25-06 for elk

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joshgage

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I have a Ruger M77 25-06 that I am thinking of using for elk hunting this year. I am feeling pretty confident about my shooting but am a little hesitant about the smaller caliber. I dont have enough cash to buy another gun and am thinking about trading the ruger for something with some more punch. What are peoples thoughts about this caliber for elk?

cheers,

Josh
 
it isn't the best idea i ever heard... but, it will work. make sure you use good, deep penetrating bullets, and know how to operate the bolt handle fast enough so that you can get 2 into him before he leaves. i know a feller who uses a 25-06 for elk. same guy shoots his elk out off his deck at home.

kind of late in the year to trade off the 25-06 and get, and learn, a new rifle, isn't it? i guess if i were in your shoes, i'd borrow a rifle and start shooting the tar out of it, or i'd not go.

good luck.
 
Just don't tell the elk that you are using such a small caliber, and he won't know the difference :D

OTOH, if you could borrow a 30-06 etc - that might be a little better. I don't see why you would need to practice with it, except to check the zero :confused:

I don't shoot my deer rifle from one season to the other, but I do shoot a bolt action 22 with the same power of scope during the summer.
 
120 gr Nosler Partition, placed right, would do the job. The .270 Win. 130 gr loads have accounted for many thousands of elk.

Heck, the old 30-30 has done the job thousands of times.

I would prefer something bigger, but if the 25-06 is all you have, I wouldn't hesitate to use it, keeping in mind bullet placement.
 
If your limited to factory ammo, Federal loads the 100 gr. Barnes TSX. number P2506H -It's probably the one I'd shoot..... It'll out penetrate the 120s IMO
 
get close

I know people that use 270 for Elk and it works... All you have to do get close to it,,, Not more than 100 yards. Take a lung shot , That works the best when a small bullet is used.
 
I don't know about anyone else, but my experience is that elk are poor sports -- shoot one and he'll go and die in the most inaccessable place you can imagine, just to piss you off. I like to break a front shoulder, if I can -- and for that a heavy bullet is nice. I like a 180-grain Nosler PJ from a .30-06, but I really like a 225-grain Nosler PJ from Bigfoot Wallace.
 
225gr from an '06 or from a .323/.338/.35?
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A .35 Brown-Whelen. This is the most radical form of the Whelen, with almost no taper, very short neck and sharp shoulder angle. She puts then through the chronograph screen at just over 2,800 fps.
 
It's legal but I wouldn't recommend it.

Most of the bullets for the 25-06 are varminters rather than controlled expansion hunting bullets for medium skinned game.

Nosler partitions would be the way to go, but that's still a light bullet for elk.

a .30 cal 165 gr bullet at 2900 fps or 180 gr bullet at 2700 is much preferable (308/30-06) to a .25 cal 120 gr bullet doing 3000 (most Remington factory .25-06 loads don't go over 3000fps)..You are looking at muzzle energy of 2300 foot pounds vs. 2800-2900 foot pounds.

Dandy for white tail and antelope... Elk demand a bigger stick.
 
Dandy for white tail and antelope... Elk demand a bigger stick.
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Amen.

Now people will say, "Many an elk has been killed with a .25-06 (or .243, or .30-30.)" And many an elk has been wounded and lost with those same calibers.

If that's the only rifle you have and you can't afford another, use it -- but use it carefully. Don't take less than perfect shots.

If you're going to buy an elk rifle, buy one that you know will smash heavy bones and keep going.
 
225gr from an '06 or from a .323/.338/.35?
Click to expand...

Gungoboom, speaking in very general terms, a 200gr bullet from a 30 caliber rifle will take 5-15gr more powder to achieve the same velocity as a .338/.35 caliber rifle.

With 220gr bullets a 300 Win Mag, .338-06 (one of my favorites) and 35 Whelen will produce similar muzzle velocities. Inside of 150yds there no real difference in performance.

The larger caliber rifle will produce less recoil (smaller powder charge), and produce less wear and tear on the barrel (throat erosion)
 
Besides, a custom '03 Springfield in .35 Brown-Whelen is way cool. :p

You can sit around the campfire explaining to people how it works through the magic of expansion ratios, how you fire-form your brass, and how you worked up loads with no reliable data. :D
 
Besides, a custom '03 Springfield in .35 Brown-Whelen is way cool.

You can sit around the campfire explaining to people how it works through the magic of expansion ratios, how you fire-form your brass, and how you worked up loads with no reliable data.
Click to expand...

Sounds good - I want one! Only I'd have to find a pre-bubbafied '03 before I'd do it. Thanks guys. Man I like that Brown-Whelen cartridge idea. Do you have a problem with the neck sinking down and bending the brass when seating a bullet?
 
I never had a problem with handloads -- it likes everything I feed it, and the only problem was figuring out where to start and where to finish on loads. When I started getting flattened primers, I stopped.

Loading is easy. No problems with collapsed shoulders or anything like that.

My rifle still has the original barrel, reamed out, re-rifled and re-chambered.
 
It'll work, but you have to accept the possibility that it won't work quick - and elk can cover a LOT of ground fast. Find a friend with a rifle to borrow, I got a note from a friend the other night and offered him my .338 that I'm not using. He's been taking elk the past couple of years with his '06, but sometimes they don't go down right away and he doesn't like chasing them over mountains.
 
The 25-06 is a fine gun for Elk. Assuming you can hit what your aiming at. I've used one for years along with several friends and family members on Elk over the years here in Colorado. I have several larger caliber rifles to choose from and today I still take it along, though I use a larger rifle today because of the ranges we sometimes have to shoot. During my Elk Guiding Days I carried a 25-06 in the truck just in case we needed a back up gun or had to go after a wounded animal. I've loaded Sierra 117 BT with IMR 4350 and 215 primers. If you punch the lung they'll go down. There isn't any gun that I've seen over the years that will put an elk down imediately except for a head shot or a spine. They might leave their feet and get back up from the big caliber shock but a lung shot is a lung shot. I'm speaking from seeing an average of 20 bulls taken a year by clients with everything up to 375 H&H. The most important thing is a good scope, shooting sticks and not trying a shoot beyond your capabilities. I started my son with a 25-06 on elk. That's how much confidence I have in this caliber.
 
I never figured to load a 220 gr .30-06 faster than 2500fps or so.

Those .300 Win Mags will throw a 180 gr bullet well over 3000fps.

I've killed antelope with a 25-06... my biggest complaint about it as a long range cartridge is it drifts easily in the wind... way worse than the venerable '06.

I'd agree that I've never seen an elk drop dead in its tracks from a single hit from ANY rifle... they tend to run for a bit unless you hit them in the spine. It's also been my experience that unless you hit them in BOTH lungs they can run a long long time.
 
+1 to Rbullom's observations.

It's enough if you shoot straight and keep your shot selection to premium targeting selections. Couple that with a premium bullet and you'll bring home an elk if you can get that perfect shot off in time.
 
Too Small:
A 25-06 is a 30-06 necked down. Same case capacity, just a smaller diameter with more velocity. Close and mid range the elk will never know the difference.

Neck Shot:
I've tracked too many deer and elk from clients shooting for the neck to know better. The vital area of the neck is very long and thin. Miss it and your in for a long walk.
 
A 25-06 is a 30-06 necked down. Same case capacity, just a smaller diameter with more velocity. Close and mid range the elk will never know the difference.
Click to expand...

Close and mid range and properly placed and with a properly-designed bullet.

I don't deny the .25-06 will kill elk. But for a guy thinking about his first elk hunt, I'd recommend something with a bit more authority.
 
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