25-06 for my do it all rifle?

[2rocky]

25-06 vs 6.5 Creedmoor vs 270: The Results Might Surprise You | Big Game Hunting Blog

Here's what you need to know about the pros and cons of the 25-06 vs 6.5 Creedmoor vs 270 Win so you can make an informed decision. The better choice is

thebiggamehuntingblog.com

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Never had a 25-06 but I've been around a .270. This would be a good article to peruse.

My favorite excerpt.....

.....the .25-06, which is really hampered by a lack of bullet choices heavier than 120 grains.

Do you primarily hunt medium sized game like feral hogs, black bear, or deer at ranges within 200 yards? All of the cartridges are more than capable of getting the job done if you do your part and there isn’t much of a difference between them ballistically inside of 300 yards. Go with the .270 Winchester if you want the cheapest or easiest to find ammo.

Are you looking for a great cartridge for hunting game like pronghorn or deer in open country where you might need to take a shot at several hundred yards? They’ll all work in this role as well, but the .25-06 Remington has the flattest trajectory of the three and carries enough energy out to 400-500 yards to cleanly take deer sized game without any issues.

Are you sensitive to recoil? Consider going with either the .25-06 or the 6.5 Creedmoor, both of which have very light recoil.

Do you want the cartridge best suited for target shooting out to 1,200 yards or so? Again, go with the 6.5 Creedmoor, which really stands head and shoulders above the other cartridges for longer range shooting.

Are you looking for a great cartridge for mountain goat, sheep, or tahr hunting where you need a heavy hitting cartridge with manageable recoil in a lightweight and easy to carry rifle? Go with the .270 Winchester. Jack O’Connor considered the .270 Winchester an ideal sheep cartridge famous and even though he did most of his mountain hunting many years ago, it’s still a great cartridge for bighorn sheep and mountain goat in North America as well as Himalayan Tahr and chamois hunting in New Zealand.

Do you want a cartridge well suited to hunt kudu, eland, moose, red stag, or elk with? Though they wouldn’t be my first choice for this task, the .25-06 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .270 Winchester will all work in a pinch. I’d lean towards the 6.5 Creedmoor with its higher sectional density bullets of the three though for a New Zealand or Africa hunting safari.

 

[OneSkinnyHunter]

I have shot several deer and elk with my .25-06 and agree that its a great round - but I'm not sure it would be my do everything rifle.....unless i built one to shoot those 131 grain blackjacks.....who knows maybe that would change my mind

 

[cuerro viejo]

that's a cartridge I've always wanted. I just can't afford to feed it.

It’s not near as expensive as it’s made out to be. I’m on my 4th reload on most my brass

With hornady and nosler loading for it now, prices aren’t beholden to wby as much

 

[Shad71]

I dearly love my 25-06s they have dropped every critter they have hit be it coyote, bobcat, bear, deer or elk... I run 115 Partitions, 110 AB, or 100 TSX

 

[FLS]

As I’m writing this, I’ve got an older 25-06 ADL of mine being re barreled with a #3 Bartlein 1-10. I plan on using it in WY on a cow elk with some 120 A frames if it likes them. I love my 25-06s!

 

[25orSo]

Remington Sendaro with a 26" barrel and a Remington Mountain Rifle with a 22" barrel, both in 25-06.

I primarily shoot 115gr Partitions out of the MR. It loves them and has never failed to put deer on the ground with one shot.

I've shot everything from prairie dogs to deer with the Sendaro. Shoots anything I've feed it really well.

The MR is my all time favorite rifle.

If you can put the bullet where it needs to go, the 25-06 will do the rest.

 

[Downeaster]

Never one to follow my own advice, so take this with a grain of salt.
For what you hunt, the 243 is a beast. That being said, I LOVE the 25-06 too!
110gr Accubonds at 3200fps just plain slays.

Best of luck whichever way you go.

 

[Stray Horse]

I'm using 100 TTSX for cow elk in a few weeks. It gets the job done.

 

[jmp300wsm]

I have owned 4 of them and it is a fantastic cartridge. Case stretch is not an issue if you neck size and the 100 gr. TTSX is one bad mutha! They have light recoil and a 24 inch barrel gives me over 3300 FPS which is plenty fast. YMMV

 

[WMDM]

Excellent cartridge, kills better than it should on paper imo. Only "knock" would be if you save coyote hides. They tend to wreck em.

 

[Gunner10]

thoughts on a 7mm-08 to fill this shoe??.....

 

[sndmn11]

thoughts on a 7mm-08 to fill this shoe??.....

Heck yes

 

[BigNate]

I do hunt everything with my. 25-06. It is fantastic with the right bullets, even on elk. It does very well on coyotes with 75gr Hornady hp, and Nosler 85gr bt.

Don't understand why anybody thinks a .270w is a "step up" or somehow better. If you have used both you know you couldn't begin to see a difference on game.

 

[texasbbq]

I do hunt everything with my. 25-06. It is fantastic with the right bullets, even on elk. It does very well on coyotes with 75gr Hornady hp, and Nosler 85gr bt.

Don't understand why anybody thinks a .270w is a "step up" or somehow better. If you have used both you know you couldn't begin to see a difference on game.

Other than recoil, there isn't a difference at all on game. My son guided last year amid Covid on a 17K ac ranch in West Texas primarily for Axis and some Oryx. This is a private ranch that only allows company employees to hunt and has always recommended a 270 when asked by hunters as what to bring.
He's always used a 25-06 with either 100gr TSX or 110gr AB's and had to put down alot of wounded animals for clients but that only means they made a bad shot with the 270 and has no reflection on the cartidges capability.
As for the comparison of the two cartridges, off the bench (they have a really nice range set up) the 25-06 was always noticibly lower recoiling. The ft lbs comparison isn't that much but in real world it would make a difference for a new shooter to have a 25-06.
Having said all of that I'm sure a 243 with proper bullets would achieve the same results on mentioned game.
My point is that with todays bullets one needs to focus on shot placement and not caliber within reason of course.