25-06.... Why?

[joshb]

I have a cousin here in Texas that wants me to build him a custom rifle. He has shoulder issues and wants a little less recoil for Elk, mule deer and hogs. His brother has a 25-06 and expounds endlessly about the virtues of the cartridge. I’ve been studying my books.
The 25-06 launches a 117 grain bullet at 3000 FPS. Woohoo! So can a .243, a 6xc, 6.5-55 ! My 6.5-47 launches a 123 at 2950.
Am I missing something? It seems to me there are some great modern cartridges that use a lot less powder in a short action, with the same performance.
Opinions wanted. I just don’t get it.
I’m thinking 243 as a suggestion. Maybe a 260 or 6.5-55.

 

[Bill Norris]

If I ever did a 25-06 again it would be an A I. As you noted the 6mm and 6.5mm will do as good or better than the regular chambering.

 

[cheek9075]

I have always thought that a 2506 was a good round. I have a rem 700 sendero stainless fluted barrel. I have bedded the action and installed a muzzle break. Everything else is factory. It is probably the most consistent rifle I own. Shooting 117 sst at 3190 fps about a quarter inch group.

I can't say it's the best choice but for a standard round I will say it's a good choice.

 

[gunnermhr]

I have a 25/06 in a Remington mountain rifle. I bought it for the simple reason it's not a super popular round where I live, the old 30/06 or nothing was more the reason I I bought it. It's been my go to Whitetail rifle for 20+ years and has never left me down. I like the 100 grain bullets, and I'd think you'd be hard pressed to get a 243 pushing the velocity of a 25/06, in fact, I don't think it can. I like my 243's too, I have a few of them that have served me well.

When it comes down to it, it's preference, they'll all do the job, it's more of what you want than what cartridge does the job.

 

[HTSmith]

With Elk in the mix definitely go with a 6.5/264.

 

[ebb]

It has the same case capacity as a 6.5-284 and almost the same bullet dia. .257-.264. When i bought mine it was one of the best antelope rifles available. If you found ballistics that show that I am guessing that it is some weak factory loaded ammo. 25 caliber bullets have always been light till the black jacks came out, i think it was a factory twist rate too slow and bullets too light to make the 25-06 shine. The lopes didn't like mine.

 

[john 800]

One selling point I heard years ago for it was that because if the choice in bullets it can be used for deer sized game and lighter ones for varmints. The same could be said for others, but that was one. I have never owned one but the guys that do swear by them in my experience.
I sort of went down this road looking for less recoil over tge last year, when my 4’3” 10 year old told me she wants to deer hunt.
You could compare it to a slightly larger bore on the 270 as well with 110 grain bullets. For my wife and kids I am downloading a 270 cause thats what I had, using 110 grain bullets at around 3k. One plus to downloading a 270 is that the lighter 270 bullets are designed for 6.8 spc speeds, amd nosler says they are good to around 3200, so I tried them at 3k and the recoil seems pretty manageable, so that would be an option.

 

[joshb]

I have a 25/06 in a Remington mountain rifle. I bought it for the simple reason it's not a super popular round where I live, the old 30/06 or nothing was more the reason I I bought it. It's been my go to Whitetail rifle for 20+ years and has never left me down. I like the 100 grain bullets, and I'd think you'd be hard pressed to get a 243 pushing the velocity of a 25/06, in fact, I don't think it can. I like my 243's too, I have a few of them that have served me well.

When it comes down to it, it's preference, they'll all do the job, it's more of what you want than what cartridge does the job.

I looked at some info here:

 

[jackieschmidt]

So now cartridges with less powder can magically shoot faster than a cartridge with more powder with an equal weigh Bullet. Saying a 243 can shoot a 117 grn bullet faster than a 25/06 is like saying a 7/08 can push a 168 grn bullet faster than a 30/06.

Why not load the 25/06 up to it’s full potential? You have 58 grns of powder at your disposal.

 

[Adam in WI]

I think it's a little disingenuous to suggest that a 243 can hold it's own with a 25-06. You're not shooting 115-120 grain bullets out of a standard 243, and if you want to compare equal bullet weights the 25-06 will bury a 243 with 100 grain slugs. 25-06 is definitely antiquated, but it ain't no slouch either.

 

[Nealm66]

Man, I finished working up a 90gr absolute hammer load in my brothers 25-06 vanguard at 3740fps with 4451 and it really puts it on a different level. Was shooting steel with it at 500 meters and you could hear those solids just whacking those plates. Definitely not in the same league as a 243

 

[1K6BRA]

I just got done putting my 25- 06 in the case to load in my car tomorrow morning for New York deer season that starts this Saturday. Might be a little light for elk but with the right bullet at reasonable ranges I’m thinking it would work although I have no experience there. But I can tell you that it rolls deer here in Pennsylvania and New York like a shotgun rolls rabbits! I shoot Barnes 80 grain TTSX bullets in mine, impressive to say the least.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Josh, slip the .308 Winchester into the conversation. It makes a bigger hole when it gets there.

 

[Tommie]

The 25-06 is a killer. Go for it.

 

[Djfergus]

I have a cousin here in Texas that wants me to build him a custom rifle. He has shoulder issues and wants a little less recoil for Elk, mule deer and hogs. His brother has a 25-06 and expounds endlessly about the virtues of the cartridge. I’ve been studying my books.
The 25-06 launches a 117 grain bullet at 3000 FPS. Woohoo! So can a .243, a 6xc, 6.5-55 ! My 6.5-47 launches a 123 at 2950.
Am I missing something? It seems to me there are some great modern cartridges that use a lot less powder in a short action, with the same performance.
Opinions wanted. I just don’t get it.
I’m thinking 243 as a suggestion. Maybe a 260 or 6.5-55.

Your view of this cartridge mirrors my view of it. I have a 25-06 myself. In MY opinion, the cartridge would shine with the newer 131bj and high bc Berger bullets. And if someone would make a higher bc 120gr bullet for it, it would also be enticing. In those situations, it rivals the 6.5 cals very nicely. Slightly less recoil with possibilities of superior ballistics for the 25-06. But if a person is going for the significantly less recoil aspect of a 25-06 running 100-115gr bullets, then they would have better ballistics, more downrange energy, and even less recoil if they went with a 6mm cal such as a 6mm Creedmoor or fast twist 243. I have developed good loads with the .257 115 vld but when you compare the wind drift & downrange energy to that of a 105-110gr 6mm, the difference between the two is significant. The advantage goes to the 6mm. When you compare the 25-06 loaded with a 131gr to a 6 creed loaded with a 108gr, the 25-06 wins. That's comparing oranges to apples. With 131gr & heavier bullets , it makes more sense to compare it to a 6.5 cal than a 6mm.

 

[joshb]

So now cartridges with less powder can magically shoot faster than a cartridge with more powder with an equal weigh Bullet. Saying a 243 can shoot a 117 grn bullet faster than a 25/06 is like saying a 7/08 can push a 168 grn bullet faster than a 30/06.

Why not load the 25/06 up to it’s full potential? You have 58 grns of powder at your disposal.

Shine the light....please! I mean, this whole forum is about more efficient cartridges that shoot accurately. I think something might be out there with less recoil, more efficiency and works close to the same performance.

 

[MQ1]

I’ve killed groundhogs, deer, coyotes and elk with my 25-06s…hard to knock it for an off the shelf cartridge. You can split hairs all day long on paper, comparing it to other, more modern cartidges…but I don’t think in any practical application you will find many as versatile…especially with an off the shelf rifle.

MQ1

 

[cjames]

When I think of Elk and Hogs, the 25-06 is not what comes to mind. Why not add a muzzle break? I know they are loud but, they do calm down the recoil. Why not a 30-06 with a muzzle break? I haven't killed many elk but I have killed a lot of big boars in Texas and we have had some hog rodeos. And one in particular got really western from not enough gun/bullet, plain and simple. My son shot a hog a few years back with a 120 Prohunter in 6.5 Creed and it took 7 well placed shot to bring that big boy down and to keep him down. 2 in the head to start and 4 in the chest. 4 in the chest and last one in the head were between 2 and 17 yards. He went down both times with head shots got back up, went down under a cedar tree. When we saw him still alive, my son put one in the chest, Hog got up. I took the rifle from my son (I think he was 12 at the time) I put 2 more in the chest. Hog got up again, I put one more in the chest (Only shot I had). I hollered "I'm out!. My buddy came running by and put 1 more in his head with a .38. Big boy stayed down after that. We went to 140 Partitions and a hotter load after that for that rifle. I usually hunt hogs with a 30-06 or 7 Mag both with Tipped Barnes Bullets.

 

[std7mag]

It's a 25 caliber thing.
You wouldn't understand....

 

[pintopete]

Always seemed like the .257 Roberts fits this niche, but the established standard of a lower pressure, then the +P pitch, and action fit make it far less straightforward than an off the shelf. In my experience, handloads that come reasonably close to the rifling will not fit in a Rem 700/722 magazine because they are too long.