Check out http://stevespages.com/page8c.htm. I took his advise and tried a variety of primers...the difference was dramatic. I also found WLR primers to be the most accurate for all charges of IMR4350 that I used. Coincidently, FED 210 gave the worst results. I know each gun has its own sweet spot and what worked for me may make no difference in your gun, but it is an easy and cheap experiment. Good luck.

gvsdakota

Here's what I do.....and you'll have to decide for yourself how to handle this gun.

I glass bed the action and free float the barrel. I then pick several bullets that have been traditionally good shooters in the past for me. I then pick a few different powders based on reloading data and fill and velocity and load some rounds.

I'm not into barrel break in.....don't buy it at all.....and yes I've done it!!

Start with the bullet you most want to use. Load the powder you most want to use in 5- shot groups and see how they shoot. If you get reasonably good groups try different amounts of that powder.....other wise try a second powder. Keep this process up and if you find no good groups try the second bullet etc.....

If in the end nothing works I trade the SOB off and someone else owns it.

It's a rare gun that won't shoot Nosler Ballistic tips into little groups. This is also true of Hornady interlocks and SSTs Sierra and Speer compete favorably here so try theirs as well if you wish. But there's a limit to the experimenting I'll do......sometimes you just got a bummer.....and I don't rebarrel because it don't shoot good.....It's not cheap to do and often don't fix the problem

Let me repeat.....if the gun don't shoot as a glass bedded action and free floated barrel....it's outta her.

I know well that some shoot real little groups with an upwards pressure on the end of the foreend.....it's just a matter of deciding when is ENOUGH!!!!

You guys are scaring hell out of me. I just got my Christmas present today, a Remington 700BDL in .25-06. I've always wanted one, However, I'm now 67 and wondering how much it kicks. I have no desire to end up a spastic cripple. I'll have the action glass bedded and the barrel floated, but won't get to shoot it until Spring. That case holds a lot of powder and looks like it could be a beast. Most of my shooting is from the bench so I'll feel the recoil much more than if field shooting at game. Am I apt to get the snot knocked out of me? I don't really know. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Cal, No you won't get the snot kicked out of you by the 25-06! It will probably thrive on 55-57 grains of ReLoader 19 and the 85 grain Nosler BT, 49 grains of IMR 4350 and the 117 grain Sierras, or 115 Noslers, a host of other powders and bullets (H4831, IMR 4831, RE-22, 90 grain Sierras, 75 grain VMaxs.....the list goes on! If it's a BDL wood stock you will feel the effects more than if it's their synthetic version! However what that cartridge can do will amaze you! GHD...pastor at the church of GHD, 25-06!

Cal..the 25-06 is one of the sweetest shooters around ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE THE 30-06 or 270.

Also fast and flat...love that caliber

I was debating about getting this caliber myself, but do not know much about it. I do not want it to kick the snot out of me either, but to be very effective on mule deer, whitetails, and antelope up to 350 yards. A 117 grain bullet and smaller seems to be a bit light to me. Am I wrong about this?

Dthfrmbv,

I shoot 100 gr. Barnes TSX bullets, out of my Tikka WH,
in .25-06 Rem. at Wisconsin whitetail deer(Bucks over
200 lbs), and these bullets drop them like they were hit
by lightning. I would not be afraid to use this same
gun, and load, on elk. So some poor antelope, at 350
yds, is going to hit the ground with a thump, with a
well place 100 gr. bullet, from a .25-06. I prefer
the flatter shooting, of the 100 gr. bullet, for
deer sized game, and when I go on my western hunt,
I will have the .25-06, as my backup to the 300 WSM,
on the elk part of the hunt. If I do have to use it,
I will be a little more careful on shot placement,
but I am sure it will humanely dispatch an elk.

Squeeze

Cal and others, Do ya'll know why the 25-06 is not more popular than it is? It's because the .270, 30-06,.308 crowd has never used one so they stick to the old "Daddy shot one of these so I do to" mindset!! Get yourself a 25-06 and be "enlightened"!!
For whoever asked, "117-120 grains too light for....." DON'T SHOOT A BULL IN THE ASS WITH A BB-GUN AND EXPECT HIM TO FALL!!!!! The 117's (Sierra) and 120's(Hornady) have the knack for doing the "smackdown" on big stuff!!! "Have I ever used them or am I just talking?!!!" BTDT!!!!! Most deadliest darn bullets I've ever seen launched at game!!! Ask anyone who has a bit of experience with the 25-06 about it!!! Now you want to see "acrobatics"? Launch the 75 VMax's at around 3600fps into a groundhog or "colony varmint"!!!! Red Mist becomes the RED CLOUD!!!! Do I like the 25-06? YES!!! And I'll say it again, "If I could only have one rifle(GOD forbid) it would be a 25-06!!! GHD....pastor at the church of GHD...25-06!!

Hey Cal, Have you tested your new 25-06 yet? GHD.....pastor at the church of GHD....25-06!

Hello GHD,

No way in hell have I tried it. I'll get back to you in May! The snow is up over the target boards and I need snowshoes or skis to get from the firing line to the targets. Shooting really shuts down here in winter. Heck, this is the only place I know where people jump into burning buildings just to keep warm. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal