500 yards

[dk17hmr]

Got my 25-06 out today for the first time in about a year. The load was 100gr Nosler Ballistic Tips, Federal 210 primers, R-P cases, 51grs of IMR 4350, with an overal length of 3.225, MV of roughly 3350fps.

The rifle is a 13 pounds heavy barreled moster, with a 25x scope mounted on it, built for long range critter and paper shooting.

I took 20 rounds of these little blue tipped missles to the range today. After conferming zero at 100 yards, 3 shots inside a dime 3" high of the bullseye, I set up the 500 yard target. I fired a 5 shot group that was right in at 4.5", but 3 of them were 1.73" c-t-c.

Not to bad but could be better, I think I am going to finish these Noslers and then get some 100gr Serria Match Kings and possibly switch to H4831 suppose to be a better powder for the 25-06.

[Bret4207]

The 25 Nieder is a wonderful, somewhat overbore cartridge. I keep thinking I NEED one, or maybe a 25 Roberts, or an Ackley Roberts, or a 25/308, or..........

[Four Fingers of Death]

Good to see you finally got a response, I thought we had both become orphans :)

[STP]

MOA out to 500....that`s always satisfying. What make is the 25X glass?

[dk17hmr]

Its a Mueller 8.5-25, they are not high end optics I paid $200 for the scope but I would like it. I have 2 Mueller scopes, they say you get what you pay for but I think I have gotten much more out of these 2 scopes then what I paid for them.

[lovedogs]

The .25-06 really is a great one. Better, I think, than most realize. It's easier to shoot than the .257 Wby. and easier on bbls. In my experience it'll do anything a .270 can do with 130 grainers if you load good 120 grainers. But unless I'm after something really tough I like the plain ol' 100 gr. Hornady at almost 3400 FPS.

The only full custom rifle I own is a .25-06 built on a 78 Sportsman (poor man's 700). A really good Wyoming custom 'smith put a match-grade Shilen stainless
26 1/2 in. tube on it, pillar-post bedded it into a McMillan classic synthetic stock. I won't even let a 'smith mess with my triggers so I adjusted it to a smooth 2# pull. It shoots every .25 cal. bullet I've tried except the Speer Grand Slam into 1/3 to 1/2 in. groups. The Hornady and Nosler Partitions will shoot into the same 1/2 in. groups at 200 and go into about 1 1/2 in. at 300. I've not papered it at longer distances but can shoot prairie dogs to 400 easy enough.

Will share a cute story with you all... Several years ago I was hunting a lot of coyotes on a fellas ranch up in the Missouri River Breaks and doing quite well. I'd noticed he had some big mulies there so asked if I could hunt them there. Well, he didn't like many folks asking to hunt deer there so he'd devised a way to turn them down. He was honest with me about this. He hung a flywheel from an old pickup truck engine on a fence 500 yds. from his house. And he told hunters if they could hit that flywheel from there using a sitting position he'd let them hunt.
It so happens that if I put a target on the top of my lower post in the Leupold I'm right on at 500 yds. turned up to 10X. So I sat down, cranks 'er up to 10X and rang his flywheel. Once, twice, thrice. Then I asked how many times he wanted it hit. He just throwed up his arms and said, "Go huntin'!" You just gotta love a good .25-06!

[jhalcott]

With today's powders the 25-06 isn't as overbore as it used to be. I have a Ruger with a custom trigger that dotes on 100 grain bullets. It will do real good with 120's also. I plan on trying some of those little 75 grain pills this summer.

[dk17hmr]

I shot a few boxes of those light weights, 75gr V-max. Velocities were not barrel freindly after those 100 rounds I took the rifle to my smith and had him throw on the heavy barrel that is on it right now. But they were amazing to shoot crows with, feathers and guts would be spread over a 100 square foot area.

75gr V-Max at close to 3800fps pushed the old barrel over the edge, the first 4" of rifling were almost gone, I ended up giving the old barrel to my smith he looked down it and replied "well I probably could re bore it."

I am tryin to keep this barrel on it for a while yet so my loads now are mild 100gr pills at 31-3200fps.

This rifle before rebarreling has accounted for my only rifle killed deer, the other two dozen are with my bow or muzzleloader. The shot was 279 yards, I was laying prone on the roof of an old bull dozer rifle on a bipod. My crosshairs were on the front of its shoulder /side of the neck level with the back line. She dropped right there with the bullet striking her jugular. I then gave my buddy the rifle and he shot one of the other deer in the field at 210 yards in the heart, 2 minutes after I shot mine 30 minutes into MI's rifle season. That was with 117gr SST hornady bullets.

Sure is a great round, I wouldnt mind getting another for hunting because my rifle is a little to heavy to be walking around with.

[twotrees]

I have a Ruger #1V in that cal that has killed more than it's share of Pa Ground hogs and since moving to Ga (Over 20 years ago) has killed a Bunch of deer. Only one has made a step after the shot and it was first shot by my son with his 250 Savage. All the rest have been killed with Hornady 100 gr SP"s and after the rifle comes out of recoil There is "No Deer". It's down and not even kicking. I did have to pass on the biggest racked white tail I have ever had in my sight as he only presented me a shot that would have massed his head, then a "Texas Heart shot, that Ai thouth the Hornady wwas not up to. Sinece then I have carried 100 gr Nosler partitions in it, but alas Never have seen Mr Wally Wall Hanger since.

Great caliber great accuracy (90 gr Sertria HPBT at Way to fast for most guns Vel, big chamber).

But the 257 Roberts 3" gets most of the Deer woods attention now. If not that the Marlin 1895 45-70 with 405 cast boolits if I feel Hogs are in the offing.

Good Shootin,

TwoTrees

[Lloyd Smale]

I won one of those mueller scopes at a whitetails banquet last year its a lighted cross hair 3x9 and i have to agree. there a hell of a scope for what they charge for them at least optically. How they will hold up i dont know. I put it on an inline 50 cal muzzleloader and in my experience theres nothing much harder on a rifle scope then sitting it on a muzzleloader so i guess ill find out.
Its a Mueller 8.5-25, they are not high end optics I paid $200 for the scope but I would like it. I have 2 Mueller scopes, they say you get what you pay for but I think I have gotten much more out of these 2 scopes then what I paid for them.

[twotrees]

LLoyd,

When Rich first brought them out RedFoxy and I got in on testing them. We bought 2 each 3X9's and 4X16's. Rich and I talked on the phone and I got him to bring out the 8X24 ( was suppose to be a 6X24) with fine cross hair for target/varmint work. I have the 2 prototypes of that one. The cross hair light wasn't right and I got them cheap. Functionaly they all are still working fine. On the 3X9 you have 1/4 clicks, but the others all have 1/8 clicks.

They are darned repeatable. I did some reduced load testing on armor for Ga Tech, where the scope had to be reset evey 5 shots. Try hitting a 1/2" Sq X1" piece of metal at 25 yards Dead Center Every time. ( Bullet FMJ .224) scope could be sighted on sighter for each load and fired at armor without question, the Clicks ment what they said.

I have one of the 3X9's on my Marlin 45-70 , I carry for hogs and for 2 years it has held up to stiff 405 gr cast loads at 1800 FPS. Held zero too!!!

They are a lot more scope for the money than most folks give them credit for, just wish Rich hadn't got on his high horse, once they started to sell. Still good folks to deal with, just not as open suggestions as they once were.

Good Shooting,

TwoTrees