Let’s talk 2506 Caliber

[dennishoddy]

Berger is offering a long-range target bullet in 25-06 that is an improvement over a hunting round.
Berger 25 cal 135gr Long Range Hybrid Target

• G1 BC 0.65
• G7 BC 0.334
• G7 Form Factor 0.876
• Minimum Twist (or faster) 1:8″
• Ogive Style LR Hybrid
• Base Style Boat Tail
• Jacket J4 Target Jacket
• Sectional Density 0.292
• Bullet Dia. 0.257
• OAL 1.416
• Base to Ogive 0.735
• Nose Length 0.729
• Bearing Surface 0.45
• Boat Tail Length 0.216

Yes, there are bullets with better BC but there are bullets available for longer range in 25-06.

 

[SPOONBILL]

There is a lot of good information on the 25 06 on Len Backus Long range hunting forum. Guys have done some pretty amazing things with it. There are some heavier for caliber high bc projectiles available for it.

 

[swampratt]

I chased that high BC Ferrari bullet and found under 500 yards it does not matter.
My savage axis .223, Mossberg 100ATR in .243 and 30-06 and my Savage 10 in .308 will all hold under 5" at 500 yards

G1 BC : 55 gr V-max .255.
Hornady 150 gr SP #3031 BC .338.
Hornady 155 A-Max BC .435.
Hornady .243 87 gr. V-Max BC .400.
Sierra 165 Game King HPBT. BC .363 @ 2600 fps and above .355 between 2600 and 1800 fps .363 @ 1800 fps and below.

Those bullets put the smack down on game and are what i use in my rifles and not any high BC stuff really but will hold for me out to 500
yards and have taken game easily to 300 a few times for me.
I do not try to snipe my deer i hunt them and i get as close as I can.
High BC bullets for me are not needed.
Accurate shooting excellent performing ones are.

I tried the heavier higher BC bullets in my guns and the drop was much more and I can deal with that.
But none of them proved to be more accurate and 99% of the higher BC ones shot worse groups.

I chalk that up to short bearing surfaces on them vs the longer bearing surface on my lower BC bullets.
I did find the shorter the bearing surface was the faster I had to push them to get accuracy I need.

1 bullet really had excellent accuracy but I had to push it very fast and that was Sierra 2156 Palma 155 with .504 BC.
2980 FPS from my savage .308 and 3176 fps from my 30-06 to make them stay in a very tight group.

I shot 2 deer with them and both deer got hit under 100 yards and it smacked them so hard it lifted them off their feet and smacked them to the ground like a Hulk Hogan body slam.
But they both got right back up and took off like lightning running over 200 yards before expiring.

Both hearts had a hole in them and the entry of the bullet was like a pencil hole and the exit of the bullet on 1 deer was pencil size.
The other deer took it through the chest.

The bullet did not expand at all.. Poor bullet choice for shooting critters for sure. High BC though.

Did I need it for under 100 yards. Absolutely not.

Got a gun that does not shoot tight groups with your reloads try a long bearing surface flat base bullet.

Prep the brass like you mean it.
You scratching your oily face and grabbing the next bullet to seat. Little things like that will ruin a good group.

Attention to the little things can make or break you.
After I lube cases and prep I remove the lube and before seating bullets I wash my hands.
My hands stay very dry all the time but many people have clammy or acidic hands and I feel for those.

My buddy takes Chemo and other meds for heart and arthritis and his hands will rust the bluing on a 30-30 over night.

What does that do to a bullet you touched???
Think about the ammo he made 6 months ago.
I do notice his brass looks tarnished.
I clean his cases and can tell his from mine really easy.

 

[Wannabe]

Several has said not for Elk. I would say that since the .243 is approved in multiple states and I have read multiple people taking elk at up to 400 yards with a .243, that the 25-06 would be plenty capable of doing the same. It is fast, hits hard and can shoot quite a bit heavier projectile than the .243. That would tell me that if you wanted to hunt elk with it, put it in the right place and it wont matter. Before bullet size and weight regulated by fish and game department, several men I knew who are passed on now, hunted deer and antelope with a .22 LR. Just saying.

 

[KurtM]

Sierra 165 HPBT in .308 is my very favorite 30 cal. of all time! Weight to penetrate big hollow for explosive opening. If you think a 55 gr. 223 v max is explosive, you would think you we're shooting artillery with these!
Sorry, I got nothing on 25-06 except the one mule deer I saw shot in the head with one expired.

 

[Oklahunter3]

Has anyone here here tried the 115gr Berber’s in their 25-06? I’ve been thinking about giving them a try.

 

[BobbyV]

I inherited a very nice Tikka rifle in 25-06 . . . I need to take it out and make sure it's still sighted in.

 

[Jcann]

Has anyone here here tried the 115gr Berber’s in their 25-06? I’ve been thinking about giving them a try.

I shoot Berger bullets only in one of my rifles and I’ve found the VLD is more seating sensitive than other bullets. Depending on your chamber throat length you may be close to or exceed magazine length once you get it shooting good.

Basically you may need to seat the bullet out to where it kisses the lands to get it to shoot good. This may make your OAL longer than your magazine. But, there’s only one way to find out.

If you email Berger they will send you load data for that bullet from their reloading Manual

 

[dennishoddy]

Sierra 165 HPBT in .308 is my very favorite 30 cal. of all time! Weight to penetrate big hollow for explosive opening. If you think a 55 gr. 223 v max is explosive, you would think you we're shooting artillery with these!
Sorry, I got nothing on 25-06 except the one mule deer I saw shot in the head with one expired.

100% agree. For light skinned game the 165 HPBT is also my favorite. It turns the innards into jelly with the animal barely taking a step after the hit in the 30-06. I won't use it though on elk opting for the Barnes solid copper 165 TTSX. Flies true at long range and puts the elk down. They have big thick bones so one needs something that will give max penetration if hitting that bone. I recovered one bullet at over 400 yards that was fully mushroomed and weighed in the high 150 grain after losing the plastic tip and some small fragments evidently. No lead jacketed bullet will perform that well and retain weight.

 

[dennishoddy]

Several has said not for Elk. I would say that since the .243 is approved in multiple states and I have read multiple people taking elk at up to 400 yards with a .243, that the 25-06 would be plenty capable of doing the same. It is fast, hits hard and can shoot quite a bit heavier projectile than the .243. That would tell me that if you wanted to hunt elk with it, put it in the right place and it wont matter. Before bullet size and weight regulated by fish and game department, several men I knew who are passed on now, hunted deer and antelope with a .22 LR. Just saying.

Sure a 6mm will take an elk. Hundreds of thousands have been killed with a round ball muzzle loader at less than 2000 fps. As always said, shot placement and knowing the lethal distance of your firearm is key.
Lighter bullets lose velocity/energy at longer ranges with less kinetic energy. I don't have a problem with the smaller calibers if someone is responsible enough to know it's limitations.
Bigger rounds retaining energy can be used at a much further ranges.