25-06 and 303-25

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25-06 and 303-25

Post by Heckler303 » 18 Sep 2015, 8:10 pm

Hey all, got two rifles coming up with PTAs filled in for both of them. One's a SMLE no 4 mk 2 in 303-25 and the other one is a sporterised Rem M17 in 25-06. Just wondering, anyone else got these two calibers, what do you think of them, what are they good for, where are some reloading dies and casings + 25 cal bullets I can find for them, bullet moulds, anything really.
Last edited by Heckler303 on 18 Sep 2015, 9:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by <<Genesis93>> » 18 Sep 2015, 9:17 pm

Nah, good for nothing. Send them to me, I'll humanely destroy them... :D

Its a shame to convert these rifles from their original chamberings, but the quarterbore are versatile for most medium size, even larger game....they'd be ideal for dogs and goats.

My pick would be the '06 with quite a bit more case volume than the free-0 case.

You mean M17 or Model of 1917 (Not to be confused with the Pattern 1914 / P14)

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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Heckler303 » 18 Sep 2015, 9:26 pm

Thanks, fixed that typo up, again lol

I really like how the smaller calibre mounted a great cartridge gives you so many more options on what you can use it on. Both will be hunting rifles, but the 25 06 is looking to be a pretty nifth rifle for the range, based off the stats I got regarding 25 cals in general and their bullet weights. I'm also getting a cast for 25 cal, 74 and 110 grain bullets in a mold I can pour molten lead or melted soda can into. The 303 25 with the reloading gear and resized 303 brass is gonna be tampered with so much, from super light loads and barely any powder for bunnies and wallabies, to heavy 120 grain shoulder busters for deer or bigger bunnies.


Soooo looking forward to having both of them, but the wait is so painful!
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by COLLECTOR 1 » 18 Sep 2015, 10:15 pm

The 25/06 is one hell of a great calibre......good for anything that walks in this country bar buff.........

The 303.25 is or should I say was a calibre before its time.....and your on the right track for bunny's to shoulder breakers. Its a bit of a favourite of mine, Sure you have to make the ammo, sure its a Lee Enfield, but there was something about those old conversations back in the days when life was simple, we couldn't get sporting firearms in to this country due to world supply and demand after the war, and Aussie shooters made do with what they had.

The best place to shop for 303/25 bits and bobs in Western Firearms in Sydney, they have a web site and ship world wide.

I can tell you that the best weight projectile is the 87 grain, Nosler do a great ballistic tip...flattens anything you will point the gun at.

You can scope them, heaps of different mounts out there, but the full potential of the calibre needs a glass on it. A good quality 3 x 9 is just the shot.

Best way to do the brass is Simplex Master dies. And get a full length vice die off them for necking down the 303 brass. A while a go Lyman did them but haven't seen them now for some time. The yanks actually called it a 25/303 Australian ,,,,,,true,,

Its a pain when you go to all the trouble of making the ammo, but its fun, and very satisfying when you fire the old girl and it pole axes the same as the 25/06.

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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Bosbefok » 23 Sep 2015, 1:53 pm

I have a rem Cld 25-06. Great calibre and is currently the most accurate rifle I own with hand loads. 117 gr hdy interlocks in front of 39grs of 2206h shoots well under 1 inch. I have only been able to help a farmer with Roos so far. Drops them with authority. I would like to add goats, pigs an fallow to that list. Just need to find some fallow first!
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Herdsman » 01 Oct 2015, 10:51 am

Bosbefok wrote:I have a rem Cld 25-06. Great calibre and is currently the most accurate rifle I own with hand loads.


Older or newer Rem?
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Bosbefok » 09 Oct 2015, 5:57 pm

Herdsman wrote:
Bosbefok wrote:I have a rem Cld 25-06. Great calibre and is currently the most accurate rifle I own with hand loads.


Older or newer Rem?


Newer Remington. I got it second hand (done very little work) on used guns.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Heckler303 » 09 Oct 2015, 6:20 pm

Bosbefok wrote:
Herdsman wrote:
Bosbefok wrote:I have a rem Cld 25-06. Great calibre and is currently the most accurate rifle I own with hand loads.


Older or newer Rem?


Newer Remington. I got it second hand (done very little work) on used guns.



What's recoil like with 25-06? Similar to .308 or 30-06? I might get a butt-pad for the 25 06.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Fry » 13 Oct 2015, 1:09 pm

25-06 is a little gem.

Flat shooting but still hits hard.

Recoil feels like about 80% of .308 recoil so not big.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by BBJ » 14 Oct 2015, 9:01 am

Recoil's not much more than a .243 if you've shot one.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Bosbefok » 31 Dec 2016, 2:18 pm

I would rate the recoil 3/4 of my .308
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Bent Arrow » 31 Dec 2016, 2:51 pm

Cool, I just recently bought a tikka t3 in 25-06 having wanted something in this calibre for 25+years. It's generally regarded as a great calibre, has long range potential, capable of comfortably harvesting almost everything in Australia. Plenty of reports of them being used for black bear and even elk in North America. I've managed to pull 1/2" groups out of the box. I bought a zeiss terra 4-12x50 because it was going at a great price. Recoil will depend on the rifle weight and loads but is little more than a 243, substantially less than a 270 or 308
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by BRNO_Bigot » 31 Dec 2016, 5:35 pm

Nick Harvey is a great fan of the .25-06.

For the 303-25 - I think the best (maybe only) dies are the Aussie (Simplex) dies. We used to run the cases up into a 303-270 die first and then into the '25, which then gave us perfect cases ready for reloading.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by <<Genesis93>> » 31 Dec 2016, 6:04 pm

Recoil generally less than 308, with most ADI loads 10 to 17ft.lb.force of recoil with 8lb rifle while 308win loads range from 12 to 20....

Let the mysteries of the world be solved, at least the shooting world if you want to calculate your load/rifle combo;

Recoil equation (grain,feet/sec);

( mass Proj X Velocity Proj )
PLUS
( mass Powder X 5200 )
DIVIDE the above by 7000
SQUARE the above
DIVIDE the above by 64.326
DIVIDE the above by Rifle mass

or
( { [m(pr)*v(pr)] + [m(po)*v(po)] / 7000 }^2 ) / (m(ri)*62.326)

for those proper' metricised;
( { [m(pr)*v(pr)] + [m(po)*v(po)] / 1000 }^2 ) / m(ri)
in gram, m/s and kg for rifle mass

Units are ft.lb-force for imperial and Joule (J) for metric....
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Gamerancher » 01 Jan 2017, 4:47 pm

Pretty sure I got a bunch of sized .303-25 cases from Rebel Gun Works at a pretty good price a couple of years ago for a cousin who inherited my Grand-fathers old rifle.
Got him a set of Lee dies from Western Firearms, both mobs have brilliant mail order service, in my experience anyway.

The .303-25 is just a bit behind the .257 Roberts in performance, but a very capable round for all but the largest game here in Aus.
75 grain H.P's for vaporizing small furry things, 87/90 grain spitzers for medium game and tough 120 grainers for pigs and deer.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by happyhunter » 01 Jan 2017, 10:57 pm

.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Jeff303 » 06 Jan 2017, 8:07 am

I just use s&b brass in my 303 & 303-270.
Im on about my 8th reload for both.
The 270 i just run through the simplex die.
When i had a 25 , i just used to run em straight into a lyman fld with no problems. Good cheap brass
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Title_II » 06 Jan 2017, 8:22 am

Heckler303 wrote:
Bosbefok wrote:
Herdsman wrote:
Bosbefok wrote:I have a rem Cld 25-06. Great calibre and is currently the most accurate rifle I own with hand loads.


Older or newer Rem?


Newer Remington. I got it second hand (done very little work) on used guns.


What's recoil like with 25-06? Similar to .308 or 30-06? I might get a butt-pad for the 25 06.



If it bothers you, just get a pad. One with wings for those heavy flow days ;)
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by gunnnie » 07 Jan 2017, 12:56 am

Have a couple of 303-25's - one on a No1 MkIII action and the other a P14 action. Really like the cartridge as it was my first 'quarterbore' and it worked perfectly on everything from rabbits to large boars. I loaded 100gn Taipan HPs over a mild charge of AR2206. No sense in pushing the SMLE action too hard and besides, the 100gn load was able to print 5rd groups of about 1.5" in the old action.
Then along came the P14 and as it's a front locking action I could push the case with 90gn BT pills over AR2206H. This rifle produced sun-MOA groups without too much trouble.

As for the 25-06, also a great cartridge but one that I'm not looking to add to the safe as I have it covered by a 257Rob Ackley Improved and a 257Weatherby Magnum.

From my perspective I'd use a 100gn load for the 303-25 and work up a flat shooting 85-90gn BT load for the 25-06. This will give you the coverage of everything up and including red deer/donkey etc, out to 350-400M.

You've got two great 'quarterbores ' there - one a piece of Australian history and the other a great flat country round.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Gwion » 07 Jan 2017, 6:02 am

Heckler303 wrote:\\\from super light loads and barely any powder for bunnies and wallabies\\\


Work up a trail boss load. Using 'barely any powder' is running too much risk of flash over in my book. Secondary ignition is not a good thing. Besides, trail boss load will be more than enough for rabbits and wallaby in Tas; I use TB loads on paddies out to 120m with 50gn Zmax out of my 223rem. Starts dropping to quick after that in the 223 but I'm sure the bigger cartridge will allow a 150m point and shoot. You very rarely need a longer shot than that on local Wobblies.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by 6mmdasher » 07 Jan 2017, 8:52 am

I had a M98 in a modified 25/303 and it was a great round I used to load 87 gr Speers TNT's, with AR2208, shot flat and hit hard, since built a savage 257 Roberts ackerly improved with a Maddco barrel shooting 100 grain Speers soft points shoots well under 1/2 inch and pops foxes!! The 257 is a great calibre and is very under rated
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Heckler303 » 12 Jan 2017, 11:47 am

Gwion wrote:
Heckler303 wrote:\\\from super light loads and barely any powder for bunnies and wallabies\\\


Work up a trail boss load. Using 'barely any powder' is running too much risk of flash over in my book. Secondary ignition is not a good thing. Besides, trail boss load will be more than enough for rabbits and wallaby in Tas; I use TB loads on paddies out to 120m with 50gn Zmax out of my 223rem. Starts dropping to quick after that in the 223 but I'm sure the bigger cartridge will allow a 150m point and shoot. You very rarely need a longer shot than that on local Wobblies.



As a matter of fact Gwion, I happen to have a 1kg carton of Trail Boss bought for that kind of loading. That and cast-lead projectiles, meaning I can take my soon-to-be deer rifle just out for walks in state forest.

TBH, I don't really find that wallabies able to get blown over are more than 60-70 yards at most. :unknown:
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Gamerancher » 19 Jan 2017, 7:11 am

You are not going to fit 6.5mm pills in a .257 . Totally different calibres mate.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Gamerancher » 19 Jan 2017, 8:07 am

100gr spitzers always performed well for me in my .257 Roberts and the brother-in -law used 87 grainers in his 250 Savage Ackley Improved.
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by Heckler303 » 19 Jan 2017, 1:20 pm

bentaz wrote:Just ordered s set of lyman 303-25 dies.
What size pills are you loading?
I have a big box of hawksbury river 6.5s i think they are .264, but i think the -25 is .257.
Either way im looking foward to getting the ild girl cleaned up and shooting again.



Hornady 90 grain .257 hollowpoints. Unfortunately these are out of production, but they seem to be great little projjies. I didn't know you had a 303-25 in your collection, amongst the dozens of pitted single shot shotguns :sarcasm:
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Re: 25-06 and 303-25

Post by johnpfei » 20 Jan 2017, 12:52 pm

Ah the nostalgia at the mention of the 303-25, yes I came up with my first fully fledged hunting rifle in the 1950s, to start I had a BSA air gun and then a 303 Range rifle
not much else in Australia in those days. My competition results forced me into a new Range rifle and guess what after reading the then available Hunting Mags it became a big decision for me but yes I had a local gunsmith build up my first custom rifle The old SMLE range rifle went in and a month later came out as a new u beaut
303-25 with comb and cheek piece and rubber pad, sitting on top was a Pecar 4X32 Scope. About that time I was about were you are now a rifle with no ammo, The gunsmith I used made a full length resizing die and away we went. Rifle clubs had access to 303 ammo by the truck load and empties where collected by the bucket full
then the work started. Using a large vice and some graphite you would resize, while the case was in the die you removed the primer from the shell, double flash hole and it took a bit of doing without damaging the anvil. over the years I reformed thousands of these cases and we used to shoot all the time. In 1957 a mate and I contributed over 9000 kangaroo buts to a freezer in a bit over three months the 303-25 accounting for about 4700 of the above No. That rifle was probably one of the best killers that I have ever owned and definately has pride of place among the 17s,222s, 223s, 243s, 270s, 308s and others. If you have troubles getting gear you could go down the same track I did and find some 303 brass and docter it to your requirements if I can help please contact
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