How effective is the 25-06 with either of these bullets?

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The 25-06 is probably the most underrated hunting cartridge in the world!
Here in SA, the cartridge has a very small, but loyal fan base.
Actually; more like a cult following…

To a man, every 25-06 cult member that I’ve met have a few things in common.
1: They are all expert hand-loaders.
2: They are all very experienced hunters.
3: They can all read wind and mirage like a book.
4: They are all phenomenal marksmen!

It’s amazing to see what a 100gr Matchking between a kudu or eland bull’s eyes at 400 yards can do. The eyes pop out of their sockets, the horns collapse inward and the trees behind look like a Jackson Pollock painting.
I’d imagine that a SST would have the same effect on an elk if placed in the same spot.

@FlyGuy
My ph uses the 25-06 on leopard with great success. Says it drops them in their tracks
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Where I hunted in South Africa there were respectable Kudu Bulls on display.

Both were taken with a Sako .25-06, both were hunted by a female. It seems the outfitters wife Clare was an expert shot too.

On another note there are some restrictions on minimum calibre for certain deer species in Australia. One I am sure of is that Victoria requires a minimum of .270 calibre to hunt Sambar. A large bodied deer. Our largest species .

There are guidelines set by DPI in NSW for almost all hunt able species and pests but those are only guidelines set out to guide shooters and pest officers.

I hear there are small populations of Wapiti (Elk) in NSW.

.25-06 is certainly underrated and those that have them love them.

Hornsby SST are considered a good hunting projectile

@CBH Australia
Everything I've shot with my 25 using a 117gn SST has not moved when it was hit. Leaving the barrel at 3,300+ fps it flies flat and hits hard.
There ain't no flies on a 25-06 with a 100gn TTSX at 3,400fps either at 3,600fps they is even goodera.
Bob

 

[CZDiesel]

I’ve hunted Elk extensively in Arizona and New Mexico… My brother is a Guide and Outfitter in New Mexico in the Gila National forest for over 20 years now!
There is NO WAY I’d recommend a 25-06 for Elk! No way!
These are some of the toughest animals on earth that spend all day running up and down steep mountains! And they can take a serious hit and run for longer than you think! They will end up deep in a canyon or bog and will be difficult to retrieve!
I love the 25-06, for Proghorn and deer but please get something larger for Elk!

 

[HankBuck]

@CBH Australia
Everything I've shot with my 25 using a 117gn SST has not moved when it was hit. Leaving the barrel at 3,300+ fps it flies flat and hits hard.
There ain't no flies on a 25-06 with a 100gn TTSX at 3,400fps either at 3,600fps they is even goodera.
Bob

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen - Bob, I had to read your post twice because I was “shocked” that you shoot anything less then .35 caliber….even for rabbits & kangaroo. Be very careful with those SUB.35 calibers even if they are just “deformed bastards” from a .30-06 case —they can become addictive and soon have you messing with a .308…and you know where that-could-lead???

 

[CBH Australia]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen - Bob, I had to read your post twice because I was “shocked” that you shoot anything less then .35 caliber….even for rabbits & kangaroo. Be very careful with those SUB.35 calibers even if they are just “deformed bastards” from a .30-06 case —they can become addictive and soon have you messing with a .308…and you know where that-could-lead???

Bob’s travelling, he is searching every backwater for CFE223

He has mongrelised the .303 case so no doubt he can come up with a bastardised.308 except you Mr Nelson won’t let him him f@&k with his because like little bears porridge he thinks it’s just right.

A long time ago I wanted to have a .308 necked down to .270 and I’m sure it’s been done. I eventually got a 7mm-08 and used it a lot.

In a lightweight short action rifle the 7mm-08 would be just right but I bet Bob would rather collect all the .243’s and neck them up to .257 because you know life starts at .25

 

[BeeMaa]

Bob’s travelling, he is searching every backwater for CFE223

He has mongrelised the .303 case so no doubt he can come up with a bastardised.308 except you Mr Nelson won’t let him him f@&k with his because like little bears porridge he thinks it’s just right.

A long time ago I wanted to have a .308 necked down to .270 and I’m sure it’s been done. I eventually got a 7mm-08 and used it a lot.

In a lightweight short action rifle the 7mm-08 would be just right but I bet Bob would rather collect all the .243’s and neck them up to .257 because you know life starts at .25

Starts at .25 and moves at 3800 fps.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

No experience with the SST in .25-06, but in a relevant side note, I had 16 1 shot kills with the 100 gr TTSX in the .257 Wby on plains game in 2019 from Vaal Rhebok to Roan. Every shot was double lung behind the shoulder, every shot was a pass through, and every shot was instantly fatal with zero move by the animal.

I was absolutely amazed at the lethality of this load. See https://www.africahunting.com/threa...ill-safaris-even-better-than-last-year.52376/

Back in Arizona a friend of mine used that rifle and load for his sons to shoot two elks (one bull and one cow) and they had the same results.

I had hesitated a lot prior to the trip between the 100 gr TTSX and the 120 gr Nosler Partition, and I had analyzed that 95% weight retention with the 100 gr TTSX (i.e. 95 gr) would penetrate better and deeper than 60% weight retention with the 120 gs NP (i.e. 72 gr). I would expect the same reasoning to hold true with the 117 gr SST or plain jane SP.

I know that the .25-06 flies a little slower than the .257 Wby (mine clocks 3,570 fps with the Wby factory 100 gr TTSX load, and this may have something to do with its effectiveness) but I would nonetheless think that the 100 gr TTSX at 3,250 fps out of a .52-06 would be absolutely deadly on deer, black bear, pronghorn, etc. and on elk too with well placed shots. I would not shoot an elk length wise with it, but I would have no issue whatsoever with a shoulder or double lung shot.

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@One Day...
The 25-06 can be loaded safely to 3,400 fps with the 100 gn TTSX using H4350 so not to far behind the Weatherby.
The 100gn TTSX is very effective in game like deer, goats and pigs in Australia loaded to over 3600fps in my 25. Dead on hold will give you almost 400 yards and at 500 only drops 24" and 1,500fpe.
Bib

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob’s travelling, he is searching every backwater for CFE223

He has mongrelised the .303 case so no doubt he can come up with a bastardised.308 except you Mr Nelson won’t let him him f@&k with his because like little bears porridge he thinks it’s just right.

A long time ago I wanted to have a .308 necked down to .270 and I’m sure it’s been done. I eventually got a 7mm-08 and used it a lot.

In a lightweight short action rifle the 7mm-08 would be just right but I bet Bob would rather collect all the .243’s and neck them up to .257 because you know life starts at .25

@CBH Australia
I'll stick with my barstardise 25-303 all day every day. Shoots flat,flat and hits hard for its size. At 500 yards with a 100gn projectiles it hits harder than the prissy (read pathetic) little 243 does at 200. So not contest. Always thought the 279-308 would be a fine and dandy round that's not far behind the 270.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Starts at .25 and moves at 3800 fps.

@BeeMaa
Yes an 80gn TTSX can be launched our if my 25 at close to 3,900 fps but at 200 the 100gn TTSX overtakes it.
Bob

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have only used the 25-06 on deer but I do have a lot of experience with Hornady bullets including SSTs.

You are much more likely to get an exit on deer with a premium controlled expansion bullet in a 25 caliber. I have seen perfect results with 120 grain Nosler Partitions in my 257 Roberts and would lean toward them for elk in a 25-06. I also think a Barnes X type bullet would work well.

It’s not a 25-06 but I have put 2 Barnes 270 bullets of 130 grains through the shoulders of a bull elk with perfect results yielding rapid incapacitation as well as exiting both times.

But if it were me, I would be hunting elk with a 270 or 7mm as a minimum with good premium bullets. I have used both successfully.

My favorite for elk has been a 300 magnum( used 300 win, 300 wsm, and 300 ultra) with good 180 grain bullets. You can kill elk near and far with these even with shot angles that are not perfectly broadside.

If you want a low recoil elk cartridge with plenty of power, take a 308 with premium 165 grain bullets. I have had great results on plains game with a 308 and African PHs seem to really prefer it on animals that are elk sized.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have only used the 25-06 on deer but I do have a lot of experience with Hornady bullets including SSTs.

You are much more likely to get an exit on deer with a premium controlled expansion bullet in a 25 caliber. I have seen perfect results with 120 grain Nosler Partitions in my 257 Roberts and would lean toward them for elk in a 25-06. I also think a Barnes X type bullet would work well.

It’s not a 25-06 but I have put 2 Barnes 270 bullets of 130 grains through the shoulders of a bull elk with perfect results yielding rapid incapacitation as well as exiting both times.

But if it were me, I would be hunting elk with a 270 or 7mm as a minimum with good premium bullets. I have used both successfully.

My favorite for elk has been a 300 magnum( used 300 win, 300 wsm, and 300 ultra) with good 180 grain bullets. You can kill elk near and far with these even with shot angles that are not perfectly broadside.

If you want a low recoil elk cartridge with plenty of power, take a 308 with premium 165 grain bullets. I have had great results on plains game with a 308 and African PHs seem to really prefer it on animals that are elk sized.

@Ruraldoc
The 117 gn SST in my 25 is a great bullet. Never recovered one. Problem is the amount if damage it does. On a deer with a neck shot at around 200 yards it almost decapitated it and the meat was bruised to down between the shoulders. Another shoulder shot at a similar distance rendered most of the front half in edible. The off side shoulder had a massive hole and was just jelly.
A sucker pig shot in the chest at around 100 yards after the mate blew it's foot off with a 243. He picked it up to roast on a spit. Problem was all the chest cavity and off side leg were still on the ground. Maybe he could have roasted the two back legs.
Those SST were leaving the muzzle at over 3,300 fps. Quick killers but definitely not meat friendly. Won't mention what it does to a rabbit at closer ranges like fifty yards. Basically what rabbit. Bits go everywhere when you hit them up the arse.
Bob

 

[coreydb]

I successfully dropped a trophy Golden Wildebeest at 315+ yards with a Nosler 115gr ballistic tip bullet, which is comparable to the Hornady SST. The animal is the same weight/hide as an adult female Wapiti.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

I always loved the 25-06. To me it had the awesome ability to seem small yet hit big, then I was told by a friend why don’t you just go with a 270. After looking it over the 270 is better in every way, it the same case and nearly the same size projectile and just for the sake of being different it’s not better. 270 win is proven. I killed some hogs with a 25-06 Barnes ttsx I think using 110 maybe 115 though but they put them down although it was headshots but still was fine. I prefer 270