25-06 for deer

[gray fox]

I am new to GBO. Is the 25-06 good for deer 

[K.K]

Gray Fox, just about any centerfire .243 and above is great for whitetails. Just remember, shot placement is key. A shot through the vitals with a 25-06 will kill any deer that walks. I like bigger calibers, but that is just me, and maybe I am a glutton for punishment!

I have many friends that love the 25-06. Good luck!

[John R.]

The 25-06 is an excellent choice for Whitetails. I would stay with bullets weighing at least 100 grs. and I like the 110 gr. Accubond or 115 gr. Partition.

[Booyah]

I have been deer hunting about 20 years with a 25-06 and I have shot several and I have several different calibers. The 25-06 and my 280 are my favorite. 

[Carroll B]

The largest deer, dressed at 174, I have taken so far was with one shot through the heart with a 25-06.  I kick myself every time I hear that caliber mentioned for selling my Remington 700 BDL over 26 years ago.  Could have used the 25-06 when I hunted speed goats last fall but my .308 did the job for me.

[OLDHandgunner]

I've been shooting deer since the early 70's with my Ruger 77 in 25-06. Started out & still use the Hornady 100 gr. bullets,( deadly on deer ) but alot of meat loss on front shoulders. Hornady 117gr & 120gr don't cause as much meat loss. When ever I head to sit in big open pastures & fields for deer or coyotes I bring the 25-06 for my long range shooting.

[beemanbeme]

I'm not sure it is such a good choice.  It seems the deer, especially white tails, have been evolving and growing some sort of armour plate.  I base this on the reports I've read of hunters using a 300WM or larger, shooting a deer "with a perfect heartshot at xxx lazered distance" and having them run off never to be found.
Luckily, non of the deer i've shot have developed the amour yet but they're moving into my area as I heard several reports from locals that had it happen.  I just traded a 300WM for a .260 to a fellow that was preparing for that event.  Also, you want to have enough gun if you're attacked by a coyote. 

[backstrap]

I dont have a 25-06 but i have seen my uncle shoot many deer with his ruger m77 25-06 out to 400 yards and they droped dead i used a samll 100 243 this year shot a big 10 point that dressed 180 i shoot him at 200 yards he ran 30 yards and fell over dead dont matter how big a gun u use like a 300Wm if u dont know where to put the shot no gun will kill a deer i absulutly dont agree what beeman said there is no such thing as a amour like i said they must not have put the bullet where it needs to be or so these kinda people tell u that they hit them in the heart but the truth they hit them low or way back on the body and the deer ran off i have killer deer here in Okla and it is legall with a 55 gr 223 at 100 yards with no problem when u start shooting elk sized game u need a bigger gun but a 25-06 will work great on deer sized game dont let any one tell u it wont, with this 300WM not killing a deer there not putting it in the right spot or the bullet in blowing up on empact like the nosler ballistic tip will do, and i live where there is great food for the deer where they have dressed out 210lb and none of these hunters use more than 223 up to 30-06 no magnums

[mt3030]

I have come to consider the 25-06 the perfect mule deer and antelope caliber for my Montana hunting. I consider it a little too much for my style of whitetail hunting, where I prefer the 30-30 single shots with spitzer bullets, or the 6.5 Swede, but when put to the task of whities, the 25-06 really does the job. By the way, I also use 117 or 120 gr loads to keep the damaged meat down.

[SHOOTALL]

Yep !
probably good fer most critters east of the Mississippi and quite a few  west of it !
I use 100 gr bt for whitetail and everything else , don't care to mess with scope !
never saw one shoot bad either ! Good luck with yours !

[TribReady]

Some time ago (could have been a few years actually  ) there was an article written about the 25-06 as pretty much the perfect deer cartridge.  I only get American Hunter (NRA) and Peterson's Hunting magazines so it must have been in one of those.
Maybe do a search for past mag articles and try to find. I just remember reading and thinking I had to have one---actually didn't get one, but the article made a great case.