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25-06??
This is for all of you 25-06 owners. What do you think of that caliber as a whitetail/coyote round? I sold my 270 to my hunting buddy and need a replacement. I found a Kimber Montana today in 25-06. Nice, light weight rifle. I was looking at the 120 grain Federal Fusion 25-06 for whitetails. My Ruger Gunsite Scout shoots 308 Fusion ammo really well.
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I think I am going with the 25-06. I just need to figure out what rifle now. I do like that Kimber.
Browning makes some nice offering in the quarter bore.
Whats not to love the 25-06, and in a Kimber, :up: great deer and "lope" cartridge.
JAY
If your barrel has a tight enough twist to consistently stabilize the long 120 grain Spitzers they are deadly and at long range. Lots of BC there. If you have a problem with stabilization and/or accuracy you might try the Combined Techonologies 115 grain which come in Partition or Ballistic Tip. I've had good luck in both my .250 Savage and my .257 AI with the Ballisitic Tips. The .257 AI has a 26 inch Shilen Stainless barrel with 1-10 twist and the .250 Savage has a 26 inch Krieger with 1-9 twist. Both shoot these 115 grain Ballistic Tips very well. They're accurate with these twist rates, AND they have a good Ballistics Coefficiency.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I know you want the Kimber and you've seen everyone's opinion of the .25-06, so what's not to love? Get the thing and satisfy that craving. You will love it.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
:that:
I agree bellcat, it's a little better than the .243, especially out around 300+ yards. I think it is overshadowed by the .243 because gun writers have pushed the .243 thinking it's better for kids and women. However, as was said its recoil is not enough to make a difference. I also think it's been overshadowed by the big interest in 6.5s because of the heavier longer bullets in rifles with tighter twist rates. The .25-06 is a rifle to deer hunt with and not for shooting targets out to 1000 yards which few here do anyway. I think the .25-06 is in the ideal range for antelope and deer. And I think with the 120 grain bullets it's good enough for whitetail AND Mule deer anywhere, Canada included. As I've said, I have two smaller quarterbores, but someday I will have a .25-06.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I think it may be a bit much East of the Mississippi unless it's a beanfield gun, but it's one hell of a round, and very accurate. If I had to buy ONE round and be stuck with it it wouldn't be my first choice, but I wouldn't throw it in a ditch, either.
With a 1911 and a 30-06
Jerry
ASK-HOLE Someone who asks for advice and always does something opposite
With a 1911 and a 30-06
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/deer/articlegad.html
Deer traveled less distance when shot by the 25-06 than any other caliber.
Only when you're shooting something lesser than a .270, which will blow them clean out of their shoes, even though deer don't wear shoes.....
...apparently more deer were hit in the "right spot" w/ a .25-06...
Issues with distance traveled might just be that the .25 shooters are hitting them better, or the other shooters are more sloppy. I know folks who'll shoot a deer in the heart with their .30-30, and aim for the head or neck with something like a .243 or .25-06. That will change how far a deer runs.
This.
Something else to consider: who buys a 25-06 for their first rifle? More people are going to buy a 30-06 or 308 for a first rifle. IMO people who buy a 25-06 are more likely to be gun guys with more shooting/hunting experience. They are (or should be) better shots, more capable of placing the bullet in precisely the right spot, leading to shorter tracking distance. As experienced hunters, they are also less likely to succumb to "buck fever" and blow a shot, and thus less likely to lose an animal.
NRA Life Member
We determined that deer shot in the shoulder ran significantly shorted distances (3 yds.) than those shot in the heart (39 yds.), lungs (50 yds.), and abdomen (69 yds.). There were no significant differences in the efficiency of weapons when grouped by caliber. However, deer ran significantly less frequently (42%), less distance (27 yds.) and left sign more often (88%) when struck with soft type bullets than when struck with hard style bullets (60%,43 yds., and 81%).
How did deer react?
A total of 493 deer were taken.
253 deer dropped in tracks, 51%.
240 deer ran when shot, 49%.
If shot placement is ignored, how deer react is a coin toss.
Neck 25 <1
Spine 27<1
Shoulder 170 3
Heart 14 39
Lungs 152 50
Abdomen 58 69
Group 1 – Rapidly expanding bullets such as Ballistic Tips, bronze points, etc. Any soft point bullet of appropriate weight for a particular caliber for southeastern deer.
Group 2 – Harder or more controlled expansion bullets such as Partitions, Grand Slams, Barnes X, etc. Any bullet that is heavier for a particular caliber than is generally recommended for southeastern deer.
Soft 360 27 58% 12%
Hard 84 43 49% 21%
This may explain the 243 issue. Most people believe you need to use the 100 SP or partitions when many 243 users today find the lighter faster more explosive plastic tip bullet give DRT results in this caliber.
Shooting percentages about 82%.
The farther the shot, the lower the chance of getting the deer.
Deer ran about 62 yards on average.
Shot placement is determining factor. All things considered, broadside shoulder shot worked best compared to others.
About 50:50, deer run vs. deer don’t run.
Trained dog expedited recovery of all deer that ran.
Dog very important in recovering 61 deer that left poor/no sign, 24 deer judged unrecoverable, and 19 live/wounded deer.
Dog accounted for approximately 15 – 20% of total harvest on hunting area, i.e. 75 – 100 deer.
No difference in effectiveness of various calibers.
No difference between factory vs. custom firearms.
Significant difference between bullet types. This study indicates that rapidly expanding bullets lead to deer running less often and less distance and when they run they leave better sign.