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| One of Us |
Would like to hear some good bullet powder combinations. Thinking of a 120 Partition at about 3100 fps. Thanks in advance. | ||
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| one of us |
the barnes x bullet would also be a soild top choise better penetration and more weight retention than the noslers in that caliber or possibly a swift "A" frame as its a bonded version of the nosler partition my bet would be on barnes bullets exp in a smaller rifle like that and when hunting bigger game than what the rifle was originaly intented for | |||
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| One of Us |
I second the Barnes bullets. They shoot great in my 25-06. | |||
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120gr Partition 52gr H4831=3060fps | |||
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I am partial to the Partitions also. They seem to group better than any of the Barnes offerings, at least in what I shoot. Jerry NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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I have used the 115gr Barnes XLC, Nosler 120gr Partitions, and was hunting with the 120 Hornady Interlok HP though can't tell you how the Hornady worked. I wouldn't be scared of using a Rem corelock, Interbond, Accubond, or whatever as long as they were 120's. Placement is more important. What shoots well out of your rifle? The 100gr Barnes TSX would work due to weight retention I'm sure but I don't think I'd try 100's in some of the others. My favorite powders in my .25-06 are H4831sc & RL22. I am pushing mine a little over book max with both powders and getting great groups. I also am using WLR primers and get acceptable groups from several different brands of cases. ( Hornady, Win, Rem) Nate | |||
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+ 1 on hammer2506"s load. | |||
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| one of us |
120 gr. Nosler Partition at 3100 FPS would be darn hard to beat IMO.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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| one of us |
Regard powder charges as suggestions only. Every rifle needs a slightly different powder charge due to differences in the chamber, barrel, bore, twist, etc. The very best bullet for elk would be, as suggested, a 120 Partition. In my .25-06 I like IMR-7828. Start with a trial load around the middle of what is suggested by a couple of different manuals and go from there according to pressure signs and velocity. If you have a 24-inch or long barrel you can likely wring something between 3000 and 3100 fps out of the 120 grainer before you hit unsustainble pressures. Like most, I would prefer a larger caliber for elk, but a .25-06 shooting 120 Partitions will certainly do the job, and I wouldn't feel handicapped if that was all that was available to me. | |||
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| One of Us |
Another load worthy of consideration is the 100 gn TTSX fueled by RL-22 or IMR 7828 at around 3350 fps. JM | |||
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I would suggest the 115 TSX or 120 Partition, whichever shoots best in your rifle. The only elk that I have killed with a .25 cal bullet was with a 117 gr GameKing from my .257 Ackley. I was actually on a backpack, solo DIY Bighorn sheep hunt in one of Montana's unlimited sheep tag areas north of Yellowstone Park. I hadn't seen any rams, and the third morning, I heard this bull coming toward me, bugleing. When I saw those big ivory tipped black antlers coming through the lodgepole pines, I completely forgot about sheep. He stopped and bugled about 75 yards from me and I put a 117 gr Sierra just behind his shoulder. The bullet hit a rib going in and basically exploded in his chest cavity. The lungs were mush, and no part of the bullet left the chest cavity. That was one of the quickest elk kills that I have ever had. He was also the second largest bull that I've ever shot, and he now has a spot of honor in my trophy room. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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Our family has used Nosler Ballistic Tips in a .270 and a .300WinMag for elk with good luck. One of our daughters-in-law shot her bull this year in Montana with a .270 130g NBT using H4831 and rolled it at around 150 yards. | |||
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Haven't you done without a .30-06.....long enough?  /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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OUCH! Barstooler | |||
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You can never go wrong with a 30-06! | |||
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I would go with either Combined Tech 115 gr Ballistic Silvertips or plain old Nosler 115 gr Ballistic Tips,Winchester cases, Fed 210M primers, and 49.0 gr IMR4350 adjusting your seating depth to get the best accuracy from the load I find 100+ thou jump to lands works best for me | |||
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| One of Us |
A 25 cal balistic tip for elk ? A fool's errand . | |||
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| one of us |
Please tell us about your experiences with the 115gr BT on elk. ( Red Stag close enough) Nate | |||
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| one of us |
I was basing it on Red Stags in England Our Stags tpically weigh, Yearlings 180 - 220lbs fully dressed Head & Feet removed Mature Stags 300 - 500lbs fully dressed Head & Feet removed In the last 5 years I have personally shot in excess of 50 Red Stags with the 25-06 and 115gr BT's / CT BST's. I do take Head and neck shots but many of them have been chest shots. I dont take any shots that will pass the wrong side of the diaphragm either on the entry or exit. Many of the chest shots have passed through either one or both shoulders. A front on chest shot using this load will shread the heart and lungs but does not get any further than the diaphragm with the bullet frequently being recovered lodged in the diaphragm retained weights have been around 95-100 gr. The shots have been at ranges from around 75m to about 270m. The load I quoted earlier in this thread has a MV of 3250fps through my rifle. (Sako 75, Barrel 26" Bartlien 5R 1 in 10 twist) I have not lost a single red deer shot with the 25-06 and 115gr BT / CT BST | |||
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Without exaggeration, that is impressive indeed. I suspect that the most significant factor in your experience is only taking shots which will "stay in front of the diaphram." Is it fair to say also, that most or all of these animals were standing, not running? When patience & discipline rule the day, and if the hunter is prepared to walk away empty-handed, then even light for caliber/small caliber slugs are more lethal than anticipated. Of course, introducing more variables into the hunting equation reduces the effectiveness of small projectiles - at least in my opinion. Interesting report, on a lot of game, too! Certainly the # of animals you've taken with that combo is a significant sample! Many thanks, friar Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain. | |||
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Friar, Yes all of the animals were stood still. In the UK its not the done thing to shoot deer that are moving unless they are wounded or injured. Your right about patience, patience over haste will alway see more well shot game in the bag. | |||
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Very impressive record there with 50+ animals and it speaks well of your cartridge selection. I think you answered aliveincc questions, wait a second, that comment was probably base on his OPINION and comes up weak compared to your EXPERIENCE. Good on you lad. | |||
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I don't know if Ravenr ever heads over here to the rifles section, but I know he sometimes carries a 25-06 for elk. Don't recall his particular choice of loads, but its worth sending him a PM about it. If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
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| One of Us |
Very Impressive indeed. I guess my pithy comment was too strong. I am not trying to start a pissing match. The fact is that a 25 cal 115-120g bullet is not a lot of bullet to start w/ for elk. I put (2) 338/210g Partitions in one this year (broad side) well in front of the diaphragm and neither exited. Additionally, as a Nosler fan, BTs are know to lose quite a bit of weight compared to some other bullets. In my experience w/ my beloved 25-06, there are better elk bullets than the BT. I am glad it has worked so well for DJM and wish him continued success. | |||
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If I were to use my 25-06 for elk I would go with the 120 gr Partition or look into the X bullet - never used them in anything other than my .416 Rem. **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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Thanks DJM for your reply.  Certainly your experience with that combo isn't a small sampling. I underestimated the results of a BT I guess. I used a 100gr NBT from a .257 Roberts on deer and it was fine but didn't strike me as enough performance to shoot things bigger. This was many years ago when they first came out, and other than varmint bullets, I've not bought any since then. I also tried some lighter NBT's from a .338WM on paper they shoot great, but recovering one from a water trap made me decide to not use them on game. Nate | |||
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| one of us |
I have tried the 100gr BT in the 25-06 but was not to impressed with the results. The first thing to be aware of is that there are two different 100gr Ballistic Tips Factory Loaded BT's have a canlure while the bullets that are sold for reloading do not. I have found the factory loaded 100gr BT's to have a tendancy to result in explosive entry wounds with little penetration. The 100gr BT's for reloading are a little less explosive but still lack sufficient penetration and exsesive meat damage. The 115gr BT's with their greater SD have greater penetration, it is rare to get one that does not exit. I shoot in the region of 200 wild deer every deer predominantly with the 25-06. The Deer Range from Muntjac Weighing 18-20 Dressed to Red Stags weighing 500lbs dressed, on the same ground and in the same season so I need a rifle and bullet that is flexable enough to deal with this range of animals. I also use a 243win / 70gr BT's, 300wsm / 168 BT's | |||
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| One of Us |
Interesting stuff there,especially on the 243 with 70g BT's. I've taken small mule deer bucks with a .243 using 55g BT at 4050 fps with tremendous effectiveness and have just recently loaded up some 70g BT for the .243 and chronographed them at 3700fps. But as of today have not taken any deer with that 70g BT load. What has been your experience with that 70g load on the average to large size Red Stags? What ranges were these taken at and how effective was that round? I would love to hunt those Red Stags one day. My dad was born in Scotland and told me tales of his hunting days. Great stories that fostered a desire to return to there. | |||
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I have shot a few Red deer and Pere Davids with the 243 / 70gr BT's but you have to pick your shots carefully. I shot a 347lb Red Stag at 264m through both shoulders at had a nice sized exit wound. The 243 is predominantly by Deer Park culling Rifle. In this type of culling most animals are head shot and occassionally neck shot when pushing the envelope. Typical ranges for park culling are 80-200m. We normally work in a team of 6, 4 shooting extracting, and eviserating 50-60 deer in a 7-8hr day, two exception days are memorable on snowy day 3 of us culled 84 Fallow deer in a 1200 acre park another day 6 of us culled 98 fallow from a similar sized park. | |||
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DJM, have you ever tried the 95 BT's in your .243? I've read they were designed with heavier jackets to work better on large game. | |||
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| One of Us |
I have only shot one bull elk with my .25-06 and it was with Remington 122gr Extended range factory ammo. I loaded up several Barnes 100 and 115 xlc bullets when I started reloading but I never did see another elk the following year and after that I bought a 300Win Mag. I will say that the factory ammo killed the bull quickly and did not require a follow up shot. | |||
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