Building a 25/06 rig

[Clod-NC]

Hi everyone
I need some advice,opinion,counsel,whatever for the 25/06 I'm ordering from McGowen barrels...I really mean it to be 25/06 but my concern is ,since it's a hunting rig(rusa deer is the target),is it really critical to be 28" rather than 26"?Do I choose a tight neck chamber or will a Saami one do just the same(I'll turn necks anyway),are Zoli actions fair enough plain out of the box or do they need be trued? I intend to shoot heavy bullets(over 100grs),handloaded,using 4x16x50 scope medium to long range(300 to 500 yards) and average rusa deer is about 140 pounds.Thanks in advance for your help.Of course my goal is a rifle as accurate and efficient as may be.

 

[coonhunter70]

For deer hunting a standard chamber 26" barrel will be just fine.

 

[Clod-NC]

Hi Coonhunter
Thanks for the reply.Have you personally tried this caliber on white tail(supposedly the same in my opinion as rusa deer,I'm not too sure)or similar species,as to now,all I've read about the 25/06 is so attractive,the more so if I consider the species I intend to hunt for,that I wouldn't like to blow the whole thing...? You know,it's my first ever custom rifle(Iwanted one in this caliber anyway and McGowen is making a bargain of them,apparently,so...)I'm still tempted by the 28" barrel even though it might be a real pain in the brush...I'll keep in touch.Thanks for your help.

 

[jp]

I agree with coonhunter standard caliber. I have had 4- 25'-06's love em. They shoot well. Would not think twice about another one. I shoot 120's and 100's they fly and are accurate. I have taken a few whitetails with it.

 

[wapiti25]

Go with a custom chamber to get a smaller neck diameter. You don't need a real small neck. .002 or .003 neck clearence and a uniform neck should do great. I think .012 may be at the clean-up point on my brass. The 25-06 is a great cartridge but I prefer the 6.5-06, I have two of each. I would go with the 26" max length for a hunting rifle and 25" will handle better. I had a 27 on one of the 6.5's and that is too long, I cut a 26 to 25 and I like that better. When hunting you carry a lot and shoot a little.

 

[glo]

First, order a Match Grade barrel. Even a custom, tight neck chamber won't shoot worth a dame in a cheap barrel. Get a stainless barrel if you can (or like). 26” is plenty long for the northeast. Most plains game rifles only have 26”bbl's. Have your gunsmith finish your muzzle with a recessed, 11 degree target crown.

I would go with a standard SAAMI chamber. Because this is a hunting rifle, you will never see the difference between a standard chamber and a match chamber in the field let alone on paper. This will cut down on case preparation. But you can always turn your necks just to clean them up if you want. I do.

No, you don't need to do any extra work on a Zoli action. They come trued and blue printed as is. You may want to buy a Tubb .375” recoil lug and have your gunsmith install it. He may wish to still face the action though. I wouldn't expect it to cost much since there is a barrel installation anyway.

A 4-16 x 50mm scope is a good choice. You can pack this rig up and head to Wyoming for pronghorn in a heartbeat.

What stock are you going to use? May I suggest a nice brandy colored Bobby Hart AccuBlock Heritage Classic laminated stock from Stocky's
http://www.stockysstocks.com/servlet/the-538/*NEW%21*-Bobby-Hart-AccuBlock/Detail

 

[M700]

I've taken several mule deer with my .25-06, which is a simple factory built Rem 700 CDL with the 24" barrel.

No problem getting the 100 gr bullets to about 3350 fps.

No problem geting the 115 gr bullets to 3100+ fps (Retumbo).

Ranges were from 30 - 400 yards, all the mule deer fell instantly. Only one required a finishing shot. The 115 gr Berger VLD is a devestating deer bullet, and works very well. I've used it on deer at 175, 230 and 400 yards. In my limited experience with this bullet, internal damage is prodigious, and a bullet exit unlikely.

Regards, Guy

 

[Clod-NC]

Hi fellas

Well thanks a million to all of you who took some time to give me some good advice about the whole thing;I suppose the Zoli is a good enough action to use for hunting,I'm glad I won't have to true it,I'll probably settle on a 26" bbl medium varmint contour recessed crown;the stock is provided but to finish(mapple wood they say it is)the deal seems pretty neat(about $1000 all told and shipped),I'll most probably forget about the custom reamer and chamber,too much of a hassle for me here in New Caledonia if I have to get it made then sent to McGowen for use on the rig,with the posting delays eventual loss,whatnot,I'll follow your advice and try and keep it simple and rely on the efficiency of the cartridge itself;those deers we hunt around here aren't that big(120,130 pounds,200 for a big buck),so I'll just sharpen my eyes and aim good.Thanks for the advice,you're great.

 

[wboggs]

I can vouch for the 25-06 on deer. Have killed many and the Barnes x has worked best for me because it exits and leaves a large blood trail. Many of my shots seem to come just at dark and it is hard to find them in the brush even if they go only a few yards.
My only complaint is the lack of .257 bullets as compared to the 6.5 mm but that isn't a problem unless you enjoy experimenting with lots of different loads, etc.
Good hunting
Bill

 

[Beruisis]

A Ruger M77 25-06 was my ONLY rifle for many years. Took a couple of bull elk, several cow elk, some mule deer & many whitetails. 24" factory barrel with 120 gr Nosler Solid Base BT bullets (no longer made). You won't need anything more.
Good shooting!
Beruisis

 

[2506]

I have killed a few hundred whitetail deer with a 25-06 over the past 30 years doing crop damage control as well as hunting. My current rifle is a Rem. 700 action with a #6 Shilen select stainless steel 26" 10" twist standard chamber in an HS precision stock. Rem case, CCI 250 mag primer, 49 grs IMR 4350, 117 gr Sierra Pro Hunter, 3000 fps. One shot kills with 99% of the time BANG FLOP out to a touch over 500 yards. You will love your 25-06.

 

[sundance]

I had my gunsmith build me a 25-06 Ackley Rem 700 in 1999 to replace a 257 Weatherby Mark V that didn't shoot any better than the 3 shots in 1.5 inches they advertised. I used the ackley mainly on antelope out to 400+ yards with 100 grain Hornady Spire points. Scrambled up the lungs pretty good on most of them. It has a 5.5 Hart barrel on it and a Jewell trigger in a blue and white swirly McMillan stock. Pretty colorful but the goats don't seem to mind. Still shoots good with 700 rounds down the barrel .
I just loaded some 115 Bergers and they shoot good too but no animals yet. Maybe next year.
If you build it and don't like it for some reason you are not stuck with it for the rest of your days. Go for it!

 

[86alaskan]

Another vote for the ol' 25-06. I have a nice semi custom built on a Tikka T3 action. went with 24" cut rifled KP barrel and custom 1-9" twist to better handle the heavier bullets... 115gr berger vld, 120gr partition, 115gr barnes. it's a lights out killer and I can get over 3100fps with the berger without really pushing. the 4-16x50 is an excellent hunting scope with great low and high end for most any shooting scenario. good luck

 

[scope eye]

A 25-06AI with a 87gr Vmax and a compressed load of RL22 65gr +or- is a 4000 fps round.

Dean

 

[JLT]

A 25-06AI with a 87gr Vmax and a compressed load of RL22 65gr +or- is a 4000 fps round.

Dean

And it's a grenade at those speeds!

I agree with the previous posts re: barrel length for a hunting rifle. Anything longer than 26" will be a bit of a pain in heavy cover - it'll catch on every twig and branch you pass. Unless you plan on using WC870 or similar powders for the heavier bullets, you should be fine with a 26" barrel. Heck, I have a 26" barrel on my .25-'06 and one of my favorite game loads is a case stuffed full (and then some) of WC870 topped off with a Speer 120 gr. BTSP. I can get more speed with other powders, but I'll take a 120 gr. at 3,050 fps and it shoots really well.

Best of luck with your build.

 

[JRS]

You don't need more than a 24" barrel. Personally, I would choose no more than 23". If you're loading a case that holds 80-90 grains of slow burning powder, that's a different story. Look at the most commonly used barrel lengths for the .270 and 30-06.

 

[civil82]

I had my gunsmith build me a 25-06 Ackley Rem 700 in 1999 to replace a 257 Weatherby Mark V that didn't shoot any better than the 3 shots in 1.5 inches they advertised. I used the ackley mainly on antelope out to 400+ yards with 100 grain Hornady Spire points. Scrambled up the lungs pretty good on most of them. It has a 5.5 Hart barrel on it and a Jewell trigger in a blue and white swirly McMillan stock. Pretty colorful but the goats don't seem to mind. Still shoots good with 700 rounds down the barrel .
I just loaded some 115 Bergers and they shoot good too but no animals yet. Maybe next year.
If you build it and don't like it for some reason you are not stuck with it for the rest of your days. Go for it!

I've killed deer with the 25-06/115gr Bergers, they do the job quite well. Have also killed deer and pronghorn with 100gr. Nosler BTs and 115 Bergers in 25-06AI. I've only had one NBT not exit, a heavy bodied mule deer at ~235 yards. Bullet stopped on the opposite side underneath the hide. Animal did not take one step. Here's a video (shot at the 1:15 mark) of a PA doe getting hit with a 100gr. NBT. "Bang, flop" has been typical on everything it's hit.

 

[scope eye]

And it's a grenade at those speeds!

Actually my 25-06AI is a 12 twist so is my 257WBY, so that really slows down the rpm over a traditional 10 twist barrel, 240.000 rpm 12t VS 290.000 rpm 10t. My 25 RUM which I send the same 87s at over 4500 fps is a 14 twist 230.000 rpm they don't grenade on impact either, they always seem to make it into chuck,coyote, ect, my take is they are traveling so fast that by the time they impact, the bullet is well into the body before opening up, No science involved just years of observations.

Dean

 

[joed49]

I've owned and shot a 700 VS in .25-06 for 38 years and love the cartridge. Mine has a Krieger barrel same length as original, 24". I'm not a big fan of 26" barrels though, I own a few but I prefer 24". Stayed with SAAMI chamber as I didn't want to get into neck turning. This rifle will shoot groups under 1/2" at 100 yds all day long. I don't regret staying with the standard chamber.

The .25-06 is an overbore cartridge so I've resisted the urge to go to an AI. The 85 gr Nosler from the 24" barrel has clocked 3625 fps for me.

Have hunted groundhogs with lighter bullets, Nosler 85 gr BT, deer with 100 gr and even took the rifle on a bear hunt in Canada shooting 120 gr Nosler Partitions. It's very versatile with what you can hunt. Most of my hunting is now groundhogs so I stay with lighter bullets mostly.

I have stayed with Nosler and Sierra bullets but am in the process of switching to BIB bullets next season to try something with a higher BC.

Whatever you choose good luck, I think you'll be pleased.

 

[nmkid]

I went with a 26" barrel and it really shoots the 110 Gr Accubonds into little tiny groups.