25.06 Folks

[stx]

Thanks man.

Sometimes you just have to go different than the norm. While fire-forming brass, I had a guy at the range that was in awe of how it shot (at the time he didn't know they were fire-forming loads). Just for fun he setup a quarter at 100 yards on the backstop at the range. My fire-forming cases usually shot around 3/4"-1", and I told him just before I shot that they were only fire-forming loads so they were't dailed-in and my scope wasn't dialed-in perfectly. Nailed it my 2nd shot. He was quite shocked. He setup another one and with my .308 Win (proven loads that shoot average of .25x"), I nailed it on the 1st shot. He said, "Man, you should be shooting BR comps..." I just laughed and said, "Nah, I'm just a hunter and reloading enthusiast, and my .25-06 AI was just my coyote gun, and my .308 Win was just ONE of my range toys." His jaw hit the bench.

That's a great story! Those older BDLs are hard to beat right out of the box.....and REALLY SHOOT with just a little work. I have several and wouldn't take for any of them! Seeing your AI version of the 25-06 makes me think again about converting one of mine.....as I've been tempted to do in the past. I've got enough that I'm tinkering with right now but that sure might be something I'll look at again in the future! Thanks for Sharing!!

 

[Country Bumpkin]

I shouldn't have started this thread . . . hearing these reports is making me get the itch real bad!!! I wasn't planning on starting this until after this hunting season . . . now I'm wondering "is there enough time to get this done for a late-season whitetail hunt?".

Trouble . . . you guys are T R O U B L E ! ! !

 

[Dosh]

Try 7828 SSC with the 115 VLD's (it's what I shoot). You'll hit the pressure-wall quicker, but you'll gain some more FPS of MV.

Mud, contrary to many reports 7828SSC is temp sensitive here in Az. 113 here yesterday and can be below freezing on hunts in the north. My son likes it in his 300 WBY but it didn't fare well in my friend's 25-06. Like you've said, no two rifles will like the same load. Picked up some IMR Enduron 7977 to try in a few rifles. To the OP, the 25-06 is a heck of a great cartridge. Versital and accurate. I know a large family in northern New Mexico that all hunt elk with 25-06 and .257 Roberts. The area they hunt is heavy with trees and rarely shoot over 100 yds.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

I bought one of the first back in 1968 produced by Remington after many years of wildcatting, for $119.00.. Remember my dad telling my brother, it's too fast, it'll blow a whitetail in half..?words still echoing in my brain.started loading 117 sierras over H-4350 and Remington 9 1/2's, here we are nearly 50 years later and nothings changed, a railroad car full of deer have been harvested, a few bear, fall turkey and 100's of groundhogs with the same combo. I load for about 5 other 25's and all use the same load and combo. I consider it about perfect for deer sized animals, my wife uses one also...by the way all of the 25/06's I load for shoot that combo 5 shots at 100 well under an inch..a classic cartridge !!

 

[mechengr]

As much as do love my 25-06, I've always been interested in the 6.5-06 for the better bullet selection. Since you're starting from a donor action, why not give that some consideration too?

 

[HNDLDR]

My first deer was shot with a 30-30. I'm not sure how many after that were killed with a 25-06. 28 years later it's still my favorite deer cartridge by far. My current load is the Berger 115 Gr VLD over IMR 4831. I haven't taken any game with this load yet.

 

[soulezoo]

I have a mid 70's BDL. It is a great rifle. I've only taken deer and antelope with it but would not feel undergunned with black bear. IMO, on Elk one should be very careful with distance (energy bleed off) and bullet selection. The judicious hunter can be successful with Elk/Moose with this cartridge but since it is marginal on those animals it is not normally recommended.

On smaller game it is a wonderful cartridge. Years ago in different magazines, the writers opined that if one were to enter all desirable characteristics in a cartridge for deer hunting into a computer, it would spit out the .25-06.

I use the 115 ballistic tips now with great success and my rifle shoots 3 shot clovers that touch at 100 yards. My handloads were 120gr partitions over H4831. Not as accurate, but a very effective load.

 

[elkaholic]

I bought a 26-06 back when they first came out in a factory chambering. It was a BDL that I paid $139 for. I was laughed at "back in the day" as shooting a (needle blower) that wouldn't kill anything! Things changed pretty fast when I started pilling up whitetails at 400-500 yards along a stretch of RR r-o-w back in the U.P of Mi. I can not tell you how many deer I killed with it as well as black bear and a variety of varmints at some pretty impressive ranges. Most of the deer that I shot were with 100-120 grain bullets in sierra, speer, hornady, and nosler. When I moved to North Id. in 1975, I killed my first elk with it at 450 yards with a 115 Nosler partition. Dropped him in his tracks with a shoulder shot. I don't know how many rounds I put through it, but it was several thousand! The throat was so shot out that you could not even touch the lands with a 120 grain bullet stuck barely into the case mouth. It still shot well under moa when I took the barrel off and replaced it with a 6.5-06 A.I. which piled up a lot more game. I still have that rifle now chambered in 6.5 Sherman. The 25-06 is a great round, but with only a .007" larger bore, the 6.5 is much more versatile because of bullets up to 160 grains. I will say that with 100 grain bullets, it was as quick a deer killer as ANYTHING I have shot them with! I hope this helps with your decision.....Rich

 

[MudRunner2005]

I bought a 26-06 back when they first came out in a factory chambering. It was a BDL that I paid $139 for. I was laughed at "back in the day" as shooting a (needle blower) that wouldn't kill anything! Things changed pretty fast when I started pilling up whitetails at 400-500 yards along a stretch of RR r-o-w back in the U.P of Mi. I can not tell you how many deer I killed with it as well as black bear and a variety of varmints at some pretty impressive ranges. Most of the deer that I shot were with 100-120 grain bullets in sierra, speer, hornady, and nosler. When I moved to North Id. in 1975, I killed my first elk with it at 450 yards with a 115 Nosler partition. Dropped him in his tracks with a shoulder shot. I don't know how many rounds I put through it, but it was several thousand! The throat was so shot out that you could not even touch the lands with a 120 grain bullet stuck barely into the case mouth. It still shot well under moa when I took the barrel off and replaced it with a 6.5-06 A.I. which piled up a lot more game. I still have that rifle now chambered in 6.5 Sherman. The 25-06 is a great round, but with only a .007" larger bore, the 6.5 is much more versatile because of bullets up to 160 grains. I will say that with 100 grain bullets, it was as quick a deer killer as ANYTHING I have shot them with! I hope this helps with your decision.....Rich

Rich, I had no idea you were once a .25-06 shooter. But thats's a cool story. And that's awesome that you still have that rifle.

Well, maybe it's time to draw-up a .25 SS? What do you think? We had a good idea with the 7mm version of your 6.5 SS...And it's been a winner so far. Maybe a .25 SS would be a niche' cartridge, but it would certainly fill a gap in the SS lineup. That would be one awesome deer and antelope cartridge. Talk about flat-shooting from 0-400 with the Berger 115 VLD's.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

Mudrunner . . . I'll be your guinea pig!

I'll buy the barrel . . . you work your magic. Haha.

 

[elkaholic]

Rich, I had no idea you were once a .25-06 shooter. But thats's a cool story. And that's awesome that you still have that rifle.

Well, maybe it's time to draw-up a .25 SS? What do you think? We had a good idea with the 7mm version of your 6.5 SS...And it's been a winner so far. Maybe a .25 SS would be a niche' cartridge, but it would certainly fill a gap in the SS lineup. That would be one awesome deer and antelope cartridge. Talk about flat-shooting from 0-400 with the Berger 115 VLD's.

Yup, I loved that rifle because I basically grew up with it! I paid for it with $$ I won racing for Arctic Cat. I broke 2 vertebrae in that race and am now paying for it. Sure was fun at the time though If someone wants a 25 SS, I could have a reamer made as well as dies. The 6.5 SS dies would work just fine since they are bushing anyway. Also I could provide 25 Sherman based off of the Sherman case. Either one would blow the doors off of a std. 25-06....Rich

 

[MudRunner2005]

Yup, I loved that rifle because I basically grew up with it! I paid for it with $$ I won racing for Arctic Cat. I broke 2 vertebrae in that race and am now paying for it. Sure was fun at the time though If someone wants a 25 SS, I could have a reamer made as well as dies. The 6.5 SS dies would work just fine since they are bushing anyway. Also I could provide 25 Sherman based off of the Sherman case. Either one would blow the doors off of a std. 25-06....Rich

I used to race motocross growing up. Funny how folks who share the same interests, have had similar past interests.

As a guesstimate, what do you think one might gain with a .25 Sherman over a .25-06 AI 40º? Just trying gauge your thoughts on it.

 

[elkaholic]

I used to race motocross growing up. Funny how folks who share the same interests, have had similar past interests.

As a guesstimate, what do you think one might gain with a .25 Sherman over a .25-06 AI 40º? Just trying gauge your thoughts on it.

I think it would be a fair comparison to use the 6.5 A.I. and the 6.5 Sherman which I have quite a bit of experience with both. I had to push the A.I. to get over 3100' with the 140's and I can reach 3300 with the Sherman. I don't believe that is ALL to do with the cartridge though as I have better powders like RL26 now. I would think 100'+ though......Rich

 

[MudRunner2005]

I think it would be a fair comparison to use the 6.5 A.I. and the 6.5 Sherman which I have quite a bit of experience with both. I had to push the A.I. to get over 3100' with the 140's and I can reach 3300 with the Sherman. I don't believe that is ALL to do with the cartridge though as I have better powders like RL26 now. I would think 100'+ though......Rich

Cool. 100 fps is 100 fps. Can't ever complain about that. That's exactly what I was guessing in my head, too, based on your .280 Sherman and the .280 AI we've discussed in the past.

Yeah, these modern powders sure have helped to close the cartridge gap between all case sizes and capacities. The biggest one I've witnessed personally in my experiences is closing the gap between the '06-based cartridges and the .300/.375 H&H based magnums. Especially with improved case designs like your's that gain the absolute max capabilities out of well-established SAAMI cartridges, so brass is cheap and easy to form, but it performs as if you've stepped it up to the magnum realm.