# 25-06 to small for elk??????



## pigeon (Jan 25, 2009)

I'm going elk hunting this year i hope i have a 25-06 is this to small for elk?


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## tjays (Nov 5, 2004)

Nope, that will work just fine as long as the crosshairs are where they should be.


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## pigeon (Jan 25, 2009)

What grain do i use?


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## tjays (Nov 5, 2004)

I did some googleing before all the big bore guys chime in.

"Bullet companies such as Nosler, Sierra, and Hornady make top performance bullets at reasonable prices for the .25-06 Rem. Bullets such as the 120 grain Nosler Partition, 117 grain Hornady Interlock or SST, and the 117 grain Sierra Gameking or Prohunter to name a few are bullets that can penetrate elk-sized game with ease. The cartridge has its best advantage when used with heavy bullets.[4] The .25-06 cartridge has a flatter trajectory than its parent cartridge, .30-06. That is well suited to open plains hunting where long shots are crucial."


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

I own two 25-06's and I use them for deer and antelope mostly. To me they are pretty light for elk and would not be on my list as a first choice at all for elk size game. Of course you can kill an elk with one as you could with something smaller too but why would you want to take the chance of just wounding or crippling one? Elk are tuff animals to bring down and bigger is always going to be better. Just my 2 cents.


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

Pigeon,
I have hunted Elk since 91 (in Colorado) and have seen them take a heavy muzzle loading round and never flinch.:yikes: I shoot a 54 and 58 caliper maxiball and have never seem a bullet pass through. I seen elk that a solid hit with an arrow and never look back. Then travel2 or 3 miles and die. My opinion is you never can go too big. But a well place shot with a smaller caliper bullet is better than a badly place shot with a big bore. Shoot the largest caliper you can handle. One thing I have found too is if offered put muliple rounds into the kill zone.

kbb3358


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## thekoch (Jul 25, 2008)

You should have no problem killing an elk with that. as long you stay inside the rifles capabilities. My grandpa would only hunt everything with a 30-30 he killed elk deer cougar and maybe a bear, but he was inside 50 yards and had perfect bullet placement every time. If I was you Id shoot 180 grain out of that rifle. I hunt with a 308 and thats what I use for elk. You want a heavyer bulet to have a slower expansion time so it penetrates deeper. Do some reasearch about the type of bullet you are going to use( velocity at 100 yards ect.) and stopping power. 

My uncle killed a bull moose with a 25-06 and he was using 180 federals. it went through and through at 120 yds.


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

pigeon said:


> I'm going elk hunting this year i hope i have a 25-06 is this to small for elk?


YES, unless you consider yourself the second coming of Jack O'Connor.

I built a custom rifle in 25-06 so its obvious I like this round a whole lot. Its a dandy wt or mule deer/ speed goat/ coyote/ rock chuck/ whistle pig, etc, etc cartridge. Plenty accurate and flat shooting. But its too small for elk for _most people._ Shoot the biggest gun you can handle on elk- a good 180 gr bullet in 30-06 is a good place to start. And if you can't handle that round, then stay home.

BTW 180 grain bullets have never been loaded in the quarter bore by Federal or anybody else. 120s are the top bullet weight loaded by most of the major companies.

NB


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

IMHO it is too small.

What type of hunt is it? Stalking them in the timber or poking one across a 400 yard draw?

Elk are big critters and things go wrong. I'd want as much thump as I could shoot. 

If you told me I was leaving tomorrow I would grab either my 35 Whelen or my 300 Wby depending on the hunt style.

At a minimum I would suggest a 308 or 30-06 with with 180 gr stout bullets.

Just $.02 from a guy who has never elk hunted........


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

Rustyaxecamp said:


> At a minimum I would suggest a 308 or 30-06 with with 180 gr stout bullets.
> 
> Just $.02 from a guy who has never elk hunted........


Rusty,

My two coppers was from a guy who _has_ elk hunted, Out West, and more than once. And we're on the same page.

NB


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## TrekJeff (Sep 7, 2007)

Will it kill an elk,sure in perfect conditions.
I'd hesitate using anything smaller than a .30 round for an animal larger than a WT. Sure a "well placed shot" will kill a target on paper. But in the heat of the shot, you have a margin of error contributed to stress, heartbeat, and that "Buck Fever" The larger caliber will improve your critical, vital placement. If you hit a shoulder blade, odds are much better for a vital shot with the larger caliber.


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## UPHuntr (Feb 24, 2009)

My dad shot his elk at 150 yards with his 30-06 with 180 grain Nosler bullet, three times before that elk went down. First two were lung shots that looked like he wasn't even bothered the third was quartering away and hit the front shoulder which knocked him down. After seeing that I would not go with anything smaller then the 30-06. I love my 25-06 and use it for everything but when we went on that elk trip I left her home and took the 300 Ultra Mag. I don't personally don't believe the 25 cal. bullets are stought enough for elk size animals. There arealot of good elk sites out there and you will find most western hunters and guides recomend 300 mag. series guns.


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## tgafish (Jan 19, 2001)

If that's all you have then take it, shoot in the ribs, enjoy you're elk meat. The one's I've taken with a 270 were just as dead as the fellas shooting the 300 mags. We're talking about miniscule measurements between a 270 and a 25-06.


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## thekoch (Jul 25, 2008)

BTW 180 grain bullets have never been loaded in the quarter bore by Federal or anybody else. 120s are the top bullet weight loaded by most of the major companies.

NB[/quote]


I stand corrected... Ill do more research before I say something.
I dont have one but I know a few people that do and they really like them for deer and sometimes for elk. Here is a sight I found that gives alot of info about the 25-06.
http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.25-06remington.html
Looks like if you are under 200 yards should be fine.


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## Masterblaster1 (Sep 28, 2004)

It's all about shot placement, guys. Shoot the elk in heart/lungs and he will die. end of story. If I was to use my .25-06 I would use a premium bullet, tho. If you are looking to drop the elk in its tracks via a shoulder shot or otherwise, then yes the .25-06 is too small. But if you don't mind tracking it for a while than the .25-06 will be fine. This argument is akin to .243 Win VS Whitetail deer..... let fluid out and air in= dead animal


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

Out west your shot(s) can be 20 yards to ????. I wouldn't want to chance not having enough gun on a trip of a lifetime. Take what you can afford and shoot with confidence.


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## HTC (Oct 6, 2005)

I hunt SW Colorado for elk. The father of the family I hunt with out there uses a .25-06 exclusively. To his credit he is very picky on his shots. More because he doesn't mind going home empty handed than the caliber he is using. For him to pull the trigger it has to be big, broadside, standing and close to the truck....his words, not mine. The only two he has pulled the trigger on in my presence were 1 shot kills, both with a Barnes X. I believe they were 115 grains but I might be wrong. All spring and summer he shoots prairie dogs out of his alfalfa with the same gun. I am not advocating the 25-06 as the ideal elk gun just some real experience for you. Personally I have taken 2 of them with a 7mm-08 and 3 with a 300 win mag. There are many that will tell you that the 7mm-08 is too light also. The cow below was above average size, I took her at 90 yards quartering hard away with one 160 X bullet which I recovered from the leading edge of her far shoulder. She took maybe 10 steps at the shot and fell over. There is also a little 4X5 bull in my photos that took the same bullet about 1 inch under his eye....that was also a 1 shot deal but probably shouldn't count for this discussion. :lol: Use a good bullet and good shot selection you won't have a problem.


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## pigeon (Jan 25, 2009)

i will be hunting in colorado for the 1st time i not sure how far i will be shooting....i was thinking 25-06 was small for elk and it looks like everyone eles thinks so too..looks like i'm going to have to buy a barrel for the encore..looking at the 300 mag...ok i have a 3-9 scope will i need a bigger one?

thanks for all the help


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

pigeon said:


> ..looking at the 300 mag...ok i have a 3-9 scope will i need a bigger one?


Pigeon,

I've elk hunted in NW Colorado near Craig. Depending on the terrain you are in, you may need to shoot a couple of hundred yards or more, so the 300 mag is a good choice with a good tough 180 grain bullet. A 3-9X scope would do just fine too. 

Good Luck out there and be sure to take along a lucky rabbits foot.

NB


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## S.NIEMI (Oct 26, 2007)

You know that feeling of gut shooting and tracking forever.......well.....keep that in mind. Think about that, you may be a good shot but Elk never give you a good shooting senario. Youve got 3 seconds to kill it........Not me no way! For me its 30 cal + and specificly 30/06.IMHO


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