25-06 and whitetails?

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Goes together like nails and wood. Shot my first deer w/ one about 15 years ago and a few since...

117 Nosler is what I use now, I don't think there is a bad bullet over 100 grains for deer. Friend uses 117 Sierra's further than I care to shoot w/ great success out of varmint weight barrels.

Great cartridge, little kick!

Tony
 
What litman said. I have used every make bullet from 100 to 120 grain. They all work great. Currently using 100 grain Hornady at 3300+. Accurate and hurts things bad.
 
I hunt with a guy that used a 25-06 (117 gr bullet) and it put deer down, straight to the ground down. Sad thing is I used a .270 Winchester for years and it did the same thing. Then one day he bought a 7mm Rem. Ultra Mag. and I bought a 270 Weatherby Mag and we have watched our deer run off after being hit ever since. Not that we don't find the deer but they did not drop in their tracks like the 25-06 & 270 made them do. Short story is 25-06 is an excellent deer carteridge.
 
i think the 25-06 is a solid deer whacker, and run 120 sierras in mine now.

as to the deer running, eh, only cartridges i've ever had deer consistently run after taking a good hit have been 243 and 25-06.

so... they run a little... they're dead and just didn't know it. a little nicer when they just tip over, but sometimes that just doesn't happen and the end result is the same.
 
Love the 25-06, killed more deer with it than all of my other rifles combined. Most have been with 100 gr Ballistic Tip, but using 110gr Accubond now. Great long distance cartridge.
 
I have one too in REmington 700. Handloaded with 100 gr nosler BT. Very very accurate. My friend did the handloading and it can be put three rounds touching each other like a dime.
 
I have a Browning A-Bolt 25/06 That has taken many many deer! I have never shot a 117 gr. Nosler, but I have shot lots of 115 Nosler BT, some partions, lots of Sierra 117 gr SP and BTSP, lots of 117 gr & 120 gr HP gr Hornadys and a few 100 gr Nosler BT. All of them kill whitetail deer, most within a few yards, a few ran a little farther, but not much. The 25/06 is about as close to a 270(< than 150 gr bullets)as you can get.

Jimmy K
 
Ditto what JimKirk said. I've got much experience with the .25's though mostly with the .257Roberts loaded to duplicate factory .25/06.

I've never felt compelled to use the Nosler Pattitions or other ultra-premium bullets. Conventional bullets give fine performance, even from my .257wbymag. Even the Hornady 100grSpt-Interlok has performed exemplary , retaining 67.5 % weight (67.5gr) from the .257Wby.at 3,500 fps from the single bullet I've recovered.(rest have exited).

Due to expense of an elk tag, and expense of an
out-of-state trip, I can't see using a .25 to hunt elk, though I don't see how they wouldn't work.
Shot placement and bullet performance is what takes game. The .25s excell in both regards.
 
I've used the .25-06 since 1973. It will consistently deliver one shot kills on deer at ranges to 300-400 yards. As others have stated, the 117 grain boat tail bullet by various manufactures seems to be the most accurate. But any weight bullet will give you hunting grade accuracy. An added plus is it is a reloader friendly cartridge.
 
I have a M98 with a 26" Shilen barrel. Tackdriver. I use 100gr Nosler BT's loaded over a moderate load of IMR 4350 on whitetail. Most of mine will be close shots (<150 yds) and on deer that max out at 150#. It works wonderfully.
 
The .25-06 is an excellent deer cartridge and I have also killed more deer with it than all my other rifles combined. Longest shot was 460 yards with plain ol Reminton 120gr. core-lokt. I now handload with 100gr. Nosler btips or 110 gr. Nosler accubonds and have been very succesfull with them using IMR 4831 and Reloder 19.
 
I wish I had whitetail experience, but I don't.

I do have .25-06 experience though. A large bull elk died last Saturday from one shot from a .25-06 rifle. The 120gr bullet traveled through BOTH shoulders and stopped just under the offside hide. If only that beast had died a little closer to the road.
 
Not meaning to Hijack, but Rokman and any one else,
What kind of performance are you getting from the Nosler 110 Accubonds? Are they as accurate as a BT? Are they holding together and holding the core together? I always thought that a middle of the pack bullet like the Accubond 110 would be ideal in the 25/06. My only fault that I have found with the 115 Gr. BT, were that they are light in the jacket thickness. I say (were)are, has Nosler changed the lower jacket thickness on 115 BT? The last I bought was about 10 yrs ago.

Jimmy K
 
117 Sierra @ 3,200 f.p.s. knocks 'em deader than a door nail. Have only killed black tails w/longest shot to 435 yards lasered. 4138sc is what works for my rifle and you can work up your own loads per your liking.
 
The .25-06 is one of those varmint/deer with a change of bullet cartridges. The only downside is that it may not be readily available in small places.
 
My old M77 groups better with the 100gr BT, but the 110gr Accubond gives me accuracy I can live with in a hunting round and the performance is much better. Must be the twist, but that rifle didnt like anything in 117 or 120.
 
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