I need some input on the best 25-06 bullet for deer. I have used some Hornady sst 117 gn. balistic tips. I had a deer get away last season after a solid shot in the shoulder, I just won't some input on the best bullet to stop a deer in its tracks with a good shot.
Bullet Choice
- Thread starter Bp3171
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tnshooter111
Well-Known Member
115 Nosler partition works great!
100 or 115 grain Barnes TSX. Put the bullet in the shoulder and watch what happens.
TSX - One Of The Deadliest, Most Dependable Bullets | Barnes Bullets
Or try the 100 gr tipped version:
All-Copper Tipped TSX® | Barnes Bullets
My opinion: Hornady SST bullets are the worst on the market. As a witness and personal experience, 100% FAIL.
Lefty7mmstw
Well-Known Member
I say the nos bt's are right up there in poor performance land. I hit a good mule deer doe at moderate range (250-300) yards last year and the 100 grain 25 cal bt didn't even go through the deer on a high rib hit. That's too dang soft. The regular hornady interlocks and nos bonded have been far better to me with sierra doing well too. Barnes can be great but in smaller calibers you seem to have to help the bullet out a bit by finding bone. I hear the tipped ones are better, but haven't seen it myself.
bronco
Well-Known Member
110 Accubond without a second thought.
I've never used a Nosler Btip smaller than a 130 from a 270. That's too bad about your doe. I've had a lot of success with the Btip, 100%, never an issue. In my new 280, I have more test loads to try today. I'm leaving shortly to go shoot more 150 Btips.
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
Been using the 115 Berger and the 120 Interlock, both have been working rather well on antelope to elk. I would like to try the Accubond but have no reason to, Barnes are on the same list as the SST and Ballistic tip for me!
Lefty7mmstw
Well-Known Member
I got the deer, but it wasn't a great feeling to not even be able to get through a deer with the pill. B.T.W. it was a borrowed rifle because my 270 had issues and wasn't usable; my other rifles were 150 miles away.
One remarkable thing I found out was a friend of my buddy in Colorado shot a bull elk with his 25-06 and factory ammo with nosler ballistic tips. He killed the bull, said he had to unload the rifle into it at less than 100 yards. I don't remember any comment on bullet performance, but he's not that type of hunter. If the bull died and he recovered it, that's all he cared about.
I saw excellent performance from the 117gr SST in my old .257AI as long as I confined shots to heart/lung, same with 100gr Sierra's. I used the 110gr Accubond in a .25-06, but only shot one whitetail in the chest with it........a finishing shot with the deer on the ground with it's back to me, put it between the shoulder blades and it left a 3" diameter exit wound on the bottom of the rib cage. I wouldn't have a problem using the Accubond, 100gr Partition, or 100gr Swift Scirocco as an all-around bullet for the .25-06.
SSTX
SSTX
handloader1
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2012
- Messages
- 41
The good old Partition will work!! Good luck.
That is a great question. When they first came out, I was on a bear hunt in New Brunswick. Another guy in camp that lives not far from me asked what cheap factory ammo I'd take as back up if I were him. We both load our own but accuracy is not needed on a bear bait stand when shots are bow range. I recommended the fusion and he wound up using one on his bear at 7 yards from his 300 WM.
Worked great. Of course this is not a 25-06.
