quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Not meaning to hijack, but I would have thought that more of you would be OK with this round for elk. I'd be fine with most of the .308 family on the lower end, for elk, with proper bullet selection. Though I admit that below the 7mm08 is getting iffy for me. That being said, the 30-06 family is completely adequate for elk IMHO. I would think that most here would say a 30-06 is perfect medicine for elk, so what difference does 60 grain and .051 inches in diameter really make? Then again, I have yet to kill an elk. I could be wrong. I'm also not trying to start a war here.

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Mac,
Elk were shot to endangered levels with a 30-30 after all.

quote:

Originally posted by MAC:

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Mac,
Elk were shot to endangered levels with a 30-30 after all.

Actually, when they were really slaughtering the elk herds during the time of unrestricted hunting, the 30-30 hadn't even been invented. By the time the 30-30 came on the scene, the herds were already shot out. I just read an article that contradicts this, but whatever you say. The 30-30 came about in 1895, and was one of the most popular rounds of the time and still is. The game was becoming more scarce in this time as well. I can't remember where I was reading this. It may have been American rifleman, or online.

I was in no way trying to be insulting, but I was trying to point out that you were making a claim that you could not base on practical experience. based on my own experience shooting, no, but I can base an opinion on others that I know, and what I've read. I have never fallen off of a cliff, but I do have a valid opinion of the subject. One of the guys I grew up hunting with had a 25-06. That gun killed several elk, and a bunch of whitetails and hogs. I even took a hog with it myself. The opening question is "what critters would you hunt with a 25-06?" My answer represents my opinion FWIW. Our opinions can vary and that's OK. I'd not feel undergunned hunting elk with a 25-06, as I don't take bad shots. Period. If you would feel under-gunned, or feel the need to push bad angles, then don't. I'd hunt elk with a 338 WM too, and would feel comfortable with more shot opportunities, but that wasn't the question.

So, the 25-06 is great for deer and antelope. Remember, the focus of this topic is what would you hunt with the 25-06. Not what it would be capable of bringing down. By your own admission, you would hunt with something else if you were actually hunting elk, because I've don't currently have a 25-06. I stated the 7mm08 would be my current back up, which has ballistics fairly close to the 25-06. The most suitable calibers of my current rifles are those listed. I don't have a 22-250 so I would hunt yotes with my 220 swift. I don't currently have a 16 gauge either, but I would duck hunt with one etc.

quote:

Originally posted by hvy barrel:
The 25/06 would not be my first choice for elk either. I have other choices available that would be my first choice for that. I was considering this for mainly for deer, antelope, & smaller animals.
What are some good powders to start load development with?

quote:

It should be great for any deer and antelope that you could find here in the US and a passable back up rifle in an elk camp with some Barnes bullets.

quote:

Originally posted You don’t need a Barnes bullet, Sierra 117s work just fine.

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Mac,
First off, let's not have this sink to the .223 for whitetail level.
So then where is the line? Is a .270 shooting a 130 OK? What about a 280 with 140's? Elk were shot to endangered levels with a 30-30 after all.

I haven't killed any elk. That doesn't mean that I don't know people who have, or anything about ballistics and bullet performance. The 25-06 probably isn't the best choice for elk (though in my opinion it will do fine). OTOH, if a 270 will work, and you can't say that it isn't one of the most popular all-arounds out there, then you'll have a hard time convincing me that a 25-06 won't.

I'll always grant you that shot placement is key. If I were to go elk hunting tomorrow, I'd be carrying my 7mm rem mag, with a 7mm08 for a backup. I wouldn't take just any shot with either rifle. I wouldn't take just any shot with a 375 H&H for that matter.

I agree that the 25-06 is perfect for deer and antelope. I'll also assume that you didn't intend to come off as insulting. After all, we all know what opinions are like....

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted You don’t need a Barnes bullet, Sierra 117s work just fine.

I must respectfully disagree. You may not need Barnes bullets specifically, but my experience with Sierra 117s from the .25-06 suggest to me it is not adequate to turn the .25-06 into a reliable rifle on 700 lb. deer. I think you need some kind of premium bullet if you are even going to consider using it on a fine animal like an elk.

I first shot the .25-06 at game in 1959. The animal was a smallish Columbia Black-tail buck (under 100 lbs. total weight). The bullet was a Sierra 117 grain SP.
The shot was a Texas heart shot, which did NOT hit any bone whatsoever. The bullet penetrated approximately 3-to-4", then blew up completely.

That deer traveled almost all of that night, with us following a VERY scanty blood trail through the fallen oak leaves by lantern light. The deer finally was killed by falling about 40 feet straight down into a chasm about 3' wide at the bottom, maybe 8'-to-10' wide at the top, when it tried to jump over it but didn't quite make it.

In those days, 130 grain SP .25 bullets were available from Hi-Precision, so I switched to them and got much better performance. Maybe 13 grains more weight shouldn't make that much difference, but that coupled with thicker jackets seemed to do the trick. The Hi-Precision bullets, even though cup 'n core, performed much better on game for me and my dad.

Ever since the Hi-Precision bullets became unavailable, I have used the heaviest Nosler Partition bullets I can buy, and have been pleased with them.

Must admit, that even though having had at least one .25-06 or more at a time for all those years, and having killed quite a few elk during that time, I didn't (and don't) use a .25-06 to do it.

My preference for animals of elk size or larger is a .300 Mag of one variety or another, again with Nosler Partitions of 180 grains or heavier....

I think the .25-06 is a superb round for deer up to maybe 250 pounds, but for bigger game, there are just too many other cartridges that are better. So I'll have to agree pretty much down the line with everything MAC said above on the subject.

quote:

Down here we would use it for everything

quote:

Originally posted by hvy barrel:
The subject line sums it up. What critters would you hunt with a 25/06 & what bullet would you do it with?

quote:

Originally posted by MAC:

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
Mac,
Elk were shot to endangered levels with a 30-30 after all.

Actually, when they were really slaughtering the elk herds during the time of unrestricted hunting, the 30-30 hadn't even been invented. Same with the buffalo. Those were the days of the big black-powder cartridges. By the time the 30-30 came on the scene, the herds were already shot out.

I was in no way trying to be insulting, but I was trying to point out that you were making a claim that you could not base on practical experience. Based on my experience growing up in elk country, I can state the 25-06 is fairly rare in elk camps.

Most really serious elk hunters I know carry 7mm Mags shooting 160 gr bullets or bigger. You see an occasional 270 or 280, but not too many this day and age. 30 caliber has always been popular too. The guys that eat and breath elk hunting seem to prefer 338 caliber.

The reason for that is that they can take a shot from just about any angle. Elk are a heavy boned animal that lives in rough country. Trying to recover a wounded one shot with a too light caliber is a nightmare. I know, I've had to do it several times.

No animal has ever been killed by a ballistic table. Animals are killed cleanly by placing a bullet in an area that the bullet can either destroy the circulatory system (hearts, lungs, arteries etc...) or shutting down the nervous system (brain, spine, etc...) The problem with the 25-06 is that the light bullet can simply not be depended on to make it through the vitals from any angle.

Not a problem if you are willing to wait for that perfect broadside shot. But in today's elk woods, a single good opportunity may very well be the only opportunity of the season. Most people would try to push the shot and possibly lose the elk. Nobody wins in that situation.

So, the 25-06 is great for deer and antelope. Remember, the focus of this topic is what would you hunt with the 25-06. Not what it would be capable of bringing down. By your own admission, you would hunt with something else if you were actually hunting elk, not just sniping one because the opportunity presented itself. And there, lies the difference.