I am going to buy a .25/06 that will be used for paper punching, Varminting and some Whitetail hunting. Weight is not too big an issue as I will not be hauling it around too much. I am looking for an accurate rifle that will reach out. What rifle/scope combination do you recommend?

sHARK BAIT the 25 will grow on you I have two
a parker hale m1200 and a win, m70. shot a few deer with 100gr fb nosler bt. the parker shoots about any thing the win is a little more particular.
good caliber
dave

I love to tell people about the .25/06. I have owned three of them. Two of them I think, fit the description you are looking for. My first choice would be the Ruger M77MkIIVT. The one I owned was one of the most accurate guns I have ever pulled the trigger on. Sub 1/2" groups with my favorite handloads. Second choice would be a Remington Sendero, which I am currently shooting. Almost as accurate as the Ruger. Lots of groups under 1/2". I have a Springfield 6x20x56mm Government Model scope mounted on it with Leupold long range base and rings. Look on the Big Game forum at the thread "Are these BIG enough?" and you can see a pic of the Sendero and its latest kill, 100gn NBT over 57 gns Reloader 22. They shoot about 9/16" 5 shot groups.

Eric J

I have a Sendero and even though I had to send it back because of a bad chamber, the returned rifle shoots the 75 Vmax into little tiny .350" diameter 5 shot groups. That's outside diameter, or a .1 to the benchrest crowd. Haven't bothered with any other bullet yet because I bought it for varmints with light bullets at high velo.

This is my third 25-06. My first was when Rem came out with the 700BDL Varminter, it shot great small groups with 87 Hornadys, bug holers with Sierra 90 HP's and high velo with 100 Sierras. The second was a Ruger #1 varminter. It never shot real well but not real bad either, no matter what I did to it. Stayed around an inch with whatever I fed it. Sent it back to the factory for a new barrel and then traded it for the Sendero. Maybe I should have tried it out first????

Now, I think I would opt for a Tikka after reading a few write ups and seeing what the net has been reporting. The have a much higher quality at about the same price. Tikka is more hand fitted and Rem is "untouched by human hands" for the most part. Too bad for our side.

Makatak

Gungadin - You may be surprised what the Hornady 75gr HP can do with a lung shot to a
deer. Wouldn't try it with the VMax, though, but the hollow points stay together better and
have a nearly identical trajectory.

I have owned numerous 25-06's in various makes and models, both sporter weight and varmint style. Makes have been Browning, Ruger, Remington, Weatherby and my current 25....which is a Sako 75 SS...it is also the most accurate one I have had. 3/8'' five shot groups at 100 yards is not tough to get if I am having a good day. Many nice features in this rig....it is a keeper! It is a heavy rifle but not excessively so.

One poster mentioned the Tikka and that would also be a good choice..certainly a lot cheaper to buy than a Sako. The Remington Sendero is also a good choice for hunting from a fixed position but they don't balance well if you are walking...very barrel heavy.

Thanks Y'all.

I looked at all of the above mentioned rifles. The dealer had the Ruger MkII Varmint, Savage Laminated Stainless, Tikka Continental, Rem. Sendero, etc.. I ended up purchasing the Rem. Sendero. I was sold on the smoothness of the action, fit and finnish, look and feel, trigger pull of the Rem. Also because of the number of Smiths who know how to work on the Rem. 700 action, trigger, etc., and the availability of scope mounts, rings, etc.

I hope I made a good choice. I am mounting a Weaver 4.5-14X40 scope on it and will begin the break in process. I'll keep you updated.

Shark

Don't overlook the Savage Model 110 FP. I just picked 1 up and I'm very pleased with it. 7/8 groups out of the box with Win ammo. Haven't had a chance to work up handloads yet.

Yo Sharky,

Yer gonna luv that Sendero. I have two. One in .25-06 and one in .300 RUM. They are both tack drivers. Just started working on a load for the RUM. I got my 160 grain GS Custom HVs in recently and picked up some brass. I'm still looking for some RL-22 powder.

That Weaver is a great scope too.

Don't forget to try the 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips with a 4831 powder.

[ 06-12-2002, 16:05: Message edited by: Ol' Sarge ]

You may like Hoppes #9 but Shooters Choice works better. Good luck with your Remington it is always the luck of the draw how well any factory rifle will shoot. The 25-06 cartridge tends to be hard on barrel life. You may get 2000 rounds from the bore but 1500 is more realistic. The heavy recoil may dampen you want to shoot much at the bench. The 22-250 or 243 is much better suited for paper punching and a lot less expensive to shoot. I have found the Savage rifle to be a better shooting stock rifle. I own all three cartridges and find the 25-06 just sits in the gun closet and my 22-250 and 243 get the most bullets put through the bore at the range. The reason is simple, they shoot tighter groups and the recoil is far less. Time will tell you how well your decision was to buy the Remington in 25-06. If your Remington has aheavy barrel it should give better groups. No sporter weight barrel will outshoot a heavy barrel.

I'll second the Savage 110 (though it sounds like I'mm too late) everythink about them looks shoddy except the groups they turn out! I could spend more but I would have to dish out 2-3 times the money to match their consistant accuracy--both sporter wgt. and bull barrel models.
.02

Hey Y'all. I just returned from the range after my first time out with the Sendero. Good news! After breaking the barrel in with some low cost Remington ammo(Whew 60 rounds and about 3 hours later!), I started testing with some good factory ammo. Handloads will be tested on my next outing. I was shooting Federal 100 grain Balistic Tips and was getting consistent groups of about .5" at 100 yards. A couple of the groups ran about .3". I was quite impressed for my first time out. I am not sure if I will be able to improve on the factory stuff with my handloads, but it sure will be fun trying. All in all I am very happy with the gun and the results. Thanks to all for the recommendations.

Is your Sendero the Blued model, or the Stainless/Fluted?

You want the 6.5x55 model

If economics is an issue I highly suggest a Savage 110 tactical. Mine did 1/2" groups at 200 meters!) My buddies did better! Can not beat it!

Just curious.

My brother loves his Sendero in 25-06. His shoots great too. I'm not a big Remington fan anymore, Though I still have several that shoot real well.