25-06 Sendero load reccomendations

[Eric Leonard]

my loads over book max but it is IMR4831 and the 100 NBT at 3420 fps,,

 

[snoopy001]

I own a customized Sendero (Krieger 26" , twist 8" , 150 gram trigg and NXS CH3).As brass RWS .270 Win, 30-06 Lapua ,both are excellent and gives allready below 0,5 MOA accuracy with N160 and 115 Berger with fireforming, amazing great cartridge.
Unfortunately in my country the AI is not approved otherwise i want rechambering
imediately,this is a fenomenal cartridge for long range varmint and hunting to

 

[NC308]

Mine prefers 50 gr of IMR 4831 and hornady 117 SST. It also shoots 54 grs of H4831sc and 90 gr gmx. But not as good as the 117.

 

[jepp2]

I am more then a little frustrated at this point.

I have been hunting with my 25-06 since 2008. I tend to hunt most with my Rem 700 SS. Nothing fancy and not overly accurate. I only consider 5 shot groups when I talk accuracy. This rifle is about 1.5" rifle in my view. So I limit my shots on antelope to 300 yards.
I also have/had two other 25-06 rifles, both Sendero. An earlier stainless fluted and an SF. The SF shoots better than the earlier one. I spent all of last year trying to get an acceptable load for the earlier one and finally gave up and sold it. I could get a few groups that showed promise, but couldn't repeat. I used mostly RL 19 with a variety of bullets.
I also built a 25-06 last year with a Krieger barrel and a Kelbly Atlas Tactical action. I didn't have time to get it lined out last year and continue to work on it. I'm hoping for a rifle that will consistently shoot in the 0.3's. Last time out I think I was close on two nodes. Tomorrow I will know more. I'm focusing on IMR 4831 with Berger 115 VLD-H bullets. I'll share 2 pics. The first is a deer I got last year with my not so accurate SS, and the last group I got from my new rifle.

 

[oregonshooter]

I have been hunting with my 25-06 since 2008. I tend to hunt most with my Rem 700 SS. Nothing fancy and not overly accurate. I only consider 5 shot groups when I talk accuracy. This rifle is about 1.5" rifle in my view. So I limit my shots on antelope to 300 yards.
I also have/had two other 25-06 rifles, both Sendero. An earlier stainless fluted and an SF. The SF shoots better than the earlier one. I spent all of last year trying to get an acceptable load for the earlier one and finally gave up and sold it. I could get a few groups that showed promise, but couldn't repeat. I used mostly RL 19 with a variety of bullets.
I also built a 25-06 last year with a Krieger barrel and a Kelbly Atlas Tactical action. I didn't have time to get it lined out last year and continue to work on it. I'm hoping for a rifle that will consistently shoot in the 0.3's. Last time out I think I was close on two nodes. Tomorrow I will know more. I'm focusing on IMR 4831 with Berger 115 VLD-H bullets. I'll share 2 pics. The first is a deer I got last year with my not so accurate SS, and the last group I got from my new rifle.

View attachment 1188741 View attachment 1188743

That is a fine buck my friend! Thanks for sharing all the info!

 

[oregonshooter]

Long time since last post! I will need to move on to another bullet. This thing wont shoot the Nosler 100 BT any better then 5/8 at 100 or so. I tried pushing the powder until the primers start to flatten. I tried magnum primers. Nothing has worked. Best load so far was a factory load that shot at 1/2 inch or so. I know the barrel is good just have to go another direction.

 

[Nomosendero]

RL 25 and 115 BT and 120 NP sure worked for me with the 25-06 in a Sendero & converted later to AI

 

[MrK.]

I have a Shilen barreled Rem 700 that I have been loading for for about 20 years. I played with 100 grain Sierra GameKings and Speer 100 grain Hot-Cors. I had trouble with penetration with the former, consistency with the latter. I settled on 110 Nosler Accubonds over a charge of RL22 @ 3250 fps (Win brass, WLR primers). This combo would stay within 1/2 MOA and the rifle held Zero for year after year. The Accubonds would smack the crap out of a deer way out to 350 yds. They seemed to be hard to come by suddenly so this spring I bought a box of Hornady 110 grain ELDX bullets. I loaded some up with the only other change was to CCI BR2 primers. The groups opened up a bit but I went ahead and loaded a batch because a wanted to get that project complete before I left my shooting area for the summer. I am sure I can dial them back in by adjusting seating depth.

 

[AckleymanII]

Poster 25/06 and several other of us have shot this load that is awesome:

117g Sierra btsp or flat base
~50g IMR 4831
3000 fps
Small groups abound

120g speer is another amazing bullet in how it kills well.

 

[joed49]

Regarding the Nosler 100 gr BT. I never had good luck with H4831 in my .25-06. The best shooting load I had with that bullet was IMR4350 and Fed primers.

One thing that 2506 brought up and I totally agree with is this cartridge likes to give it's best performance at or near max loads. I tried RL19 but it didn't work as well as IMR4350. In my 700 VS RL19 worked the best with 85 gr to 90 gr bullets giving the best accuracy I've had and a velocity just over 3600 fps.

I tried mag primers but never noticed much of a difference.

 

[lotech]

I've been shooting various .25-06s since 1965. It's still hard to beat H4831 and the Sierra 117 ProHunter in terms of accuracy and velocity combined, though I'm pretty sure you can get a little more velocity from some of the newer powders. In the mid-'60s, the 87 and 100 grain Sierras were by far the most popular bullet for what was then a wildcat cartridge. While accurate, the bullets were quite destructive on deer-sized game. The recommended charges of H4831 were also higher than what is now published, but the original 4831 was probably a slightly slower powder then.

I went with the heavier 117 grain Sierra PH in the '70s and found it to be even more accurate than the lighter bullets and a better game bullet as well. If you can get a heavy Nosler Partition to shoot well in the .25-06, that may be the best game bullet.

 

[Guybo]

I like the heavier bullets (115 - 120gr) in the 25.06 and my favorite is the Speer 120gr Hot-Cor in front of RL25 or RL22, it shoots great with either powder but i get a little more velocity with RL25.

 

[STOMP442]

A max load of H4350 under a 115gr Berger out of a 26" Criterion barrel on my wifes .25-06 is giving her 3148fps and excellent groups. Kills like lightning.

 

[AckleymanII]

Also, many of the 25/06 loads are right at a max load for the rifle. I have bumped the shoulders with a standard Forster neck sizer and escaped full length sizing(+trimming) for 12 firings on Winchester brass. My last Remington 700 in 25/06 shot the 100g Speer btsp with a .060 jump with a max load for the rifle of R#19. Over book max load, lot# of powder vary. The load was so accurate I think that I could shoot humming birds at 300 yards with the 6x24 I had on the rifle, Win brass and Win primer.

Note: 100g Partition is the most accurate partiton of any caliber I have ever shot, 1/2" groups with IMR 4350 at 3150 fps out of a 700. I have never shot the 100g partition with R#19.

A hot load of IMR 4350 with 87g speers' TNT, has been very, very accurate in several Remingtons...they like to jump .040-.060 in the barrels I had. 87g Speer TNT detonates coyotes at 3500+. Rock Chucks take off like they have been shot out of a Circus Canon with the 87g tnt.

 

[Dessert]

Congratulations on a fine purchase. I’ll echo what poster 25 06 said. In my experience with this wonderful cartridge, everything he said is spot on.

 

[MikeT49]

115 Partitions, 56.5 gr IMR 7977, CCI 250. ~3140 fps. Easy 1 1/2" groups or less at 200 yards off a harris style bipod & rear bag. It looks like there is a higher node at ~ 58 gr, @ ~ 3290 fps, but for both my short throated 25-06's (CBTO 2.66", COL 3.18") I'm crunching too much powder so I settled on 56.5. Decent accuracy for Partitions and Thor's hammer on big Northern whitetails.

 

[sbhooper]

The Speer 120s, over IMR4831 shot great in my buddy's Savage. A little under 3000 fps.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

I have 3 25-06 rifles, but I really only hunt with one.
Mine prefers RE25, then RETUMBO and finally H1000. I use either RE22 or H1000 with 100 grainers.
I use 56gr RE22 with 100gr BT’s, or 55gr H1000. Either load produces around 3350fps in my rifle.
I mainly use 110gr Accubonds these days.
My load is either 56gr RE25 or 57gr RETUMBO.

For large deer, I run 115gr Partitions. But that is in a different rifle with 26” tube.

Cheers.

I picked up some IMR 8133 to try in several cartridges including 25-06 Remington, the load data on Hornady's site & in their 2020 Annual looks promising - around 3200 fps with 117 grain and 120 grain projectiles.

My 25-06 rifle isn't anything super special, it's a vintage Interarms Mark X Cavalier with a Konus 3.5-10X44 scope with illuminatd reticle. It bagged a whitetail & two feral hogs in early 2019 (last time I went hunting) all 1 shot bang-flops using Federal Power Shock 117 grain, Premium 110 grain Accubond, and 120 grain Fusion but I want to see what I might accomplish with hand loads. I have a vareity of heavy for caliber projectiles I'm planning on trying including some vintage 120 grain Speer Pro Hunter flat base and 120 grain Speer Grand Slam. I haven't had any shot opportunities over 200 yards in Texas scrub but hopefully I'll have an antelope hunt sometime next year or year after. I have some Underwood factory ammo squirreled away with 110 grain Accubonds at a published muzzle velocity of 3250 fps with that in mind.

 

[2506]

I have used 25-06's for over 30 years. Go back and read my previous post and give those PROVEN loads a try. They have shot in about any rifle. As someone else said the 117 Sierra is hard to beat as a deer bullet. The Pro Hunter flat base seems to shoot more accurate than the Game King boat tail.

 

[daniel brothers]

25/06.... I took your post to heart and I loaded up some loads yesterday that were close to yours... and they shot great. They were 117 Sierra sbt.... 52.0 gr. Imr 4350.... CCI 250 primers....and Rem Brass. I will tweak on it more next week, but so far they will shoot inside a dime at 100. Plenty good enough to knock some deer into the dirt... which is my WHOLE PLAN. I will chrony it after I get finished playing with the load. A load that produces DRT kills is my only goal... and I believe this combo will do it for sure.