Ok sell me the 25-06 over the .243 Win

[Brithunter]

Hmmmm now there is no room for a women, sorry but it's all been taking up by shooting and hunting stuff  . As for marriage  wash your mouth out with soap  .

After a long term relationship brake up I am not looking for another, if we had of gotten married we would have made our silver anniversary. Now as for this:-

   By God, old chap, it is clear that you have WAY WAY to much spare time on your hands. I have never seen such lengthy, turgid, analysis used to justify acquiring a rifle that you absolutely do not need, in a caliber that, hunting wise, is already covered in spades by the other rifles in your collection.  Just about every game animal you listed in your posts could be handily taken by the 6.5 Swede with the 140 grain bullet. 

Ahhhh you may have a point  ............. BUT  Firstly when has need even come into acquiring another rifle? Plus  none of the rifles I already had were screw cut at the muzzle to accept an Sound Moderator and that IS THE IMPORTANT POINT  . As for spare time yep I have a fair bit as being a full time carer for my elderly parents does leave some time like now when they are watching the TV.

Meanwhile this afternoon I managed to get a box of 85 grain Nosler ballistic tips and these will be the first handloads if the snow holds off I may get to try some out tomorrow.

[mannyrock]

Brit,

   All in good fun. 

   I think that you will really like the .25-06. It is incredibly versatile when you hand-load.

   A lady hunter in Alaska use to say, "I don't know what all of the fuss is about killing grizzlies.  I just make sure I'm 100 yards away, shoot them broadside through the lungs with my .25-06, and watch them die."

Regards,
Manny

[Brithunter]

Well it will all depend on the weather now  I sized and trimmed 20 Federal cases that originally had 100 Grn Nosler Ballistic Tips as factory ammunition in them and loaded them with 52.0 Grains of H4350 and a 85 Grn Nosler Ballistic Tip  trouble is we have just had another 1"-1 1/2" of snow fall in the last couple of hours and that's on top of the 3" or so we already have. Although it's eased off at the moment it's only 11PM so there is plenty of time for more snow yet tonight  .

 So the range trip is off tomorrow as that's an 80 mile round trip and it's just not worth risking the idiots on the road in the snow and ice. More than half that drive here don't know how to drive in snow  .

   If the snow stops tomorrow I might try to test them on the field at 70 yards but again it will all depend on the weather now.

[Brithunter]

Well despite the cold and snow a small test of the 85 Gn Ballistic Tip with H4350. Now the first thing that has come to my notice is that it seems that this particular rifle likes a slightly fouled bore. The bore had been cleaned after the factory ammunition had been shot as I was not sure when I would be able to get some more ammunition of the bullets for handloading.

Anyway on Saturday I managed to get a box of Nosler 85 Grn Ballistic Tips so sized a box of Federal brass trimmed them to length and loaded them with 52-0 grains of H4350 over a CCI 200 primer and seated the bullet to a COL of 3.170". The first shot was just over 1/2" high so I thought that I would not need to make any scope adjustments but shot #2 soon changed that idea as it went 1" low then shots #3 and #4 went 1" and 2" left 

So decided to try another of the aiming points on the Burris Sight In target and shot #5 landed i 1/4" low and 1" left so at that point a windage adjustment was made then  5 shots for group were fired resulting in this:-


The central low shot was sworn over as as the trigger broke as I pulled it. Then as the group was a bit low an elevation adjustment was made and one more shot made at another or the aiming mark to check the adjustment made:-


Remember that this is shot at only 70 yards. Now this shows promise but it will require a few more groups shot the prove if this load is goiing to be good or not.

[Three44s]

HEY ........ Brithunter, ........ you're shooting that 25-06!!!!   

I'd about given up ......... I would NEVER have your patience dealing with your atrocious gun laws there.

I don't think I'd read too much into that first group.

I view scope, bedding, barrel preference (loves dirty or clean), getting used to a "new to you" trigger ........... just to name a few issues as trumping a first group.

I myself am new to the 25-06.  I just "built" a Savage 110 into a SS bull barrel 25-06 a few days ago.  But from what I have read ....... it's a cartridge that can be finicky about powders used.

It's a shame you don't have a "lead bank" real close by ....... your long drive to the range would just kill me!!!!  I ranch for a living and shoot almost right off my door step ......... if it weren't for my wife's horse standing right out front ...... I would not have even that constraint!

I guess I would have to own a van and make it into a mobile reloading shop so I could conjure up loads right there on the firing line so that 80 mile drive did not impinge on progress so much.

Gun haters burn my ..........arse!!!

Three 44s

[Brithunter]

Thanks for the encouragment not that I need much  this is not the first group as I have shot 59 rounds of factory through it of different weights. Hmmm you mean you have not seen the rifle  ? Oh my .. oh my I had better correct that post haste:-

This is how I set it up after picking it up with a Simmons 6-18x40 Airgun Competition scope that i robbed off a BSA Super Sport fice .22 L/R





Once it warms up next year I will re-finish the stock to highlight this grain and in doing so remove the few small compression marks it has now. The scope is now back on the .22 L/R and I swopped it for a straight 6x40AO Apollo 5 star that I had sitting in a drawer not the best scope going but it's clear and seems to be good so will do for now until I can get something better for it 

This was the initial test using two different factory loads and makes:-


That was with Sako 117 Gr Game Head and Federal 100 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. I tried again a while later at the club range and the result was disappointing:-





With both ammo types it was poor but both had a tight cluster in them so I was wondering if it had a bedding issue?


as this stringing would sort of suggest  however I also shot another rifle that session and got the same stringing effect so I wonder if it's me  Oh the shooting was done at 70 yards at home and 82 yards (75Metres) at the club range.