25-06 factory projectile choice

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25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 27 Mar 2018, 11:23 am

Hi

I think I know the answer to my question, but want to put it to the brains trust........

I'm currently too time poor to reload (self employed, two kids, wife, multiple hobbies) so I'm shooting factory ammo through my 25-06.

I've been running federal 117 gn soft points and been pretty happy with performance, but want to try a lighter faster projectile, mostly to reduce bullet drop at longer distances for those pesky foxes. If I swap to the 85 gn ballistic tip, is this projectile too frangible for goats and fallow deer? i.e. will it just blow apart on impact and not achieve sufficient penetration to achieve fast kills? I suspect this might be ggt he the case, as the ratings on the box list the 85 gn as a varmint load.........

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It'd be nice to have the advantage of faster and flatter because foxes are the numerically dominant target for this rifle, but this is my "go to rifle" , so sticking with the heavier projectile might just be the "better" choice. I'm too time poor to be stuffing around rezeroing for different ammo.....

Thoughts?
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by duncan61 » 27 Mar 2018, 10:56 pm

I will go out on a limb and state there is not a goat alive that will shrug of a 85gn out of a 25/06
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by duncan61 » 27 Mar 2018, 10:59 pm

I hunt goats with a .222 and 50 gn PSP and they drop on the spot with a chest shot.There is a lot of under estimating of the power of centrefire rifles
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 28 Mar 2018, 6:44 am

I'm not in the slightest bit worried about the performance of the calibre, everything I have shot with the 117 gn projectiles has gone down on the spot. I've shot goats with a 25-20 with very good results too. It is the bullet construction that I am unsure of. I don't want to have a highly frangible projectile blow up on the shoulder of a fallow that pops up when I'm looking for foxes......... Just wondering if someone might have used that projectile in a similar cartridge.......
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by BRNO_Bigot » 28 Mar 2018, 11:31 am

An anecdote - I know of someone who shot a Blesbuck (a bit bigger than a fallow) on the shoulder with a 87 gr bullet from a 25-06 and it blew a patch of skin about the size of a saucer off the shoulder - I seem to remember that the ammo was Remington.

Blesbuck disappeared into the herd and was not seen again.

I would not use it for general hunting - foxes, yes, bigger animals, not so much.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 28 Mar 2018, 12:46 pm

BRNO_Bigot wrote:An anecdote - I know of someone who shot a Blesbuck (a bit bigger than a fallow) on the shoulder with a 87 gr bullet from a 25-06 and it blew a patch of skin about the size of a saucer off the shoulder.


Yeah, that's exactly the outcome I'm concerned about.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by wheedle » 29 Mar 2018, 2:15 pm

What does Federal rate it as out of curiosity on the box? Med Game?
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 29 Mar 2018, 2:27 pm

wheedle wrote:What does Federal rate it as out of curiosity on the box? Med Game?


Rated as varmint, and that's most likely right, but there's nothing like a bit of marketing to sell different products........
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Gwion » 03 Apr 2018, 2:03 pm

I'm surprised no-one has suggested you give up your other hobbies to create more time and money for reloading! :lol:

Sorry... bored and just having a stir! ;) :drinks:
I should go do some work! :P
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 03 Apr 2018, 8:06 pm

Gwion wrote:I'm surprised no-one has suggested you give up your other hobbies to create more time and money for reloading! :lol:

Sorry... bored and just having a stir! ;) :drinks:
I should go do some work! :P


Bwah hah hah hah hah hah. My wife regularly tells me to give up some hobbies, but I tell her I only have one....
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Member-Deleted » 04 Apr 2018, 2:49 am

Bent Arrow I used a 25-06 for a fairly long time its a very capable caliber
I shot wild dogs, pigs right up to wild cattle although you really had to pick your shot with cattle
Mine was 1-10 twist and would only handle up to 105gr-110gr bullets with any accuracy
I used 75gr bt very explosive and would chop up what ever it hit even dogs 85gr not much better but 100gr spitzer soft nose
just seamed to work had good knock down power even wild cattle at practical range, didn't tear things up as much as the
lighter bullets
Factory loads I used with fairly good accuracy were Remington, federal and highland whether they work in yours i'm
not sure all rifles are different
Mine also had a 26'' barrel
All up I found the 100gr soft nose ticked all the box's good penetration ,good knock down power and didn't tear things up too bad
Hope this can help mate
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 04 Apr 2018, 8:40 am

Thanks bushy. When I do my part, I can get respectable groups at 100 m with the odd flier, but I can't rule myself out as the source of error. However, I suspect that between my shooting, the 1:10 twist, and the 117 gn federal loads, I'm handicapping myself at longer distances. My LGS has got some federal and PPU 100 gn in at the moment so I'll grab some of both and see how things go.

Cheers
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Baz460 » 05 Apr 2018, 8:52 pm

Like yourself I didn't have the time to load for my 25/06, but used to use the Winchester Super X with 90 grain projectiles.
I had a Ruger M77 for 30 years and in the last 10 years just used factory Winchester ammo.
Those rounds will flatten pigs and dogs all day long out to 350 yds,, they are a great factory round, and incredibly accurate.
I sold it to get a 257 Weatherby, and the difference between the 25/06 and the 257 is not as much as you might think.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Oldbloke » 05 Apr 2018, 9:09 pm

What it the expected improvement in the trajectory going from 117 to 85 gr?

Some how I doubt it will be very much.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 05 Apr 2018, 10:03 pm

Oldbloke wrote:What it the expected improvement in the trajectory going from 117 to 85 gr?

Some how I doubt it will be very much.


Actually not that much according to the federal app..... 1.8 vs 3.1" at 200m, 7.8 vs 11.6" at 300m.

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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Member-Deleted » 06 Apr 2018, 6:19 pm

One mm is enough to miss :lol: :lol:
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 06 Apr 2018, 7:38 pm

grandadbushy wrote:One mm is enough to miss :lol: :lol:


Bah humbug...... If your going to miss it might as well be by a lot..........
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Oldbloke » 06 Apr 2018, 8:00 pm

As I guessed. So unless your shooting a lot of smallish targets at about 250m or more why bother changing. Perhaps more important to estimate the distance accurately.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 06 Apr 2018, 8:28 pm

Oldbloke wrote:As I guessed. So unless your shooting a lot of smallish targets at about 250m or more why bother changing. Perhaps more important to estimate the distance accurately.


Yeah original intent is fox's that won't come in. I've got a range finder to get the range right so it'll come down to what groups best at longer distances and has more manageable wind drift.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 24 May 2018, 7:51 pm

Update: so I bought a few boxes of PPU 90gn hollow points to try along side of the federal 117 gn soft points I've been using, with an expectation that the 90gn might be better stabilised. As a bonus their cheaper too! This pic is a 3 shot group using the federal 117 gn ammo from a stone cold barrel (first shots for the day) at 100 m with a right to left wind. I ain't no target shoter so I'm good with that and think I might dodged the proverbial bullet in terms of being able to stabilise the heavier bullets.

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Point of impact between the two ammo loads was close enough that I was consistently smacking a 6" gong out to 300m with no shift in POA required. Not good enough for target, but good enough for plinking.

The 90gn hollow points dont have the same instant knock down power as the 117 gn softpoints, and definitely don't do they same amount of internal damage. I think I'll be sticking with the federal 117's for hunting but might use the PPU for practice.........
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by marksman » 25 May 2018, 5:55 pm

nothing wrong with your target, good group, especially for factory ammo :thumbsup:
shows your setup and shooting is in good nick :drinks:
I think you would be very surprised if you saw some targets from target shooters using a target rifle setup :allegedly:
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Member-Deleted » 26 May 2018, 8:01 pm

Geez Bent Arrow that's not bad shooten
117gr you say mate could I ask what twist your barrel is
The reason I ask is my 25/06 was 1-10 and I couldn't stabilise 117gr projectiles , the reason I was told is that I needed a 1-9 twist to stabilise them
and I was wondering if there's any truth in that
I couldn't get anything like you with 117gr in 1-10 twist
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Bent Arrow » 26 May 2018, 11:18 pm

grandadbushy wrote:Geez Bent Arrow that's not bad shooten
117gr you say mate could I ask what twist your barrel is
The reason I ask is my 25/06 was 1-10 and I couldn't stabilise 117gr projectiles , the reason I was told is that I needed a 1-9 twist to stabilise them
and I was wondering if there's any truth in that
I couldn't get anything like you with 117gr in 1-10 twist


It's listed as 1:10, but I havent actually measured it myself. Like you say conventional wisdom is that it shouldn't stabilise them. I was getting lots of fliers and originally thought that was the problem but then realised it was just me flinching every now and then.
Last edited by Bent Arrow on 26 May 2018, 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 25-06 factory projectile choice

Post by Member-Deleted » 26 May 2018, 11:23 pm

Thanks mate I was just talking to a bloke tonight and he has a Remington 25/06 1-10 twist and his hammers 117gr no worries at all
he said but I don't know of any sako's that handle them with 1-10 twist though as yet
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