Calibre advice

stollery020

New Member
Evening all, I have a 308 and been thinking about another calibre. What are your thoughts on a 2506? Shooting fallow and muntjac. Any advice greatly received.
 
I've used both 308 and 25 06 quite a lot. They both offer something quite different, and both are excellent. The 25 is my go to rifle, it offers flat shooting and low recoil and provided you match the bullet to intended use it kills well. I think they offer an ideal 2 gun battery for UK use, from fox to the biggest stags-especially if you use heavy-ish 30 cal loads and light 25's.
 
Last edited:
You don't say how you intend to use it, but if it is a light weight stalking rifle for carrying a lot, I would suggest stepping down from the .25-06 to a smaller rifle, lighter weight, shorter barrel, in .257 Roberts - very mild recoil, low muzzle blast, plenty hot with bullets from 75 to 110 grains.
 
I like your thinking, I have used and owned both calibres, very good selection as enough difference between the 2 calibres to make sense. No real overlap, 308 123gn is about the lightest usable round 150's being most common. 25-06 100gn minimum for deer but 87gn for charlie if you feel the need for speed. My Tikka M690RH Master de Luxe shoots thumbnail size groups with Federal Blue Box 117 SP's at just under 3000 fps, this is my current deer rifle. All you need for the full set is a .222 a .22LR and an air rifle and I reckon that's all you need. OK a 12 guage but as my eyes need optics not for me.
 
You don't say how you intend to use it, but if it is a light weight stalking rifle for carrying a lot, I would suggest stepping down from the .25-06 to a smaller rifle, lighter weight, shorter barrel, in .257 Roberts - very mild recoil, low muzzle blast, plenty hot with bullets from 75 to 110 grains.

Another prop for the .257 Roberts. A shame as it seems under utilised.

Scrummy
 
The 2506 is pretty overbore and inefficient, its fast and flat with light bullets certainly, but with a poor to non-existent selection of bullets over 120gr's.

A 6.5x55, or even a 243, would be a better / more flexible addition to your 308.
 
your 308 will do all you need , light and flat use the 110g vmax , very convincing on foxes !

deer , whatever you use now , simples
 
I've got both cals mentioned. I've only had the 25-06 a few weeks though. First impressions are that recoil is low. I've not shot anything yet though... Just bought various bullets to trial, should be fun. Reloading solutions have everything made for the calibre in stock pretty much. Seems like its a good combo of on game performance, trajectory and recoil for small/medium deer.
 
I use .257 Roberts Ackley improved, but standard version is good. I will soon be getting 6x47 for my every day gun, both shoot very well.
 
I think the 25 06 is seen as a bit of a niche to many, however those who use it love it. It's origin is for taking long shots at light framed deer in open country in the states. It is as mentioned very quick, so light bullets can be messy at close range especially if you clip the shoulders. Factory ammo can be hard to find consistently, it also benefits from a longer barrel, if you are using a short barrel make sure you chrono your loads as velocity is important to this round, factory 120s through a short tube may result in slow kills.

All this being said I really like mine. It's very soft so shoot so I often see the hit, and this makes it easy to shoot well. The trajectory means a 1" high zero at 100 yards means you really don't have to aim off until well north of 200yards. This also means it's a great night foxing rifle-just point and press. As an all rounder for the UK it stands out IMO, not to many other calibre's offer the ability to take large red one day, foxes the next and excel at both. Various 6.5s offer similar but veer closer to your 308 IMO. It's a great hand loaders round as well, 3400fps with a 100gn pill can be achieved.
 
Well you don't need another calibre as you have probably the most versatile one there is already... but if you want a 25-06 then crack on - decent calibre, but they all kill deer :)

For: Flat shooting, good stopping power
Against: Needs a long barrel or you don't get the legendary trajectory, ammo expensive & relatively hard to come buy, rifle choice limited, resale value/likelihood limited

I've downscaled my centrefire collection to 3 rifles, and I still only ever shoot one (my .243). I only kept the other 2 because they aren't worth a hat full of cold p1ss!!!

I wish I could take all the money I've wasted on rifles I never used and buy shooting or fishing trips! I'd much rather be able to remember a Chinese Water Deer I shot than a rifle I used for a few months then forgot about.
 
I use a 25-06 which does everything very well. I have just had a 308 added to my ticket to give me lead free ammunition capability and a second rifle. 25-06 will still be my go to rifle when I don't need lead free though! I use 115 grain Nosler Partitions BTW
 
I use a 25-06 which does everything very well. I have just had a 308 added to my ticket to give me lead free ammunition capability and a second rifle. 25-06 will still be my go to rifle when I don't need lead free though! I use 115 grain Nosler Partitions BTW

100gn Barnes TTSX are good in 25 06!!
 
Whilst a 308 will do it all within reason, it's not exactly the most practical calibre of choice for crow or fox for example. Not that it's "overkill" (dead is dead), but I wouldn't feel that it was the most appropriate choice for smaller species. For low recoil, low noise/muzzle blast, great ammo availability, cheap reloading costs and for versatility, I'd suggest either a .222 or a .223. One of those together with a .308 covers just about all bases.
 
The 2506 is pretty inefficient

I couldn't disagree more. The cartridge was developed to use max. MV and yes, it's achieved with lighter weight bullets. The 25-06 doesn't need a heavier bullet than 120gn for any of our native quarry & is perfectly useable for anything up to & possibly exceeding 300lbs.
I use 110gn AB's @ approx. 3200fps MV from a 22" barrel. I've never been disappointed & while there are other choices of cartridge/cal. out there, none offer quite the same advantages as the .25-06.
 
I couldn't disagree more. The cartridge was developed to use max. MV and yes, it's achieved with lighter weight bullets. The 25-06 doesn't need a heavier bullet than 120gn for any of our native quarry & is perfectly useable for anything up to & possibly exceeding 300lbs.
I use 110gn AB's @ approx. 3200fps MV from a 22" barrel. I've never been disappointed & while there are other choices of cartridge/cal. out there, none offer quite the same advantages as the .25-06.

I don't doubt that the 25-06 kills well, particularly with good bonded bullets. It just seems to me to use too much powder, needs a long action and a 22" barrel minimum to achieve it's potential. 25-06 rifles with moderators on tend to end up long and heavy.

I just think the OP's needs would be better served by something in the 6.5x55 / 260 class.

Of course, none of my comments above apply to a Blaser K95 Luxus, which I am sure is stunning in any calibre....:thumb:
 
If you read older accounts and reports then the barrel length recommended for 25-06 was 26" or at a pinch 24". Sorry CD but I do not undrstand the problem with a normal length action that handled 57mm and 64mm long rounds. May be it is what I was used to but the old BSA 270 was a "long" action and I found it not problem even when I then acquired a Brno ZKK in 308 that I think you will find is a "medium" length action.

The 25-06 was developed for a niche that it filled very well the issue seems to be that shooters in the UK fail to understand what it was designed to do just the same as it seems todays shooters fail to understand the 270 Winchester and that seems to be why it has fallen out of favour. Fads and fashions come and go and then come around again often hailed as the latest and greatest idea yet in reality it is nothing new. Lighter weight in rifles and shorter barrels have been in fashion before.

The 6.5x55 and 7x57 are of course both excellent rounds with a good range of bullet weights and types available it seems and as far as I can tell neither would be a bad choice. The 25-06 it would seem is also not a "bad" choice! .... It may not be our choice but that does not make it a bad one for the OP or another shooter.
 
Back
Top