.25-06
- Thread starter Hoopie
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Regolith
Member
Uhh....it'll cost you money? 
Can't think of any reason NOT to get one, if you want one.
Can't think of any reason NOT to get one, if you want one.
Deer Hunter
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- Dec 26, 2005
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I wonder how that round does as a long-range target round?
I believe the .270 Winchester generally is capable of outperforming the .25-06 both in trajectory and wind-drift and should in theory have a little bit better barrel life. The .243 also outperforms the .25-06 in terms of trajectory and wind-drift and has a better bullet selection available. 6mm is a very popular target caliber, so there are some excellent match projectiles available for the .243.
The .25-06 is good, but not great. I think if you look, you might be able to find something better for yourself, but I don't think you would be terrible disappointed with it.
The .25-06 is good, but not great. I think if you look, you might be able to find something better for yourself, but I don't think you would be terrible disappointed with it.
rbernie
Contributing Member
The 270 is a better all-around chambering *if* deer is the primary goal. The 25-06 is better for long-range varminting, where lighter bullets in .277 caliber will not have the aero efficiency of their .257 cousins.
I have both, and would be hard-pressed to find a significant performance difference between the two for most hunting use.
I have both, and would be hard-pressed to find a significant performance difference between the two for most hunting use.
The best target rounds are usually 6.5mm, since that's the caliber with the current focus in VLD bullet designs. The .257 and .277 calibers have decent hunting bullets available, but not much in the way of VLD bullet offerings.
Deer Hunter
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Isnt the .25-06 6mm, though? And it would hold more powder than the .243.
Maybe I just don't know my rounds.
Maybe I just don't know my rounds.
rbernie
Contributing Member
6mm == .243
rangerruck
Member
25.06 with 120 grainers can be real screamers, and out a long way, just ask dudes who take 500 yds shots on goats and antelope out west, so I have no probs with it. IF you are handloading, it has got to be terrific.
zedheadmc
Member
I cannot think of any good, or even any bad, reasons to not have a .25-06.
It just so happens that I have a U.S. Model M1917 that was sporterized some time in the past that I will be resporterizing and turning it into a .25-06.
And I have lived and hunted in Pennsylvania (north west). A .25-06 will do and serve you well there.
It just so happens that I have a U.S. Model M1917 that was sporterized some time in the past that I will be resporterizing and turning it into a .25-06.
And I have lived and hunted in Pennsylvania (north west). A .25-06 will do and serve you well there.
skinewmexico
Member
My dad always wanted a 25-06 and never got one, so when I saw a Howa with a stock that really fit well, I bought it. Not so good on the bench, but for some reason, I have made several of the most amazing shots on game ever. For me at least. There is a definite lack of LR bullets for the 25, although I see Berger has a 115 VLD. Tough to beat a 243 set up to shoot a 115g DTAC though.
The 25-06 is one of the best out there! I will shoot flatter than a .270 due to the higher velocity. It is one of the best out there for long range deer and varmint hunting! It fills a nice niche in that it is not supreme overkill for Coyotes and the like and is one heck of a deer antelope caliber. It will out perform the .243, you can push a 120grn 25-06 bullet the same if not faster than a .243 100grn bullet.
Shawnee
member
KGPCR's post right above says it very well.
In actual field performance the .25/06 is totally awesome and all the talk about it's imaginary "shortcomings" is just that - pure "schmack". The 25.06 will serve you very well from prairie dogs to Elk... just as well (or better) than any other caliber you can buy.
In actual field performance the .25/06 is totally awesome and all the talk about it's imaginary "shortcomings" is just that - pure "schmack".
The 25.06 will serve you very well from prairie dogs to Elk... just as well (or better) than any other caliber you can buy.APIT50
Member
If you don't mind some case forming try 260 Remington. It is great for long range and is used more and more in even 1K target shooting. Barrel life is no worse than 243 and there is a good selection of match bullets available. For long action I second 270 over 25.06. Better choice in high B.C. bullets
critter
Member
Top-notch choice! I've got one (rebarreled M98 Mauser-Shilin barrel at 26") that is VERY accurate. Puts our 'average size' whitetail DOWN right there quite well and EXPLODES vermin.
Easy to reload for and has PLENTY of bullet choices. Mine LOVES Nosler BT's-100 grainers.
Go for it!
Easy to reload for and has PLENTY of bullet choices. Mine LOVES Nosler BT's-100 grainers.
Go for it!
T.R.
Member
This my friend Rick and his Ruger 25-06. Scope is an older Redfield 6X.
This rifle is typically loaded with 117 grain Sierra Pro Hunter bullets at near maximum velocity. I've seen it flatten antelope and mule deer many times. They just fall over or fold up when the bullet strikes. Why anyone would buy a 300 MAG rifle for antelope or mulies is beyond my comprehension. All that recoil and muzzle blast for zero genuine gain.
It's fair to compare the 25-06 to 270. After all, they are derived from same parent case and shoot similar weight bullets. Either choice is equally logical.
TR
Zeke/PA
Member
My most recent Ruger #1 purchase just happened to be a .25-'06.
The price was right as the glass was a 4x12 Leupold Vari-xII.
I free floated the forearm and worked up some deer hunting loads, settling with the 117 grain Hornady.
I managed two instant one shot kills on beanfield bucks at 200+yards each this past fall.
Great cartridge.
Zeke
The price was right as the glass was a 4x12 Leupold Vari-xII.
I free floated the forearm and worked up some deer hunting loads, settling with the 117 grain Hornady.
I managed two instant one shot kills on beanfield bucks at 200+yards each this past fall.
Great cartridge.
Zeke
I know it is not absolutely representative of the entire market or the abilities of a handload, but if you go to Remington's webpage and do a ballistics comparison of .243, .25-06, and .270, at 500 yards every .243 load has less drop than any of the loads listed for the .25-06. One of the .270 loads beats all of the .25-06 loads, and another falls right in the middle of the range. To be fair, I was also only comparing the non-premium Core-Lokt loads in both .270 and .243 to the loads in .25-06 because Remington does not offer premium bullets in this caliber. Throwing in the Sciroccos, Accu-Tips, and Bronze Tip factory Remmy loads, the .243 and .270 both tally up several more loads better than the top .25-06 load.
In both the factory ammunition world and in the handloading world, much better bullets can be found in .243 and .277 than in .257. .257 is just not a caliber known for particularly good BCs, and it shows at longer ranges.
Just throwing that out there. Like I said before, it's a good caliber, but not a great one. I'd still take a look at both the .243 and .270 instead of it. If you really want a hot little number, check out the 6mm Remington.
In both the factory ammunition world and in the handloading world, much better bullets can be found in .243 and .277 than in .257. .257 is just not a caliber known for particularly good BCs, and it shows at longer ranges.
Just throwing that out there. Like I said before, it's a good caliber, but not a great one. I'd still take a look at both the .243 and .270 instead of it. If you really want a hot little number, check out the 6mm Remington.
MachIVshooter
Member
Similar velocities, pressures and powder type/capacity. Barrel life will be about the same. Having said that, I don't know anyone who's shot out the barrel in a hunting rifle.
The .243 shoots a lighter bullet at lower velocities, so it will not buck wind as well and will drop faster. Also, .244" pills run 55-100 grains, .257 bullets are 75-120 grains; (I don't count match bullets, like the 107 gr. .244 since OP intends to hunt or bullets to light for caliber, like .257" slugs intended for .25-20 and .25-35), so the spread is basically the same, but the .25 caliber bullets are simply better suited to big game animals. Using the heaviest bullets, .244" and .257" have nearly identical BC and SD, but the .25 caliber slug is still heavier and still going faster, hence more oomph down range.
The most widely used hunting bullet in the .25-06, the 117 grain Sierra Gameking, has a BC of .410. That's not too far from the .430 of the 100 grain .244" pill, and the .270 only pulls better number with the 140 and 150 grain loads.
If we really want to base what we buy on trajectory alone, we should all be selling everything we own and buying .408 Chey-tac rifles. Fact is, for the OP's purpose, the .25-06 will perform very well. It is a better medium and big game cartridge than the .243, and better suited to varminting than the .270.
I agree that the 6mm is a great little cartridge, but unfortunately is all but dead outside of competetive shooting these days. I love mine, but I'd never recommend the cartridge to someone who doesn't handload.
MachIVShooter,
You should check out the Hornady line of bullets. The .244 105-grain A-Max is described as being used for competition and thin-skinned game (basically the same as the V-Max) and features a .500 BC. The Hornady .277 130-grain Super Shock Tip has a .460 BC. The 150-grain SST has a .525 BC. I have not found any .257 bullets by Hornady or anyone else that really compete with these examples.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, the 87-grain .244 V-Max also has a .400 BC. The 85-grain Interbond has a BC of .395. Bullets of this weight range in a .243 tend to run around 200-300fps faster than the 117-grain loads for a .25-06 with the similar BC.
You should check out the Hornady line of bullets. The .244 105-grain A-Max is described as being used for competition and thin-skinned game (basically the same as the V-Max) and features a .500 BC. The Hornady .277 130-grain Super Shock Tip has a .460 BC. The 150-grain SST has a .525 BC. I have not found any .257 bullets by Hornady or anyone else that really compete with these examples.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, the 87-grain .244 V-Max also has a .400 BC. The 85-grain Interbond has a BC of .395. Bullets of this weight range in a .243 tend to run around 200-300fps faster than the 117-grain loads for a .25-06 with the similar BC.
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MachIVshooter
Member
And there are .284" bullets with BC's over .600, so maybe he should get a .280. But wait, there are .308" bullets with BC's over .700, so maybe he should get a .300 mag. Then again, the are .338 caliber bullets with BC's over .800, so maybe a .338 mag is the ticket..............
You can see where I'm going with this. It's not all about BC and trajectory, especially if the cartridge is less suited for the intended use. I acknowledged that the .244" and .277" bullets can exceed the BC of the .257" pills, but that does not change the fact that the OP wants to kill deer and rockchucks, and the .25-06, being more flexible than .243 and .270 within those parameters, is a good choice.
skinewmexico
Member
Bottom line is..........they're all roughly the same.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
U gott'a love those .25-06's~!
I had a Remington 700 BDL in that chambering many years ago, and it was
my favorite rifle of all time; even more so, than my 700 BDL .243~!
I had a Remington 700 BDL in that chambering many years ago, and it was
my favorite rifle of all time; even more so, than my 700 BDL .243~!
I see your point MachIVShooter, but like you pointed out, the trend is usually that as bullets get larger in caliber, they become more aerodynamic such as the .338 BC being higher than the .308 BC being higher than the .284. I think it is rather telling that the .257 family is framed on BOTH the higher and lower caliber side by better long range projectiles. Like I've said a couple times, good but not great.
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