.25-06

[wildfowler.250]

I’ve been looking to swap my .270win for something different and I keep coming back to the same conclusion, stick with it . I like as ‘flat’ shooting a caliber as possible.

But what has severely tempted me recently has been the .25-06. Flat. Less recoil than the .270. Has lack of ammo let it down? For UK ranges, it seems to beat the 6.5CM in most aspects?

Perhaps bullet availability for the .25 creedmoor may help it?

.25-06 certainly doesn’t come up much on here for some reason. Maybe it does nothing well?

Just to add, I appreciate no calibers are actually flat.

 

[wellyboot]

I agree with what you have said. I have 2x .270 and every now and then I keep having an itch for a .25-06 but i keep coming back to the fact my .243 covers that area well and ammunition for the .25 is definitely a major limiting factor for me.

 

[Kane01]

As someone that went out of their way to buy a .270 for a first time stalking rifle I will admit I am a bit of a .270 fan, so I wont list all my reasons for getting the .270, but rather why not a .25-06.
Firstly the lack of non-toxic ammo, very tricky for me to find any offerings at all at local dealers, secondly a fellow member of my rifle club spent a great deal on a semi-custom .25-06, only to sell it because in his words it was "too niche". Im too tight to spend money on a variation and then a rifle to potentially sell it due to wishing I had something more useable.

 

[TonyC]

Been my goto rifle calibre for years, shot all 6 species several times over. Ammo was a problem so started rolling my own. I have several calibres but 2506 always seems to come out of the cabinet first.

 

[Malxwal]

The new generation of high BC .25 bullets and 7.5 twist barrels is fuelling all sorts of 25 cal stuff in the US , but alas I've read not one mention of a fast twist 25-06. 25 PRC is a common enough "Wildcat", although Hornady are saying no to backing it.
Nothing the 270 won't do....

 

[Vinceford]

25-06 fantastic round

 

[finnbear270]

I have had two, would have another again if I needed one, very accurate.

 

[Taff]

25-06 was voted best deer round ever made, but out of, fashion , needs the letters PRC after it that would solve the problem of ammo shortage.

 

[deeangeo]

Brilliant cartridge for everything in the UK - clearly not fashionable but very accurate with more than enough MV & terminal energy for the long range shots when necessary.
I've used it for more than 25yrs with the Nosler 110gn AB bullet. Including on very large stags in the rut.
Very low recoil compared to a .270 with the ability to easily see quarry reaction - a .243 on steroids! It's absolutely excellent.

 

[Malxwal]

I'd be really keen to see what the 25-06 case could do pushing say the new Sierra 131 thru a 7.5 twist. Superior ballistics to the 270 for equivalent felt recoil ?

 

[finnbear270]

Easy to reload for same as .270.

 

[6mmarc]

Had one for years great caliber but do tend to use the 270 more out of the two of them
It’s definitely going to be a case of loading your own if you want lead free for a while

 

[Heym SR20]

I like the 25-06 and use to use it a lot in the 1990’s when I did quite a lot of hind culling on an estate up North. I used an estate rifle - a Sako TRGS in 25-06 fitted with a fixed 10x42 Scope. I never even considered range or bullet drop. It was either far too far or just shoot it.

I did consider getting a 25-06 at one point, but by that stage most of my stalking was Roe deer on central
Scotland farmland and the 25-06 was just a bit too fast and messy for 100m ranges I was shooting.

The 25-06 is possibly lacking a bit in bullet weight for big red stags. Old lead cored bullets, high velocities and big tough animals don’t usually equal good results. But these days of monolithics, smaller bullets at higher velocities work well.

25-06 win by using lots of velocity to make them very flat shooting.

The 6.5 CM uses a long ballistically efficient bullet that maintains energy long way off. But it still has quite a curvy trajectory so do need consider ranges inside 300m. On targets doesn’t matter. You can adjust to the range then shoot.

25-06 just point and shoot and its flat for any sensible stalking range.

Better or worse than a 270. I doubt you would notice much difference in real life. 25-06 is really a big powerful little cartridge. Certainly bigger and more and authority than the 243, the 25-06 is probably the biggest dual purpose vermin / predator and deer cartridge, whereas the 270 is really the bottom end of proper big game cartridges. You could take a 25-06 to Africa and shoot a Kudu or Zebra and probably get away with it. But a 270 - used all the time.

25-06 has never been popular and has generally been a reloader’s cartridge, whereas the 243, 270 and 308 you can find ammo and bullets anywhere.

25-06 and 6.5s - there is not really a fair comparison as historically the likes of the 6.5x55 shot long heavy for calibre bullets (140 to 156gn )at moderate velocity of c 2650 to 2700 fps, mimicked by the 6.5 CM, 260 etc. The 26-06 shoots 115gn bullet at well over 3,000 fps. There is the 6.5 -06 but that is AKAIK just a wild cat. The 6.5 PRC is probably a fairer comparison.

 

[rem284]

I had a 25-06. Used it on contract work. It's a great killing round due to the speed of the projectile. I shot the barrel out so got it rebarrelled into a 6.5-284. There was less choice of high bc bullets compared to the 6.5's. I've got no regrets with the 6.5-284 but I wouldn't/couldn't use it for contract work

 

[JockStalk]

I used a 25-06 pushing 100gr TTSX. Flattened deer, reliably accurate, high velocity pushing those copper boolits

 

[Mungo]

. The 6.5 PRC is probably a fairer comparison.

Not sure.

PRC is optimised for the 140gr class - so heavy AND fast. I really wouldn’t want to shoot it with a lighter bullet!

Creedmoor with 120gr or 95gr vmax will give you very similar performance to a .25-06.

 

[angusb1]

Given the case capacity of the 25-06 is usually 66gr of water and the case capacity of the 6.5 PRC is usually 68gr the big difference between the two ballistically is that the 1:10 twist of the 25-06 means it shoots bullets between 90 and 115 grains well and the 6.5 PRC's 1:8 twist will shoot heavy bullets up to 156 grains. The 6.5 PRC can also shoot lighter bullets though so probably a more flexible choice ballistically plus there is more ammo availability and choice of new rifles. Not saying it's better, just that it can do most of what the 25-06 can do and shoot heavier bullets as well.

 

[angusb1]

Not sure.

PRC is optimised for the 140gr class - so heavy AND fast. I really wouldn’t want to shoot it with a lighter bullet!

Creedmoor with 120gr or 95gr vmax will give you very similar performance to a .25-06.

Why would you not want to shoot it with a bullet under 140gr?

 

[Mungo]

Why would you not want to shoot it with a bullet under 140gr?

6.5 PRC?

Because I’ve seen what happens when you hit something with ~140gr at 3000 fps plus, and that’s messy enough. I doubt the outcome would be improved by speeding things up…

I have a Yew Tree (non lead) 114gr load that’s doing around 3400 fps. It is absolutely savage. It blows roe deer apart. It punches melon sized holes through sika.

So if I take that as a reference point, and imagine what a ~120gr lead bullet would do, at around 3200fps…

 

[finnbear270]

Bit like my old work up loads in 7mm WSM shooting 100 grain bullets, ... Fe**ks sake!!!