25-06 and Elk

[Mojave]

Famous Wyoming gun writer Bob Milek killed something like 30 or 40 elk with a 25-06.

He is buried in Thermopolis across the bridge from the Star Plunge. Go put a box of 25-06 shells on his grave when you are in town.

 

[treydfoster]

Once again know your limits. Pick the right bullets. I cant find the picture but on a bull I killed during archery a few years back, I found a 30 cal in his shoulder blade. The shot had to be long as it really did not deform, but it was in the bone. It was at least 160 grains. Limits, the right bullets, and placement. Oh and be ready to follow up with tracking. I hunt PNW and am tired of I must have missed him people. Then I go in there 2 days later and find him 100 yards away. Will 2506 do it, yes if you do your part. You take the shot you spend time looking for the animal. Use the right bullets do your part and you should be fine.

But but but shoulder's can't stop bullets!

 

[treydfoster]

Famous Wyoming gun writer Bob Milek killed something like 30 or 40 elk with a 25-06.

He is buried in Thermopolis across the bridge from the Star Plunge. Go put a box of 25-06 shells on his grave when you are in town.

Is this how you get your ammo?

 

[SwiftShot]

But but but shoulder's can't stop bullets!

Depends on the range. Hell I bet my shoulder could stop one if it was far enough.

 

[FLS]

Worked for me. 110 Tipped Game Kings wrecked his vitals. Staggered maybe 10 feet from where he was shot to where he tipped over.

 

[nagibson1]

Cliff Gray did a video in which he said he didn't trust guys showing up with magnums if they weren't configured over 10 lbs and with other recoil mitigations. "They prob shot once before he trip and their body remembers how much it hurts, and they'll flinch when they shoot them" It's in his rifle setups video. His go to is a 308 for his mountain rifle, suppressed. This hot take was for "one hunt a year, and one range trip a year" guys mostly. Most of the super shooter guys I've known except one moved down in caliber over time.

2 years ago we did track a small bull wounded by another WI party in CO 34 that was limping along- shot with a small caliber in the shoulder. I suspect it survived that wound, but it was sad to see the kid not have a bull, and to have that animal wounded. But I have lost more game from flinching than from hitting them and the bullet not killing them. My 243 has given a couple uninspiring kills, but they were kills.

 

[kcm2]

A friend of mine's late father killed over 40 elk with a 250-3000 Savage. His bullet of choice was the 87 grain soft point. Some good 6x6 bulls, too. If he can do it, your 25-06 certainly can. Shot placement with good bullets is everything on elk.

 

[35WhelenAI]

...But I have lost more game from flinching than from hitting them and the bullet not killing them. My 243 has given a couple uninspiring kills, but they were kills.

@nagibson1, when you missed animals from flinching, you continued flinching and missing more animals? How many have been "... hitting and the bullet not killing them"?

If you've had enough experience with both issues to make a comparison then you've had some rough times and so have some animals.

No mention of the cartridge however I wonder if what you said just came across differently than what you meant?

 

[3325]

A friend of mine's late father killed over 40 elk with a 250-3000 Savage. His bullet of choice was the 87 grain soft point. Some good 6x6 bulls, too. If he can do it, your 25-06 certainly can. Shot placement with good bullets is everything on elk.

I’ve mentioned this before. The .250-3000 (.250 Savage) in a lever action Savage ‘99 was a favorite among some Wyoming old timers I knew. 87 or 100 grain soft points. Some even took Grizzlies with it. I don’t think it was optimal for that. But it was certainly capable of that.

 

[35WhelenAI]

The 250-3000 Savage was touted as being effective, very similar with respect to bullet weight and the .223 that has emerged in the recent times.

 

[SwiftShot]

I am of the opinion that it is shot placement, then bullet choice then caliber. In my youth which was decades ago I figured out the bullet part fast. Hunting hogs with a 22 Hornet. 35 grain hollow points sucked but a 45 grain soft tip rocked. It gave amazing penetration and usually an exit if I was under 50 yards. The others exploded on impact and it was just a bad day.
So a 2506 with good bullet selection will do fine. Just dont expect a left rear quarter hit to exit right front shoulder. Put it in the chest and it is down.

 

[Anubis]

I've killed a couple of elk with the 25-06 , both with 100 grain Nosler Balistic tips. I would not shoot another elk with the Balistic tips but I wouldn't hesitate to shoot another elk with 120 gr Nosler Partitions or A-Frames or like bullet.

 

[Gman12]

I always find it amusing hearing about the necessity for using a howitzer to kill elk. I have zero idea how my Rage broad heads make them fall within sight every time provided I do my part.

 

[Ryan Avery]

My grandpa shot several elk with a .25-20. That baby is an absolute powerhouse…. Lots of WALLOP!

 

[AZ_Hunter]

My buddy has a 25-06 tikka with the factory 1/10 twist that got chopped to 19”. We have been trying to settle on an elk load for him, but so far the 110 TGK, 110 AB and 115 Bergers have shot terribly accuracy wise. All have been on top of Staball HD since I had some. I have tried different seating lengths, but next step was to try 4831… but in my 20 year handloading experience I haven’t had the powder be the culprit across this variety of bullets perform this poorly, so I was thinking maybe the barrel chop has resulted in the barrel not liking the longer bullets, as in they are now on the edge of stability.

His rifle shoots the 87 Berger (no longer made) into tight groups.

Point of the story is if his gun only likes shorter bullets, I was considering the 100gr Scirrocco. Has anyone shot and elk with this bullet?

 

[FLS]

IF you can find them, the 117 Sierra Pro Hunter was one of the best .25 cal hunting bullets ever made. If it won’t shoot over 52 grains of H4831 something is wrong with the rifle. I can’t speak to the Staball HD, never used it, but H4831 or RL22/23 has never let me down in 20 plus year of shooting multiple 25-06s.
I like the Berger’s, but they took some tuning in my rifle, they didn’t seem to like much jump, but once I got the figured out they were really effective.
The 110 Accubonds and 110 TGK didn’t give me any trouble. The TGKs are a little more accurate in my rifle. I couldn’t get any of the 120s to shoot as well as the 110-117 bullets. I tried Partitions and A Frames. I think I’ve shot about every .257 bullet made except the new heavies. The Speers don’t get much love but they’ve always worked. If the rifle likes lighter bullets give the 100 grain Spitzer a try. I’ve got an acquaintance that murders deer with them out of. 250 Savage 700 Classic.

 

[goathunter]

My buddy has a 25-06 tikka with the factory 1/10 twist that got chopped to 19”. We have been trying to settle on an elk load for him, but so far the 110 TGK, 110 AB and 115 Bergers have shot terribly accuracy wise. All have been on top of Staball HD since I had some. I have tried different seating lengths, but next step was to try 4831… but in my 20 year handloading experience I haven’t had the powder be the culprit across this variety of bullets perform this poorly, so I was thinking maybe the barrel chop has resulted in the barrel not liking the longer bullets, as in they are now on the edge of stability.

His rifle shoots the 87 Berger (no longer made) into tight groups.

Point of the story is if his gun only likes shorter bullets, I was considering the 100gr Scirrocco. Has anyone shot and elk with this bullet?

110 TGK + RL22 is the most accurate load I've shot out of any gun. Course that gun shot everything well (including 110 NAB) but that load was outstanding. This was a 22" barrel. I would try some different powders. Retumbo has also always worked great out of several 25-06s. But maybe 19" is too short. I almost chopped that gun to 20" too.

 

[GotDraw?]

Ryan is a pea shooter?

@Formidilosus
Hey-- C'mon man, only Tanya can make that call

 

[buffybr]

The only rifle that one of my co-workers had was a .25-06. He shot many elk with it. I only elk hunted with him one time and when we found some elk across a small draw from us, I told him to shoot first then I shot my elk. Two shots, two dead bulls, his with his .25-06, mine with my .30 Gibbs.

Another year I went on my first Montana Unlimited unit bighorn ram hunt. I backpacked solo into the Absaroka Wilderness east of Gardiner, MT and just north of Yellowstone NP. By the third morning of my hunt I hadn't seen any rams, or any other sheep, so when a big 6x6 bull elk came toward me bugeling through the scattered timber my sheep hunt ended as an elk hunt.

My deer, antelope and sheep rifle is my .257 Ackley, and when that bull stopped in a clearing about 75 yards from me, a 117 gr Sierra GameKing bullet just behind his shoulder dropped him where he stood. He turned out to be my second best 6x6 bull elk and maybe my quickest elk kill.

I didn't always carry a camera with me back then, so I didn't get any on the ground pics, but I still enjoy seeing him every day on the wall above my bar...

 

[Tim Johnson]

I grew up hunting with 25/06 I ended up shooting the barrel out of it and ended up making it a 6.5/06 with 142 ablr just shot a cow last weekend with it