25-06 ???? Best all around bullet

[firstcoueswas80]

Accuracy is one thing, but not everything.

[STOMP442]

By the looks of that shot placement I would have to chalk that deer living so long up to sheer will to live. I would try the bergers again before writing them off completely because of one incident.

[firstcoueswas80]

Used them on my deer this year too..... 180 gr .284, 5th rib entry, 488 yards. Killed him but not like I expected.

[HuntHarder]

I would go bergers. I have seen them devastate elk. I have never had a bad experience with one, so I guess I am partial to them.

[rcdinaz]

I hear a lot of mixed reviews on Bergers. I have not had a lot of issues but I shoot the ABLR now mostly. Still trying the Bergers in 6.5 and will use them in 300 RUM. I have talked to a few guides that said basically what you described 50/50 sometimes dead as a doornail and others walking off and not stopping. I really think with that bullet design it has a lot to do with hitting bone or heavy muscle or passing through. If the energy is all dumped in the animal they are awesome.

[Willyhunts2]

115 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip

My gun loves them, and the muleys I have shot don't like them very much. I was pig hunting with a buddy that killed one with same round and actually didn't mess it up as bad as I thought it would.

[STOMP442]

I am a firm believer in hitting bone with the Bergers especially on a small coues, gives the bullet something to work with and allows it to open up like its supposed to. They are designed to open up 2-5" after penetration, that can be 3/4 of the way through a coues deer before it even starts to open up if hitting soft tissue. The way I look at it is if I hit shoulder bone and for some reason have a bullet failure I still have an animal with a broken shoulder and he's not going far.

[lancetkenyon]

The picture of the shot you posted looks like a great placement.

 

It might not have been as quick as you wanted, but dead is dead. I am glad he bedded up and was easy to find. I have had some animals that just did not want to die when they should have been dead much quicker than they were. Congrats on a fine Coues.

[STOMP442]

+1 lance we have all had animals that should have dropped dead on impact but the truth is that's not always the case. Heavens knows I have seen some coyotes run off deader than heck with a hole through them big enough to see through and others drop like a rock on the spot.

[John O]

My take on this is simple. If you think you are a little under weight or under caliber for the game you are looking to shoot, go with a bonded or barnes type bullet. If you know there is plenty of energy headed down range, a bullet that might fragment more should do more damage and also have sufficient penetration. In the field, often the errors in things like the stability of your rest, weather, nerves, etc., can have much more of an effect on shot placement than whether our rifle shoots either 1/2 or 1.25 MOA. Between myself and my boys we've taken over 20 animals with a .270 using a 110 gr Barnes TTSX loaded 1 grain below minimum (including elk). I am not a hard core Barnes fan however, they just made sense for the size of my kids shooting the rifle, and they shot dang well. I am looking to shoot 154 SST's in my new 7mm mag, which is a very different bullet. There will always be many opinions, but in the end we owe it to the animals we hunt to have the highest probability of a clean kill or a reasonable recovery.

[.270]

the thing about a rifle like the .25/06 is that there ain't a best bullet. you have to look at the limitations of the round and then stay under that. it's an adiquate elk round with the right bullet, but maybe not the best choice. i wouldn't be afraid of it on elk tho. but it is a hotrod of a deer, coyote, pronghorn, etc round and it has all kindsa possibilities with different bullets. if i was using a .25/06 the last thing i'd do is try to limit myself to one bullet. use the dinky hollowpoints loaded like a rocket on smaller stuff, other bullets for bigger stuff. shootin' is like a buffet, try it all. except the liver. never try the liver. Lark.

[lionhunter]

Good input from everyone, thanks! We have a 300 wsm and 300 win for elk (we have a unit 8 rifle tag 14 yr old boy) so this rifle will be for everything under elk size. I am leaning toward the 110- 115 and using one bullet for anything we shoot at ! Thanks

[firstcoueswas80]

100 gr TTSX put this cow down lickity split!

 

[452b264]

110 AB or 120 Partition.

I will second this statement, and add the 100 gr. TTSX

[lancetkenyon]

100gr. TTSX put this buck down at 488 yards. I don;t even think he knew he was shot. Stood for about 10 seconds then toppled over backwards without a twitch. Bullet entered right front quarter, exited left hip. Not a drop of blood except a dribble from his mouth.

 

 

115 Berger HVLD put this buck down 152' from the previous one from 160 yards. Buck went all of 10' in 2 seconds and crashed without a kick. Entered right shoulder/neck junction and exited left ribs. Blood trail that Stevie Wonder could follow.