I've started working up loads for a factory T/C Encore rifle barrel chambered in 25/06 Remington. After perusing several reloading manuals, I decided on RL-22 and Berger 115 gr. VLD bullets.

Starting out at 51 gr. of RL-22, group sizes were in the 1 to 1.5 inch range. Then I got to 54.5 grains and got the pictured group which looked a little more promising measuring about 0.562 inches center to center.

I wanted to see if my results were a fluke. It turned out that they were. I went into my basement and loaded up 3 more cartridges and shot another 3 shot group that measured 0.406 inches...that is 0.406 inches from one side to the other which would give a center to center size of 0.149 inches.

The latter group wasn't amenable to taking down and putting on my scanner and I was too lazy to go get my camera (besides it was a bit chilly). I'll have to do some more testing at different temperatures to see what is optimal but it looks like this load may be adequate for deer at 100 yards; 150 if I'm lucky. I was using a 3-9X Leupold scope today; better glass might help.

This will make about 20+ similarly crappy T/C factory barrels that I've had.

I know what you mean about the crappy factory stuff. I'm very happy with my factory TC stuff. Nothing against the guys who want premium, but as far as I'm concerned, my stuff is premium too.

Nice group there! Glad to hear the 25-06 is performing well for you.

While I have a number of factory barrels that shoot quite well, there have been a few over the years that made me want to pull my hair out.

And the 25-06 in the Encore has been one of TC's problem children. I've seen some that shoot as well and better than yours; I've also seen others that could not do any better than 5-6 inches at 100 yards. (TC will even admit that the 25-06s had/have a high rate of returns compared to other chamberings)

Nonetheless, there are lots of good-shooting factory barrels out there. And some of the early Contender barrels in the TCU chamberings are among the very best TC has ever produced.

But I am a stickler for both precision and out-of-the-ordinary calibers -- not to mention barrels featuring chambers cut to my preferences & with leades meant to match specific ogives, in lengths, twists and contours that I want and finished the way I so choose.

And that's why the majority of barrels in my home have something other than Thompson-Center stamped on them.

Glad to see your 25-06 group, mine is a problem child as Bobby points out.

I guess I will have to prove my ignorance once again.
I use my 25-05 strictly as a hunting rifle. Is the Berger VLD a game bullet, or is it a target bullet. I want as much accuracy as is possible, but I don't want to use a bullet designed for paper on a game animal. Will this slug expand in the game fields?
Thank you for any help you can provide.

The Bergers Match lineup is being marketed as "game bullets," and since most are generally heavy for caliber, they have ample mass to do the job on thin-skinned game. However, they are far from an optimum choice in my experience.

For instance, the 6.5mm Bergers have been coming apart on 'coons and coyotes driven at the modest velocity of a 6.5x30-30 AI (6.5 Bullberry Imp). The last coyote I took appeared as though he had been shotguuned as the offside of the pelt had many individual exits. I now have taken several animals with the 6.5 140 VLDs; here's part of a previous post regarding the last two I shot:

The load I used was the 140 grain VLD at 2553 fps MV. The range was just under 200 yards.

The coyote dropped on the spot without so much as a twitch. The bullet caught him just behind the shoulder. On the opposite side, there was one primary exit which was about the size of a quarter. There were at least a dozen or so small exits across the ribcage as if from fragments.

It was getting dark and I was running out of light, so I didn't check out as much as I would have liked. But I quickly opened him up and saw that most of the heart and lungs were jellied (destroyed may be a better description) and did see a number of very small jacket fragments throughout the chest cavity.

I am guessing the coyote was 32-34 pounds. I did not get to weigh him as everything was rushed due to the onset of darkness.

I also took a large boar coon about a week ago, again with the same Berger bullet load. The range was app. 110 yards. The bullet hit on the point of the shoulder and exited mid-body. The exit was the size of a large grapefruit.

I forgot to add: a number of expansion tests I've conducted with the Bergers mirrored the on-game results.

quote:

I use my 25-05 strictly as a hunting rifle. Is the Berger VLD a game bullet, or is it a target bullet.

The answer is yes. They're marketed as both a target and a hunting bullet.

My only experience with them as a hunting bullet was on 4 antelope taken with them recently using a 300 Weatherby Magnum. My buck was taken at a distance of 292 yards. The exit wound was about 3 inches in diameter and there was a 6 to 8 foot spray of blood behind where it was standing. The shots on the other antelope could also be classified as pretty sudden death.

Well, I use mine for Whitetails and Pronghorns as well. Although the 25-06 is not in the same power league as the .300 W.M., it sure looks as though the Bergers will work. I was mainly concerned about lack of expansion with the Berger,but from what I am reading here, the biggest problem may be that there is too much meat destruction. I, for one, would rather lose a couple of pounds of meat, than have to follow up a wounded animal. Looks like I will give them a try.
Thanks all

Yankee
Try the (new) Barnes 100 gr TSX.Not only will give you accuracy but terminal performance like none other I've tried.