I'm mostly talking about for varmint hunting. I have a .25-06 I used to deer hunt with before I got my Winchester 70 in 300 WSM. I've always heard that the .25-06 shoots flat but what about past 300 yards. Is a .25-06 a good caliber for fox and groundhogs out to 600 yards? Thanks guys!
What are the advantages of a .25-06?
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filledandfree
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Yes it will do it...But the 300 wsm will do it better. I don't know what rifle your 25-06 is, but the heavier bullets that you can use with the 300 will hold better downrange. Now I am not as experience at shooting those kinds of ranges as some of these people on this forum are, but a good match 30 caliber bullet will take care of any fox out there.
johnnyk
Well-Known Member
MasonG,
Compared to .17, .22 and most of the .24 calibers, yes, it will give you a bit more range depending on the bullet weights you use.
Me, I would use a 115gn Berger to get the most reach from this little jewel. This is based on my varminting experiences with the .243.
The 55, 65 and even 70gn pills do provide for some explosive hits out to 300-350yds, but the lighter bullets tended to drift a bit on me at ranges longer than that. I know most of the misses could have been eliminated had I took the wind into consideration more but I can't control myself, when that ground hog pops up there I gotta try 'em.
I was just shooting my .25-06 @ 700 yds earlier today. Had no problem ringing the 80lb gong. JohnnyK.
Compared to .17, .22 and most of the .24 calibers, yes, it will give you a bit more range depending on the bullet weights you use.
Me, I would use a 115gn Berger to get the most reach from this little jewel. This is based on my varminting experiences with the .243.
The 55, 65 and even 70gn pills do provide for some explosive hits out to 300-350yds, but the lighter bullets tended to drift a bit on me at ranges longer than that. I know most of the misses could have been eliminated had I took the wind into consideration more but I can't control myself, when that ground hog pops up there I gotta try 'em.
I was just shooting my .25-06 @ 700 yds earlier today. Had no problem ringing the 80lb gong. JohnnyK.
SBruce
Well-Known Member
I've always felt the biggest advantage of the 25-06 was the fact that I could shoot 40 or 50 rounds a day every day of the week and never feel beat up or tired or sore from recoil. It's very managable in a rifle that weighs 10 or 11 lbs. and no need for a muzzle break which creates it's own problems IMO.
It's capable (with a 26" barrel) of 3600'/sec with the Nosler 85 Ballistic Tip
3200-3300'/sec with 100 grn bullets and over 3000'/sec with 115-120's IME. I eventually shot the barrel out of my first one using it on prarie dogs on windy days. I am now on my 2nd and not too awfully far off from putting a new custom barrel on it. Both that I've had so far have been factory barrels, but neither one has failed to shoot very very good with some load development.
I've always loved the 25-06 because it's fast and doesn't kick hard. It will easily handle any deer or antelope out to 600 yds maybe even 700 with the 115 Berger or 115 Ballistic Tip or some of the 117-120 grn bullets..........Assuming broadside lung or heart shots of course.
If we've gotta shoot quick at medium ranges (between 200 and 400 yds), there's no need for a rangefinder or to dial the scope with the proper sight in. It's a "hold on hair" deer rifle out to about 400 yds with the heavies and a hold on hair to 400 on coyotes with the varmint weight bullets...........Both cases require a 250-300 yd sight in at my elevation.
IMO, as far as factory rifles with factory twist rates go, it is one of the original LR antelope and varmint cartridges.
It's capable (with a 26" barrel) of 3600'/sec with the Nosler 85 Ballistic Tip
3200-3300'/sec with 100 grn bullets and over 3000'/sec with 115-120's IME. I eventually shot the barrel out of my first one using it on prarie dogs on windy days. I am now on my 2nd and not too awfully far off from putting a new custom barrel on it. Both that I've had so far have been factory barrels, but neither one has failed to shoot very very good with some load development.
I've always loved the 25-06 because it's fast and doesn't kick hard. It will easily handle any deer or antelope out to 600 yds maybe even 700 with the 115 Berger or 115 Ballistic Tip or some of the 117-120 grn bullets..........Assuming broadside lung or heart shots of course.
If we've gotta shoot quick at medium ranges (between 200 and 400 yds), there's no need for a rangefinder or to dial the scope with the proper sight in. It's a "hold on hair" deer rifle out to about 400 yds with the heavies and a hold on hair to 400 on coyotes with the varmint weight bullets...........Both cases require a 250-300 yd sight in at my elevation.
IMO, as far as factory rifles with factory twist rates go, it is one of the original LR antelope and varmint cartridges.
I have a Remington Model 700 25-06 I bought at a pawn shop for cheap. It has a BSA Contender Scope on it now which I plan to upgrade. I would like to shoot 1000 yards with it, is this doable? What type of optics would be recommended for this task? I also plan to reload for it in the future so I can kind of dial in a load for long distance. I live in Minnesota so it will just be target shooting, bench rest.
Glad I found this forum, some interesting points here.
Glad I found this forum, some interesting points here.
25-06 is a great round with in it limits. Would i shoot a big critter at 1000 yds with it NO. It smokes medium game tho. I am a huge 25 cal fan i own loads of 25 cal's. My wife hunts with a 25 WSSM my oldest uses a tikka in 25-06 the youngest is shooting a youth 243 to get the short action and smaller rifle for her. I even own a 256 win mag for my contender that i shoot rock chucks with. I shot a antelope in montana about 10 yrs ago with one of my 25-06's at a ranged 598 yds. He dropped like someone cut his legs off and it was with a off the shelf 20+ yr old ruger model 77. After that hunt i started hunting with my 257 WTBY soley and love it i have killed lots of deer with it. I think personally if u work up a load and shoot steel with it i think it will work out to 1000 yds in given conditions u will have way more drift to account for in the wind then u would with a 230gr berger out of a 30 cal. Take ur time enjoy what u have and learn learn learn. Let us know how it works out for u.
smallbutfierce
Well-Known Member
Same as most above. I picked a .25-06 to shoot coyotes and deer without scope adjustment to 300 yards. Wind was its nemesis. 115 sst's shot great, as well as 85 grain ballistic tips. Never tried the Berger's.
gun)I have yet to shoot this rifle believe it or not. The ammo is quite expensive so when I get into reloading I will start to experiment with loads and bullets. Should be tons of fun. It looks like I will need a scope that will dial in windage fairly quickly.
gunsmith
Active Member
When I think of .25-'06, I think of Pronghorn antelope. It works on coyotes, too, and other critters - cat, racoon, etc. It is especially well-suited to Pronghorn because most loads for it have just enough kinetic energy out at 700 to 800 yards, where you hope to find pronghorns, and they do shoot pretty flat.
Will it go for 1,000 yards? Yes, but there are better rounds for 1,000 yard work. I'd prefer a 7 mm SAUM, a 7mm WSSM, or a 6.5-.284 Norma, especially if I also had a deer tag in my pocket, or encountered a bear up closer.
As with all 1,000 yard work, accurize the rig, work up a round with enough downrange energy to drop what your aiming it at, scope it for 1,000, then get to the range and work out from 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1,000 yards and 1,000 meters. Spend 2 years learning windage or until your groups are about 7" or less. As you can guess, it is easier said than done.
Will it take a deer? Yes, it is a .30-'06 necked down to .25 bore. The lighter slugs tend to limit ethical kills to more reasonable distances (<600 yards for a sniper, <400 yards for most guys). Again, there are better rounds for deer, just not that many better for antelope.
Will it go for 1,000 yards? Yes, but there are better rounds for 1,000 yard work. I'd prefer a 7 mm SAUM, a 7mm WSSM, or a 6.5-.284 Norma, especially if I also had a deer tag in my pocket, or encountered a bear up closer.
As with all 1,000 yard work, accurize the rig, work up a round with enough downrange energy to drop what your aiming it at, scope it for 1,000, then get to the range and work out from 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1,000 yards and 1,000 meters. Spend 2 years learning windage or until your groups are about 7" or less. As you can guess, it is easier said than done.
Will it take a deer? Yes, it is a .30-'06 necked down to .25 bore. The lighter slugs tend to limit ethical kills to more reasonable distances (<600 yards for a sniper, <400 yards for most guys). Again, there are better rounds for deer, just not that many better for antelope.
1shot1yote
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dbrow where are you from in MN? I live about an hour North of Brainerd. There aren't many people from MN shooting long range. Mostly because it's hard to find safe areas to do it, and also because as you said the majority of hunting shots are under 200 yds.
I'm giving two thumbs up for the 25-06 should be cheaper to shoot than 300wsm and less recoil which means more practice. My dad owns one in a Weatherby Mark V and he's killed a pile of deer with it.
I just recently got into long range shooting myself. I purchased a Savage 111 LRH in 6.5-284, topped it with a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50, 20moa base. This rifle shoots very well, I'm extremely happy with it just wish I could get a little more velocity out of it. I'm getting 2870 fps with Berger 140 VLD, but I think this is do to the 24" barrel. Barrel will more than likely be replaced with an aftermarket sometime.
So I say buy some ammo and get out and shoot it. The only way to become proficient is to practice. I may be stealing somebody's quote here but I think barrels are like tires- replace em when there wore out.
If you ever get up this way I'd be happy to go shooting with you, it's always nice to meet new people who like to shoot.
Happy Turkey Day
Justin
I'm giving two thumbs up for the 25-06 should be cheaper to shoot than 300wsm and less recoil which means more practice. My dad owns one in a Weatherby Mark V and he's killed a pile of deer with it.
I just recently got into long range shooting myself. I purchased a Savage 111 LRH in 6.5-284, topped it with a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50, 20moa base. This rifle shoots very well, I'm extremely happy with it just wish I could get a little more velocity out of it. I'm getting 2870 fps with Berger 140 VLD, but I think this is do to the 24" barrel. Barrel will more than likely be replaced with an aftermarket sometime.
So I say buy some ammo and get out and shoot it. The only way to become proficient is to practice. I may be stealing somebody's quote here but I think barrels are like tires- replace em when there wore out.
If you ever get up this way I'd be happy to go shooting with you, it's always nice to meet new people who like to shoot.
Happy Turkey Day
Justin
1shot1yote
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Yeah of course I'm from Backus. My boss actually lives on Deep Portage. Kind of a small world sometimes.
Justin
Justin
