25-06 Loads needed with 115gr Berger Hunting VLD

[Aldon]

I am not having any luck with the search function.

Has anyone worked with the 115 gr Berger VLD Hunting bullet in 25-06?

I got email from Cabelas offering me the employee discount so while I was looking for something that I might need, I found something that I wanted

I picked up a box of the VLD's in 25 caliber and now I am looking for ideas on a staring point.

I have 4831SC, Varget, and Reloader 17, but am fine with purchasing additional varieties as necessary.

Thanks in advance!

Correction made to post as I had inadvertantly posted 168 gr. It is actually 115gr. Thanks for the assist.

 

[johnnyk]

Re: 25-06 Loads needed with 168gr Berger Hunting VLD

168gn? you meant 115gn right? JohnnyK.

 

[Aldon]

Re: 25-06 Loads needed with 168gr Berger Hunting VLD

DOH!

I had the 30-06 on my mind.

You are absolutely correct sir. 115gr.

I will try and edit the info......

Aldon

 

[Aldon]

I am not able to get the LRH search engine to work well for me but using Google I found an old post that Johnnyk made where he gave this as a possible load.

115 gr Berger VLD
51.0 gr RL22
Rem cases
Rem 9.5M
Average velocity: 3062 (3-shot; 3086/3054/3048)
Accuracy: .390"

How different are RL22 and RL17?

 

[tbeasley]

H4831sc and 115 VLD
51gr H4831 (slight touching in lands)
53gr H4831sc (3125fps)
53 grains H-4831 with a Fed- 210m primer (3150fps)—ES 14fps-
50.5gr H4831sc (3028fps)—slow but accurate


RL-22
52.0gr RL-22 (3200fps)

I ended up using H4831 and 51.5-52.0 (unsure because the load is taped inside the ammo box and at friends house) I put together a savage 110 and McGowen barrel and bedded and stock work. This rifle shot remarkably awesome with 115 vlds.
Hope some of this helps...oyea a pic of the rifle too ( I am proud of how it turned out!!)

Just start low please and work up...Hope these helps

 

[Aldon]

Thanks Tbeasley.

And that is a very nice work of art

Congrats.

 

[tbeasley]

Aldon

that load I suggested was cutting pretty holes in my steel plate at 225yds of which my calibers usually wouldn't. I'm very pleased with the 25-06 performance. Enjoy

 

[johnnyk]

Aldon,
The .25-06 Sendero that I owned liked the 115gn VLD ahead of RL22 and a 9.5M primer. I settled on 51.0gn. Velocity averaged 3044fps and groups ran in the .3's. Accuracy was the same at 50.0gn but velocity was only 2951fps. I did not push these bullets at all. JohnnyK.

 

[Aldon]

Thanks Johnnyk!

Aldon

 

[lever-hed]

One thing about the .25-06 is that it likes slower powders, loaded full. RE-22 works real nice, but also try Retumbo or RE-25. Depending on your seating depth and whether you FL size or neck size your brass you should be able to fill the case. I was loading 120-gr Speers with 57.0-gr Retumbo and WLR primer, 2.705"oal-ogv.
3045fps , 22" barrel. Seating depths will vary by rifle obviously, but the VLD's (I heard) like to be loaded touching the lands or close-to. Always be aware your headspace, chamber length, and length to lands as pressures can spike when seated long. Be safe, good luck.!

 

[Bulseyetom]

Whatever powder you decide on ( I used H4350 and Re 25), make sure you load at several oal's as suggested by Berger. I found in both my 270 Weatherby and the 25-06 that there was a magic length where the groups decreased significantly. I hunted with the 130 VLD in my Weatherby Magunum this fall and gave up on vld's forever after losing a deer that fell at the shot but got away with no blood trail. It might have been a poor shot but I will never know. I did kill 2 deer on the trip but made sure that I had a perfect setup on both. I never shot any game with the 25 caliber bullets and have shot them up at the range and went back to my Accubonds for game. Tom