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Post by Rifleman on Oct 9, 2010 15:15:55 GMT -5
Been a 25-06 fan for years. IMO there are few better long range chuck rifles. I had a Rem 700 BDL Varmint in this caliber and hate that I ever let it go. It would shoot under 2 inches at 300 yds from the prone position all day long. Great for going out to 500-600 yds. I like the 100 gr Sierra in that gun. Now I guess there are newer and better long rangers in .284 but that 25 sure was a sweet heart of a rifle. Mine was glass bedded and free floated by my USMC rifle team armorer, and you know it was just done right. Factory trigger in it, but he adjusted it so that it would let go with a breath, never had a decent gauge then, but it was under 2lbs I am sure. I once took mine to the Knob Creek machine gun shoot in KY and laid beside a bunch of guys shooting belt feds. I was shooting the night shoot and blew up some dynamite strapped to a 55 gal barrel full of gas/diesel mix. Now that was some bang for the buck. During the day shoot they stopped for awhile and the powder monkeys went down range and put out a whole bunch of charges. Well everyone on the line went to work on their guns, loading belts, getting a drink, whatever. But this old jarhead sat on a bucket and made a mental range card in my head. Once the command to fire was given, all havoc broke loose. With all the rounds going down range and all the explosions, dust and smoke, it quickly became very difficult to see where the dynamite was. When it was all over the guys were all talking about how many charges they had hit. Well they were shooting massive amounts of ammo, no short controlled bursts with these guys! I imagine the round per hit ratio was upwards of 1000 to 1 with them. Anyway this guy says I hit 1, another me too! Another says I hit 2 and of course one guy says I might have got 3. Being young and too poor really to be hanging out with this crowd, I was keeping quiet. Then my best friend Doc says, " Dwight, How many did you hit?" I said 5, he said how many rounds did you fire? I said 6. He said why did you miss? I said I did not. He asked what do you mean? I told him I hit what I aimed at, but there was just not a charge there. He laughed long and hard. Well a couple of the guys accused me of cheatin for using a bolt gun. Believe me, if I could have afforded a belt fed and the ammo I would have had one. But ole Doc set them straight real quick, He said, " He paid to shoot and he can shoot whatever he likes! " ;D Too bad one day I made the mistake of laying next to a guy shooting an FND who showered my rifle with brass gouging up the stock. But I just laid there and kept shooting 'cause I liked it! ;D
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Post by mike3132 on Oct 9, 2010 17:47:49 GMT -5
If most center fire rifles were legal to hunt deer with in Indiana my choice would be a 25-06 but for now I have to use my poor little 35 WSSM. MIike
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Post by Rifleman on Oct 9, 2010 18:50:14 GMT -5
I would use a 25-06 or a 243, for sure for sure!
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Post by deadeye on Oct 9, 2010 21:12:02 GMT -5
If most center fire rifles were legal to hunt deer with in Indiana my choice would be a 25-06 but for now I have to use my poor little 35 WSSM. MIike now thats funny//i have not had the pleasure w/25-06 yet but i will,most talk highly,hmmmm maybe .260 lol//i also love my 220swift for these occasins in near perfect conditions
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Post by brownbasshunter on Oct 9, 2010 22:35:37 GMT -5
I also love the 25 calibers. I have a Browning A-Bolt in 25 wssm. It is light to carry and easy on the shoulder. Both of my boys (8 and 10) can shoot it with no problem.
I am shooting Sierra 120 Gameking HP's. I tried lighter bullets, but my gun likes the 120's. I have just got some Hornady 120 HP's and need to get some loaded soon for Kentucky rifle season.
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Post by Tarheel on Oct 9, 2010 22:44:03 GMT -5
The 25-06 is an awesome deer rifle, especially with 115gr bullets. Also, it is one of the few cartridges that like the hotter loads.
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Post by whyohe on Oct 10, 2010 8:26:58 GMT -5
I never had the experiance with one but have had people tell me nothing but good on them BUT in my area the ammo was/is a bit of a problem.not much selection if some places even have it. my dad wanted one but went with 30-06 for the availability of ammo.
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Post by dougedwards on Oct 10, 2010 9:17:48 GMT -5
May be the BEST available cartridge for whitetails.
Doug
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Post by bigiron on Oct 10, 2010 11:19:11 GMT -5
I have a Rem. 7600 pump gun in 25-06,only afew of these made for Grice over the years. This rifle will group the 75gr Hornady V Max into 3/4" all day.
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Post by dannoboone on Oct 10, 2010 16:01:32 GMT -5
Last .25-06 Fan? You're just kiddin' to get a thread goin', right?
I've been a fan of the .25-06 ever since Remington started manufacturing the round. In Nebraska, I used it all summer long on prairie dogs. After popping PD's at a few hundred yards, a deer sized target was like shooting a huge barn door. The only thing that made it challenging was to attempt shots EXACTLY two inches behind the shoulder.
After moving to Iowa to a no CF deer hunting state, I sold that Rem700BDL and had been sick about it ever since. Got a barrel for the Encore, but that thing would not shoot, no matter what I tried. A couple years ago, I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the few Sav VLP .25-06's made. It's the same tack driver the 700 was. Will be getting into calling song dogs this winter -- 'yotes BEWARE! It would be so much fun to use it on deer, but then, so is the Sav-PacNor .45 10MLII.
But no, you are not the last .25-06 fan, as can be seen on many other forums. The only ones who dare poo-poo this fantastic round for deer are those afflicted with magnumitis. (Oh, and .257 Roberts fans.) ;D ;D
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Post by ozark on Oct 10, 2010 20:02:40 GMT -5
I traded a .270 for a 25-06 because the 25 Cal. was legal for coyotes when deer season was not in session. I suppose the authorities figured a 25.06 wouldn't kill a deer. Anyway, I put it on my fourwheeler and soon spotted a groundhog about 80 or so yards away. I stopped and the bullet seemed to cause that whistle pig to explode. It looked like it went into the air two feed. It was nearly torn in two pieces. I don't know what bullets he had in there but he said they were for varmints. I killed a few deer with it and all were one shot kills. It is a great rifle and a super combination varmint and deer rifle. I don't recall who got it. Probably gave it to my son. I now use the .243 which I say is close to the 24-06 in most performance areas. You are not going to find anyone who knows what they are talking about saying critical things about the 25.06. Great cartridge.
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Post by jims on Oct 10, 2010 21:21:54 GMT -5
I got my 25-06 in 1962. I still have it. It was a wildcat cartridge then. Never had a reason to get rid of it, it always did what I needed.
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Post by sw on Oct 11, 2010 13:00:41 GMT -5
I agree, that the 25-06 is about as good as it gets. As is the 6MM Rem in 9-10 twist.
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Post by ozark on Oct 11, 2010 15:17:54 GMT -5
Howdy SW. I hear the 6MM Rem is slightly better than the .243. Not as popular probably because of bias against using a mm designation. Both are 6mm as you know. Ben
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Post by Rifleman on Oct 11, 2010 15:50:56 GMT -5
There was a friend of mine who use to frequent this board, went by the handle of Red Dot like the shotgun powder. He got a deal on a 257 weatherby mag, and allthough he had a little problem getting the rifle to shoot well, that thing had some awesome ballistic capability. However I really think it was mostly a paper advantage, much like comparing the .243 to the 6mm. All 4 are great cartridges, but I think in most instances I would give the nod to the more common of the above for simple economics. Brass and cartridges are cheaper for the 243 and 25-06 then they are for the 6mm and 257 weatherby respectively..
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Post by sw on Oct 11, 2010 20:18:26 GMT -5
As I understand it, the 6mm Rem has appx a 100'/sec advantage over the 243. Also, the long neck(not lending itself to an automatic, as does the 308, the parent cartridge) allows for a little better bullet loading and 50-100% less throat wear giving a 100'/sec advantage and up to twice the barrel life. For that reason, I'd bear the extra cost of initial reloading supplies for a 6mm/9-10 twist. Best way to get great reloading dies is to send in appx 3 fired cases and get a good custom made die where you can slightly shoulder bump each reloading(no work hardening) and neck sizing as you want each time simultaneously. I have this on my 22-250AK IMP and the cases just last and last. It shoots in the hi 2's and low 3's thanks to Fred Moreo. Just when Starkee was about to go out of business I had 2,500 custom made bullets made for it 80g, 1.080" long. If I didn't have this gun, I'd likely have a 25-06 or possibly a 6mm.
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Post by ozark on Oct 12, 2010 11:36:07 GMT -5
These rifles, 25.06, 6mm and the .243 are all super deer killers and also super varmit rifles. The difference in their effectiveness could be just a slight difference in the shooters skills. I am not into reloading and I find the .243 ammo available most places. I could get into reloading but don't shoot enough to justify the expense. My .243 shoots as accurately with factory ammo as I can hold and fire. I conceed that the 25.06 and the 6mm are a tad better than the .243 if you get into ballastics and technical areas. But, for my use a feet more velocity or a longer throat life means nothing as mine will no doubt out last me since I shoot less than a dozen shots per year. And there is a lot to be said for feeling totally confident and absolutely satisfied. I thought about bedding it, maybe changing stocks but as is I can consistently take crows at two hundred yards. Maybe I will just get a hot Iron and brand the stock. lol
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Post by mountainam on Oct 12, 2010 11:43:49 GMT -5
Actually most 25/06's that I've worked up loads for people shot O.K. They tend to be barrel burners with severe throat errosion. A .257 Roberts A.I. is a much more stable cartridge getting within 30 fps of the 25/06. I have relatives in the great State of Pennsylvania that use the 25/06. They swear by it, but then they also brag about shooting 16 deer out of the same box of shells. I guess they need not concern themselves with throat errosion. The .257A.I. is about all the powder capacity that a .25 cal bore can handle. I use a 6mm Rem and a 6mm AI both have 1/9 twists. It will extend your range 100-150yds over a .243 Win and case life is nearly double. The .243Win is definitely more popular but, what's more popular isn't always what's better. Sadly like the .257 Roberts.
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Post by dannoboone on Oct 12, 2010 17:38:48 GMT -5
Actually most 25/06's that I've worked up loads for people shot O.K. They tend to be barrel burners with severe throat errosion. A .257 Roberts A.I. is a much more stable cartridge getting within 30 fps of the 25/06. I have relatives in the great State of Pennsylvania that use the 25/06. They swear by it, but then they also brag about shooting 16 deer out of the same box of shells. I guess they need not concern themselves with throat errosion. The .257A.I. is about all the powder capacity that a .25 cal bore can handle. I use a 6mm Rem and a 6mm AI both have 1/9 twists. It will extend your range 100-150yds over a .243 Win and case life is nearly double. The .243Win is definitely more popular but, what's more popular isn't always what's better. Sadly like the .257 Roberts. It never ceases to amaze me how .257/.257 AI Roberts fans compare their beloved cartridge to the .25-06 while nit-picking away at the "more popular" cartridge. Any AI'd Bob achieving 30fps within the .25-06 will not be a barrel burner??!?? Yet the '06 is a barrel burner??!?? A lot of the known "barrel burners" such as the .220 Swift, .22-250, .243 and now (surprising to me) the .25-06 are also rifles which have been shot too rapidly at ranges or varmints with dire consequences to the barrel throats. Then the shooters claim them to be barrel burners. There are those who have burned out .223 barrels in prairie dog towns!! Shoot a .257AI Bob with that kind of frequency and a ruined throat is guaranteed. The .257 Roberts is a very good round. The .25-06 is an excellent round. Get over it.
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Post by Rifleman on Oct 12, 2010 18:11:19 GMT -5
Personally I don't mind burning up a barrel. I burned one on a Rem 700 30-06. It was my offhand practice rifle and I had a small boat load of LC match I got cheap. So I shot it and shot it, hot cold warm I just shot. When it started getting loose, it found a home with a shooter that did not have the skill to tell the difference and I got another one. I finally broke free from reloading and I am glad I did. I loaded over 200K rounds in my life and I never got to shoot half of those. I would rather shoot then reload and sometimes time becomes more precious then money.
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Post by Harley on Oct 12, 2010 18:25:39 GMT -5
I had the pleasure, a few years ago, of borrowing a friend's Smith & Wesson rifle chambered in 25-06, and was very impressed. Now, if you want to argue BEST whitetail caliber, I don't think there is any one answer, but I'm voting for the 7MM-08 Remington. Harley
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Post by deadon on Oct 12, 2010 19:02:24 GMT -5
Almost bought one of those when I purchased my last 270. went to the local gun shop to look at ammo. There were about 10 or 12 different boxes of 7mm 08 and 4 feet of shelf for the 270 so I chose the 270.Now I have to go back to my lowly 243 Rusty
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Post by ozark on Oct 12, 2010 19:21:13 GMT -5
LOWLY .243? The .243 isn't the best deer rifle because there are others that can do everything the .243 can. But are they better? So many great ones out there that it has to be a matter of personal choice. I suppose one could discuss the merits of bolt, lever, slide or semi-auto. The scopes we put on our rifles has a lot to do with satisfaction and can mean a lot accuracywise. To compare deer rifles it is only fair to consider the trigger, the scope, the stock fit and the balance. There never will be a lack of opinions and preferences.
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Post by Rifleman on Oct 13, 2010 16:58:10 GMT -5
Here is my favorite rifle of all time, the Dillon Aero Mini Gun:
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Post by johnp034 on Oct 23, 2010 3:22:40 GMT -5
Ruger M77, 25-06, 117 gr. Sierra BTSP, 50 grs. H4831, 2,900 fps. Awesome! Only thing better and flatter is .257 Weatherby mag, same bullet w/64 grs. of H4831 @ 3,200 fps. Totally awesome!
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Post by tasaman on Oct 25, 2010 22:00:53 GMT -5
Just started with the 25/06 but like it a lot. No real kick and super devastating. So far shot 5 deer. One went a little ways, all others were DRT.
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Post by sw on Nov 25, 2010 18:50:19 GMT -5
Concerning barrel wear, the neck length seems to have a significant effect such as 6mmRem vs 243. For those who are going to reload anyway and use a custom barrel, an AI is a good idea, IMO. Usually longer case life, longer barrel life, significantly increased speed are the main benefits. Many of the newer cartridges take advantages of better designed cases such as the the 20 Hornady(222 Mag case) vs the 20 Tactical(223 case).
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Post by dannoboone on Nov 26, 2010 17:06:48 GMT -5
Steve, guess what. The Tactical 20 is an AI'd case. The name just does not reflect it, whereas the Practical 20 is just a .223 necked down to .204.
Todd Kindler got the Tac 20 up to 4300fps with the old 33gr Hornady's which is right there with the .204 Ruger. My brake action Encore in Tac 20 won't take that kind of pressure, but it accurately loves 4100fps using, what else, H4198.
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Post by mountainam on Nov 26, 2010 18:45:27 GMT -5
Danno, I don't know if the tactical 20 has an Ackely Improved case. It has a 30 deg shoulder which is Improved, but IIRC Ackley Improved usually denotes a 40 deg shoulder. The .204 Ruger is based on the .222Mag casing. Todd's shop is not very far from me here in Ohio and I was contemplating a 20 Var-Targ or the Turbo from him. I own a .17 Rem and I get in excess of 4300fps so it's like splitting hairs. I've never talked to any .20 cal owners that didn't like them. I use some of Todd's custom 30gr BT's in my .17 Rem.
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Post by sw on Nov 26, 2010 22:14:08 GMT -5
Small Caliber News, yes, I'm familiar with it. I'm just a small caliber person. I use 22-250 AK IMP for almost everything except when using my 17 HMR or 40 cal ML-2. Todd is really impressive.
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