25-06 Rem in Africa

[Frederik]

So I keep bumping good deals with this buy.
Cases are not in stock in most places and Norma seems a bit expensive which I can get hold off but then I bumped into this at a gunshop.

Stock from 2 years ago and they left the price as is, since its not selling.
100gr Core-Lokt ammo.
Asked the shop if they can keep them for me untill I get the license for the rifle it works out 15% more expensives than buying new cases.
So ten of these boxes are kept one side for me that means I will 200 rounds to play and hunt with and the added bonus of cases.

 

[FlyGuy]

@Frederik,

I've said it many times before.... The 25-06 is the most underrated and under appreciated cartridge out there. Especially here in SA!

They're perfect as a plains rifle, or as we know it, a "vlakte geweer" for anything from gemsbok to jackal.
Load up good quality bullets on top of a slow burning powder like VV N160, N555, H4350, Win 760, Norma URP or S385 if you can find it. Depending on barrel length, 3100-3300fps is easy to achieve.

On the local 2nd hand market, the 25-06 is like the 7x64. Those that have them, keep them!

 

[C.W. Richter]

'LOVE .257. Had a 25-06 in my teens/20s, then several 257 Wby (those are the bbl burners, NOT the 2506, as the Vs are 3500+,) and finally settled for a 257 Ackley Improved (257 x 757 Improved) and it's a nice happy medium between the two (.257 benefits from a 26" bbl; it'll do 3,450 w/ 100 gr and 3,300 w/ 115-120 gr.) Great deer/antelope/varmint guns. I personally wouldn't take anything but the Wby to Africa, as I don't believe it's really enough gun for the larger PG that might show up (Kudu, Eland, Wildebeest-these are 750-2400 lb animals,) and so much better cartridges/bullets exist. Even in sheep country the .257s are just perfect (NA, not 450 lb Argalis, although the Wby would do the trick!) For gazelles and tiny antelope the 2506 would be just fine! I'm sure there have been some spectacular kills witnessed, but that's probably also the exception, not the rule. I used to call the 257 Wby "The Cannon!," as everything I lined up on moved about -3' vertically, and that was IT! Nothing in an 06 case is magic (ok a 6.5-06 AI might be considered magic. 'Too many better 7s out there to consider the factory 280 AI or 7-06 Improved LOL). They are the middle of works fine/bets the job done but best on more thin-skinned NA animals (i.e. a 750 elk is NOT a 750 lb Wildebeest or Kudu!) Good luck! Enjoy. Handloading will make 1-hole groups in the 257s no problemo. Why it's such a great combo varmint-deer gun.

 

[shark_za]

The other caliber that they seem to have on special is the .338 WinMag.
Get one of those too.

The 25-06 was quite popular at one point, enough for PMP to even make ammo for it.
Its far from the ideal Impala cartridge, given where you find Impala.

Its the perfect Black Wildebeest or Red Hartebeest cartridge. As mentioned, make sure it can shoot 120gr bullets fine.

 

[Frederik]

The other caliber that they seem to have on special is the .338 WinMag.
Get one of those too.

The 25-06 was quite popular at one point, enough for PMP to even make ammo for it.
Its far from the ideal Impala cartridge, given where you find Impala.

Its the perfect Black Wildebeest or Red Hartebeest cartridge. As mentioned, make sure it can shoot 120gr bullets fine.

It should be fine with 120gr we checked the twist before buying it.

 

[Bandera]

I’ve hunted with a 25-06 for years.
I’ve used 117 and 120 grain loads in my Ruger MKII.
I’ve shot Whitetail deer, hogs, coyotes, Axis deer, cow elk with it.

On one Whitetail buck, that was trotting , a quartering away shot at about 80 yards , I caught the deer in the ribs, the bullet penetrated through six ribs lengthwise towards the front. The bullet exploded or deflected, I only recovered fragments of the Speer soft point. Deer went 25 yards roughly and dropped. Admittedly it was not the best shot I’ve ever made.

The 25-06 is hell on Coyotes. Would not use it if pelt hunting.

For me the 25-06 is a keeper.