Inquiry - Combination deer, antelope, and varmint rifle ?

[t george]

yup and an encore with a 24in barrel is still pretty short and handy...

[wareagleguy]

To get the most out of a 25-06 you need a 26 inch barrel.

[poncaguy]

I prefer the 260 Rem and 6mm Rem..............

[scootrd]

To get the most out of a 25-06 you need a 26 inch barrel.

please elaborate on this statement so I can learn more?

Remember the Guy wants an all rounder, to cover a broad spectrum of game and I would assume terrain as well -Woods , open country , Hilly , steep ridges, Brushy areas etc..

Most everything I have read so far states 24" is optimum for 25-06. Additionally while researching Bolt actions rifles I noticed most manufactures are utilizing 22-24" barrels for 25-06.

Here is one such article I ran across while researching but there were more:
The typical barrel length for a repeating hunting rifle chambered for high intensity cartridges, such as the .243, .270, .308, or .30-06, is 22-24 inches. These are useful all-around barrel lengths for such cartridges. The highest velocity standard cartridges (.243, .25-06, .270 Win.), which achieve muzzle velocities around 3000 fps, are at their best in a 24 inch barrel and 24 inches is the SAAMI standard for almost all American centerfire rifle calibers. However, for cartridges such as the .257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 7mm-08, .308 Win., .30-06, .338 Federal, .35 Whelen and .350 Rem. Mag., which typically operate at 2500-2800 fps, the velocity loss in a 22 inch barrel is not extreme and a rifle with a barrel of this length usually balances and swings well.

[Coyote Hunter]

To get the most out of a 25-06 you need a 26 inch barrel.

Too long for me for a dual-purpose rifle.  Make mine 24".

My Roberts is a 22" and I wouldn't change a thing...

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

       Sorry but I do find this barrel length hang up amusing  To my mind the reason that the barrels are shorter now than they used to be is just another example of cost cutting  and the marketing folks got to work and sold it to the public as a desirable feature  .

    I'll wager that the same folks that moan about a 24" barrel often hunt with a semi-auto shotgun which is actually longer than their rifle and never complain about it  . 25" used to be a common length on rifle barrels but if you want long try this:-


That's equal to having a 30" barrel  I am altering another rifle to accept it not because of the length but the weight. The rifle and scope weigh 9 1/2lbs with the moderator and Bi-Pod it's over 12lbs so I am threadign the muzzle of a lightweight .270 rifle so all up it will weigh around 9 1/2lbs Oh and I picked up a shorter Bi-Pod, the 9-13" one, rather than the long one.

[Coyote Hunter]

Hi All,

       Sorry but I do find this barrel length hang up amusing  To my mind the reason that the barrels are shorter now than they used to be is just another example of cost cutting  and the marketing folks got to work and sold it to the public as a desirable feature  .

Brithunter –

While I can’t speak for others, marketing literature hasn’t affected my preference of barrel lengths one iota.  The barrels on my rifles run from 18-1/2” to 26”.

The only 26” I have is my heavy-barrel .22-250.  I’ve carried it around in the brush enough while hunting coyotes to know that it tends to hang up considerably more often than my 22” Roberts.  When elk/deer hunting a 24” is as long as I want to go for the same reason – noticeably more hang-ups than with the shorter barrels and no offsetting advantages to the longer length.  Antelope is a different story, length isn’t so much an issue, but the rifles I use for antelope also get used for elk/deer.

    I'll wager that the same folks that moan about a 24" barrel often hunt with a semi-auto shotgun which is actually longer than their rifle and never complain about it  . 25" used to be a common length on rifle barrels but if you want long try this:-

Correct, I don’t complain about my shotgun barrels - but then I don’t go crawling through the brush with them, either.

[image deleted]
 That's equal to having a 30" barrel  I am altering another rifle to accept it not because of the length but the weight. The rifle and scope weigh 9 1/2lbs with the moderator and Bi-Pod it's over 12lbs so I am threadign the muzzle of a lightweight .270 rifle so all up it will weigh around 9 1/2lbs Oh and I picked up a shorter Bi-Pod, the 9-13" one, rather than the long one.

Most years I hunt deer and elk in the same season, the exception being when I hunt muzzleloaders for deer.  That means my rifle get used for both deer and elk.  It’s hard enough packing a 8-1/2 lb rifle and backpack up and down the mountains, don’t need or want to go heavier. 




 

[scootrd]

Most years I hunt deer and elk in the same season, the exception being when I hunt muzzleloaders for deer.  That means my rifle get used for both deer and elk.  It’s hard enough packing a 8-1/2 lb rifle and backpack up and down the mountains, don’t need or want to go heavier.  

Coyote Hunter
Great input , I agree will everything you stated, I hunt whitetails in mostly very steep mixed terrain. My old 30-06 had a 24 in Barrel and weighed a ton , and I felt it  - especially when we did overnights after lugging around packs all day.  What you wrote is one of the main reasons I switched to a lighter gear and more compact rifle/scope. The other reason was I just didn't need the recoil of the old 30-06. I always thought the 30-06 was overkill anyways for my needs.

My new Mod seven 7mm-08 sports a 22" barrel, weighs in just a tad over 7.5 lbs ,sling , ammo, scope and all.  Overall length is 41".  Small,  compact , with great balance. The 7mm-08 is lethal on whitetails, and a pleasure to shoot all day off season at the range.  If Jeff didn't want an "all rounder " to cover a larger spectrum of game.  I would certainly suggested a similar setup as mine.  Now that I learned from everyone's input,  I do feel he can't go wrong with a 25-06 , 24" barrel in a moderate weight rifle/scope setup. and more importantly I think he feels the same now that I have shared everyone input with him.

Now , he just needs to decide:
I think he is leaning towards the Browning X-Bolt 6 3/4lbs,(personally I don't like detachable Mags, but hey to each his own) then again I don't hunt varmints either so maybe detachable mags for "all rounder" varmint to deer is the way to go.

if anyone wants to suggest another rifle in 25-06 he should consider I will happily pass along.
 

[84Jim]

scooterd,

Savage chambers a bunch of rifles in 25-06, but they all have 22" barrels.  Nice triggers and probably a little cheaper that some of your other choices.

Which brings me to my next point, and that is that I agree with alot of the posters that long barrels result in more weight and a more cumbersome gun.  Maybe trying to get a do everything gun will result in a rifle that isn't best for either application.  If I was primarily a deer hunter who shot varmits a couple of times during the summer, I'd opt for a shorter, lighter, more compact gun.  It might take away a little of your varmit range but be a better choice for deer hunting.

I have a 24" 25-06 with a 4-12 scope, and only took it out deer hunting one day each of the past 2 seasons.  I got a heavy barrel .223 this spring, and didn't use the 25-06 for ground hogs at all last summer.

Jim

[scootrd]

scooterd,

Savage chambers a bunch of rifles in 25-06, but they all have 22" barrels.  Nice triggers and probably a little cheaper that some of your other choices.

Which brings me to my next point, and that is that I agree with alot of the posters that long barrels result in more weight and a more cumbersome gun.  Maybe trying to get a do everything gun will result in a rifle that isn't best for either application.  If I was primarily a deer hunter who shot varmits a couple of times during the summer, I'd opt for a shorter, lighter, more compact gun.  It might take away a little of your varmit range but be a better choice for deer hunting.

I have a 24" 25-06 with a 4-12 scope, and only took it out deer hunting one day each of the past 2 seasons.  I got a heavy barrel .223 this spring, and didn't use the 25-06 for ground hogs at all last summer.

Jim

Thanks Jim but they are not my choices.  They are the choices of my buddy Jeff who wanted the best all rounder. He can only afford 1 rifle.   I was only the intermediary asking for input for him as to the best cartridge / rifle combo , that could use to cover the largest spectrum of game varmint to deer.

[84Jim]

scooter,

Hey, that's just my .02.  But I get the feeling that we're thinking alike.  My son shoots groundhogs with his Model 7 in .260 a couple of times each summer.  Realistically he has about a 200 yd. max. range.  So what do you get for a varmit sized target with a 24" 25-06 sporter weight and a hunting trigger, 250?

Jim

[cole k]

I have a .257 Roberts and a .25-06 as my all-around rifles. If you don't reload, I would recommend the .25-06. Factory ammo is easier to find for the .25-06 than the .257 Roberts.
I wouldn't worry to much about the barrel length.

[wareagleguy]

Coyote,
Most reloader sources and various others will tell you that you need at least a 24 inch barrel.  I would prefer a 26 but 24 might work fine.  Anything less than that and you would not do any better than other rounds like a 257 Roberts, 260 or 7mm-08.

If you go less than 24 inces you are going to get muzzle blast.  You need to burn slow buring powder so you need plenty of room (lenght of barrel) to burn it.

[Coyote Hunter]

Coyote,
Most reloader sources and various others will tell you that you need at least a 24 inch barrel.  I would prefer a 26 but 24 might work fine.  Anything less than that and you would not do any better than other rounds like a 257 Roberts, 260 or 7mm-08.

If you go less than 24 inces you are going to get muzzle blast.  You need to burn slow buring powder so you need plenty of room (lenght of barrel) to burn it.

I don’t have any real problems with a 24” barrel – that is what is on my 7mm RM and .300 WM.  My .257 Roberts is my favorite rifle and sports a 22” barrel.  Don’t know that you can find a factory .25-06 with a 22” barrel, but I wouldn’t worry about the 2” difference as long as accuracy was good.

[Sweetwater]

Coyote,
Most reloader sources and various others will tell you that you need at least a 24 inch barrel.  I would prefer a 26 but 24 might work fine.  Anything less than that and you would not do any better than other rounds like a 257 Roberts, 260 or 7mm-08.

If you go less than 24 inces you are going to get muzzle blast.  You need to burn slow buring powder so you need plenty of room (lenght of barrel) to burn it.

Must be why my favorite rifles are 20" and less!! I rarely listen to "others" when a matter of personal preference. An 18" barrel that will deliver at 350yards doesn't need another inch or several inches for anything but getting banged on the truck door or tangled in the brush. Would it generate more recoil? Yes. Would it get more velocity? Yes. Does it need more velocity? Not for me. Dead is dead and the range is already as far as I care to shoot.

The biggest problem I have with "that you need at least" is the definition of "need". The rifle doesn't know it needs anything. It just goes bang. If the ammunition is "correct for the rifle" it will go bang correctly. That's all it needs to do. Anything else is left to "the desire of the handloader/shooter."

Muzzle blast is a product of pressure and barrel length. There is nothing magic about a 24"barrel. There is muzzle blast present where the pressure is sufficient to produce it. shorter is more, longer is less. all have some.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[jimmyp50]

Your bud would enjoy the gun better in 257 roberts, will kill what a 25-06 will kill, burns less powder, barrel lasts longer, then you can find a lighter gun such as the Ruger Ultra light or for me the Kimber.  A roberts at 3100 or so FPS and a 100 grain monolithic bullet is not that much different than 3300 or so fps for anything that I shoot at. So do you want to burn 60 grains of powder or 46 grains of powder in your 25 caliber barrel?  Or maybe you can burn 75 or so in the 257WB and get another 200 FPS for a 1000 shot barrel life I think. A full up 6.5 pound 257 roberts with a 2.5 x8 scope in Talley mounts is a thing of wonder and you can watch the deer drop in your scope. Why belch fire to do nothing more when you can be efficient?

Efficiency is a good word.  

[nomosendero]

I use a Sendero with a 26" tube. It is right for me, BUT I have other rifles. With some of my loads to get the absolute best performance the 26" is great, but more is at play here. I use mine (actually 25-06AI now) for long range Varmit shots, Mule Deer & Antelope in WY & at times AR Whitetails from stands & in all of those uses the 26" is no problem of any kind. And for those uses I love the Bull barrel but it is not for allround use.

However, your friend wants a Combo rifle & it would be his only one. Then I would strike a balance & actually he gives up little & will be happier overall if he goes with a 24" sporter with a med. contour barrel.
I have chronoed several 25-06 rifles & the 24", though not up to the 26" will give acceptable velocities. I would never get a 25-06 with less than 24". I tested a 25-06 Marlin a few months ago, BTW a very good shooter, but the vel. with the 22" was very poor. I think it probably had a "slow" barrel, which madeit worse than the norm, but I have never seen a 22" 25-06 do what I would require. This round is more vel. sensitive
with diff. barrel lengths than any non-mag I have ever tested, it is more like some of the Magnums in this regard.


Out of these choices I would advise hime to get one of the Remingtons.

[moorepower]

I would go with the Tikka. Silky smooth bolt, very accurate. I would not have picked the .25-06 for what he wants to shoot.