My favorite deer caliber - .25-06

[300whisper_newbie]

Ole Miss Rebel Wrote :

:D Hello everyone! I just wanted to say that the .25-06 is my favorite deer caliber. I have shot deer with cartridges ranging from the .243 Win. up to the .300 Win. Mag., but I have only begun using the .25-06 during the past couple of years. I regret it having taken so long for me to discover this cartridge, but I really enjoy hunting with it.

This is just my opinion, but I don't think the .25-06 gives up anything to the great .270 Win. for whitetail only hunting. I don't want to start a heated argument, but it would be interesting to hear the opinions of others on this comparison.

The .25-06 I have presently is a Browning BAR Safari with the 22" barrel. Since it is a semi-auto, I prefer to use factory loads for hunting. The ones I used last year were the Win. 120 gr. Positive Expanding Point. They were shooting 3 shots into 1.5 inches at 100 yards, and bullet performance was excellent on the 2 deer I shot with this bullet last year.

I am thinking about trying some of the Rem. 120 gr. core-lockts, just to see if they shoot better. I would be interested in hearing the opinions of others regarding this factory load.

Thanks for any help, and I hope this forum really takes off.

Ole Miss Rebel :D

[Alan in GA]

just wondering if cooler burning new powders have added any performance/accuracy to this neat round?
My FIRST centerfire rifle was the 'new' at the time, Remington 700 BDL in 25-06 Rem. Never did get a deer with it before selling it to a buddy begging for it. Went to the .270 Win for a while back then [1970s]. I like them both.
Alan in GA

[700X]

Hey guys,
Just stumbled across your postings from the past. Don't know if you'll see this, but I'll try anyway. .25/06 is AWESOME! I would bet anyone who doesn't like it hasn't owned one! You really need to handload. Try Accurate 3100 with 100 gr Balistic tips. WOW! It's amazing what you can get out of a 22" barrel! Kills coyote-size critters faster than a Democrat can kill a concealed carry bill, and literally knocks antelope down ( I mean SLAMS them down!) out to about 275 yards. Farther than that it puts a hole through 'em and they do the typical 100 yard dash and crash thing. Don't shoot at anything deer size though closer than 100 yards...the bullet will fragment and fail to penetrate enough for a humane kill. I have only taken one whitetail with it. A small WY buck that was shot at about 225 yards with a 120 gr Partition. It was killed instantly. I believe that Partition @ 3000 fps, with it's very high sectional density, would do a GREAT job on MUCH bigger critters, but I haven't made an opportunity to try yet. I will take my first elk with my .338 Win. but I may try to get my second with my .25/06 or .257 WBY. Quarter inch bullets are by far my favorites! On another note, if the 300 Whisper heading pertains to either of you please pass on as much info as you can. I'm looking to learn maximum effective range of 125 gr balistic tips on big whitetails. Thanks in advance. X