AJ Posted July 6, 2003 Report Share Posted July 6, 2003 During the 1920's, a number of wildcatters worked with the .30-06 case necked down to .257" caliber. To name a few, there were the .25 Niedner, the .25 Griffen & Howe, and the .25 Whelen. All were similar in powder capacity, and all were handicapped by the lack of slow burning powders. It was not until DuPont introduced IMR 4350 rifle powder during the early 1940's that the .25-06, as it became more commonly called, began to exceed .257 Roberts performance by an amount worth talking about. Then, during the late 1940's, B.E. Hodgdon introduced H4831 rifle powder to handloaders and the .25-06 took off like a scalded dog. In 1969 Remington took note of all the noise wildcatters were making with the cartridge and domesticated it. The .25-06 Remington is based on .30/06 brass casing necked down to accept a .257 caliber bullet. It uses the same 17° 30’ angled shoulder as the .270 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield. The .25-06 can be used as a long-range varmint cartridge, but burns too much powder and has too much muzzle blast to be ideal for that purpose. It is probably at its best as a long-range antelope and deer cartridge. Using a 120-grain bullet, it rivals cartridges like the 6.5mm Remington Magnum and the .270 Winchester. Everything including accuracy, recoil, trajectory, and down range punch considered, the .25-06 comes awfully close to measuring up as the all time ideal cartridge for hunting deer and pronghorn in open country. Probably the worst that could be said of the .25-06 is that it operates best in barrels no less than 24". The long .30-06 case has a lot of powder capacity compared to the small diameter of a .257" bullet. Thus the .25-06 is at its best with the heavier bullets in the caliber. For shooting deer sized game the 100-grain spitzer is an impressive performer but really doesn't offer anything not offered by the 6mm cartridges. The 120-grain bullet is what separates the .25-06 from the rest. Factory loads for the 25-06 are supplied with bullets 90, 100, 115, 117, and 120 grains. The 90-grain offering is usually has a thin jacketed varmint bullet. Standard factory loads push the 100-grain bullet at 3,230 fps with 2,316 ft. lbs. of energy at the muzzle. The 115-117 grain bullets leave the muzzle at 2,990-3060 fps with 2,289-2,391 ft. lbs. of energy. The popular 120-grain bullets depart at 2,990-3,130 fps carrying 2,382-2,610 ft. lbs. of energy. The heavyweight 120 grain bullet at 2,990, when sighted in to hit 2” high at 100 yards will be 1” high at 200 yards with 1640 ft lbs of energy, 2” low at 250 yards with 1490 ft lbs of energy, and be 6” low at 300 yards with 1350 ft lbs of energy. Handloaders have a few more options for bullets and powders. Varmint hunters can choose bullets weighing between 75 grains and 90 grains. Bullets for big game are offered from 90 grains to 120 grains. With its small bore and large case capacity, the slow burning powders like 4350, 4831, AA3100, and IMR 7828 are popular. Varmint loads with the 75 grain V-Max can be pushed over 3600 fps with a 26” barrel. When this load is sighted in 2” high at 100 yards, it is still 2” high at 200 yards, ¾” high at 250 yards, 2” low at 300 yards, 5 ¾” low at 350 yards, and 11” low at 400 yards. Not too shabby for popping prairie poodles at long range. Recoil from the .25-06 is very mild. A sporter weight gun that weighs 10 lbs in hunting trim generates about 11.5 ft lbs of recoil energy with the 120 grain bullet traveling about 3075 fps. A 100-grain bullet traveling 3350 fps will generate 10.5 ft lbs of recoil energy in the same rifle. A .30-06 with 150-grain load in the same weight rifle will generate about 15.5 ft-lbs of recoil energy. The .25-06 is about 30% lighter in recoil than the .30-06. The .25-06 Remington is an excellent cartridge that provides excellent ballistics and trajectory for varmint through deer sized game. The .25-06 shines as an ideal dual-purpose varmint and deer rifle. The .25-06 has ballistics and trajectory that is among the very best varmint only cartridges available. The .25-06 as a dual-purpose cartridge has the advantage of being quite capable of shooting bullets as heavy as 120 gr. bullets. The .25-06 is an excellent choice for Whitetail, Mule Deer, Antelope, and similar sized game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron buck Posted July 6, 2003 Report Share Posted July 6, 2003 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington I bought my first 25-06 this year. It is in a Ruger No 1 with a new 4-12 Leupold VXII. It has proven to be fun to shoot and accurate. I will try it on the local deer population this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
too_pointer Posted July 6, 2003 Report Share Posted July 6, 2003 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington Always was curious about the 25-06. Thanks for all that good info. My neighbor shot an elk with one, but I think that is taking it to far. too_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted July 7, 2003 Report Share Posted July 7, 2003 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington thanks--been waiting on this one! todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robk Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington have several friends who shoot the 25-06 and have hunted from varmits to elk with great success. i myself enjoy shooting my 25-06 as with my neck and hsoulder surgeries i have been able to take the recoil which is light compared to most and i can shoot a lot more than i couold with my 270 which i finally got rid of. the 25-06 to me is an excellent shooter and easy to get ammo for and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a good rifle. i think witht he right bullet i would go after elk, but it would have to be a good top of the line bullet like the barnes or sierra game king or a big time bonded trophy bullet. you can make almost any bullet work for bigger like an elk but you have to know your equipment for sure and know you can make the hit happen when it comes to that time in your hunt. good luck to all during your gun season rob k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J_Owens_66 Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington What does AI stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted November 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington Ackley Improved - This involves blowing out the case walls to minimum taper and increasing the shoulder angle from factory angle of very shallow to 35 or 40 degrees. This increases the powder capacity and reduces the forward flow of brass upon firing. Sometimes it makes the cases more efficient. Some cartridges like the .308 Winchester do not gain much by improving. Sometimes it makes a world of difference. Cases can be obtained by fireforming factory or standard ammo in the AI chamber. There should be a .001"-.002" crush fit on a standard parent cartridge. When the case is fired, the brass will be pushed out to form to the new chamber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington After reading that, I am even more anxious to shoot my new 25-06. Thanks AJ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington Thanks for the info, AJ. i have been wondering what to get for a seocnd deer rifle when i am hunting in the fields, that is a smaller caliber than my .300 WSM. i'd like to get something in the .25 or .26 caliber range. the .25-06 has always appealed to me, now it does even more! thanks again AJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bronco_mudder Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Re: COTW - .25-06 Remington That is an awesome piece of info AJ. Thanks for putting it up, now I'm getting even more pumped about getting mine. The 30/06, sure is a versitle case, and is the reason we have some excellent cartridges. The 25/06, 6.5/06, 270, all are fantastic deer rounds. Not to mention shortening the case for the 308 family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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