25-06 or 280AI

[nhenry]

just because it isn’t ballistically equal or greater to your 6.5-06, doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s actually a great cartridge bud

 

[std7mag]

While i do love my 7mm's i'm also very fond of my quarter bores.
The 6.5, 270s as was said "just isn't me". That 1:7.5 twist is perfect for the 131gr Blackjack Ace.
Brian Litz found it's right around 0.330 G7.
And gotta love the lighter recoil!

My Stevens 200 in 250 Savage. 200 meters 5 shot group. 75gr Sierra HP Varmint.
4-12X40 Redfield Revenge. Bipod & rear bag from the bench.
My coyote rifle.

No matter which rifle i use, when i have a good group going i always manage to pull one.

 

[ImBillT]

On paper, yes, 6.5 dashes out .257 caliber because of projectile availability, but real life is different. As stated before, 25-06 works and works well. However, since you are unhappy with my decision to choose the cartridge that I’ve been using since I started shooting and know how to load properly for, here are my exact reasons:
• factory ammunition availability is greater, if I ever run out of handloads for some god knows reason
• I know my loads and I know they work
• I have ample stash of brass and bullets to last years (not nostalgic; smart)
• I’m not a fan of 6.5 projectiles and that’s okay man. The thread was food for thought to help me choosing between my two favorite options, not what you thought was better.
• 1:7.5 actually isn’t too much, as that’s what’s required for the Black Jack high BC bullets that actually work surprisingly well, and Ron Spomer has a nice little video proving the efficiency OPPOSED to 6.5 creedmoor, where it wins. That twist also works with 100-120 gr bullets like I use and they’ve all been tight little nice groups as far as I’ve shot them out to 300 yards so far.
just for you, here is a really great performance based reason:
• it works for me and I’m sticking with it instead of going with something entirely new to me, since it is my rifle.
Whether you agree or not, there’s nothing wrong with choosing what one person is happy with. It takes game ethically and efficiently, it has enough bullet availability for my intended applications, and it has commercially available options I can pick up at the local Cooperative.
I do think that is enough reason to justify my purchase of my barrel

Read the post you just quoted. I put the word “performance” in bold, and I listed a number of non-performance based reasons that someone might choose a .257” over a .264”.

There are lots of reasons to do what you want to do. They have nothing to do with performance, which I’m pretty sure I’ve referenced repeatedly. I even stated that a stack of .257” compents you may own could be a reason to go that route, but it isn’t a performance based reason.

The 131gr Blackjack Ace will stabilize well with little no loss of BC under most conditions in an 8.5” or 8” twist. If you’re hunting at sea level and 59 degrees your BC drops by 2% with an 8” twist. If you increase altitude to 1500’ OR temperature to 90 degrees, you’re back to 100% of the BC. If you have to shoot at sea level and moderate cool temps, I would usually just select a different bullet(because going tighter than 8” rarely helps you in the accuracy department) but again, in the .257” you don’t have many options, so personally I would accept the slight decrease in BC and stick to an 8” twist.

Another reason a 7.5” twist is excessive is that there will be quite a few bullets you won’t be able to shoot in that gun due to midair blowups. 3125fps is going to be the beginning of the danger zone with a lot of thin jacketed bullets. There may even be a few varmint bullets that come apart as low as 2900fps. You should be fine with the InterLock and Accubond though. If Hammer makes any decent .257” bullets and you’re so inclined, you might look into them. The intent to shoot monolithic bullets would be a suitable reason to consider going tighter than 8”.

Spomer compared the 25-06 to a 6.5 CM, not a 6.5-06.


You said you’re not a fan of 6.5mm projectiles. Nothing could be less logical. The diameter of the projectile has almost nothing at all to do with any difference between the two. The difference is the availability of options. If the number and availability of modern projectiles was equal between the two, there would practically be no difference at all. There is not a .257” projectile that doesn’t have a similar .264” counterpart. The opposite however couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

[nhenry]

While i do love my 7mm's i'm also very fond of my quarter bores.
The 6.5, 270s as was said "just isn't me". That 1:7.5 twist is perfect for the 131gr Blackjack Ace.
Brian Litz found it's right around 0.330 G7.
And gotta love the lighter recoil!

My Stevens 200 in 250 Savage. 200 meters 5 shot group. 75gr Sierra HP Varmint.
4-12X40 Redfield Revenge. Bipod & rear bag from the bench.
My coyote rifle.

No matter which rifle i use, when i have a good group going i always manage to pull one.

That one guy who’s real against the quarter bores as opposed to 6.5s doesn’t seem to understand that sometimes, people just don’t like things. I owned a 6.5-06 briefly back a few years and couldn’t get it to shoot for ****, and I’ve tried my hardest to like the 6.5 Creedmoor as well as everyone else but I just can’t for some reason. Nothing against it, it works well for other people. I just find myself crawling right back to quarter bore performance, because it works. The hydrostatic shock is unmatched, especially if you’re loading real hot. That’s something that 6.5s don’t seem to give me. That’s real world experience. Everything I’ve shot with my 25-06 M77 MkII has gone “bang, flop” and I couldn’t be more happy with it.

 

[ImBillT]

just because it isn’t ballistically equal or greater to your 6.5-06, doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s actually

That one guy who’s real against the quarter bores as opposed to 6.5s doesn’t seem to understand that sometimes, people just don’t like things. I owned a 6.5-06 briefly back a few years and couldn’t get it to shoot for ****, and I’ve tried my hardest to like the 6.5 Creedmoor as well as everyone else but I just can’t for some reason. Nothing against it, it works well for other people. I just find myself crawling right back to quarter bore performance, because it works. The hydrostatic shock is unmatched, especially if you’re loading real hot. That’s something that 6.5s don’t seem to give me. That’s real world experience. Everything I’ve shot with my 25-06 M77 MkII has gone “bang, flop” and I couldn’t be more happy with it.

If you think a 130gr .264” bullet at 3100 fps will give you less hydrostatic shock than a similarly constructed 117gr .257” at 3100fps, you live in fantasy land instead of reality.

If you couldn’t get your 6.5-06 to shoot, it’s not the cartridge’s fault.

This is getting painful to continue. Liking a certain cartridge is fine, but pretending that it is superior to a cartridge that has tremendously more bullet options and is otherwise practically identical is insane.

 

[TheJason]

All I know is when I buy a rifle of my choosing, the last thing on my mind is caring one bit about what others think of the chambering, or justifying to anyone why I chose what I did.

Enjoy that 25-06. I'd use one to shoot anything in the lower 48.

 

[nhenry]

All I know is when I buy a rifle of my choosing, the last thing on my mind is caring one bit about what others think of the chambering, or justifying to anyone why I chose what I did.

Enjoy that 25-06. I'd use one to shoot anything in the lower 48.

I think I’m going to enjoy it quite a bit. I got the action of a tikka (left handed), a Mesa Altitude stock, a spiral fluted barrel from Preferred Barrel Blanks, and new bottom metal coming in. Now we wait! Thanks for the post man

 

[Tjay]

Enjoy your new rifle it will serve you well.

 

[winmag]

Good grief people calm down. If folks on this forum wanted to listen to two assumingly grown men bicker we would turn on the news.

 

[std7mag]

I'm waiting for my reamer & headspace gauges to come in.
Got a smoking deal on a 257 Robert's barrel for a small shank Savage.
Was looking for a used rifle to use as a donor.
Found a closeout special on a new Savage 111 in 270 Win.
Not a darn thing wrong with the 270Win.
But I'm not upset one bit about screwing the barrel off. The 270 just isn't for me.
When I'm done I'll have a Savage 111 in 257 Robert's AI.

By the way, new factory small shank barrel in 270 Win for sale. Sporter profile. 22".
I didn't put any rounds through it. Got it home from the gun shop & took it off.
$70 shipped lower 48.

 

[nhenry]

Good grief people calm down. If folks on this forum wanted to listen to two assumingly grown men bicker we would turn on the news.

Good one and you’re right lol. I shoulda been better. Do you have a preference between the two cartridges the thread was about?

 

[nhenry]

I'm waiting for my reamer & headspace gauges to come in.
Got a smoking deal on a 257 Robert's barrel for a small shank Savage.
Was looking for a used rifle to use as a donor.
Found a closeout special on a new Savage 111 in 270 Win.
Not a darn thing wrong with the 270Win.
But I'm not upset one bit about screwing the barrel off. The 270 just isn't for me.
When I'm done I'll have a Savage 111 in 257 Robert's AI.

By the way, new factory small shank barrel in 270 Win for sale. Sporter profile. 22".
I didn't put any rounds through it. Got it home from the gun shop & took it off.
$70 shipped lower 48.

Please do show us all when you’re done. I was going to get an ER Shaw semi custom Mark VII which is built on a savage 110 but opted to go completely custom

 

[nhenry]

While i do love my 7mm's i'm also very fond of my quarter bores.
The 6.5, 270s as was said "just isn't me". That 1:7.5 twist is perfect for the 131gr Blackjack Ace.
Brian Litz found it's right around 0.330 G7.
And gotta love the lighter recoil!

My Stevens 200 in 250 Savage. 200 meters 5 shot group. 75gr Sierra HP Varmint.
4-12X40 Redfield Revenge. Bipod & rear bag from the bench.
My coyote rifle.

No matter which rifle i use, when i have a good group going i always manage to pull one.

We all manage to pull one. It just makes that one extra tight group THAT much sweeter! Sounds like a great yote setup. Mine is a customized Ruger M77 MkII VT with a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40. Also bipod and rear bag. I shoot 100 gr Nosler Accubonds and 100 gr Speer BTSP. Of course, 25-06

 

[std7mag]

Please do show us all when you’re done. I was going to get an ER Shaw semi custom Mark VII which is built on a savage 110 but opted to go completely custom

The 257 Robert's barrel i bought is an E.R. Shaw.
Will be my 3rd of 4 E.R. Shaw barrels i've bought going on. ( i bought a 22" sporter contour short chambered in 7X57 Mauser for a build for my daughter that i'm supposed to be working on)

I've stopped in their store (90 miles from me), and checked out one of their Mark VIIs. Stainless straight fluted barrel with brake. I asked about them doing the break integral with the barrel. I couldn't see any line where they might separate. He screwed the brake off to prove it was indeed separate. Screwed back on & i had to really search to see the line.
I asked where they were sourcing their laminated stocks from and got crickets..
They do use Savage actions. But machine it to remove the barrel nut. Every surface trued, flute the bolt body, and their own bolt handle.

The target in my previous response was shot with an E.R. Shaw barrel.

 

[nhenry]

The 257 Robert's barrel i bought is an E.R. Shaw.
Will be my 3rd of 4 E.R. Shaw barrels i've bought going on. ( i bought a 22" sporter contour short chambered in 7X57 Mauser for a build for my daughter that i'm supposed to be working on)

I've stopped in their store (90 miles from me), and checked out one of their Mark VIIs. Stainless straight fluted barrel with brake. I asked about them doing the break integral with the barrel. I couldn't see any line where they might separate. He screwed the brake off to prove it was indeed separate. Screwed back on & i had to really search to see the line.
I asked where they were sourcing their laminated stocks from and got crickets..
They do use Savage actions. But machine it to remove the barrel nut. Every surface trued, flute the bolt body, and their own bolt handle.

The target in my previous response was shot with an E.R. Shaw barrel.

I was going to either use an ER Shaw barrel or what I went with which was a Preferred Barrel Blank. They were around the same price so I hope the one I got turns out nicely. What profile are yours?

 

[std7mag]

1 is a 1.5 contour 24", polished, blued, large ring Mauser in 284 Win. $272 delivered to my door.
1 is a sporter contour, 24" small shank Savage in 250 Savage. Picked up at store. Was a $100 over run special.
1 is sporter contour, 22" large ring Mauser, short chambered in 7X57 Mauser. Polished, blued. $265 to my door.
Last is sporter contour, 24" small shank Savage in 257 Roberts. ( the one i'm reaming to Ackley Improved)polished, blued. Bought off someone on another forum.

 

[Pmacc60]

I have found over 45 years of hunting with rifles is put together the rifle for what your going to use it for now! You can always buy another rifle down the road for elk or Africa . If your already gear up for 2506 then stay with it. If you just want something different and new the 280 AI is as good as a round as you can get, it just has so many positives !

 

[Don Fischer]

I have a cousin that own's a 760 Rem in 30-06. Only CF rifle he's owned for over 50 yrs now. Ask him why and he'll tell you it works! He's not a gun nut! So question I'd think is if you could only have one rifle and the choice was 25-06 or 280AI, which would you choose?

 

[nhenry]

I have a cousin that own's a 760 Rem in 30-06. Only CF rifle he's owned for over 50 yrs now. Ask him why and he'll tell you it works! He's not a gun nut! So question I'd think is if you could only have one rifle and the choice was 25-06 or 280AI, which would you choose?

I’ll always own a 25-06 and a 30-30. I just like them and they work well. I will probably never sell either of those

 

[6mm Remington]

Your 25-06 choice will serve you well and will also work on elk. I've taken a couple with a 25-06 & 120 gr. Partitions at 3000 fps in a 22" barrel on a Remington 700 MTN rifle.

110 gr. Accubond
100 gr. E-tip
120 gr. Partition

Any of these bullets will serve you well. Good luck with the new rifle and give us pictures of targets and the rifle when it is finished.