Catahoula
Well-Known Member
110 Accubond does the trick in my 25-06 Ackley!
Thanks, Kirk
Thanks, Kirk
.25-06 elk load
- Thread starter bakercity
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Good hunting friends' daughter shoots a 117 grain out of her 25-06 on elk. The last 2 years elk have had to be shot twice, both only took out one lung (not the best of shots) but very minimal penetration, both shots were over 250 yards.
If you can make a good shot, i dont see a problem, but the margin for error is pretty high, be quick for a follow up obviously just in case.
If you can make a good shot, i dont see a problem, but the margin for error is pretty high, be quick for a follow up obviously just in case.
Broz
Well-Known Member
Watched a Bull soak up 5 one time from a 257 Wby. before he went down. Factory Spire Points about 300 yards. No some were not placed perfect. My only point is if your going after a Bull elk with a .25 don't waste anytime getting round two ready. Sure the 25-05 will kill elk, but as stated earlier margin of error is smaller than with an elk rifle.
Jeff
Jeff
Similarly, in 2013, my buddy put 2 180g Barnes TTSX in the boiler room area and another in front shoulder area out of his .300 Win Mag at ~100 yards before his MT bull elk expired.
mtwarych
Well-Known Member
I loaned a 257 Roberts to a good friend of mine so his young hunters could hunt elk.
The rifle was shooting 120grn Nosler Partitions over near maximum loads of H4831.
Both young men killed their elk with 1 well placed shot at 200 yards or less.
I heard about people killing elk with a 30-30.
Knowing the limitations of the round you are shooting, having the skill and discipline to only do what is right will prove a tactical chipoltle hack whatever the cool phrase is today is not needed.
Shoot the rifle you have and are used to. Or, go buy a rifle you can't handle, put a brake on it, flinch like hell everytime you fire a $5 a round wonder.
The rifle was shooting 120grn Nosler Partitions over near maximum loads of H4831.
Both young men killed their elk with 1 well placed shot at 200 yards or less.
I heard about people killing elk with a 30-30.
Knowing the limitations of the round you are shooting, having the skill and discipline to only do what is right will prove a tactical chipoltle hack whatever the cool phrase is today is not needed.
Shoot the rifle you have and are used to. Or, go buy a rifle you can't handle, put a brake on it, flinch like hell everytime you fire a $5 a round wonder.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
I agree completely.
My take on it is... If you consider what weapons they had 200, and even 2,000 years ago, and they were killing elk with smooth-bore muskets and pointy sticks with sharpened rocks in them thrown by hand...I'm pretty sure a well-placed shot from any modern firearm, within a reasonable distance, will more than do the trick. gun)
Broz
Well-Known Member
Agreed, and as said shot placement is king along with knowing the limitations of your firearm and bullet. But to be fair, I do feel today we try to do a better job of quicker kills and recovery. So with that said, if I were a cave man, or a 1800's mountain only with the choices we have today, and I was hungry. I would leave my musket and stick and string behind with the dust they would have collected, while I went out and put the smack down on a Bull Elk with my 338. 
Jeff
Jeff
Agreed, and as said shot placement is king along with knowing the limitations of your firearm and bullet. But to be fair, I do feel today we try to do a better job of quicker kills and recovery. So with that said, if I were a cave man, or a 1800's mountain only with the choices we have today, and I was hungry. I would leave my musket and stick and string behind with the dust they would have collected, while I went out and put the smack down on a Bull Elk with my 338.
Jeff
Amen to that!
bakercity
Member
Thank you. Bakercity
Agreed, and as said shot placement is king along with knowing the limitations of your firearm and bullet. But to be fair, I do feel today we try to do a better job of quicker kills and recovery. So with that said, if I were a cave man, or a 1800's mountain only with the choices we have today, and I was hungry. I would leave my musket and stick and string behind with the dust they would have collected, while I went out and put the smack down on a Bull Elk with my 338.
Jeff
When animal is calm, most of the times bang down.
Broz
Well-Known Member
Haven't seen that so much with elk, especially bulls. We shoot a couple dozen a year and they seldom know we are even around. The majority of them will take the hit, hunch up for a little while, waver (what we call the Berger Stumble) then go down.
But then we do not shoot for narrow margin shot in the CNS.
Jeff
Bbear
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
- Messages
- 318
For the life of me, I KNOW why people want to go after these magnificent animals with smaller calibers.
My first-ever elk hunt was in Oregon. The ONLY cf rifle I owned was a 25-06. I reloaded for it at that time and felt that my 120 gr Speer wasn't enough for them. I worked up a fairly accurate load using the 120 Nosler partition.
I took this rifle because the only other one I could 'borrow' was a 7 hour drive the wrong direction to get.
I took my elk - bang, flop at a whopping 50 yards.
The next year, I dropped another elk at 150 yards when he stepped out of the timber on a fence row I was hunting on.
That same year one of our party put at least 2 180 gr 30 caliber slugs into a bull at 100 yards and never found it. Both were into the chest, tight behind the shoulder. So a bigger caliber does not necessitate quicker, cleaner or more humane kills. If the bullet goes in the wrong spot or glances off of a bone, the shot is not immediately fatal.
To Bakercity, the 100 gr TTSX might be good out to maybe 300 yards but after that I would be concerned with them not having enough velocity to open up enough to give the shock needed. The 120 gr TTSX might be the same way.
Though both are great bullets, once the round loses velocity, they just may not open up enough to do what's needed. Hill Country whitetails are nowhere near the size of an elk, yet the 100 gr TTSX's I've hit them with out around 350-400 have just penciled through with my 25-06's.
The partition will open up out there at the 350-400 yard range. As long as you put the bullet in the right spot AND are ready to dump another shot or even two more into your elk, you shouldn't have problem.
bakercity
Member
Thank you for your response. Bakercity
MagnumManiac
Well-Known Member
I know I'm coming into this late, I've been using the 25-06 for more than 20 years, we have Sambar deer here, they run about as heavy as an elk cow (600lbs), I've found the 115gr Partition to be outstanding on these. Shots behind the shoulder have been bang flop, but, admittedly, these have hit the spine as well as both lungs.
The 120gr Partition hasn't penetrated as far with the same shot placement, often only taking one lung and stopping in the vertabrae, why, I cannot explain.
I would not hesitate taking any bull elk with a 115gr Partition. I run RL25 @ 57gr in Rem brass and WLRM primers, velocity is 3266fps.
Cheers.
gun)
The 120gr Partition hasn't penetrated as far with the same shot placement, often only taking one lung and stopping in the vertabrae, why, I cannot explain.
I would not hesitate taking any bull elk with a 115gr Partition. I run RL25 @ 57gr in Rem brass and WLRM primers, velocity is 3266fps.
Cheers.
gun)
