25-06 ammo help

[txsuperman]

Finally got my dad the gun he wanted. Tikka t3 lite, stainless 25-06. Put Swarovski z3 on it and took it to the range today. We started with hornady 117gr SST. went through a whole box and couldn't get a group less than 5 in. Went inside and bought a box of Fusion 120gr. Best group we could get was about 2.5-3 inches. We let my barrel cool between shots, had a good rest, but am very frustrated after this. Any suggestions on ammo? I don't hand load, so want something i can buy at the store. I am looking for something for deer, turkey, and even a hog once in a while.

 

[Okie4570]

I would start by checking scope mounts and ring screws. Provided all of those are tight, you may want to try lighter bullets. Have a friend who has a .257wby mag that DOES NOT LIKE the 115-120s. 100s and 85s shoot really well. If you have some 120s left, try another scope if you have one available.

 

[cvrx4]

Try the Remington Cor lokt 100 grainers available at any walmart. They worked well out of my son's savage axis 25-06.

 

[Grumulkin]

Some 25/06 rifles don't have a fast enough twist to stabilize the heavier bullets you're using. As others have suggested, try lighter bullets. A bullet even in the 85 gr. range would kill a deer or hog just fine.

 

[criticalbass]

I don't know what Tikka break-in procedures are, but I do know my custom/Mauser 25-06 likes to be clean, and that it took a while to tighten up. As others have suggested, check the twist. My rifle likes 117 grains, but I don't remember what the twist is. CB

 

[aeropb]

You might test a lighter bullet, but double check to make sure your mount is in order.

 

[Old Fart]

One other thing you can do is check the crown for a bugger.

 

[Huckelberry75]

Make sure the action screws are properly torqued to the correct inch pounds. Did you clean the gun before you started shooting? For a brand new barrel, for best results to break in, you should clean it between every shot for the first couple of boxes and then after every five shots until about 100rds. This will help to smooth out the bore and keep copper from excessivly building before you get the imperfections smoothed out.

 

[HMFIC]

I've used the Remington CoreLokt 100 grains before in a Model 70 25-06 and they worked really well. Killed a nice 135# 8 pointer with one from 20 yards or so and it dropped in it's tracks.

 

[HiredHand]

I've used the Remington CoreLokt 100 grains before in a Model 70 25-06 and they worked really well. Killed a nice 135# 8 pointer with one from 20 yards or so and it dropped in it's tracks.

20yds with a 25-06, nice. Was it a pre-64 Mod 70?