How many uses?

L

littlephil

New member
Howdy all, I've been kickin around the idea of rebarreling my Stevens (savage) 110. The rifle is currently a 30-06, but I've been contemplating 25-06. Including this rifle I have 2-8mm mausers, 1-Turk mauser getting a 7x57 barrel, and a couple mosins. I think I have my "big game" category pretty well covered, but all I have on the smaller end is a 22lr and a 22 mag. Now for my question (finally), how many uses are there for a 25-06? I've heard they make an excellent deer rifle, and I've also heard that they can be run with light bullets for varmints, though maybe a bit overkill. :rolleyes:
Is there anything I'm missing, like maybe they make an excellent long range rifle, or the gun itself can be made lighter do to very little recoil? I've never owned, or shot a 25-06 so I don't really know much other than what I've heard from a few people. One thing I have heard though, anyone that owns one loves it.
So if y'all just wanna give me some pro's and con's on the round, that'd be great. Thanks ahead of time for any input.
 
The king of the dual-use (big game and varmint) cartridges is the .243 Winchester.

The 25-06 is another cartridge in that category, leaning a bit heavier on the big-game side, where it easily outshines the 243.

This is true for factory ammunition. If one reloads, then reduced or starting loads with varmint bullets in the 25-06 takes it much closer to the 243's utility in the varmint category.

As many have commented over the years, full-power factory varmint loads in 25-06 are a bit much, unless the varmints in question are very far away, in which case it will definitely out-perform the 243.
 
Just a little devils advocacy here, I've never rebarreled anything but my understanding is that it's not cheap.

Why not pick up something affordable like an axis in whichever new caliber you choose? 2 is better than 1 :D
 
It's been a few years since I had a .25-06, but it was a great round. Shot prairie dogs once with it, had to be careful to take only occasional shots (gets hot) but it sure would make a mess of them with some hot loaded ballistic tips. Also was a great deer killer with 117 gr Hornaday or 120 Speers. Wasn't my favorite round but it had the capability especially if you reload.
 
same parent case, same boltface, brass can be re formed if need be, and just a barrel swap, handloads can make it versatile,

i can see the appeal of it, moreso in a heavy contour barrel, if you load for it.
then you wont be limited to factory offerings.
 
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How easy is .25-06 ammo/brass to get in Coshocton, Ohio?
The .25-06 is pretty much the same thing as a .270. Just another necked down .30-06 that does multiple things. Only really issue is the local availability of ammo/brass. And either can be ordered with no fuss.
"...maybe a bit overkill..." So's a .223. So what? Shot a ground hog long ago with a .30-06 220 Silvertip. Ground hog didn't know or care what it was that blew him into the next month. snicker. Varmint hunting is likely the best shooting practice there is for deer season. No real reason to use a varmint bullet either. Ok, maybe a little for the slightly lower felt recoil.
"...brass can be re formed if need be..." More trouble and fuss than it's worth. .243 can be formed too, but it's really not worth the time effort and expense to do.
 
Normally, I would be against the idea of rebarrelling a perfectly good 30-'06. However, if I understand it correctly, the Savage 110 is easy to rebarrel yourself with a minimum of tools as it has a barrel lock-ring that you will need the proper wrench for. Plus you will need a headspace gauge. I'm sure there are some Savage fans here that do it often. Perhaps they can chime in.......
 
Thanks for the input so far guys, here's some more info. As far as loaded ammo, I do in fact reload, so I'm not too concerned about finding any locally. My lgs carries hornady brass in quite a few different calibers, 25-06 being one of them. Plus with places like grafs, midway, brownells, etc., I'm sure I'll be able to find some cases. Plus I have a couple boxes of once fired 06 cases if need be.

Ballisti, I thought about the 243 also, but I figured since it's a long action, I should probably stick with something on an 06 case.

Kvon, pathfinder is correct. I've checked into a rebarrel on savages several times and from what I've read and seen, it almost couldn't be simpler. Plus, at the moment, I'm kinda running out of space to store more guns. :eek: Not that I have a bunch, I just live in an apartment currently and my "gun room" is pretty small.

Surveyor, I'm thinking I've seen some of the barrel swap kits (that come with barrel, wrench, and gauges) that were offered with a heavier contour in 25-06. I'd have to check again, but I'm sure I saw one somewhere.

T. O'Heir, i thought about 270 also, but i think it's still a little too close to what I already have. I do love the round though, my dad used to have a nice 700 rem in 270. It was actually his favorite groundhog gun because it was the one he could shoot the best. He let me shoot one in the yard one day with it (he's got a big yard and few neighbors), that was the first time I'd ever seen a groundhog so "strung out". :rolleyes:

Thanks again for the input, looking forward to some opinions!
 
Why not a 6.5-06? Not quite as common, but I think you'll have better bullet selection in the 6.5mm than you will with .25 caliber.

Lots of match bullets in 6.5mm, might offer you more versatility.
 
Yes ! and the bullets can give you higher BC and Sectional Density ! With that even the 6.5x55 is a fine cartridge. :)
 
Another vote for 6.5-06 since you handload. Amazing cartridge with an array of bullets available. Simple to form brass from 25-06 brass in a single step. It would serve you well on varmints and deer and if you ever wanted its just as comfortable on the 1000yd line as it is in the woods.
 
Hmm, I forgot about the 6.5-06. I'll have to see if I can find a kit in that caliber. Also I'll have to see what kind of light(ish) weight bullets are available in 6.5. I already plan to have a 6.5x55 in the future, but I could build one of each and claim that I made a "his and hers" set. :D
I'll do some checking and see what I can find. Does anybody have a 6.5-06, or better yet, a 6.5 AND a 25-06? If so, how do you like it (them)?

Now I've got some more food for thought, thanks again guys!
 
I have a 6.5-06 but i dont own a 25-06. I had a 270 but after building the 6.5 it just sat in the safe so i traded it away. The lightest commonly available varmint bullet in 6.5 is the 95gr hornady vmax. I have pushed these to almost 3600fps out of my 26" bbl and they are absolutely explosive. Typically I load a 140gr berger vld for long range target use and for deer hunting. Im pushing these at 2850fps and could go higher but that was my most accurate load. I use all hornady 25-06 brass run through a 6.5-06 fl sizing die and trimmed then its ready to load. Would like to one day use the gun on elk with some tsx bullets. There really is nothing this cartridge wont do.
 
I'm a big fan of the 25/06. My current "go to" deer rifle is a Savage 110 which I re-barreled from a 30/06 about 10 years ago. The 25/06 projects it's power beyond what should be expected of other "combination" cartridges like the 243. We've downed some really big deer at fairly long range and coyotes way out there with the 25/06-flatter trajectory makes first round hits easier and 100-115 grain bullets put stuff down well. In addition, recoil is still light which makes accurate shooting easier.
I feel it's the best "in between" round on the market for long actions.
 
Even the 6.5x47 lapua is an outstanding cartridge out to 1000. It's the one I want, but you've got a lot more powder in that 06 case, the ability to drive the heaviest 6.5's faster and the lightweights at tremendous velocity compared to that. But it'll serve my purposes well.

Don't own a 6.5-06, but it makes a lot of sense to me, my thoughts on it pretty much mirror what Bacardisteve is talking about. It really makes a lot of sense for the reloader looking for versatility in a long action.
 
Thanks for the replies, after doing some checking, I think I'm gonna stick with a 25-06 rebarrel. It seems like it's better suited to the lightweight bullets which is mostly what I'm after. I realize I don't need light bullets for varmints, but like I said, I don't have anything smaller than 30 cal and would like something geared more towards varmints.
I'll appreciate any other comments or opinions on the matter, thanks y'all.
 
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