Hi Guy's

New to the forum. My question is I just got a new 25-06 barrel for my encore rifle and was wondering what is the best 25-06 bullet for whitetail deer?

Thanks Guy's

jr 1968

117 gr Hornady SST.

You will find there are lots of good choices. I favor 100 grain and heavier bullets.

This load is a 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/GuideGun/5-ShotGroup1.jpg

Best, well, I don't know. But I've had surprisingly good results with el-cheapo 100gr. Core-Lokts in my .257 Roberts. They'll punch through pigs, and still expand on deer.

Can't swear they'll do just as well in the .25-06 but it's one cheap bullet I wouldn't be afraid to experiment with.

Welcome to the forum jr 1968. Lots of good bullets out there, all three of the one's recommended would work well for deer.

I have hit whitetail bucks with 100 grain bullets only, so far. Has an effect like lightning. Core-lokts. Ballistic Tips. At the speed the 25-06 cruises at, if they go in deep enough, they surely kill quickly. Now I use the 115 grain Ballistic Silvertip. It's a coated Nosler Ballistic tip made for Winchester. They call it COMBINED TECHNOLOGIES BALLISTIC SILVERTIP. I love the 25-06. I also want a .257 Weatherby.

Depends on where you're placing those bullets on the deer. If behind the shoulder in the boiler house, any standard cup-and-core bullet (Speer, Hornady, Sierra) will kill just fine. I like to hedge my bets a bit for quartering-on or quartering-away angles, or running shots, with a bit tougher bullet with the velocities from the 25-06. As such, I favor either the 120 gr Nosler partition, or 120 gr Speer Grand Slam. I have had a Speer hot-cor bullet come apart on me on the shoulder of a muley inside of 100 yards.

I have used a Sako 25.06 for 10 years. Used all the bullets configurations at one time or another. The Remington core lokt 120 grain is the best in my opinion. Longest shot was 420 yards and shortest shot was 50 yards. The bullet performed as it should at both ranges and those in between. It doesn't fragment nor fail to mushroom at distances acceptable for the 25.06.

You will find there are lots of good choices. I favor 100 grain and heavier bullets.

This load is a 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip



Good shooting!

I like the Sierra Pro Hunters myself, but there's a lot of good deer bullets out there.

I recently got a lightly used Steyr 25-06 and will work on some handloads for it, I grabbed 4 boxes of Fed with 117g Gameking BTSPs for it for cheap at a show
I killed quite a few deer with a 25-06 growing up and called my dad to ask what he used in his loads, 100g gameking BTSPs
he sold the gun a few years ago (without letting me know he would have let it go!, arg!) and he said the guy that bought it loves it and every deer shot has dropped instantly. The guy is a hunter, not a high volume shooter and he's still using some of the ammo my dad gave with the gun, took it to the range, a few shots and dead on of course, put it away and take a few deer every year with it

I bought some 100g BTSPs for it after I have shot up these 117s, unless they are just ultra accurate in this particular gun

I have hit whitetail bucks with 100 grain bullets only, so far. Has an effect like lightning. Core-lokts. Ballistic Tips. At the speed the 25-06 cruises at, if they go in deep enough, they surely kill quickly. Now I use the 115 grain Ballistic Silvertip. It's a coated Nosler Ballistic tip made for Winchester. They call it COMBINED TECHNOLOGIES BALLISTIC SILVERTIP. I love the 25-06. I also want a .257 Weatherby.

I also shoot the silvertips in my ruger#1 25-06. I shoot the 85gn bullet, I killed a buck last year from my deck at 270 yards. He just rolled over on impact, no blood trail to track here.Q

Another vote for the Sierra Pro-Hunter.

I'm relatively new (three years) with a 25-06 but have been using 100gr Sierra Pro-Hunters over a hefty charge of IMR-4831, since they shot pretty well on paper. Results on 10 deer, two antelope and assorted predators and such has been good. Ranges from 40 yards to almost 400 have yielded good performance.

I'm still experimenting with various loads so my opinion may change any day, so far the load has held up.

I have done well on modest size deer with the 100 gr. Barnes X-Bullet in .25-06, but they are not the most accurate load I've tried.

Brent

117 gr Hornady SST.
My Dad worked up a few loads for the 25-06 and his hunting load used a 117 gr Hornady bullet loaded up with Hodgdon H4831 with the heaviest rated load (51 gr? I'll have to check) by the manual and fired out of a Mauser 98 sporter.

While he may not have been the best hand-loader to ever live, he probably forgot more about it than I'll ever know, but I'm trying to learn.

Anyway, I would venture to guess that the 117 gr Hornady SST is probably a pretty good choice for the 25-06.

Sierra Pro Hunter from another site

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u88/Rgariglio/bullet1.jpg

I personally like the Nosler partition bullet in the 120 grain bullet, on money hunts out of state. They do offer somewhat of an insurance policy of penetrating.

Now I have also used the Remington "Core-Lokt" as well and it is a very good performer on whitetail. I have also used the Hornady brand of bullets in the 117 grain round (woods hunting) nosed and the 120 grn. spire point bullet going back to 1972. :D

Now I have also used the Remington "Core-Lokt" as well and it is a very good performer on whitetail. I have also used the Hornady brand of bullets in the 117 grain round (woods hunting) nosed and the 120 grn. spire point bullet going back to 1972. :D

Cozy....haven't you been reading the magazines??? Those old bullets won't work...get rid of them and get the new MRX or XP3's...:D;)

Cozy....haven't you been reading the magazines??? Those old bullets won't work...get rid of them and get the new MRX or XP3's...:D;)

How true! Killed a zillion varmints with flat base 55gr Hornadys then found out they were vastly inferior...threw all away and got VMax's:D

In my limited experience, the 117gr bullet is probably the best all-around. I love the Hornady 117 BTSP and the new SST should be as good or better. However, my present Rem Classic doesn't group them well but will tackhole the Sierra 117 BT Gameking which is a nice bullet but a little too lightly constructed unless all your shots are over 200 yds. Because of this I've switched to the Pro Hunter in that I shot two deer with the Gameking at 75 and 100 yds....the bullets performed like Vmaxs. Yeah, they killed the deer but blew all to pieces with no exit.

When I first started shooting the 25/06 in about 1970 I used the 100 grain Hornady spitzer primarily because I was first and foremost a coyote hunter...deer maybe ever 5 years. Then I moved from Texas and was presented to MS and GA deer that were considerably heavier in weight. Thats when I switched to the heavier constructed bullets. Thats not to say there are not big bodied deer in Texas but most Hill Country bucks won't tip a 100 pounds.

If I were still in Texas, I'd probably still be using the 100 gr mainly because I cut my teeth on that bullet and know its trajectory like a book. However, when you are confronted with deer weighing in the 200 lb+ category I think the heavier constructed bullets are a good investment. They can be core-lokts, prohunters, partitions or whatever. I had a monster buck get away from me last season cause I wasn't quick enough on the draw. I shudder to think that if I had had time to get off a shot it would have been quartering and I sure would've wanted a well constructed bullet in that case...one that would penetrate and not blow up on me.

Bottom line...taylor your loads for the situation.

I am brand new to .25 cal. as of last September when I impulsively bought a new Ruger Hawkeye in .257 Roberts. I picked some less-than-max loads right out of the manuals to quickly create some hunting ammo.

First use was on a young antelope buck standing broadside in Wyoming sagebrush at about 150 yds. with Hornady 115 gr. Spire Point. The bullet passed through both lungs and the antelope trotted about 20 yds. before tipping over.

Second and third uses were mature whitetail does feeding together at 100 yds. (or a little less) in open Missouri timber. This time the bullet was 115 gr. Nosler PT. Both were neck shot pass throughs, and DRT about 15 yards apart.

Based on exactly three shots from a .257 Roberts, I agree, there seem to be plenty of good deer bullets in .25 cal.

I also shoot the silvertips in my ruger#1 25-06. I shoot the 85gn bullet, I killed a buck last year from my deck at 270 yards. He just rolled over on impact, no blood trail to track here.Q

Try sending me an email through the forum (click on my name and it should give you the option) and I can tell you what the password is for your original account. I got them merged, but evidently the email to you never went through.

I have a buddy that shoot the 25-06 and he uses 120 gr. Nosler part. and it seems to be very accurate. I am not sure if Nosler is producing the accubond in the 25-06 yet but I believe that would be a close second.

I use the 100 grain Barnes X's, they do a fine job, a bit pricey, but you could use the same load for Elk in a pich, I would prefer the 115 gr Barnes for bigger game.

Which ever shoots best in your rifle from 100 to 120 grain.

I killed some deer with 120 remington ammo but then heard that 90gr. bullets were the most efficient in the 2506. I was shooting some and liked the accuracy; then came elk season and I dropped a bull in his tracks with one of those 90 grainers.

My dad has a 257 weatherby mag and hs favorite whitetail bullet by a mile is the 117 Hornady interloc, i assume this would slay whitetails in a 25-06 as well. the reason this is so nice is that it expands and drops deer but it doesn't blow up and jelly an entire front quarter.

Just my $.02:D

110 gr accubonds @3250, still got about 1200 ftlbs at 500 yards, and if zero'd at 250 your less than 30" down at 500 too.
100 gr swift a frames, and 117 gr btsp hornady's have worked well for me too.
depends what you want your bullet to do really.
nice to know that you can put one through from any angle(within reason) if you need to. so bonded and H or A frame bullets for me.

I lost count of how many Speed goats, Muledeer and whitetail my 25-06 has accounted for, and all I ever loaded was 100gr Sierra Gamekings.

I'll throw in another vote for the various Nosler bullets. I've used them all for the 25/06 and they have all worked very well.

I used the 110 Grain AccuBonds last year, and thats probably all that I will use in the future. They are very accurate and very reliable. I haven't recovered a bullet yet, but they have killed all the deer instantly.

Which ever shoots best in your rifle from 100 to 120 grain.


Amen Cole!

I don't have a .25-06, but I shoot a Winchester Model 70 .257 Roberts. I have had good success with a variety of bullets - 120 grain Hornady HP at a muzzle velocity of 2900 fps, 120 grain Speer Spire Points at 2900 fps, and more recently 100 grain Hornady Spire Points at a muzzle velocity of 3100 fps. Last year I shot two large bucks and both dropped in their tracks. The bullets went right through the chest cavity at over 200 yards.

Sierra Pro Hunter - 117 grains.

TR