Can You Use A 25-06 For Elk? - The Body Training

Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter and Outdoorsman

When speaking about rifle elk hunting, one of the most asked questions is about which caliber you should use. Even though every hunter has their favorite round, they are often curious about others that could be used. One of these is the 25-06.

The 25-06 is an excellent round that can be used to kill elk at reasonable ranges. It is a very popular hunting round that comes in many different sizes depending on your quarry and needs, including 100-grain variants up to 140 grains. To best kill an elk with this caliber, you will need good shot placement and shouldn’t be more than 300 yards away.

It is very important to understand everything you can about the 25-06 and how to use it while elk hunting. Continue reading to learn more about the 25-06 and why it can be an excellent elk hunting caliber on your next hunting trip!

In this post, we'll cover:

The 25-06 Remington Cartridge

The 25-06 Remington was created in 1969 and was designed to be a medium core caliber that could effectively and accurately take down medium-sized game. It is essentially a necked down 30-06 Remington, and it has since established its place as a very accurate and reliable western hunting caliber.

It has a relatively shallow shoulder angle and a shorter length, allowing it to be a very lightweight rifle.

While the 25-06 is most popular amongst deer and antelope hunters, it has been known to be used on heavier game such as elk and bear. When used on these types of animals, however, great care must be taken to ensure proper shot placement and good bullet selection.

The 25-06 isn’t big or strong enough to break through thick bones, so you will need to aim for the heart or lungs. Shoulder shots with this caliber will not work on elk.

While there are much better and more popular elk hunting cartridges out there, this one can and will do the job when needed. As long as you get within 300 yards of the elk and can make an accurate shot, you should not have any problems.

Benefits of the 25-06 Remington

One of the greatest benefits of using a 25-06 rifle to elk hunt is that the rifle will be much lighter in weight than other calibers. Having a lightweight rifle is extremely important while elk hunting, especially if you are hiking many miles per day in your search for animals.

Because the 25-06 is a short and small cartridge, the rifles that utilize it can also be shorter and lighter than those of other calibers.

Another great benefit of the 25-06 is the small amount of recoil that it gives. Even when shot out of a lightweight rifle, this caliber does not have near the amount of recoil of other popular elk hunting calibers.

This makes it a great option for youth hunters or those that are sensitive to heavy recoil. With a lighter recoil, it also is much more accurate as it reduces the chances of jerking or flinching when shooting due to the recoil.

Lastly, there are many different bullet weights, sizes, and materials to choose from with this caliber. But, if you intend to use this caliber for elk hunting, then you should ensure that you are using a bullet that is on the heavier side and that has a solid construction in order to properly penetrate and expand inside of an elk.

Effective Range of the 25-06

In order to effectively harvest an elk with the 25-06, you will need at least 1,500 ft-lbs of energy when your bullet reaches the animal. With the 25-06, this is best done with a 140-grain bullet.

This will allow you to be able to kill an elk even if you are shooting from 300 to 400 yards away and still have the kinetic energy needed to bring down the animal.

Many hunters have also had luck using 120-grain and 117-grain bullets for elk, even though these are on the lighter side. When using this size of a bullet, however, they were using very high-quality construction of bullets and shooting from under 300 yards away.

The body angle and positioning of the elk will also come into play when using the 25-06. This is because you will need more energy at impact with certain angles than others. For example, if the elk is standing broadside and its vitals are exposed, the bullet needs less energy and power to penetrate and perform.

If the elk is facing directly towards you or is angled, it will need much more energy to increase your chances of a clean kill.

Should You Use a 25-06 for Elk?

The biggest concern that most elk hunters have about the 25-06 is its size and power for such large animals as elk. So if you already own a popular elk hunting rifle in a larger caliber, should you use a 25-06 for elk?

Although this caliber can be used, you shouldn’t specifically go out and purchase a 25-06 for elk hunting if you already own a larger caliber.

If you don’t already own an elk hunting caliber, then the 25-06 can be a great choice. Not only will it do an excellent job hunting things like deer and antelope, but it can double as a good elk hunting rifle for medium to short ranges when you need it.

Final Thoughts

The 25-06 has been around for a long time and has proven to be an extremely accurate and reliable hunting caliber. While it is mostly used for deer and antelope hunting, it does have the potential to serve as a decent elk hunting caliber when paired with the right ammunition.

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.

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