what's out there, with a few going back to The 50's, the charges I'm running are in the books, but most of the books these days are claiming around 3100, all of the rifles I've worked with were all faster than that, the 22 in Browning has been the slowest but at 3200 with at least three powders is faster than what the books say I should get, only one of the other rifles had a barrel longer than 24, at 25 inches it was one of the slowest but faster than the 22in, it fell a little short of all the other that were 24 in, the powders that produced the highest velocity were H4831 and 1000, Re 22 and 25, IMR 7828, Vit 165 and 560, discontinued powers like Norma 205, Win WMR and WXR, and H450, I'm tempted to try some of the newer powders like magpro and magnum, I'm sure those and a few other would produce velocity in the 3300 fps range at least in my rifles,