Why not the 25-06???

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Pony Express

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Howdy folks,
Just curious here, But why no love for the 25-06? I don't own one, but my dream gun is a tikka t3 in 25-06. It seems like a flat-shooting dream cartridge for most game smaller than buffalo with little enough recoil to not intimidate the shooter. The only reason why I could understand them not being so popular is the price of the ammo, but then there's also cartridges like the .300 Winchester Magnum that are about the same, maybe more depending on where you buy it from.

Maybe I just haven't spent enough time talking to shooters, but I can't understand why its just not as popular as some of the other rounds out there today?

Happy shooting
 
I certainly like the .25-06. I have mine in a single-shot Remington 40XB Rangemaster.
 
There's a lot of love for the .25-06 around here. It's a great round, though I'd probably draw the line somewhere before buffalo.

I don't have one, but I've thought about it, or its Weatherby brother (either way, I'd load it myself, so I don't care about the cost of factory ammo).
 
I have a T3 .25-06 and like it. I reload so the price or availability of ammo is not a problem. It is a nice little rifle for the price!
 
The .25-06 was my first rifle, a Remington 700 Varmint Special. I've owned it for 30+ years now and wouldn't sell it. It's now on the second barrel, a Krieger match in .25-06.

You can't find a better cartridge in my opinion. With 87 gr bullets it is the hardest hitting varmint cartridge you've ever seen. The trajectory is very flat. I used mine for groundhogs in OH. If I can see a groundhog it's in mortal danger, no matter how far away. You can shoot this combination all day long and not have a sore shoulder.

Move up the ladder to the 100 gr bullet and you have a fine deer cartridge. Again very flat shooting and it won't punish you.

Use the 120 gr bullet and you can cover just about anything in the US.

I bought my rifle in 1978. When I bought it ammo was hard to come by. I either had to go to a gunshop or load my own. I loaded my own because I didn't think the cartridge would last. Once again I was wrong. You can now find ammo for the .25-06 in Walmart.

I wouldn't even try to talk you out of buying one. They are a fantastic cartridge. Have to admit that I thought it couldn't compete with the .270 and would sort of fade away. It hasn't faded at all. If nothing else it is even more popular 30+ years later.
 
a great cartridge that will do almost anything in North America less very large game, minimal recoil making for more accurate shooting, flat shooting, some people just got to have a large magnum or the new short magnums, some people are "followers" and go with fads or gun writers, some have common sense and dont care to follow trends and stick with a reasonable caliber they can comfortably shoot.
 
I have wanted a 25/06 for a long time,and just ordered a Savage 110 FLP Tactical in 25/06. I already have the same rifle in 300 WinMag and love it.
Now if it will just get here,I've already worked up some handloads for it.
 
In Connecticut there might not be .25-06 love but out west it is THE pronghorn cartridge. And many people out west use it on whitetails and mule deer. I don't think it is a hugely popular elk cartridge but I think it could certainly do the job with a well chosen 117-120 grain bullet. Here in the east I think it is veiwed as having more recoil than a .243 with not a ton more bullet weight and the .270 takes its steam for east coast hunters who think they need a flat shooter for whitetail. Personally here on the east coast I can't see using it over other calibers but I'd rather use a heavier moderate velocity bullet over a light bullet that may fail at high velocities of short range for which it was not intended.
 
here in south dakota the 25/06 is one of the more popular deer and antelope cailbers.i had one for about 4 years and got rid of it to buy a 7mm rem mag for my first elk tag plus for deer hunting. the 7mm worked great for the elk this year but seem a little much for deer. i am going to buy another 25/06 in the new remington 700 XHR.
 
The .25-06 Rem is a fantastic round. It's just more difficult to locate ammo for it than the .270 Win or .30-06 Sprg. I'd take any of the three and be perfectly content.

Geno
 
Plenty of .25 06s here. In fact , its one of the commonly stock ammo here in Academy Sportstores aside from .308s, .3006s, 243s, etc.
 
Its a fine cartridge for deer. I've never viewed it as being all that low in recoil and therefore don't see it as having much advantage over the .308, 30-06, or .270. Ammo for it is easy to find online, but can be moderately hard to get at local sources. I take mine out thinking about how good it would be for long shots across farm fields, but thus far have only taken two with close in shots more typical of Mississippi woods hunting. I'd love to be out west taking on the pronghorns and coyotes with it.
 
I have an A-Bolt Browning in 25/06, owned a Winchester model 70 in 25/06 until someone stole it. I've killed many whitetail deer with both. It is a lite recoil round that more beginning shooters should look at! Then they wouldn't want move up to a bigger rounds. Both my rifles wore Leupold 3.5 x 10 AO VXIII scopes, that makes a nice setup for any long range shooting for deer. I'm just waiting on FN Winchester to start making the Feather Weight in 25/06, that would be the cat's meow. I've shot crow to deer any anything between, but nothing larger than big whitetail deer. Always wanted to go out west and try it out on some of their game, but I have never made it. Some of the guys around here have finally made the circle from the hard kicking magnums back to the 25/06, of the ones that have talked said they wish they had come to their senses long ago.

Jimmy K
 
Not sure why not?

I picked the 25-06 as a great round for the ballistics. Not as hard on a barrel as a 257W but not a lightweight like a 243. Large range of applications, good brass supply, easy to reload an accurate.

I like mine!
 
It's fairly popular here in CO and in WY for deer and speed goats. The cartridge really shines for long shots on medium game. I personally use it for Elk as well, though many consider it too light.

It's been with us since the '20s and really came into it's own after WWII, when powders emerged that were better suited to a quarterbore with so much case capacity. Remington made it commercial in '69. It is definitely the most popular .25. Borderline overkill for varmints and toward the lower end for big game, it probably makes the top 5 list for deer and antelope cartridges by sales. By ballistics vs. recoil, it is #1 in that category, IMO.
 
25 06 in sc

plenty of em round here,guess ya'll aint found out about them yet in the "UPSTATE" as usaual ya'll are last to learn!! {LOL} But seriously it is a popular caliber in Low Country. Had a Remington sendero in 25 06, but that thing was too heavy traded it for A5 20 gauge, second best trade I ever made. Love that 20!!!!! But back to op, now have Marlin XL7 in 25 06, great rifle, 3/4 inch group and I will tell you I am not super shooter. Too much Red Man, tea and soda and bout 70 xtra lbs. Never met anyone not happy with this round. Good Luck and God Bless
 
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I bought a .25-06 this year, and I am convinced that it is the best rifle caliber I have in my cabinet. I had no trouble dropping deer at 300 yards across a pasture this year. And when I say drop, I mean DROP! They did not take another step.

I love my .25-06, and would not get rid of it...
 
.25-06 is a great round. Like has already been said it is much more dificult to find 25-06 ammo than 270 and 30-06. The smaller bullets make it less desireable for larger game but on deer sized game it is fantastic.
 
Cool, im glad the 25-06 is so popular! Must be a CT thing, guns aren't so big here by most standards, owners are few and far between. Thanks for the replies fellas
 
I love my Ruger M77 Mark II 25-06. It's not for sale. The ballistics to 500 yards is almost the same as my 300 WSM.
 
25-06 is popular here in Idaho, although not as popular as 270 and 30-06. I have a 25-06 and like it so well I built a 25-06 Ackley Imp. Why a 25-06 Imp you ask? Nobody I know has one.
 
The only reason not to is cost of ammo. But if you are looking at a bolt rifle, you aren't going to try to be Rambo with a 30rd mag so it shouldn't matter.
 
When i started handloading last year, i told myself i wanted a 25-06. Still do.

Get it and post pics!
 
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