25-06

casterpollox

casterpollox

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I know nothing about this cartridge but have heard some good things through the local gun club.

I thought I had settled on a 223 but then we got to talking and know I'm back to square one for my new rifle. :bangHead:

Here's the skinny...
1)Accuracy is key... I'm looking for 1/2 groups.
2)Some decent range... say 600 yards.
3)Cost effective... I can't be dropping a grand on the rifle and then a grand on the glass.

Please help a gun nut out. Like I said, I've heard good things about the 25-06 but I have no experience.
 
25-06 is not really a "cost effective" cartridge - especially if you will be buying factory ammo. It is a necked-down 30-06, and while powerful, it burns lots of powder. Lots of powder = lower barrel life.

If cost is an issue with you, Stick with 223. WAY more bullet and brass options, much less recoil. In a good rifle it will do all you ask, the rest is up to you.
 
I just picked up a .223 due to the cost of ammo, selection of bullets and recoil and lack of ranges past 600yards in Ontario. I got a Tikka T3 Varmint w/ 1in 8" twist, which allows for up to 80gr bullets and range up to 600yards, so don't exclude its capability.
http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

My next choice for low recoil gun would be .243win. Its pretty accurate for long range and retains supersonic velocity to 1000y range. All things being equal .243 win is more cost effective, with more ammo choices, less recoil, more varmint and long-range gun choices, then 25-06.
When reloading there is way better bullets selection geared towards longrange with high BC vs. .257cal.

http://www.6mmbr.com/243Win.html

http://www.snipercentral.com/243.htm
 
What kind of groups are you guys getting with the 25-06?

If I can get a gopher gun that could also drop deer, I'd be very happy and that's why we started talking about the 25-06.
 
Casterpollox, get a 243 if you want a gopher/coyote gun that can get a deer. You won't be sorry. There are way more 243s around than 25-06s.
 
Have two 25-06 Heavy Barrels a Ruger and Remington both shoot fantastic always have even right out of the box first three shots out of the ruger cut each other. The Remington but three almost identical there was a gap between 2 and 2 were cut together.
Can't complain use 120 Grn Speer for goofing around and Barnes for Hunting.
Recoil could get old but for hunting even the kids didn't mind it, wasn't bad enough to make them start flinching and getting all jumpy.
Ken.
 
I have a Sako Varmint in 25-06 and I have shot it almost all day. If you load the 87 grain varmint rounds for it, it my gun you can shoot them all day. That said I'm not sure that too many folks are shooting 25-06 for any of that 600 yard action, I guess it could be done. But realisticly 223 or 308 seem to be much more common calibers for long range bench shooting. FS
 
WSSM has no brass production as far as I know.

25-06 will have brass forever.

Between the vagueries of rifles, they are identical from a muzzle velocity standpoint or at least pretty darn close.

The 25-08 and 257 Roberts are also excellent cartridges.

Jerry
 
I was looking at this as well, also the 25-08, I will probably go with the 25-08, but I wonder if a good alternative choice would be a 260 Rem, lots of good bullets, brass is easy to get, either buy 260Rem, or make it from 308.

Accuracy with the 6.5mm bullets would be great, and Tikka makes a T3 hunter for ~ $800
 
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Since you are reloading, I would pick a cartridge that has a good selection of high BC bullets to accommodate the long range requirement that you have. The common .25 cal bullets that are out there do not compare well with some of the heavier .224, .243, and 6.5mm bullets on the market when it comes to ballistic coefficient.

High BC aka VLD (very low drag) bullets are crucial when shooting longer distances because they minimize the effects of wind deflection and drag. Reduced drag allows the bullet to carry more energy farther which means you get a flatter trajectory.

As for hunting I would rule out the .224 cal to shoot deer with. I'm not sure what the laws are in your area but .224 cal might not be legal anyway. That leaves the 6mm(.243) and 6.5mm calibers. The most common cartridges for them are the .243 Winchester and the .260 Remington respectively. The cartridge that stands out between the two is the .243 Winchester simply because it has a better selection of rifles and components to choose from.

As far as cartridge accuracy is concerned, the accuracy will depend more on the load you work up, the rifle you choose, and what you do to improve the rifle. Granted some cartridges are inherently more accurate than others, I'm pretty sure with a little work a .303 British will shoot 1/2" groups given the right load and gun to shoot it out of.

Advantages of the .243 Winchester

-Easy to find a good rifle in this caliber (but so are the others you mentioned)
-Can get good quality brass (Lapua etc...)
-Bullets easily available with BC's of over .5 (a must for long range)
-Reasonable recoil when doing allot of shooting (targets, gophers, etc..)
-Can be loaded with lighter bullet's that can just about match the 22-250 in trajectory.
-Still large enough to use with confidence on deer out to 400 yards.


Given your requirements I think a .243win would be a good choose or perhaps a .260 Rem or even a 6mm Rem if you can find one, but if you are going to choose between the .223, 22-250 or a 25-06 I would stick with a 22-250 but be sure to get a gun with a 1-12 twist or less so you can have the option to shoot heavier (high BC) bullets for long range.

Well I tried to be more informative than opinionated but either way I hope this helps you make your decision.

Dave H
 
I shoot gongs out to 700m with my two 25-06's and they work great.There is some very fine bullet makers that make the vld type bullets for the 25.I have just been using sierra matchkings for target work and they are fine indeed.This cartridge can be very fast,so barrel life may be a consideration.I purchased it for deer and targets and I do not let the barrel heat up.Very happy with it.My savage 112 teamed up with a leupold 6.5-20x50 with the varmint hunter reticle does all I will ever need this rifle to do.Hits easily from 100-600 meters with the different crosshairs with no holdover without adjusting the scope.
 
I have made up my mind... I think... and purchased a Savage 12FV in 243.

I did some more reading and found the 243 to be a nice, flat shooting round that seems, IMHO, to be a little under rated.

With the righ handloads it can deliver some stunning power for deer and yet with the righ handloads once again, transfer accuratly into the varmint and paper punching category.

The rifle should be here Friday so I can hopefully get to the range this weekend and bring back the report.

Wish me luck!
 
My 25/06 range report

2011buck2.jpg
 
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I wish I'd have bought the last of the tikka 25-06's when I had the chance. I like the round. But for long distance I'd way rather go 243 or a 6.5 or 7mm!
 
Nothing wrong with the 25-06... I have a browning bar semi auto it is a pleasure to shoot ... from varmint loads to deer hunting loads as well as bear...... from 75 gr bullets to the 100 an heavier.....
It took me about 2weeks to find what works...(work got in the way)
My gun produces1/2 inch groups at 100 with my load .... did all the dope for it and I can shoot out to 400 with it no problem... I can say with out a double that I have a 1 inch gun.... to keep it simple in math terms..... 1 inch per hundred yard/meters
Keep in mind this is for hunting ....target is target
So your mileage may vary as they say
I bought it and first thought I made a mistake... got lots of #### from my dad and other hunters "why did you buy a small gun"... it turns out I whack em dead no problem and the other's with the .308 miss after 200 plus y/m
The damage it does !!! I scratch my head every time when I clean my deer... get #### from our group cause of the damage to all the meat!!!!! And my loads are not loaded hot at all!!! but the barns 100 gr ttsx or the tsx does its job very well.... if I remember correctly my loads are traveling at 2890???2935 fps..done with magnetospeed...49.5 grains of reloader 19!!!.... I don't wanna destroy my beautiful browning bar... and plus my girlfriend shoots the rifle as well so I didn't want her to get hurt/scared from the kick... it brings a smile every time when people see it and ask what is it .300 win mag...30-06..etc..etc.... I smile and say no 25-06
The look is pricless...... then they wanna touch it and hold it
Eh man enjoy what you want and shoot lots of good people out here in canada and world to give some type of advice .... just be safe and smart what you do.......cheers and happy shooting
Davide
 
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