Short Barrel 25-06 Bad Idea?

[Boltgun]

I’m considering rebarreling a Tikka T3x Lite 30-06 to 25-06. I shoot exclusively suppressed however, and like a short barrel. I don’t reload, so I’m stuck with factory ammo, but Hornady makes some good options and I’d likely be running their ELDX.

The general internet consensus is that 25-06 does poorly in short barrels due to slower burning powders. The internet also thinks hot barrels string, and magnums are needed for elk, so I’m looking for some data based info.

Is factory 25-06 actually loaded with slower powders? Is it going to be worse than say, 6.5 Creedmoor in a 18 or 20” barrel?

 

[sierracharlie338]

I run a 257 Roberts AI and am getting great speed with the 110eldx out of a 22 inch barrel. I’m at 3050 with out pressure and room to spare

 

[wind gypsy]

Will a 25-06 be loaded with slower powders than say a 308? Probably. But that doesn't mean it wont work fine with a 18-20" barrel and a can.

A 6 creedmoor would do the same thing with factory ammo and be more fun though.

 

[Mountainrancher]

A 25-06 is going to be faster than a 6.5 creed no matter barrel length

 

[Huntinman57]

I’m running a 20” barrel on my 30/06ai 165gr at 2877. Zero pressure signs.

 

[hereinaz]

I am with Gypsy. Run a factory 6 creed, get the same weight bullets as a factory 25 cal and plenty of speed out of a shorter barrel and short action. Better BC with a 6mm and 110 vs 115 25 cal. And, less recoil with less powder. There is insufficient benefit for the extra recoil, IMO.

My rule of thumb is pick the bullet weight you want to shoot and then pick the caliber based upon the highest BC bullet. So, a 110 gets you a 6mm, a 130-150 gets you a 6.5 and 170-190 then a 7mm and 200+ a 300 mag of some flavor. Velocity is just a function of how far you want to shoot. So, a 6.5 creed vs 6.5 pcr is just how far you want to shoot to get better ballistics.

Your 25-06 will be just fine if you rebarrel. IMO For the cost just sell and get a new rifle rather than rebarrel into a short 25-06.

I run a 25 SST with 133s and they do fine in a 21 inch barrel.

Everything is just a little better or a little worse, when it comes to short barrels and such. Short barrels are a little less effective, yeah but the velocity loss for every inch stays pretty close down to 20 inches as far as I have seen. Abraham Lincoln said not to believe in everything you read on the internet about slow powders and 18-20 inch barrels.

 

[Axel1939]

My least favorite part about 25-06 is that it needs a fairly long barrel

 

[KenLee]

My least favorite part about 25-06 is that it needs a fairly long barrel

Exactly why I've hunted 50 years and never owned one...til yesterday

 

[AZ_Hunter]

My buddy has a tikka 25-06. We are going to move forward with chopping it 18” for his 7.5” can. The factory barrel is 22”. So even at 30 fps per inch we are looking at 120 fps loss. Then add 30 fps for freebore boost we are at a delta of 90. Big whoop.

I actually gained velocity with my exact loads (same batch) chopping my 30-06 from 22” to 20” and putting a can on it. I did not shoot it without the can to compare, but the rifle always shot that load at 2700 fps flat. This weekend, first time shooting it post chop and with can, it was 2760. I’ll shoot it without the can next time to compare, but that surprised me.

I chopped a 243 from 20” to 18” and added a can, and my velocities were 30 fps less. Negligible.

Maybe my results are simply environmental. Even if so, good, it just shows it’s no big deal to chop off some barrel then adding a can to make up for some.

I am new to tinkering with bolt guns, but have over 20 years experience with the AR platform in all types of barrel lengths, cartridges including wildcats, etc. I have documented freebore boost anywhere from 20-40fps depending on a variety of factors (can type/length, gas system, barrel length, cartridge, etc) in the AR platform. My hypothesis on why my 06 gained velocity despite losing 2” of barrel is because unlike an AR that sheds gas before the bullet enters the can, on a bolt gun ALL the gas is entering the can, and the larger volume/pressure of gas in the system is resulting in higher freebore boost than I have seen before.

Again, I will test it next time I go out, which will be a couple weeks.