Brand new dies.

[hooligan1]

Brand new dies. And Using 85 grain Ballistic Tips in 25-06!!

Bought my daughter a set of RCBS 25-06 dies and a box of Nosler Ballistic Tips in the 85 grain weight. The nosler manual (#6), has a few of my powders listed but the Hogdon 2013 manual has a wider variety of powders to try with this bullet.
Purpose will be for plinking targets and varmit shooting.

Looking for some wisdom for these bullets, anybody tried them yet?

 

[reynolds357]

I shot them several years ago. Pretty accurate for a non match grade bullet. I guess they should be fine on varmints. The only varmints I shoot are bobcats and coyotees. These bullets are grenades out of the 257WBY. I would guess they would be the same in the 06.

 

[SVO]

A better title for your question might be "Using Nosler 85gr BT in the 25-06" instead of "Brand New Dies". You might get better results to your question.

 

[nitro-express]

Clean those dies.

Don't forget to clean those dies. In order to prevent rust, they have a greasy film on the inside that sometimes has grit in it, the outside too, but the outside of the die doesn't do the sizing. Also check the vent, it may be plugged with mud (looks like a greasy mud substance).

Had to clean up a never been used set of RCBS 350 RM dies last night, they were 1985 manufacture. They came with a 700 in 350 RM that had fired 2 boxes of factory, it came with the empty brass, a box of 50 Sierra RN 200's and a set of dies.

I loaded some 200 gr FTX bullets, can't wait to try them.

In the 25-06 I preferred 100 gr Nosler solid base, forerunner of the BT.

1 -10 twist is a bit fast for bullets lighter than 100, optimum for 100 > 120 grain IMO.

 

[hooligan1]

Got some test rounds loaded today, started with 49 grains of IMR 4831, loading 3 five round groups, ending up with 50.5. Hoping this bullet won't be rocket science like some I involved myself with. If warmer, I'll go to range this saturday,( if not sooner) and prove these loads, if I see something remarkable I'll post it here.

 

[EliteGeek91]

LOL at grumpy poster a few posts above...

Anyways, nice bullets. They are grenades as another guy said. I've seen one headshoot a deer, and leave nothing behind from the neck up. Looked like a bloodbath where it fell. Simply amazing bullets.

 

[zplinker]

They are my 'go to' bullet in my 25-06, for coyotes. I run them just over 3800 fps, and it really anchors them; don't bother dragging it to your fur buyer though! IMR-4831 works super under them.

 

[solocam72]

Zplinker, you sure about just over 3800 fps? That's .257 weatherby velocity, I am shooting the barnes 80 grain ttsx bullets in my .257 Roy toward the top end and I'm at 3700 fps, I can't get that velocity out of my weatherby with an 85 grain bullet, I could get closer with the 80 I'm running now. I've owned a couple of .25-06 rifles over the years, one with a custom 28" benchmark barrel and I never seen the velocity you stated

 

[reynolds357]

The WBY can do it easy with 26" barrel. I think its outside the realm of possibility for the 06.

 

[solocam72]

You would be very lucky to break 3500 fps with an 85 grain bullet in a 25-06! The 3 rifles in 25-06 I owned shot really good, the one I had custom built would shoot a dime at 100 yards everytime if you did your part, and it was NOT finicky, the rifle shot every bullet weight well. 3800 fps is one thing it definately did NOT do!

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

just getting ready to do some 25-06 loading myself... was thinking 120ish grain bullets... what do you guys like for bullets for deer / antelope size animals ??? not looking for "sploding" bullets...

I have much more effcient cartridges for the varmints

 

[solocam72]

110 grain nosler accubond was my personal favorite! Being a bonded core bullet they hold together really well, I have shot the accubonds through firewood rounds (end to end) and chopped them out to see how they held up and was amazed everytime every caliber! I shot a 260 grain accubond through a 24 inch piece of fir firewood with my .375 RUM and the bullet actually went all the way through and I found it on the ground, the bullet was one big uniform mushroomed ball. You won't go wrong with a 110 grain accubond in the 25-06! I killed a 300 pound black bear with one from my 25-06 and he didn't ask for 2nds

 

[zplinker]

My son borrowed my camera, or I'd just send a picture of the target, with the Oehler chronograph printout taped to it: 3819 fps. With a 26" bbl, I commonly run 100 gr. bullets out of my 25-06 at 3500+ fps. For the heavier bullets I like Re-22. Just finished a project with 100 gr. Speer bullets, R-P brass, WLR primers, and 58.6 gr. Re-22. chonoed @15 ft. from muzzle: 3546 fps. Not sure why others seem to think this isn't possible. I am not saying this is safe in anyone else's gun.

As Jack O'Connor wrote in an older Speer manual, basically, if your brass doesn't stretch excessively, if your primer pockets don't loosen up prematurely, etc., etc., then in your rifle, that load is fine. Works for me, and I normally find that my rifles shoot best with top velocity loads.