Slept on the 25-06, and i shouldn't have.

[coyotekilla]

So ive known about the 25-06 for a long time, almost had 1 for a first rifle, ended up with a 243. Fast forward 3 decades and I've had most of the short action options, a 30-06, some 300 mags etc.

Well I'm hunting coyote pretty hard these days and trying to find a good long range thermal gun. Have 22-250, 243, 6.5cm & prc.
Hard to find a little bullet that will ride the wind and still expand on a coyote reliably.

While researching the 25 creed, the 25-06 was mentioned, numbers were impressive to say the least.

Well the local gunshop had a weatherby vanguard in stock, and it fit about prefect. I bought some 75gr vmaxes & 100 gr sierra sp's.

4th powder charge into imr4350 load development with the 75's, we got paydirt, .6 moa and almost 3700 fps of wallop.

How did ya keep this dandy a secret so long? It should be a beanfield and Midwest super cartridge.

 

[RockAndSage]

It really is a cool and under-appreciated cartridge. And, I'd be lying if I said 25-06AI hasn't captured my attention more than a few times over the years.

 

[Lvthntitall]

It’s what I use for coyotes, no complaints

 

[wpeach1912]

It should be pretty close to a 25-6.5 prc based off case capacity. The eld-vts out of a 25 creed or PRC seem wicked if they shoot and the BC holds

 

[rclouse79]

Can I get a hallelujah! I put a 25-06 x-caliber barrel on my old Tikka .270 and it is a freaking tack driver. The two deer shot with 115 Berger VLDs dropped like they got hit with lightning. The first was 550 yards out.

 

[JO.]

Even with newer cartridges I've jumped around to the 25-06 and 257wby have been some of my favorites. Fast quarter bores are hard to beat.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

If I ever build another .25, it will be a 22" 25-06AI with 7.5 twist barrel. Pair that with an OG 6.5 suppressor and your still at 26" of barrel length suppressed. With the fast twist you can run from 75-138 depending on what you're doing and can even shoot factory 25-06 in a pinch and for fireforming. Attached is Berger load data for the 133/135 in a 26" barrel.

 

[Unclecroc]

The 25-06 is such an overlooked cartridge. It is a hammer of a long range varmint cartridge. I love the 85 ballistic tip or the 90 blitzking at 3400 for varmints.
It’s contagious, several guys in my hunting group have started shooting a 25-06 or a 257 weatherby and left the 30–06s and 308s sitting.

 

[Tanner]

One of my all time favorite cartridges… killed my best buck to date almost 15 years ago with the 25/06, a factory 700 bedded into a Rem T.i stock. Shooting a 25 PRC now which is about the same thing. A lot to love in a medium quarter bore.

 

[Bluefish]

It should be pretty close to a 25-6.5 prc based off case capacity. The eld-vts out of a 25 creed or PRC seem wicked if they shoot and the BC holds

I pretty much load 25-06 and 25-6.5 prc the same. Problem with the fast twist 25-06 or a 25 prc is it gets really high rpm when you start pushing the 60-80g close to 4K. Probably why the original twist for the 25-06 is 1:10. Almost need two different rifles, one for the varmit weights and one for the 130+.

When I burn out my 7.5 twist 25-06 it’s going to be replaced by a 25 cm barrel. Won’t be quite as quick as the 06, but it will handle both varmit and long range.