for those who hunt with the 25-06

B

brybenn

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
58   0   0
Location
southern ontario
I've been stock piling all 25-06 ammo I can find. I've tested for accuracy and consistency. For big game (deer and black bear) my gun loves 115gr winchester ballistic silvertips
120gr fusion
117gr hornady sst
Has anyone used these bullets on game? I'd like to hear your thoughts on terminal ballistics shot placement and such. I doubt I will use my 25 this year but I'm going to bring it as a backup gun. And having an idea of realistic bullet results will help me bring the right bullet for the bear. Shots will range from 20-200 yards
 
i have not tried those bullets you listed on game .the one i have used is the speer 120 grain .works well .
 
117-120's for whitetail and mulies if your in thier country. I lately shot TSX 100's on deer, minimal damage and clean kills. If you don't I would suggest that you start loading. This will really open up the quarterbore's door to you.
 
I have used both the ballistic tip and sst's.

The jackets are thin and they tend to blow up. No issue on deer if you put them in the ribs, but they will be less than stellar when encountering bone.

I would pick the fusion (I have not shot these in the 25, but they did fine in a 7 mag) out of the three factory rounds you describe. they are a bonded design.

I have shot a dozen or more whitetail with 100 grain ballistic tips - largely because I was hunting in fairly densely populated farmland and I knew the frangible design may have less tendency to ricochet large distances.

For Mulies in the mountains, or bear I would lean to either Nosler Partitions or Barnes.
 
Shot a coyote with a 115grain Ballistic Tip yesterday and it literally blew up on impact, so I'd steer clear of those for deer or bear. The SST's you list will probably perform similarily.

Your best bet is really to reload and use Barnes TSX/TTSX 100 grain for bigger game animals,or find someone who loads them in factory ammo.
 
I knocked down a fair sized moose cow this fall with a 100 grain TTSX moly coated at a few paces short of 300 yards. I thought you would like all 25-06 game used ammo to chime in. I hit her at the bottom of the neck (spine shot) and she dropped face first and stayed there. And I bet that bullet zipped along pretty nicely.
 
I used the 117 SST on last years buck. The bullet hit on the front shoulder and blew the front end to mush. The distance was about 175 yards, and he dropped on the spot. I have since got some 100g TSX bullets to use next time.
 
For the record, I am using Federal Premium 115gr Nosler Partitions in my A Bolt 25-06 for several one-shot kills on caribou and a couple of whitetails.

On the range I get great accuracy, often touching rounds under ideal conditions.

I know you didn't ask about Partitions but thought you might want to hear about a very good option for a 25-06.
 
--shot a mule doe at 308 lasered yds with 25-06-117 SST-----blew the front shoulder away--these SSt's and Ballistic Tips are simply too fragile for big game---my 1/4 bores now are fed Barnes ttx or Nosler partitions
 
I've had excellent luck with 110gr Accubonds. They have performed flawlessly on mule deer, pronghorn, whitetailed deer, and coyotes. I finally picked up some 100gr TTSX and am looking forward to working with these as I think they may be even better then the Noslers.
 
I have not been able to find any partitions or ttsx loaded ammo yet. Sounds like they are better bullets then what I have stocked up. I hunt in southern ontario so I like frangible bullets for ground hog and coyote. I will look into reloading some more and prolly start in late spring as I've got lots of time before bear season. Thanks for all responses
 
I tested a bunch of different bullets from my .25-06 on animals. Mostly Mule Deer. I found the 115gr Partition and the 100gr TSX were the best ones. Usually pass through's with good wound channels and little to no movement from the animal when hit. I use the 100gr TSX now as the trajectory matches my boone and crocket reticle perfect for drop and wind, milk jugs out to 500 don't stand a chance. I would let you ask them but they have moved on to a better place now :D

Both my 115gr partition and 100gr TSX loads were factory federal premium.
 
Last edited:
brybenn said:
Sweet. Ill see if I can get someone to order in a few boxes for me and see how my gun likes them
Click to expand...

I'm a little surprised if you are having trouble finding Federal Premium 115gr Nosler Partitions in what must be a large market area. They are very readily available around here and if I can't get 'em at the Portage dealer then I just slip into Winnipeg and head for Wholesale Sports.
 
the TTSX and TSX rounds ...or somthing like a partition or A-frame would be your best bet on big game ... they get good expansion but they will also hold together well when hitting bone or traveling at high velocity.
 
I've not used the BST in 25 cal on game but I have seen the 180gr 30 cal perform poorly (expanded too fast and violently) on very light game (jackal) for me to have any faith in them on big game.
 
horseman2 said:
120 Grain Hornady HP Whistled it right thru a black bear that went about 10 yards after the hit at about 250 yards.
Click to expand...

I have shot many deer with Hornady 120 HP's. Very inexpensive bullet and they shot very well out of my 25-06 at max. Found them to very explosive and one does not want to hit a deer "wrong" with one of those. Bang flops were common. I liked them for those evening stands where dropping a deer in its tracks was important as daylight was an issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom