Hey folks,

First I'll give you the background info. I acquired a 25-06 in a trade a few years ago and after doing some research finally decided to make it a dedicated deer rifle. I've used SST's in my 270 and 308 for years with mixed results. More positive than negative, but I'm growing to dislike the lack of blood trail on almost perfect shots. Up until last week, I was dead set on using 117gr Hornady SST's in the 25-06. So I went on a weekend trip to VA with the family and found 3 boxes of 115gr Federal Nosler Partitions on a clearance rack at a local gun shop. Regular price was $44.98 marked down to $28.98 per box. The guy gave me all three for $75 and I couldn't pass it up. Groups with the new rounds are right where I want them too.


What are you guy's experiences with this caliber and rounds? Do you prefer SST's or NP's? Or a different round? Thanks in advance for any info!

J.D.

I own a .25-06 Ruger #1. A couple of friends also have .25-06's but all of us shot reloads instead of factory ammo. I'd think Federal or Hornady ~120 grain bullets would perform just fine on a whitetail. I would go with whichever one shot best in my gun.

I own a .25-06 but am not really a fan of it. I can't think of anything it does that a .270 can't.

If the rifle likes them, can't imagine the Nosler Partitions in the .25-06 being anything but boringly reliable on deer.

+1 on the 270 note for sure! Mine has put down a ton of deer. It performs so well that the wife has claimed it as hers, lol. Hence my reason for giving the 25-06 a go.

That seems to be the norm from what I've found in reviews and other forums so far. Deer season opens here in 7 days. As long as I do my part, I don't think it will disappoint.

I have always liked the .25-06, but also only used reloads. Although I never used it on deer, I was devastating on smaller critters out to 500 yards.

Bob

For Deer you won't notice a difference between a 25/06 or a 30/06, if you put the bullet in the right place.

I appreciate the info folks! I'll let you know how it works out on a deer.

Killed a decent 8 point with it Sunday morning. Slightly high shoulder shot and pass through. He ran about 40 yards, but crashed the whole way and left a huge blood trail. That suits me fine and dandy. I’ll test it on a doe this weekend hopefully.

High shoulder shot, hopefully hitting bone is my preferred placement now. It seems to stop everything much better than other placements.

Going on a meat hunt near Louisville, KY in November with a couple of friends. The state of KY is allowing as many does as you want on a tag and one buck. They apparently have a real buck:doe ratio misalignment issue. I will use my 7mm-08 with my reloads and hopefully can help alleviate some of that.

Congratulations on your buck! A 117 grain, Hornady Interlock bullet placed high shoulder has never yet failed to bring my deer down. They might run a few yards, but generally its "bang-flop" if I do my part. My 25-06 is a Ruger M77 MkII heavy barreled job. It's topped with a Bushnell Trophy 6-18x50 power scope, and is extremely accurate out to 250 yards. It can shoot that well farther, but I can't anymore. Recoil is negligible, as well.

I have noticed that shooting deer behind the shoulder with the .25 can be a bit "lackluster" as far as bullet performance is concerned. Like oyeme, I like my bullets to break bones and shoot accordingly. And, fyi, Hornady loads a 95 grain ballistic tip that is the very thing for eliminating pesky groundhogs and coyotes at long distance. You might want to give some of those a try, too.

Good luck on your doe hunt, let us know the results!

Mac

That's my shot too, heart shots always run I've found, shoulder shots tend to hit them harder and put them down quicker.

Many years ago, I put a 54 cal. roundball right square in the shoulder joint of a nice, fat doe. Found the ball under the hide on the off-side when we skinned her. My butcher, who was also my grandfather, chewed my a$$ all the time he was cleaning up the bone fragments out of those shoulders. I've tried to avoid doing that since.

Shoulder shot ruins too much meat for my liking too, especially with a high velocity bullet.

Absolutely. I do not own a 25-06; but consider it an awesome cartridge from what a long-time friend who has one has said about its capability.

Looking at it from another angle, I think a Nosler Partition in the right spot makes almost ANY rifle a great one. What a great bullet!

Just a quick update. The 25-06 is here to stay! Killed 5 deer and a coyote with it this past season. only the 8 point ran farther than 20 yards. 2 deer and the coyote never moved. I even have several buddies that were ".300 win mag or bigger" guys up until they saw the results of my first season with it.

I am assuming you used the Nosler Partition load you bought at a discount in August?

Wow...5 deer. That's a lot of steaks, chops, and burger.

Yep. Loved the performance. In fact, I'm probably going to get some 130 gr NP's for my 270.

I actually ended up killing 8 total. Deer here in SC aren't huge, but they are plentiful. Most good bucks are around 160 - 180 lbs not dressed. Occasionally you see some over 200, but that's early season before the rut. Residents in my game zone can legally kill 17 in a season. 12 does and 5 bucks. I usually put 2 or 3 in my freezer, then I give the others to friends/relatives that don't hunt.

I have shot deer with:
6mmBR
257 Roberts Ackley rimmed
25-06
6.5-06
270
280AI
7mmRM
300WM

I have a tested on targets:
243
6mmRem
25-20
250 Sav
257 Roberts
257 Roberts Ackley
260
6.5x55
7x57
32-20
30-30
30/40 Krag
308
30-06
303 brit
7.5 Swiss
7.62x54R
8x57
338WM
357 mag rifle
45 Colt rifle
12 ga slug


I believe with a rifle, sling, scope, bipot, rear bag, and ammot limited to 10 pounds, and my limited shooting ability, that the 6.5-06 and 7mmRM put the group in a 10" circle further than the others.