25-06 or 280AI

[Karl]

My suggestion would be both lol, but that’s because those are basically what I want in my safe. I love my 25-06 and wouldn’t give it up for anything. I also have a Ruger M77 280 rem, but I’ve been seriously looking at building a custom Tikka in 280 AI! I just need to decide to spend the money.
Looking forward to seeing pics when you get her done!!

 

[ImBillT]

I’ve been out hunting.

Great news for the OP, Berger just released two new .25 cal bullets. I like Berger, but by no means are they the only thing that works. The field of modern bullets for .257” has increased from one(Blackjack Ace) to three. The only thing that makes a 6.5-06 a better choice than a .25-06 is the availability of good bullets. They are almost identical cartridges. If Nosler would bring out a 140 Partition, 140 Accubond, and 150 ABLR, and Hornady a 145 ELD-X and 150 SST, then the difference between a 6.5-06 and a 25-06 would be practically nothing.

 

[mtmuley]

Hammer makes one. mtmuley

 

[nhenry]

Hammer makes one. mtmuley

I love their 121 gr projectile. Simply lethal

 

[JLS]

I just had a sexy little package from Steve show up yesterday. I might try and do a charge work up next week.

 

[mtmuley]

I just had a sexy little package from Steve show up yesterday. I might try and do a charge work up next week.

Absolutes? mtmuley

 

[JLS]

Absolutes? mtmuley

Absolutely.

 

[Don Fischer]

My suggestion would be both lol, but that’s because those are basically what I want in my safe. I love my 25-06 and wouldn’t give it up for anything. I also have a Ruger M77 280 rem, but I’ve been seriously looking at building a custom Tikka in 280 AI! I just need to decide to spend the money.
Looking forward to seeing pics when you get her done!!

Something about that M77 in 280 and thinking of a custom 280AI. If you like the Ruger, simply re-barrel it, lot less expensive. I had two 25-06's and wanted a 6.5x06 but the cost of a custom was way out of my league. So took one of them, Rem 700BDL and had it re-barreled with a Shilen 6.5 barrel and have my 6.5x06. Went through the bedding and adjusted the trigger to 3#. Great shooting rifle and looks just ike a Rem 700 BDL, imagine that. Think I have $700 in it. Did the same for the ex with a Parker-Hale 1200 I picked up used the Shilen barrel and turned it into a 6.5x55 for her. Look's just like a Parker-hale 1200 and shoot's very well. Seem's I had a bit more in it as the bolt face needed opening up a bit. Couple of poor man's customs.

The 700 I already had but had to buy the Parker-hale. Think it ws around $200 at a gun show. Re-did the bedding and re-finished the stock myself.

 

[ThunderNocked]

I'm hoping to get my 280AI by the end of the month!
I'm super excited for this - it is a semi custom job from a local guy and I can't wait. This is going to be an awesome Alaska Do It All Rifle.

 

[GKimPrice]

25-06 and 280AI should be somewhat close to each other for barrel life, if you subscribe to the "overbore index" (case capacity in grains divided by bore diameter in inches) as an indicator both are somewhat close to each other and on the higher end of the scale. Depending on how often you shoot and how hot you load them you might not ever need to worry about it.

If it was my rifle I would go with the 280AI for the ability to shoot heavier projectiles and because I like variety.

Been shooting a 280 AI as my primary rifle now for 6 years, the 300 win mag sits home, the 6.5 CM goes along as a mechanical back up but the Kimber 280AI has not let me down in any way yet, to me recoil from that 6lb set up feels like a 25.06 which I shot a bunch, like a ton, of rockchucks with back in the 80's and early 90's - 160 Accubonds are outstanding and I have some 150 Accubonds I just loaded to try out - For you smaller caliber fans I've shot a bunch of elk, cows and smaller bulls, with a 7mm mag using both 160 and 140 Accubonds and the difference when hit between the 2 shows very noticeably, not really energy I think just penetration and mass but I really didn't expect 20 grains of weight to make such an obvious difference, only 2 handfulls of animals but I've watched every hit

 

[GKimPrice]

Something about that M77 in 280 and thinking of a custom 280AI. If you like the Ruger, simply re-barrel it, lot less expensive. I had two 25-06's and wanted a 6.5x06 but the cost of a custom was way out of my league. So took one of them, Rem 700BDL and had it re-barreled with a Shilen 6.5 barrel and have my 6.5x06. Went through the bedding and adjusted the trigger to 3#. Great shooting rifle and looks just ike a Rem 700 BDL, imagine that. Think I have $700 in it. Did the same for the ex with a Parker-Hale 1200 I picked up used the Shilen barrel and turned it into a 6.5x55 for her. Look's just like a Parker-hale 1200 and shoot's very well. Seem's I had a bit more in it as the bolt face needed opening up a bit. Couple of poor man's customs.

The 700 I already had but had to buy the Parker-hale. Think it ws around $200 at a gun show. Re-did the bedding and re-finished the stock myself.

IF you can't afford to rebarrel then just re-chamber it ......

 

[ThunderNocked]

I’ve now harvested 4 caribou with my .280AI!
I’m supposed to get it back today after it got a little additional bonus work done. And I am going to try to take a Moose this week!

 

[ThunderNocked]

 

[ThunderNocked]

All Done!

 

[nhenry]

All Done!

Looks great!

 

[ThunderNocked]

Looks great!

Did you get your rifle all put together?
I just went back to look and didn't see any pictures unless I missed it somehow

 

[nhenry]

Did you get your rifle all put together?
I just went back to look and didn't see any pictures unless I missed it somehow

Yeah man! I ended up getting a second barrel for it in 280 Ackley so I have a switch barrel rifle. Both barrels shoot pretty well.

The first picture is how it looked when I first put it together. I then painted the stock, but the paint had a failure on the comb right before I hunted with it so I had to paint it in a hurry, which is what the 3rd picture is; in the field

 

[nhenry]

I put the 25-06 barrel back on it a couple days ago and found a load with 115 gr Partitions that made me want to leap with joy, because I have hundreds of those.

 

[noharleyyet]

Yeah man! I ended up getting a second barrel for it in 280 Ackley so I have a switch barrel rifle. Both barrels shoot pretty well.

The first picture is how it looked when I first put it together. I then painted the stock, but the paint had a failure on the comb right before I hunted with it so I had to paint it in a hurry, which is what the 3rd picture is; in the field

Schtap it...greedy eyes on the tikka

 

[nhenry]

Schtap it...greedy eyes on the tikka

Oh you mean this one?