Over 100 years since its invention, the .25-06 plods on with a very dedicated, but limited following. Before you buy one of these fantastic rifles, watch this video and understand why it's perfect for some, but not for everyone!
I’d love to be sitting there cracking a beer and sparking up a stogie , listening to stories. There’s nothing worse than lost knowledge. So great that we have this platform to share.
Glad you do. As far as I'm concerned, the cigar is a major annoyance, but then what do I know. And what is this 25- "oh" six junk? Is he trying to be "trendy" or something? But then again that is just my opinion and doesn't count for anything past that. For me though, it sure puts a dampner on what could have otherwise been a good video.
@@fedup3582 the cigar is no more annoying than scrolling down to find a lost amoeba with nothing to say chiming in just to showcase his insecurities? when they should probably 🤐. A wise man once said "It is better to remain silent and let those around u THINK u are stupid, than it is to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
When I worked in a gunshop, a few years back, my boss had a real love afair for the 25-06. When the gunshop opened he had 5 or 6 Browning rifles on the shelf in this caliber. When I left 4 years later he still had 4 or 5 of them. It is true that mostly afficionados owned rifles chambered in 25-06.
I have an old 1973 model Remington 700 BDL topped with a 3x9x40 Leupold. The first year I bought it I fired 7 shots and took 7 deer. One was at 663 yards. The gun has taken more deer than any gun I have. If I had to pick one gun to hunt deer with it would be my old 25-06. Hope Ben has many more years to go.
The .26-06 was one of the first rifles I really put a lot of thought into buying. Pouring over reloading books, I came to the conclusion that it would be the perfect all around cartridge. I have had several pass through my hands since then. Each of them sold or traded for something that caught my eye. Thirty years later, I have come back full circle. I picked up a Model 70 classic sporter in .25-06 last year. It’s a keeper. On a side note … I think the 6mm Remington is a much better cartridge, than the .243, for the reloader. It’s a superb cartridge that is sadly on its death bed.
I agree that the 6mm Remington is better for handloaders…having said that, it’s performance is only marginally better than the .243 Winchester, not much better. I’m a .243 fan because it works and it is prolific. If the 6mm Remington had been the one to take off, I’d be a fan of that. I load for too many cartridges to mess with redundant and somewhat rare cartridges like the 6mm Remington. If there were tons of new and used 6mm rifles out there, I’d think differently, but that’s not the case. However, there are tons of rifles, dies, bullet options, etc for the .243, so that gets my nod in the 6mm caliber.
I love my 25-06. I’ve recently been experimenting with some 120 Interlock HP bullets and RL22 through my Savage Axis II. Congratulations on three more healthy years Benny. Here’s to the next three and more!
My 25-06 loves RL22. It is temperature sensitive to the tune of 100+- fps in summer (80's) to winter (10's). It was a dirty powder. Takes me way more patches to clean the bore after using RL22 than H4831sc. Other than that, the guns I have used it in have shown good groups.
A few years ago a friend sold me a Ruger M77 red pad in .25-06 with a Weaver K6 scope. I love this rifle. I've taken two deer with it so far. I've got the dies but haven't gotten around to loading for it yet.
I have a .25-06 Mossberg Patriot. I bought it for going on a Pronghorn hunt with my Dad about 5 years ago. Honestly a great rifle for the price and a really great caliber for medium game.
Back in the mid 90’s I bought a 25-06 in a Ruger #1. It had a 26” barrel and I used Hornady factory ammo of 117gr SP. I shot a spindly 6pt bull elk at close to 400yds. At first light it and several cows were coming off a meadow and heading up into the mountain timber to bed. It stopped right at the edge of the field and I was prone. I shot, hit him, he ran a full circle then can and stood in exactly the same spot and so I shot again and hit him. He plunged about 25yds into the brush and died. I had that rifle for a couple years and sold it to a fireman friend of mine. He used it for years. I also shot a young bull moose at about 160yds and I took several deer with it. I had no complaints. It was mild to shoot and very accurate. I only sold it because I had a face to face encounter with a large 300lb sow black bear and her cubs. She didn’t charge but backed me off a trail in the high foothills here in Alberta and with a single shot Ruger it spooked me enough to move to my bolt action 06.
Mine is an old 700V bull barrel . It replaced a 22/250 just like it, to use for larger game . Used it for a beanfield gun before they ever coined the term. Factory 117gr federal Premium worked well on whitetail. Sir , you look like you are living your best life. Hats off to ya.
Great video on a great cartridge. I started my step son on a 25-06 and he absolutely loves it. If someone asked me what the “perfect” pronghorn cartridge is, I would say it’s a 25-06 shooting 120 grain partitions. Thanks for the great video and it’s good to see Benny.
Used a 25-06 out west on deer and elk when I was a teenager. I'm older now and have gotten into a 270win. Really I prefer the 270win out here because it can also use light bullets or go up to 150gr. Some people really like it the 25's but I don't care much for mine as factory ammo is less available as are bullets most times. Locally I can source 90gr and 130gr 140gr and 150gr for the 270win and it does it just the same. Lots of 270 bullets are on the shelf here and it's just about economy for me.
What a brain! To go on extemporaneously on such a technical briefing with such precision. Gun Blue, you're a genuine pleasure to listen to. May you go on for a long time.
Sir I'm happy to have discovered your channel. Your common sense, logical, factual talks are a real breath of fresh air. God Bless and keep you and yours.
It's an absolute honor to watch your content. Please consider selling physical copies of your library in DVD or BluRay form or some other way if possible. I would happily pay for the dozens of hours of expert education you have given us over the years. Also, I'd like to personally thank you for making me a better marksman, and a more educated hunter. Your video on Bullet Placement on Game Animals, and how to take down big game ethically changed the way my entire hunting party approaches hunting. We bag animals every year, fill every tag and do so ethically and with great respect to the animals. So, thank you, and I look forward to each and every video you make. Cheers.
Very enjoyable to listen and learn from a very wise man It's always been one of my favorite things to do I can remember when I was a kid listening to my grandfather and asking questions about hunting ,carpentry,life and so on there's nothing like it gaining knowledge from wise and knowledgeable people just doesn't get much better than that for me!
This guy is such a gem to the shooting and reloading community. Love his content. Such a great source of knowledge. Please continue for as long as possible. Love Benny too......
Scary to realise it is 4 years since Benny had his problem, great to see him doing so well. Good to see you enjoying a Stogie, always relish your relaxed and knowledgeable vids. Stay well and keep sharing the knowledge. Ade
I can't believe it's been 4 years already. Glad to hear Benny's doing well. I rebarreled a shotout 8mm Mauser to 25-06 for a deer/groundhog gun and I'm happy with my choice, with the exception of being able to find 25 cal bullets lately. It's still an ongoing project but as far as recoil and accuracy go, it's a very nice gun to shoot. If Brownells made a short chambered .257 Roberts barrel I may have gone that route but it's turning out to be a good rifle either way. Glad you made the video!
I picked up a stainless Zastava 25-06 with quite a light barrel. It's a pure delight. You gotta let the barrel cool at the range, but out in the Aussie bush is where it shines. With 87gn Sierra blitzkings, it can do 3 shots in one ragged hole and explodes anything small. Using bigger 117gn also shoot very well, and wild pigs don't seem to like them one bit. I mainly shoot 308, but my 25-06 has a spot in my heart for its flat shooting and ability to reach out.
Nice visit thanks. Love seeing Benny. I know a few Alberta boys that load 120 grain Nosler Partitions in their 25-06 rifles. I’ve seen their results on game and I’d say that’s the perfect bullet for the least meat destruction. Edited to add that I can’t believe how long I’ve been a viewer. I subbed before Benny was even sick. The years have flown by.
Dear Sir, thank you for doing what you do. When you are talking its like I imagine the conversations I would have liked to have with my Grandpa. Thank you for your knowledge and your time. God bless
Glad to see Benny still doing well . Don't seem like it's been 4 years. Time Flys. Thank you for your input on the 25.06. One of my favorite deer rifles. .
I’ve been using Winchester silver ballistic tips for my 25-06 in 115 gr for years and I’ve never had issue with losing meat from bullet by tearing it up. I love that bullet and never had a deer go more than 15-20 yards before expiring and lot of them fold up where hit. My rem 700 bdl will shoot under 1” with that ammo. I used a hornady SP sst in that gun two years ago when ammo started become an issue, because I found a bunch and wanted to use them so not to waste my silvers. That SST bullet destroyed the backside of a whitetail with perfect shot. I mean it blew 10” hole out backside from 140 yards and the lungs were mush and partially gone. Never had that silver ballistic tip do close to that damage although lungs will be destroyed. Aside from hand load accubonds and partitions that factory load silver ballistic tip is my go to in my 25-06; 270, 280, and 300 wsm. (Side note the 270win, 280 rem and 300 wsm in those silver BT are controlled expansion bullets). Love your content and this was a great post.
Your analysis is spot on in my experience. My 25-06 is a stainless synthetic Sako Model 75 with a 23” barrel. It’s a half MOA rifle with all of the 100~120 grain bullets I’ve loaded for it using both Winchester & Peterson brass. But as you say, for a hunter East of the Mississippi, it’s too hot a round for deer when fully loaded. We also have an old .250 Savage built by FN on a surplus military Mauser action, and a .250 Savage AI built on a Remington Model Seven action. We’ve found the smaller capacity .250 Savage to be almost ideal for deer where we hunt in the woods of Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi. No less effective in putting a whitetail down, but far less meat damage. Also, a touch milder on recoil, while requiring only 70% of the powder needed to feed the 25-06. That’s a bigger benefit now that powder is rather dear these days. Sadly, brass for both of the 25 calibers can be hard to find, which is rarely the case with a .270. The 25s are also mostly a hand loading proposition. Fortunately, each of our .250 Savage rifles are highly accurate, routinely delivering a cloverleaf at 100 yards off a stable bench rest. After many years dedicated to the 30-06 and .270, it’s hard to justify either for woods hunting after using the quarter bores. Particularly since a shot beyond 100 yards is rare where we hunt, and 200 yards would likely max us out. We’ll hang onto the .25-06 against the possibility of perhaps making a plains game hunt one of these days. There’s always hope! So glad to see Benny doing well, and happy to know you have both recovered nicely from Covid. Kudos to you for the great series provided on the Mini 14. I will take the plunge on the trigger and bedding work you highlighted as soon as Brownells’s gets more Acraglass in stock. Their shelves have been dry for quite a while now. Thank you so much for the terrific content you provide. The history, background, knowledge, context and practical tips you offer have been hugely helpful to so many of us. God bless you! I hope that your upcoming building projects go well.
Hunted with the 25-06 for 20 years. Bought it because I needed a rifle for whitetail and varmints and could only afford one. I agree that its not good for high volume varminting because of barrel heating. But, if you are just taking 1 or 2 woodchucks a day or need to dispatch a coyote, the 85 gr Nolser Varmint Ballistic tip bullets are devastating. 117 gr Hornady Interlock has been great for whitetail. The velocity and the lighter bullet jacket turns lungs into pink goo. Just, dont hit a shoulder... If you avoid shoulders, meat destruction is minimal. IMO, the 22-250 is a better varmint cartridge and the 270 Win is a better deer cartridge, but love the 25-06 because of its quirky existence.
Always a joy to listen to you and share your knowledge. It's good to see you relax with man's best friend and enjoy a beautiful day, looking forward to more videos!
I do love the 1/4 bores. I've been shooting the 25-06 for over two decades and recently had a custom 257 Roberts built. The accuracy is second only to my 6br benchrest rifle. I've taken ram and whitetail with my 25-06 with no meat loss. My last whitetail Shot was 33 yards. Shot placement is key. I use the Sierra 120 grain game king with IMR4831. Keep up the great videos and glad to see Benny doing well.
The main reason I enjoy your channel Gun blue is your maybe the last channel that still does long form videos. I personally enjoy just sitting and soaking up all the honest information. I wish more channels would go back to long form videos again.
Hi GB - And howdy from Saskatchewan. I know quite a few (but not a huge number) of folks that use the 25-06 here. One of my colleagues actual only uses the 25-06 for everything. She has had great results. Myself, I am a 257 Weatherby fan and while it’s still a 25 caliber it certainly adds quite a bit of jam. I use it as my go to deer (WT and Mulies) hunting in the prairie and my last deer was at 330 yards. Long shots are common here. When I go north however, the 30-30, 308 and 45-70 tends to come out. Shots there are short(ish) and with lots of trees around you. Love seeing Bennie looking healthy and happy!
My stepfather was a Vietnam Marine Sniper and one day he told me his favorite round was the 25-06 so that was my influence. I hunt my 25-06 religiously. I take neck shots up to 250 yds. No meat damage and they drop in their tracks, every time. I use a vortex scope and don't sight it in every season. I seriously doubt it will burn out the barrel in my lifetime. The one time I did sight it in it was stacking groups at 100 yards. Stupid accurate.
I have every caliber you talk about and shoot them regularly... I've shot deer with everything and I mean everything my dad use to handload for me I had every projectile you could imagine... but when I found the load of the 75 gr v-max that shot hole for hole with the 100 gr core-lokt.. I was hooked my dad loaded up 90 grain 30-06 and they were comparable loads.. I've killed just as many deer with my 25-06 as I have with my new passions the 264 win mag and the 444 marlin. And my old bdl in 30-06.. I have a bdl in 25-06 drove all the way to Maryland to buy it buy the gentleman I bought it from said it was his son's gun and he passed away from over dosing on sleeping pills.. and for all of these reasons I can't take it out hunting ever... it sits beautifully in my safe.. when I die I know it will go hunting and I'm proud of that but for now the brass pin will stay in the safe
Great Video. I reloaded 75gr. 87gr 90gr and 120gr (deer). Have had three 25-06. Rifles. The Remington 87gr FBSP was (and is) the most accurate in my old Savage 110. I still shoot it and on a consistent wind day have shot it out to 800 yd. (Lots of clicks and sight in shots). Tried a lot of different powders and bullets. The best for my rifle is 54 grains of 4350 87 grain sierra FLSP with a bench rest primer. Full resize brass. So the 4350 has for me been the best even though it is harder to weigh. My first 2506 was a Remington 700 BDL which was a gift in 1974 and I did burn out the barrel with 3900 fps. 75gr bullets. You know your guns. Thank you.
I had a 25-06 for years! It was a spectacular deer cartridge. Absolutely no complaints. But….. I acquired a 7 mag that I can easily load down to 7-08 velocities which is another spectacular deer cartridge. The 7 gives me more versatility in the same size rifle. Recoil, I use a brake, no recoil.
I bought most of my guns from Riley's sportshop. I found out it was out of business a couple years ago. A very sad time. I have never found a gun shop the equal of Riley's. Thanks again for a great informative video.
My wife bought me mine , an M77 heavy battel 25-06in 1983. I love it here in sunny Alberta -40 either, with wind chill. beautiful though as my wife works 60 clicks away in Edmonton. lol Life is great. Be well.
I have been a man that has been shooting one for a long time and your right thay are a labor of want to if your not hand loading there are better choices
I've had several 25-06s over the years, and they are a pleasure to shoot. I shot my first blacktail with one (117G Hornady bullet) and the meat damage was extensive. I've moved on to other cartridges now, but will always be fond of the 25.
During the mid 1970s Ruger purchased M 77 barrels from Douglas Barrels, NC. These “air-gauged” barrels were supremely accurate. I have a 243 M 77 built in 1976. It shoots close to a single hole until it heats up.
You’re spot on with most your remarks. One thing I’d disagree with is not being able to load them down. I have a hot little Remington 700 25-06 that shoots 115 partitions at 3222fps through every elk I’ve pointed it at (all cows). It also shoots 117 sierras at 2900fps and does similar damage. All group 3/4” or better. This is in the mountains of Colorado though where it is a struggle to range critters at distance and speed matters. In the eastern woods it probably is a waste of powder down a small hole. A 270 would most likely be the better choice as an all around more mainstream cartridge but for the recoil of a 25-06, no better western cartridge exists.
🤠 FYI - On 06/07/2022 the SAMMI specks for the 7mm prc were approved! The cartridge is essentially 0.535" wide, 2.28" long, has a neck of 0.2868", 30 degree shoulder, and an operating pressure of 65,000 psi! It will push out a 180 grain bullet at 2,950 ft/s (similar to the 7mm Remington Magnum), but is still 200 ft/s slower than the 300wsm with the same bullet weight! So, at reasonable hunting distances, the higher B.C. bullets of the 7mm prc will not catch up to the 30 caliber bullets of the 300 wsm! So, in the borrowed words of Solomon (how ironic), there is nothing new under the sun! 😎
I grew up in the 70's and 80's with a 25-06 in my dad's collection, which was built by a local gunsmith using a commercial Mauser action with a 26" Douglas Air Gauge barrel in a walnut stock and topped with an old Redfield 4-12; which was an absolute tack driver. It is in my brother's collection now, but I recently backed into another 25-06 at a local gunshow a few weeks ago. I had a nicely figured walnut stock from Boyd's which was cut for a large ring Mauser action, and I came across a great donor rifle with a barreled surplus Mauser action and a 26" medium profile barrel in 25-06. I topped it with a Leupold Vari-X IIc 4-12 scope, and am about to begin working up some handloads for it. In the meantime, groups with factory ammo are coming in right around 1 MOA; but I"m still tweaking the bedding and floating, and expect it to improve a bit.
just bought a sako r61l in 25-06 and a sako r61l in 270 win rare varmit barrel both born 69 or 70 very mint cond, haven't got to shoot either one yet great vid brother
I’ve had good luck with 100 grain ballistic tips over Reloader 22 for whitetail. Scope is a leupold 4 x12 with long range duplex. It turns groundhogs into hamburger. Love a good 25-06!
I could not agree more with 5.7R/T Challenger! I would adore the opportunity to just sit in the shade with a beer and fine cigar and get an education from GunBlue490. I hope this finds you well and cannot wait for the next installment! God Bless sir!
Kind sir: Just discovered your channel and this video; you have encyclopedic knowledge and you, sir, are a master storyteller. I own a New England Arms single shot .25-06; it is my bean field rifle for head shot hogs, white tails, similar exotics and pronghorn. It shoots straight, all with one shot kills and doesn’t break the bank. Thanks for the education on the .25-06!!! I am a new subscriber; got lots of catching up to do!!! Be safe and God bless!!! Chuck Knight from Buffalo, Texas. 🤠👨🌾✝️🙏🐩
I have an older Remington 700 BDL in 25-06 “4 screw butt plate “ and I love it , super accurate and flat shooting 😊 PS Hope your enjoying your new win. 270 👍
That us NOT good comparison lol.. the 6.5/260 goes up to 140. The 25-06 goes up to 117. .25-06 is much faster and much flatter shooting with lighter rounds with a low BC and low sectional density the 6.5s are high sectional density and high BC with long for caliber bullets but lack the velocity and flat trajectory of the 25-06. both are around the same in terms of recoil. .25-06 is long action 6.5CM is short action. Two very different calibers the only thing they have in common is they're both excellent choices in higher bullet weights for deer a antelope and other medium sized game but the .25-06 is superior for varmints the 6.5CM might be capable of throwing out light 85 grain projectiles but the BC is even worse than the .25-06 due to even shorter bullets and a bigger bore and it doesn't have the same impressive velocities as the .25-06 with the lighter loads.
The 25-06 has been one of my favorite cartridges for 40 yeas or longer. I’ve killed hundreds of groundhogs, wild hogs and sheep with the 25-06. I’ve owed 20-06 rifles made by Ruger, Remington, Winchester and the last one was a custom rifle made by McWhorter. The McWhorter rifle was guaranteed to shoot sub ½ MOA. The 25-06 isn’t perfect for any one thing but does most everything really well. One thing I noticed is the 25-06 would easily shoot sub MOA with lighter bullets but the heavier bullets would shoot more like 1 ½ MOA. I always blamed that on the standard 1 in 10 twist and never felt 1 in 10 twist was fast enough to fully stabilize the heaviest bullets. When I ordered my custom McWhorter rifle I had it built with a 1 in 9 twist. I did finally find at Berger bullet web site a bullet stabilization program that proved my theory correct. Bloodshot meat has never been a problem and I believe bullet selection has a lot to do with that. When I hunted meat I used 110 grain Barnes TTSX coper bullets. These bullets out of my McWhorter rifle literally shot 1 hole groups going around 3,200 feet per sec at 100 yards and never caused bloodshot meat. But, saying all this my favorite close range woods rifle is a Sako model 85 Bavarian carbine in 8x57 caliber for a number of reasons.
Those old Ruger M77 bolt action rifles were/are great rifles. Back in the late 80's my friend ' Randy ' and I were getting ready to go deer hunting and so we went out to Four Corners Rod and Gun Club just outside Salem, Oregon, of which I was a member at the time, to check our ' zeros '. So we are at the range and we are walking our targets down to the 100 yard range and Randy says to me " Do you have a dime on you ? " And I said I dunno.....I'll check.....uh, what do you want a dime for, I asked ?? I cannot recall what he mumbled but I freely handed over my dime to him and what he did with it was he put it up on the 100 yard target stand, and so after stapling our respective targets up on the stand we walked back to the shooting benches. And we proceeded to put a few rounds down range. Well we walked up to check our targets and low and behold Randy had put a round cleanly through the dime......from a hundred yards !!! Well, he did that once more successfully and then on the third attempt he missed the subsequent dime. That is a NO BULL story, as Festus used to say...." If I'm lyin', I'm dyin' ! " The rifle he was shooting was a Ruger M77 chambered in .220 Swift, which he still has to this day. And yes we successfully scored on deer that fall back in the late 1980's. Wonderful memories !!!
Very good video. I know we have argued in the past due to old knowledge while good is still old. But you are spot on with this video. The 270 and especially the 3006 have become better performers than they ever were I own 3 of each and many other calibers. I have been hovering on my 3006 more and more due to one thing bullet technology. Old knowledge does not count in the new world such as sectional density. The new craze and it is a good one is bullet construction. An all coper alloy Barnes bullet in 150 grain from an 3006 will shoot through 2 Elk I saw it one time on a hunt, luckily my buddy had 2 tags. sometimes On Antelope and Muley Deer I have seen big things from the 2506 and it is loved out West and is great in this niche.
My old Ruger M77 wore out 270 turning into my 25 Gibbs ,great shooter using IMR 4350 and 85 gr Nos Bal Tips, black bears and caribou, wolves and smaller moose.
Previous 25-06 owner. I can attest to every point you made. I found it not very practical but great fun at the range when you want to impress your buddy with your marksmanship skills.
Wow!!! Very well said ! I have two Brownings in 25-06, both in BBR model,made from 1978 to 1984, which have taken many coyotes and mule deer up here in Saskatchewan !!! Greetings from good ol Saskatoon Saskatchewan!!! Hows that for a mouthful !!!
The .25-06 has been used by several people I know personally to take everything from cayotes up to elk with great success. On the flip side, I know several people who curse its existence because it "failed" on hunts for those very same animals. I've never owned, nor fired, a .25-06 so I can't testify to its effectiveness from personal experience. I CAN say that one of my closest friends considers the .25-06 to be THE all-a round rifle cartridge having used his rifle to hunt, with great success, cayotes, hogs, and whitetail and blacktail deer. Only one of the blacktails required a second shot to put him down for good and my friend blamed himself for that one. My friend and his wife recently moved to an area where elk hunting will be available to him and I'm sure he will fill their freezer with his .25-06. By the way, I very strongly suspect that the people I've heard curse the .25-06 never actually took the time to "learn" the cartridge and/or the rifle they were utilizing. I really enjoyed, and learned something (as I usually do) from this video but until I can afford a rifle chambered in .25-06 I'm afraid I'll have to stick with my trusty Savage Model 99E in .308 Winchester. Maybe someday that will change. Take care, keep up the great work you do, and scratch Benny behind the ear for me.
In Nevada, 2506 was made for the open terrain…I have pre-Obama Cooper Rifles that are sub 1/2 moa…and a Savage Axis that shoots 3/4 “….flat trajectory, low recoil, reasonable barrel life…hammers a coyote…perfect Nevada caliber.
