Preface

I’ve mentioned many times that I started out with a 25-06 as my first real rifle. So it should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of the caliber. But today is about a more modern project, the 25-06 has been around for a long time, and this one needed a nudge into modernity. Today I bring you a 25-06 worthy of 2025, a modern 25-06 Remington.

A Donor

This project began as a bone stock Remington 700 Long Range model, chambered in 25-06 Remington. While there was nothing wrong with it, it still featured similar barrel design features to the original. Mainly it used a slow barrel twist rate like a 1:10, and the steel barrel was a little heavy for mountain hunting.

The plan was to rebarrel the rifle, with a new Proof Research carbon barrel with a faster twist to allow use of modern bullets like the Hornady 134 ELDM and the Sierra 131 Match King. Other things like a threaded muzzle and such would also be added to make this rifle a little more appealing to modern culture.

Since the original fiberglass stock wasn’t terrible, I decided to stick with it. It wasn’t overly heavy, and both fit and looked good. Though we did shorten the stock for its future user, to make it even lighter and a better fit.

Fresh Threads

Since this rifle was built to hunt, we cut the barrel at 20-inches. This might be a little short for some folks taste, but with the horsepower of the big ’06 case I expected velocity to be between 2800-2900. More than enough for most of the hunting we would do.

With a Proof Carbon barrel finished at twenty-inches, and a 7.5 twist. This rifle would do fantastic. Most of the machine work was done at my friends shop E.S. Tactical. I did a little machining myself to ensure the barrel channel would fit the large MTU style profile.

Once the barrel had been fitted, and the stock inlet for the new barrel, it was time to assemble the rest. With the trigger adjusted properly, and screws torqued town, it was time to mount a scope.

Range Prep

I ended up mounting a scope from Arken Optics, their affordable quality is matched by quality glass. This would make a good match for this rifle. I installed a Weaver picatinny rail, which was actually a touch longer than would work with my scope and ring selection. So I trimmed about half-an-inch off the front, which made it perfect.

The Arken EPL-4 is a 6-24x50mm scope, which would be more than enough for most hunting purposes. I mounted it in a set of Warne rings, followed by a quick boresight job. With the scope ready, I attached a Harris bipod and grabbed my Anechoic 35 suppressor to keep the noise down.

Ammunition Prep

With quite an inventory of 25-06 brass, I grabbed some Remington cases, and began prepping them to be loaded. After various tests, it seemed the 134 liked a charge of Hodgdon Hybrid H100V. Seated about 20-thousands off the lands, they would typically group around half an inch.

In the Field

The rugged Rocky Mountains where this rifle will prowl are home to big spaces. On various occasions now, I’ve taken the rifle into the high country where bears and elk roam. There we stretched the rifle out to see how it would perform in this country.

Shooting at small targets has been a great way for me to evaluate a rifle’s utility. I picked out a small rock surrounded by soft dirt, still damp from the previous nights rain. At 425 yards the rock measured about 6-inches round, a suitable target for a hunting rifle. After punching in some hard numbers to my ballistic solver, it came up with 2 MRAD. I dialed it in and fired several shots, all found their mark. I repeated the process for six-hundred, and nine-hundred yards as well. With predictable accuracy on 1 MOA sized targets. I knew I had a winner in my hands and couldn’t wait to put the hurt on some Mule deer with it.

The Deer Hunt

All that was left for this rifle was it maiden trip into the deer woods, in this case it would be the deserts of Southern Utah. The open country with sandstone peaks and Cedar trees would make perfect testing ground for this rifle.

This rifle was actually built for my cousin’s oldest daughter, and after practicing a bit with it she was ready for opening morning. Today was that morning, and Harley made a perfect shot, making an accurate double lung shot on a nice four-point Mule Deer from 370 yards.

Final Thoughts

My love for the 25-06 has only gotten better with this project, and Harley seems to be at the beginning the same kind of scenario. This little rifle promises to bring years of accurate shooting, and peak performance in a package that a 100 pound girl can run with authority. Or maybe even a guy like me.

-CBM