.25-06 info

[~z]

Anyone care to make a recomendation for an acurate load for a 26" .25-06? I bought the rifle (Sav 110 heavy bbl, pre accu-trigger) last weekend and began loading for it last night. Currently 53-57 gn of H4831sc behing a Speer 100gn SPBT seated to .005 off the lands. Brass is resized Fed 30-06 trimmed to .01 under book specs. I have heard good things about H4831 and the .25-06, however notice the sc version is only providing about 80% case capacity. In my limited experience, I have found greatest accuracy with an ever so slightly compressed load or one that approaches compression (~90% full case). Havent shot it yet, I intend to basically fire form brass while becoming firmiliar with the rifle, this is my first Savage, and I have been impressed with the large magazines their rifles tend to have on average, allows you to seat way out. Just curious to get any info from the .25 shooters. Thanks

 

[dakotasin]

rl-25 w/ 120 sierras is wonderful.
rl-22 w/ 100 hornady is as good.

to answer your compression question, rl-25 will handle that - though it is kind of iffy w/ 100 grain bullets (meaning it works well in some guns, not in others). i do not believe it is possible to get enough rl-25 into a 25-06 case to be dangerous - i have run some pretty heavy overloads and managed to get pressure signs, but nothing explosively dangerous.

 

[~z]

Dakota, have you chronoed them? I dont need an exact measure, just curious about ES and SD. Also, barrel length?
thanks
~z

 

[dakotasin]

yes i have... i'll dig my notes out tomorrow evening and see what they say.

for more hunting rifle-related stuff, and some other 25-06 user notes and consensus if nobody else pops in: www.baitshopboyz.com/forum and www.handloadersbench.com 25-06 and 25-06ai info abounds...

 

[~z]

Dakota, Do you shoot the AI .25-06? I have been toying with the idea of AIing (sounds terrible, with an Ag backgroung AI has always had a different meaning)...anyway, I have been thinking about AIing one of my rifles and have read that burn rates etc do not provide for much improvment in the 06, The .257 Roberts on the other hand was vastly improved. I am thinking about .22-250 AI on a 700 Sendero platform bur still looking around. Back to my point...do you shoot, or have experience with with the .25-06AI and equivalent experience with the orig. .25-06? Thanks, just doin my research, and from reading your writings in the past, I believe I have a good fish on the line.
~z

And thanks for the links, headed to them directly.

 

[Michael Courtney]

Anyone care to make a recomendation for an acurate load for a 26" .25-06? I bought the rifle (Sav 110 heavy bbl, pre accu-trigger) last weekend and began loading for it last night. Currently 53-57 gn of H4831sc behing a Speer 100gn SPBT seated to .005 off the lands.

The Speer 100 gn SPBT was the only bullet I've never gotten to shoot very well (consistently < MOA) in my Rem 700 Sendero in 25-06. Most other bullet's I've tried do 0.5-0.7 MOA, except the 100 grain XBT which does 1 MOA. My best performer is the 115 grain Berger VLD at 0.5 MOA, and this bullet holds this accuracy out to 500 yards, but it does not expand reliably on deer. Curiously, I've never gotten Speer bullets to shoot as well as ballistic tips in other cartridges either.

My two favorite hunting loads are the 100 grain Nosler ballistic tip at 3300 FPS with a max load of H4831, and the 85 grain Combined Technologies Ballistic Silvertip with a max load of H4831 at 3500 FPS. If you can be assured of a broadside chest shot the 85 grain bullet drops deer like lightning.

As far as powders, I've found H4831 to consistently be more accurate than RL-22 with every bullet I've tried it with, but RL-22 gives slightly more velocity at the top end.

Michael Courtney

 

[dakotasin]

ok, checked my notes...
rl-25 and 120's got me ~3200 f/s at peak accuracy. i did get pressure signs and a decrease in velocity shortly after that.
rl-22 and 100's got ~3350 f/s at peak accuracy - no pressure signs imminent.
this through a 24" rem 700.

the other 25-06 was right around 3000 w/ 115 nosler bt's (ruger tang safety) and h-4831.

my thoughts on the 25-06 ack (better than ai??? ) - or most acks for that matter is they were a fantastic series of cartridges whose time has gone. there are a few exceptions, and the 257 rob is one, but especially in the 308-series and to a lesser extent the -06 series, i think the ack process is best left alone.

most ack guns shoot very well - but i think that is more due to the custom barrel and chamber more than it is the cartridge. if you like the idea of an ack's velocity, try this out: a 25 rsaum! think on it for a bit - the 25 pill in the rsaum case is about perfect. it will fit easily into the little model 7 action, is better suited than the wsm case, none of the 25-284's baggage, while maintaining all of the 257 weatherby's performance... what's not to like?! sorry for the tangent... i just think that would be the ultimate 25, and somebody, everybody, is dropping the ball by not standardizing it...

 

[MachIVshooter]

I have a 700 BDL 24" with Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x 40mm, and here's what I can offer:

117 gr. Sierra Gameking, 54.5 grs. IMR-4831, 3220 FPS, .76 MOA

115 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip, 50.0 grs. IMR-4350, 3170 FPS, 1.15 MOA

100 gr. Barnes TSX-BT, 57.1 grs. IMR-4831, 3580 FPS, 1.02 MOA

87 gr. Sierra SP, 49.0 grs. IMR 4895, 3410 FPS, 1.2 MOA

75 gr. Sierra HP, 60.5 grs. IMR 4831, 3710 FPS, .88 MOA.

Basically, I am about 1 MOA with most every load I've tried. The Sierra 117's have been the most accurate, while I have squeezed the most power using Barnes 100 gr. TSX-BT. The TSX is my favorite hunting load due to it's extremely flat trajectory (drops 44" @ 600 yards with a 200 yard zero and maintains a 290 yard MPBR). I have drilled quite a few praire rats at well over 300 yards with the 75 gr. loads too. Hope this helps.

*BTW, I've found my rifle likes about .040" freebore.