25-06

[joed]

Quote:
Barrel life is about 1000 rounds, I replaced mine 2 years ago after 30 years of shooting. That's not bad compared to some of the magnum rounds.

That's pretty bad, but not terribly important for a hunting rifle IMO. At least you have good taste in barrels.

I shot that gun every chance I got. It wasn't the the barrel was shot out at 1000 rounds but more of I wanted a custom barrel.

That Krieger delivers 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yards.

I still remember when the gunsmith asked me what caliber I wanted the new barrel in. For all of about 2 seconds I considered another cartridge.

 

[buttrap]

I am a big 25 cal fan but the 25-06 is not very forgiving on big critters if your aim is off a small amount or the load is not that great for the range that its used at. I have seen some pretty dern crazy failures of that round when pushed out of its area including pissed off deer over getting shot in the head. Open area its a good round but short range they just poke holes and peve critters off. If shooting under 100-200yds I would not bother with one of the things.

 

[RKellogg]

Well I just bought one . 25-06 Encore . I can't wait to see what is does to a woodchuck .

 

[nathan]

Yeah, its that zippy fast and accurate . Nice headshots like lightning on game.

 

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

Well I just bought one . 25-06 Encore . I can't wait to see what is does to a woodchuck .

At ranges less than 300 yards, it typically leaves an exit wound the size of a number nine softball of nothing but ground meat. At ranges less than 150 yards with high-velocity rounds, it often splits the exit like an open zipper. Years ago I shot a ****e-poke (they're a nuisance, eating fish and frogs off my ponds) from about 150 yards out. It looked like a hand-grenade had gone off in a feather pillow.

barrel life of 1000 rounds

My 25 has over 1000 rounds through it, but it still holds sub MOA at 100 yards, but then I've rarely loaded out to the limits of the cartridge for frequent shooting. For range work or varminting I'll drop 20% under max loads, and it has really helped my barrel life.

I do keep uploaded hotter cartridges on hand, in case I get a shot out past 300 yards, but in Kentucky that's a real rarity, even groundhog hunting.

so whats the big deal with the 25-06 at 117 GR???

The 25 has a better ballistic coefficient than the 30 with bullets of the same weight, which means much flatter trajectory than the 30 with same-weight bullets.

At shorter ranges, (under 250-300 yards say) the difference is slim, but the 25 is just getting its legs at 300 yards, while the 30 starts to drop.

KR

 

[StretchNM]

I have a 25-06 Ruger #1V. It's a .75" grouping, 5-shot, rifle in every handloaded bullet weight I shoot. I expect to get several thousand rounds out of that barrel and am confident I will.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Good round to get. I have a sendero I love and plan on buying a Ruger 1V just like StretchNM. I will be calling my local dealer tomorrow for prices.

 

[Dallas Jack]

Until four years ago I had never fired a 25-06. Since then I have reloaded for and fired a 25-06 quite a bit. I'm a believer. My favorite cartridge (since the 70's) was the 6.5-284. Got one in trade and loved it. It's been gone for some time and I replaced it with a .270. Now back to the 25-06. It's bullet is .020 smaller than the .270 and .007 smaller than the 6.5-284 (in diameter) and uses a case that has the same capacity. The .270 and 6.5-284 shoot bullets in the same basic range to each other. The 25-06 starts with lighter bullets and gives up 30 to 40 grains on the heavy side.

So what does that mean? You can shoot varmints and predators with any of the three but the nod goes to the 25-06 because of the lighter bullets. Deer, Sheep, and Goats are also taken handily with any of the three. But I would exclude Auodad, Moose, and Elk from the 25-06 altho I know people have used it on them. Hogs and Black bear are also taken easily with any of the three calibers.

The OP asked about the 25-06 so why did I bring up the .270 and 6.5-284? I think these three are very close in their uses. As a primary Deer round I believe the 25-06 will proform as well as the other two, and thats saying a lot. It does it with a lighter bullet and a little lighter recoil.

Now you can throw all this out the window if you do not use the correct bullet and place it in a vital area of the animal. The use of larger heavier calibers in case of a misplaced shot just doesn't make sence to me. Take your time, place your shot.

I guess I'm saying, can't go wrong with a 25-06.
Dallas Jack

 

[Geno]

I had a Weatherby Vangaurd VGX in .25-06 Rem back in about 1987. It was a fantastic rifle, accurate, light recoil. For me, however, I went up to a .257 Wea Mag. It didn't make sense to keep both. It fired the 87 grain and the 100 grain projectiles the best. As an all-round rifle as decribed by the OP, I say absolutely a great choice.

Geno

 

[MCgunner]

My .25 has killed dozens of whitetail from 25 yards in the woods to 350 yards across a saddle in the hill country. There is no deer made that is immune to its sting. When I thought I was going to get to go elk hunting, though, I bought a 7 mag. The old .257 was my grandpa's and he and I have filled multiple freezers with it. Great hog gun, too. And, the .25-06 just has a little more juice on the same bullet. So, how would it be a bad choice?

 

[MJR007]

The 25-06 and 25wssm have done VERY well on my farm in Jefferson county NY. It will do you well.