I am getting a 25/06 Rifle and would like some info on the rifle's use. I have heard of people taking down everything from elk under 150yrds to pds at over 300yrds. Let me know what good is one of theses rifle. Mine is an older rugger M77 heavy barrel.

Thanks

Ray

I adore the Remington quarterbore, however, it's just another successful cartridge - no magic.

The 25/06 is, in my opinion, quite versatile. I would not hunt elk with it but many do. Mine sees use as a long range antelope whacker and long range prairie poodle discombobulator.

There are those who say the recoil and powder usage is excessive for varmints. I am in Wyoming where the wind always blows so the quarterbore serves me in that capacity better than it's smaller counterparts.

My rifle is a custom M700 built for the long range stuff so it is not a good general hunting rifle; weight, bulk, and support equipment.

Many off-the-shelf rifles in this calibre can turn in impressive groups once they are mildy massaged and tuned loads are developed. The quarterbore is handloader-friendly.

Bullet selection is excellent for medium/large game and varmints. The long range operator is a bit more restricted.... thank God for the Sierra MK and the few others from Barnes, Hornady, etc.!!

I feel the 25/06 is best served with a 24" or longer barrel. The hunter looking for a short mountain-style rifle would be better off with a different cartridge. Just my opinion, of course.

For any of the deer species, the quarterbore will do fine. For sheep, goats, etc., it simply excels. And the varmints... well, the cartridge is devastating.

For elk, premium bullets heavy for calibre are the order of the day. Selectivity of bullet placement is also crucial. I do not believe the 25/06 to be a 'good' elk cartridge but the cautious and skilled hunter will fill the freezer.

I shoot at distances rather in excess of 300 yards. Depending upon your mindset regarding this issue, the 25/06 will surely comply if you so desire.

Versatility, ease of handloading, component availability, and terminal efficacy all result in a cartridge that has a long colourful history and is certain to be around for a good many years to come.

Enjoy and good shooting to you.

It is a excellent caliber and it is excellent for shooting from 87 grain to 100 grain bullets that is what it is good for! Good Luck

i am a quarterbore fanatic,the 25/06 being my favorite. this round will do most anything you ask it to. however, when you move up to elk size game shot placement becomes more critical than the 308,338,belted magnums,etc. my suggestion is to always use premium bullets. i use the following:
75gr hornady V-max
90gr sierra HPBT
100gr Nosler ballistic tips
120gr Nosler partition
IMR4831
reloader 19
reloader 22
if you spend the time and do your homework you will fall in love with the 25/06 and sub-minute groups. good luck and good shooting!!

Well the nick should tell you I'm a big fan of the .257 cal. and I shoot the .25-06 for varmints to whitetail. I'll ditto the comments from the previous posters.

The 25-06 is one of my favorite cartridges. I use it for everything from ground squirrels to deer and antelope, including wild hogs.

I like the 25-06 as a varmint cartridge, but it is really a little too much of a good thing. For hunts where the shooting is not too hot and heavy it is great. But, after a couple hundred rounds shot at prairie dogs; I can assure you that you will be tired of the darned thing. For long range rock chuck shooting or coyote busting it is just about the ultimate in my opinion.

I have shot a number of deer and antelope with this cartridge and find it to be just the thing.
It is my cartridge of choice for antelope.

I have also shot a truck load of wild hogs with it and have had good luck with it. I admit that if I knew that I might run into a big old boar that was over 300 pounds I would take something bigger. Having said that, I have shot a lot of 200 pound hogs with this cartridge. For the run of the mill 100 to 200 pound meat hog it puts them in the dirt right now!

When I go elk hunting the 25-06 stays home! I hunt elk with a 300 WBY Mag or a .338 Win Mag. The 25-06 will kill one under ideal conditions, but I am not going to try it.

R F

Can't say enough good about the .25-06. Have used them from pd's to deer. Living in a state that offers a range of game animals, this caliber works on all of them. 75gr VMAX does not exit on coyotes and does a number on pd's.

You shall be rewarded with learning to love one of the most versatile chamberings ever devised! From varmints to BIG deer, the 25-06 fills the bill! Loaded with the 75,85,87,90,100 grain bullets it can be a varmints nightmare at most any range you can realistically want to shoot them at! With the 115,117,120 grain bullets today, a tough, hard hitting, deer, antelope even elk cartridge! Easy to load for and pleasant enough to shoot! If I could only have one gun for hunting(God forbid!!!!) it would be a 25-06 in some form! GHD....pastor at the church of GHD..25-06!!!

I am a big fan of the 'Quarter Bore'. Collect them in fact. My favorite is the .25-06. Been shooting them since before Remington adopted it and gave it their name. I have used this cartridge for everything from ground squirrels to Tule Elk and Black Bear(although I don’t recommend it for big hogs and bears). One of the best cartridge/rifle combo’s you can buy. Lawdog

Well here is a person that had one and doesn�t anymore, the statements above are true! I have nothing bad to say about the 25/06 except if you want fur from predators you need to learn to sew. I like the accuracy of this round, versatility, all in all it�s one of the best things out there
but it just didn�t fit what I was after. The 25/06 with Sierra 100gr Gamekings I found that if you put in a deers chest it was yours! The 75gr V-Max does real bad things to small varmints out to about 400-500 yards, the 100gr Sierra Matchking will only drop 25 moa at 1000 yards I found out when goofing around at the tactical range, my 308 has 32 moa.
The 25/06 is a real good round for long shots at deer, antelope, that size animals or if your varmint hunting where wind is an issue and you will not be firing 100's of rounds a day say in a busy p-dog town, I found it to be a little hard on fur bearing critters though. Great caliber.

Kirk S.

I see the posts about "fur". Just how much are these "furs" worth? This is a serious question not meant to be funny or otherwise. Just that here (VA) I've never heard much about the "fur" trade so saving fur has not been an issue! However making "fur" fly with an ample dose of "red mist" has been an addressed concern! GHD

GDH, yote fur is bringing $30-$40 USD.
Prime pelt =( 75 gr HPs), next to nothing
= 100gr BT @3300fps. Grapefruit size exit hole! But I still luv Nieders/06

flinter6 out

I've have/had 3 2506's,2 Ruger M77's and one on a MKX barreled action.I used Speer and Hornady bullets.I shot 100 grain Hornady Interlocks for Antelope.I've shot about 20 Antelope with that bullet.Super accurate,never found one,always passed through.I have also used that bullet on 50 plus deer,same story,bang,flop dead.I used the 117 grain Hornady on Elk.My wife shot the first Elk with that rifle and load at 334 yds.Slightly quartering away.Behind the onside shoulder,through the heart/lungs,broke the offside shoulder,perfect little mushroom under the hide.Stopped expanding at the cannalure.I have shot 3 Elk with that bullet from 80 to 250 yards.The most one moved was 3 steps.The last 2 Elk I shot were with the 100 grain Hornadys,both at about 150 yards,Heart/lung shots,1 step,dead elk.Bullet passed through.I messed up when I grabbed the Ammo boxes and got my Antelope/Deer loads.I'm not saying the 100 grain bullet is an Elk bullet but it worked just dandy.All 3 rifles shot several loads at 5/8 of an inch or less 5 shot groups at 100 yds.I have owned and shot game with .243's,7MM Mag.,300 Win Mags and .338 WM.I got rid of all of them,2506 is my all time favorite.It performs way better than the paper ballastics show.Just my experience any way. Bill

Wolfer
Enjoyed reading your experiences with the 25-06, especially with 100 grain bullets. I live/hunt in central Texas for whitetail that rarely go 125' live!
I've been arguing with a friend for years (we both shoot 25-06) that 100 grain is MORE than enough for the deer around here. He insists that 100g bullets don't have enough punch to knock them down! I keep saying bulls**t, they will kill them deader than hell.
I'll show him your experiences with the 100 grain on elk and hopefully he'll finally agree that they are adequate on greyhound sized deer .

Thanks
Hollywood

Hollywood tell that buddy of your those 100gr. will take that 125# and probably take a couple #�s off! I found the 100gr killed better than the 117gr. would. A good friend of mine shoots deer with the 87gr sp and I have yet to see one he shot get up and move! We shoot the deer in the panhandle of Oklahoma, the 3 shot last year field dressed at 142#, 110#, and a big ol� bodied 6 point that went 157# I won�t tell you what killed 2 of them but the 87gr. Got the bigun�
On the fur thing I used to sell as may as I got a chance to call in but now days I don�t skin out as many as I used too, the 22-250 has taken the place of the 25/06 and I normally don�t have bullets leave the animals I shoot, the 25/06 would put a normal hole of about the size of a softball on up with the 75gr V-Max or 75gr HP�s.

Kirk S.

Hollywood about a dozen of these deer were big mature northern whitetail bucks,a couple were big body mule deer bucks.The 100 grain Hornady works great on those deer.I tried 120 grain Sierra Hollowpoints,there supposed to be tough.I shot several deer with them at 150 to 250 yards,they came unglued,2 to 4 inch entrance wounds and the far side of the chest cavity would have little spots on it.The spots were pieces of jacket and lead core.The far side looked like it had been hit with birdshot.I gave those bullets to a friend as he loved them,didn't see anything wrong with the way they performed.To each his own.All three guns shot best,most accurately,with loads that were 1/2 to 1 grain below max charge.I 'm seriously thinking about building a 25-.308(25 Souper) this winter just to see how it compares to the 2506.

I find great favor with the 75gr XFB in my 25-284's.

It is most convincing from any angle and I purposely opt to break skeletal structure with it. That projectile is amazing and despite my great love for the 75gr V-max,it simply can't begin to operate within the same realm.

BT/DT......................

The bastard backed out of the deal. Good thing he called be as I was in line at the Post Office to get the money order. I hope the bastard reads this. I don't know if he is on here or not. But that is ok. Any one got one that they are willing to part with. I would like to trade my 20ga Franchi for it rather than buy it.

Thanks

Ray

Sorry to hear that the guys backed out on ya, that just sucks!

I am new to the 25 cal, but as you can see, I am nuts over it. I find it to be very accurate, recoil isn't a factor as I rarely shoot more than 40-50 rds at one time.

Used my Sig in 25-06 to take my buck this year. I was using the Federal 100 gr Barnes X load, and damn did it hammer the buck. I kinda messed up on the first shot, plus the deer flinched as I pulled the trigger on the first shot. He was coming straight on to me at 35 yds. I aimed middle of the neck between the shoulders from the front. When he flinched, or started to move because he saw me, it caused the bullet to hit right of center where I was aiming. When the bullet hit, the buck stood straight up on his hind legs, and fell over backwards. Like he had been shocked or something. I gave him a few minutes, as I figured he was down and out, but he got up on me, and tried to stumble away. He didn't make it but 10 ft, as I dumped another into his neck from behind, and that finished the deal. When I gutted him out, the first shot had entered the neck, traveled into the upper rib cage, and travled in a straight line through the point where the ribs connect to the spine. So it seperated all the ribs on his right side from his spine. It then exited from just in front of the right rear hip, with a whole about the size of a golfball. The second shot hit him directly in the back ot the neck, broke it cleanly, and exited out the front. I doubt I will ever use another bullet type again in my 25-06. That barnes bullet seems tough enough for what I use it for. Granted it was only 35 yds, but the bullet was probably going well over 3100fps (my rifle has a 22 in barrel, and Federal specs give a muzz vel of 3210fps for the load I shoot) when it hit the deer, and it didn't blow up or veer off at a wierd angle. Hopefully I will get some yotes this winter, I want to see how they react to the Barnes bullet!!!

Sorry for the elaborate story, but I am just thrilled with my 25-06, and I know I will never get rid of it!!

Hope you can find another rifle in 25-06 out there you like!

25-06 IMR4831 100gr Nosler Ballistic tip. It is a great combo from a 24 inch Rem 700 sporter weight. Super accurate little recoil. Like ripping the rug from under a whitetail. Caliber sized hole going in softball sized hole coming out. Shot one last year at 30 feet same load broke both shoulders bullet passed through no splater. I wanted to try some Stark Red prairies for vermin and paper but they have gone out of business. Maybe with some screaming they will be back. 95 gr Bergers will have to fill the bill now.

25CalNut,

The rifle I had was a Sig, SHR 970 great shooter and light to carry. The best load I found
for this rifle was IMR 4831 (Best for this caliber I think) 100 gr. Sierra Gamekings Spitzer, 54.0 gr IMR 4831, and Federal GM210M primers.

Later,
Kirk S.

I have a 112BVSS Savage with a Canjar set trigger and a 6X20 Leupold scope. I shoot 100 grain BTSP Sierras at about 3,350ish. It shoots sub-half inch and weighs 13lbs. It's my long range / windy day varminter. I love it! That said, I in no way see it as an "effective" elk rifle even though many many elk have been killed with it. Under perfect conditions it'll kill em deader'n virginity. Having hunted elk all my life and having reached old fart status however I know perfect shots go out the window when a 6 point bull breaks through the brush at a quartering angle. Very few guys hunting elk have the restraint to pass on the shot and wait for a perfect one. If you can honestly say you do, and you see enough bulls to pass on less than perfect shots it's the caliber for you. If not put a 30 in front of that 06 and expand the odds. Choosing the right caliber for the animal persued is always a good idea, it's also a good excuse to get another rifle.

I built my first one in 1970 after Remington announced a standard rifle for it. I used a '98 mauser and a #3 Shilen barrel and my own walnut....Since then I've owned two .257 weatherbys (both now departed) and several .257 Roberts and another .25-06 custom.

The .25 cals have been the best deer and prongrorn (as well as a helluva lotta prairie dogs) rifles I've ever used.

I'm now building a .260 Rem on a M-70 action to gain the extra versatility of the 140 grain bullet, but this hunter will always have the first .25-06 available.....it's one great cartridge.....and even in a 22" barrel.