Author Topic: 25-06 bullets (Read 1270 times)

Djr2918 · « **on:** October 31, 2004, 07:10:13 PM »

I just orderd the ruger all weather 25-06, should be here pretty soon. I dont reload yet but plan to start real soon. Ive read two reloading manuals and seem to have a pretty good grasp on it. Just need to order the equipment. In my 25-06 I want to shoot fairly light bullets for deer and coyotes. I was thinking about using the 90 grain barnes x bullet. The bullet should hold together and expand a great bit. What do yall think about this for deer? Also was thinking about the 100 grain partition, xlc and tripple shock. But seriously what do yall think about using the 90 grain x? I want to shoot a fairly light bullet, real fast to have a better chance for that hydrostatic shock effect, instant kill. Also on midway's website they list a 110 grain accubond, but on noslers website there are no .25 caliber accubonds. So any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
David

Coal River Rat · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2004, 08:05:26 PM »

I've never shot the X bullet, but I know several people who swear by them. I might question if the 90gr. is a little light, but you'll probably be just fine, it is an X bullet after all(great penatration and weight retention). I might as well note I know several who swear at them also, they say either your gun really likes them or it really hates them, the accuracy is just not there in some guns. I've heard alot of praise for the Triple Shock bullet, some of the guys that had trouble getting accuracy out of the X say their rifles dote on the Triple Shock. If you like moly and some do, there is an XLC. Me, I'll just stick with my Hornady Interlock 100 gr. Spire point followed up with a stiff charge of H4831 in my 25-06. X bullets are too pricey for me to shoot all the time. Handloading can quickly become an obsession if you like to shoot. You get into it thinking you might save a little cash on your shooting but instead you just shoot a whole lot more, which is a very good thing. Good Luck with the X and keep me posted on how everything turned out. Good Shooting!

swecology · « **Reply #2 on:** November 01, 2004, 03:29:44 AM »

You may want to consider hand-loading for this, if you aren't already.

I've found the .25-06 ammo hard to come by in my neck of the woods (Arizona). It's easier to make it myself.

I prefer the heavier, 117 gr. bullets in mine. If you go this route, try Sierras (H4831) or Hornadys(RL 22). Both will do right by you.

Squeeze · « **Reply #3 on:** November 01, 2004, 09:49:31 AM »

David,

My .25-06 Tikka WH really likes the 100 gr Barnes Triple Shock bullets. The Nosler Partitions
have a great reputation for performance, and also a reputation for "hunting" accuracy.
Which means they should be fine for "Minute of Deer", at 250 yards or less. I can
tune loads using Partitions, in my rifle, to about 1.5 MOA, as an example of
my "Minute of Deer". Barnes 100 gr TSX(Triple Shock), on the other hand, gives
me consistent sub MOA groups. From my experience with Barnes X bullets, the
bullets perform very well on game, to go with this very good accuracy/consistency.
This last weekend, I took a management deer with a .308 Win handgun, with a 130 gr.
X Bullet, with a MV of 2775 fps(14" barrel). The shot was quartering towards me,
at 25 yards, and I hit, just back of the shoulder, so I missed the heavy bone, and just
clipped the edge of a rib. The internal damage was impressive, and there was a 1.5" exit
hole on the opposite side, just at the liver. So there was not much to cause
bullet expansion, other than soft tissue. And there was evidence of EXPANSION,
and ENERGY TRANSFER. So, if you are looking for an accurate bullet, that
performs well on game, I would suggest giving the Barnes Triple Shocks a try.
I will add that the original X bullets, and the XLC(Moly coated X bullets), do take
more effort to match a load to the bullet, to get good accuracy/consistency, and
in some guns, that may not be an easy/quick task. The TSX bullets, by my experience,
are much easier to find load combinations that achieve excellent groups.

Squeeze

riddleofsteel · « **Reply #4 on:** November 01, 2004, 11:11:17 AM »

The .257 Hornady 117 grain SPBT Interlock is a fine bullet for deer size animals. I have taken around two dozen deer with them from 25 yards to 385 yards with none lost to date. Muzzle velocity was around 3200 FPS out of my 26" barrel.
Good bullet, accurate as well, my rifle shoots them into 1/4 MOA on a regular basis.

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** November 01, 2004, 12:10:04 PM »

Djr2918,

I have been reloading/shooting the .25-06 for over 40 years(since before Remington adopted it and gave it their name) and the 90 gr. Barnes X is a more of a varmint bullet. Never did get it to shoot well in any of my .257 rifles. Go with the 100 gr. Barnes TSX. Much easier to get to shoot accurately than either the Barnes X or XLC bullets. Too much playing around with seating depth to get them to group well.

Quote

Also on midway's website they list a 110 grain accubond, but on noslers website there are no .25 caliber accubonds.

I tried to order some from Midway and got a back order notice. Dont believe Nosler is making them yet. At 110 gr. they would be too light anyway. Forget Ballistic Tips in .25-06 as they dont hold together at the velocities the .25-06 create. Lawdog

Graybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** November 01, 2004, 12:13:00 PM »

Quote

I want to shoot a fairly light bullet, real fast to have a better chance for that hydrostatic shock effect, instant kill.

After reading that I just have to ask. Just how many big game animals have you killed?

Why? Well because the facts of life are that unless you hit the Central Nervous System (CNS) or at least close enough to shock it you're critters are gonna run. Might not run far but generally will run. Oh sure I've had a few drop to the shot without hitting the CNS. Some just seem to die easily. But not most.

I've had just as many fall to the shot from a big fat slow bullet as from a tiny super fast one. More in fact. The .44 Magnum shooting 240 grain bullets has laid more down closer to me than any rifle I've ever used on average. For that matter even my many bow kills on average fell closer to point them stood than rifle shot game did. Yeah even the fast hot rocks.

I think I can recall a total of only two deer shot with .44 mag that got out of my sight before falling over to die. One was poorly hit as the bullet deflected off a limb I failed to see. The other was hit low lungs and just kept on going for 200+ yards. That one just didn't want to die. All the rest have fallen either in their tracks or went 20-40 yards which is what most have done.

I guess the fastest two bullets I've ever shot deer with were from my .270 Win. and my .243. Can't recall anything shot with either falling less than 100 yards of me and most not even close to that. Yeah I pretty much use same sight picture on all deer when I can. I aim for middle of lungs if it is possible no matter what I'm hunting with.

riddleofsteel · « **Reply #7 on:** November 01, 2004, 01:03:43 PM »

I decided to revise this post after the experiences of this season. We have had two deer that died instantly when hit in the shoulder with 6.5mm 129 grain Hornady SP's moving at around 2900 fps.
In the past I had one that died on the spot hit in the back of the head at 35 yards with a 12 ga. slug and one that took a 150 grain Hornady SPBT Interlock in the fourth thoracic vertebra.
The rest usually travel from 35 to 150 yards till they bleed out.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #8 on:** November 01, 2004, 01:18:42 PM »

Not meaning to disagree, I've killed my share, and most with a .243. Out of the 50 or so I've killed, only 2 have ever taken another step.....

cam69conv · « **Reply #9 on:** November 02, 2004, 05:44:54 PM »

As usuall im in agreement with tha old bearded one. Ive taken deer with everything from a .243 to a .444 and Ive YET to see one NOT run (unless I neck or spine shot it) My .444 I have always watched them fall...LMAO hell with that dang sucker ya can shootum in tha foot and they die

But anyway, Its all in the shot PLACEMENT. Heres a little figure for you. What do you think is gonna hurt most, A speer attached to a fast moving jet or a sledgehammer attached to a freight train??? Slower moving LARGE caliber bullets actually create more shock value. I know im gonna get berrated on that but its what Ive PERSONALLY seen to be true. Heck I took a nice fat doe the other day with my muzzle loader (.50 cal) her facing me and I hit her square in the chest. Now you would think that since she LITERALY flipped over from feet to back that she would stay there!!! NOT!!! She still got up and did the 3 legged run for 40 yards before crashing. Deer can be the most INCREADIBLE animal on the planet when it comes to survival instinct and will to live. Ive seen perfectly hit deer run 400+ yards with thier hearts blown all to hell. Expecting a deer to drop from a body shot is just like expecting your wife to understand catching you in bed with her sister. Just dont happen often at all...Good luck

Don Fischer · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2005, 03:04:43 PM »

I've killed a lot of deer with a good assortment of cartridges. My experience is lung shot deer seldom go right down but I've seen a few do it. But once down, they never get up again. They also seldom travel much over 35 to 40 yard's and seldom that. Rather they wobble around a bit, trot off and fall down. Deer I've seen run off with good shot's have alway's been heart shot and all RAN off.

The 25-06 is one of my favorite cartridge's for deer and the 117gr Hornady spire point my favorite bullet. A good dose of H4831 give's me 3079fps from my 24" barrel, that's cronographed. With IMR 4350 and the 100gr Hornady spire point, I get a bit over 3300fps, cronographed. Either should do wonderfully out to 300yds; not sure as I've never needed to shoot that far!

I may be wrong but, I don't believe you'll gain anything by going to premium bullet's. If your using a proper bullet in the first place, it will work, and reliably to boot. The only bullet failure I've ever had was with a bullet to light for what I was shooting, a 7mm Rem Mag. The answer was not to use a premiun bullet but rather to use a proper bullet.

WyoHunter · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2005, 07:28:45 PM »

Yes Nosler is making the 110 gr .25 caliber Accubond - I have a box of them! I just pulled some 115 Partitions and seated some of the 110's in their place. As soon as the weather gets a little better I'll try them. I hope my Weatherby Euromark chambered for the .257 Wby Mag likes them. Ought to make a heck of an antelope bullet!

lilabner · « **Reply #12 on:** February 06, 2005, 07:36:40 AM »

Getting back to the question of light bullets in the 25-06, what you should consider is the possibility of the lighter bullet breaking up on close range shots and wounding the animal or ruining a lot of meat. That doesn't rule out light bullets for hunting, IMO. However, you would be wise to use the strongest constructed bullet your gun will shoot well. Either the Nosler Partition or a Barnes or A frame. They will expand nicely, even at long range, but they will hold together even at short range. Expensive, but how much shooting do you do at big game in a year? The ballistic tip jobs are accurate and great at long range but they tend to break up on close shots.

Gregory · « **Reply #13 on:** February 06, 2005, 01:26:18 PM »

David

I have a 25/06 but have never had the opportunity to shoot a deer with it.

But I'd see what bullet your gun likes best and use 100 gr bullets as the min for deer.

Find a good deer load and just use it for the coyotes.

My A bolt likes 115 gr Ballistic Tips and the Combined Technology bullets for accuracy.

WyoHunter · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2005, 05:42:20 PM »

Premium bullets are like insurance.... in most cases you might not need them but when things don't go as planned it's nice knowing you have the consistent performance of a Partition, A-Frame, Barnes X or any of the new bonded core bullets. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure or for a little bit more money you don't have to worry about core and jacket separation. Your ammo cost is the least expensive part of your hunt why skimp on it? :wink:

ibfestus · « **Reply #15 on:** February 07, 2005, 10:01:58 AM »

I have shot and killed a good number of whitetails, somewhere near 100. I have had to trail only a handful in the past 45 years. Lung shots are not good if you don't like to trail and I would never intentionally shoot a deer there.

Most of my deer are neck and head shots. Those aren't for most people either, but I know what I'm doing and most of the ones I shoot are at less than 60 yards. At 100 yards or more I shoot behind the knee and I can testify that a heart or liver shot will put also one down in it's tracks (unless it has been spooked and has it's adrenaline up). I have used a 25-06 with 117 gr SP Sierras ahead of XMR 4350 at 3100 fps for 5 years. Two years ago I used 100 gr. sp Sierras in a .257 and this past year I took 3 deer using 175 gr. Sierras in a 8X57. I don't get good accuracy with Noslers and don't care for Hornady's. I tried but never could get the 120 gr Hornady HP to shoot out of my Douglas barreled Mauser 25-06.

Most any centerfire bottle necked round between .25 - .35 caliber is adequate for the whitetail but will ruin a lot of meat if you don't pay attention to shot placement. Most folks tend to shoot deer too high or too much in the shoulder. That big shoulder joint will cause many bullets to either blow up or deflect away from the vitals. Anyway, if you hunt long enough, most everybody will sooner or later wind up chasing a 3 legged deer around the woods. Shot placement is the key no matter what bullet you use. :oops:

Don Fischer · « **Reply #16 on:** February 07, 2005, 12:55:49 PM »

Funny you should mention that 120 gr Hornady, I can't make them shoot either, and I love Hornady's. The 100 gr and 117 gr shoot great. But as for lung shot deer running off, that's just not my experience; walk off a bit, wobble around and fall down! There was a time when I too took neck shot's. They kill like lighting but, a neck shot that cnly clip's the top line of the neck or goes thru the throat doesn't do much killing, that is called wounding. The heart lung area make's an awfully large kill zone. Furthermore, I don't recall seeing a lot of blood on lung shot's, so if you like to track blood trail's, I can't recomend lung shot's. The heart on the other hand is a rather small low in the chest cavity. please note I said rather small. Not a bad choice tho as a low shot will likely miss and a high shot get's the lung's!