Hi Folks,
I was finally able to steal a day away from Grad School and get down to the range for some load testing. While there I observed some strange phenomena with my Savage .25/06.

Hornady 117 grain SST factory loads printed buckshot style patterns instead of groups and 115 grain Nosler BT handloads did no better than slightly under 2 inches. Some 100 grain Nosler BT handloads and 90 grain Barnes XBTs averaged between 1 and 1.5 inches. Now for the really strange part.

Loads with the 120 grain Sierra GKHPT and 48.0 grains if IMR 4350 produced 3 shot groups of .427 inches and 5 shots landed in .843 inches. Not too bad for a light sporter barrel.

The only thing I can figure is that the Hornady 117 SST and the Nosler 115 BT are too long to properly stabilize in this particular rifle even though it has a 10 twist barrel.

Has anyone else experienced this situation with a .25/06? Also, has anyone used the 120 grain GKHPT on smallish southern whitetails?

HBB: check here:
http://www.nookhill.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=38;t=001283

don't think it is the twist. my 25/06's and 257's do fine with a 10" twist and 120gr bullets....

Bear, I'll bet it wasn't a stability issue. You didn't have any elongated/oval holes in the target, did you? That would indicate stability issues. Maybe you have just not hit on the correct powder & primer combo for those bullets. I've had sucess with 4831(either Imr, Hogdgon, or Hogdgon sc) when using heavier bullets, and 4350 with those lighter than 90-100gr. I wouldn't be too quick to give up on the other bullets, just yet. That said, I don't think you will have any problems at all with the Game King bullet. They have always done me right. Good expansion, coupled with plenty of penetration generally equals success.>>>>>>>>>Bug.

Try a change in seating depth- it looks like the barrel "likes" the shape of the speer & it is not quite as "sleek" as some of the others.

hillbillybear;
I use both of the Sierra's HPBT and SBT GameKings and get virtually same POI and MOA accuracy @ 100 yards with both. The Sierra HPBT is a little tougher bullet than the SBT either one should work well for you. You're more likely to get a complete pass-thru with the HPBT if that's what you're looking for. I couldn't get the Noslers to shoot well either.

[ 07-25-2003, 21:25: Message edited by: Marsh Mule ]

I have tried most everything in my 25-06 and actually had really good luck with the 117 SST and the 115 Ballistic Tip. Hard to say why your gun will not shoot them well.

If your gun shoots that Sierra 120 grain HPBT well I would just shoot it. My gun likes it as well and I have shot several wild hogs with it and it has worked fine.

I have had the best luck in my 25-06 rifles when shooting heavy bullets (over 100 grains) if I used either RL 22 or IMR 7828.

If you want to give those 115 Ballistic Tips another chance, try working up to 54 grains of IMR 7828. This shoots great in my rifle and has dropped pigs in CA and antelope in Wyoming, no problem.

Of course, you may find your rifle does better with lighter bullets. My dad and I have shot a whole bunch of coyotes, deer, antelope, and wild hogs with 25-06 rifles using the 100 grain Nosler Partition. It just plain old fashion works! Try working up to 54 grains of IMR 4831 behind this bullet.

Have fun, R F

47 or 48 grains of IMR 4350 is an awfully good place to start looking for accuracy with the heavier bullets in a .25-06. If that's not the charge you paired with the BTs, you should try it. The guys who commented on seating depth make a good point. Just off the lands for each bullet is a good place to start.

You also have to look out for flukes. A single five shot group might tell you how bad the load is, but it tells you nothing about how good it. A single five shot group of .75 might be followed by a two inch group with the same load.

My practice is to load ten rounds of each of the bullets I have on hand over a powder charge I trust. (47.0 grains IMR 4350 in the .25-06 for 115 to 120 grain bullets) I shoot a five shot group with each. If I get any really bad groups, say over 2.5 inches, I stop the testing of that bullet and use the remaining five as foulers after cleaning. I shoot the next batch of five shot groups and check for accuracy and consistency. I quit testing here on anything that has given me two groups over roughly 1.5 inches.

Then it's back to the bench for more loads of anything showing promise. If I'm lucky, I wind up with a couple of loads that have done five five shot groups with none much more than an inch. Having narrowed down the range, I can then try to fine tune those. I can even play with different powders once I know what bullets are working.

You MIGHT be right about stability problems, BUT some judicious load development work with that Nosler 115-grain might turn out to be OK. Since the 120-grain Sierra did so well, I really doubt that your twist is too slow. 1/10" ought to be adequate for the Nosler 115.

[ 07-26-2003, 18:28: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

I don't think there is a stability problem either. I am curious though, what the length(respectively) is on the bearing surface of those bullets.

I had nearly the same problem in my 25-06, tried all sorts of powders and nothing.. Then I tried of all things the 120gr Nosler Partition and had half inch accuracy at 100yds. The other thing I did was change primers. I was never a believer in primer difference till then. Finally got it to shoot 115gr. Still no luck though on 85grainers. Hope that helped in a way. Needless to say you are not the only one.