Deflowered The 25-06

[airedale]

Trying to get some meat for the freezer but it is been a tough year so far for me, have some sign in my hunting grounds, I have seen only one big doe during the muzzle loading week, too much brush in the way for a clear shot so I passed. I figured I would get a crack at her during regular season as I have a DMP but I have not seen anything. I was out again yesterday and saw nothing but noticed with the fresh snow on the ground and with the leaves off now I could see pretty far in some places, been hunting with the Henry 357 single shot and decided today to hunt with something with more range.

Sticking with the single shot theme I took out the Thompson Center Encore with a 25-06 barrel. I am a big fan of that particular caliber and back in the 70s and killed a lot of chucks and crows at obscene distances with the custom long barreled Mauser bolt rifle I had made up. That rifle was too heavy to carry around Deer hunting so I never did kill a Deer with it. To make a long story short I still had the loading dies, brass and bullets along with some of the old reloads, so what the Hell I picked up a 28 inch stainless 25-06 Encore barrel to have a little fun with. My old loads were with fragile 75 gr varmint bullets, this time around I figured a dual purpose load would better fit the bill as I could use it for Coyote and Fox. I went with the 90 gr Hornady GMX bullet on top of a full case of MRP, I have not chronoed them but they have to be screaming out of that 28 inch barrel. The GMX is a solid gilding metal bullet similar to a copper Barnes. My thinking is it should be OK for Deer but not blow up on small stuff like a Fox.

So this morning I am out overlooking Oak groves as that is what the Deer have been hitting looking for acorns and man it was cold. I was leaning up against a tree to break my outline and it was not long before I make out a crotch horn buck about 75 yards away pawing up the snow and leaves. So I cock the hammer and draw down and fire and get a "Click" Misfire! I break open the rifle and can see a good primer strike but it did not go off, the buck did not notice. Take out that cartridge and put in another draw down again and kapow! and he is off to the races. I can see him sprinting through my binoculars here and there for at least 100 yards never slowing down until he went out of sight. To be honest I was dumfounded, I thought for sure that 25-06 would have poleaxed him. Because of the angle he was at I knew I hit a bit back because that is where the crosshairs were when she went off.

I went to the spot where I last saw him, no blood! but with the snow on the ground I could make out his trail. After about 15 minutes searching I found him stone dead about 150 yard from where he started. I did hit him back just a bit and that is the reason I feel he went so far, if it had not been for the snow I would have had to get my Airedale to help find him.

Bought me one of those shoulder harness deer drags, "that" along with the snow and a mostly downhill drag made the going for this soon to be 72 year old geezer tolerable, by the time I got him hung up in the garage I was pretty stove up.

Going to let him hang if the weather allows and will then skin him and see where that bullet ended up and how it held together.

Al

 

[Robhuntandfish]

Nice buck and it's always good to refill the freezer.  Congrats. 

I had a misfire happen to me last year and ended up not tagging one at all.  

[Lomax]

Nice buck and good story too. Congratulations Airedale 

[Splitear]

Congratulations, glad you got a 2nd shot!

[chrisw]

Not a better deer cartridge out there than the 25-06. If I only had one caliber for everything that'd be it! Congrats!

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[DirtTime]

Congrats! Glad the misfire didn't muck up the hunt for you and you got a second chance.

[ny hunter]

Loved the story.....Congrats...

[Steuben Jerry]

Congratulations!

[doebuck1234]

Congrats!!!!!!!

[airedale]

Skinned the Deer morning and found what was left of the GMX bullet on the off side, not much. I was surprised to see it did not hold together , no big bones were hit, penetration was pretty good considering. I am guessing that the velocity the GMX was traveling at had a lot to do with it as these rounds are loaded hot. This particular bullet may be better suited to the somewhat calmer 250 Savage velocities with something a little heavier loaded in the 25-06 when it comes to Deer. I do not like to draw in stone conclusions from just one kill myself so there is the report and it can be taken for what it is worth. I did not make the best shot placement, just a little too far back makes a difference and I still believe a hit a few inches more toward the front shoulder would have flattened that Deer in his tracks.

Al

[Hock3y24]

My dad will be using his 1960s Winchester model 70 25.06 tomorrow with hornaday interlock 117 grain bullets. He bought the gun used for $100 in the 70s cause the guy disassembled the bolt and couldn’t get it back together. I fixed it this year and he’s excited. 

[fasteddie]

The only time I ever recovered a bullet . 25-06 Sierra 117 gr SP ........