Best .25-06 Rem loads for mule deer 18 of 18 .25-06 Rem factory loads carry 1,000 ft·lb and expansion velocity for mule deer; the best reach 550 yd (Federal 120 gr Fusion). Ranked, with the drop chart for each.
Load gr Max ethical yd MV fps 500 yd ft·lb Shoulder shot Federal 120 gr Fusion 120 550 2,980 1,102 yes Hornady Precision Hunter 110 gr ELD-X 110 500 3,140 1,085 yes Winchester Deer Season XP 117 gr Extreme Point 117 500 3,100 1,038 behind the shoulder only Hornady Superformance 117 gr SST 117 450 3,110 894 behind the shoulder only Nosler Expansion Tip 100 gr E-Tip 100 450 3,200 969 yes Nosler Trophy Grade 100 gr Partition 100 450 3,300 962 yes Nosler 115 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting 115 450 3,000 951 behind the shoulder only Winchester 115 gr Ballistic Silvertip 115 450 3,060 985 behind the shoulder only Barnes VOR-TX 100 gr TTSX BT 100 400 3,225 860 yes Federal 117 gr Power-Shok JSP 117 400 3,030 875 behind the shoulder only Hornady American Whitetail 117 gr BTSP InterLock 117 400 2,990 809 behind the shoulder only Winchester 85 gr Ballistic Silvertip 85 400 3,470 806 behind the shoulder only Federal 100 gr Barnes TSX 100 350 3,210 770 yes Remington 100 gr Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt 100 350 3,230 672 behind the shoulder only Remington 120 gr Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt 120 350 2,990 737 behind the shoulder only Winchester Super-X 120 gr Positive Expanding Point 120 350 2,990 689 behind the shoulder only Hornady Superformance 90 gr CX 90 300 3,350 602 yes Winchester Super-X 90 gr Positive Expanding Point 90 300 3,440 594 behind the shoulder only
Deer-class rules of thumb; a slightly bigger animal than a whitetail. Legal: CO: 1,000 ft·lb at 100 yd. Floor used: 1,000 ft·lb at impact plus the bullet's published expansion velocity. Orange = a target or varmint bullet (construction, not energy); red = never carries the energy. Sources: chuckhawks.com , www.petersenshunting.com .
All .25-06 Rem loads
Figures are the maker's published BC and muzzle velocity in the maker's test barrel, solved with ZeroDope's point-mass engine at 59 °F, 29.92 inHg, sea level, 100 yd zero, 1.8″ sight height, 10 mph full-value wind. Your barrel, your chronograph and your conditions change them — the app corrects for all three, then you true it on steel. Terminal figures are energy floors from the sources on each animal, not a licence; legal minimums vary by state. © ZeroDope.