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25-06 owners

I have a Browning A-bolt that is going on 25 years old and groups have opened to the point its gonna get a new barrel. For the first 20 years it would put just about anything in to tiny little groups.
What size group's constitutes a worn out barrel ready to replace? I had a friend in Montana years ago shooting a 264 Win Mag and when groups went from just under 3/4" to just under 1" he proclaimed the barrel shot out!
 
What size group's constitutes a worn out barrel ready to replace? I had a friend in Montana years ago shooting a 264 Win Mag and when groups went from just under 3/4" to just under 1" he proclaimed the barrel shot out!
Hahaha. Mine went from well under an inch to about 2" - 2.5"
 
I had a Browning A Bolt II 25-06. 115 Ballistic Silvertips were my favorite factory load. 117 Gamekings over 4831 Were my preferred hand load. I killed a ton of deer and pigs with that rifle. Sold it to a friend and it’s still hammering deer as far as I know . I’ve got an older wood stocked ADL in 25-06 as well. It likes the same loads.
I’ve got a couple of boxes of the 110 .257 Gamechangers to try out.
The 130 Gamechangers have performed very well out of my Creedmoor.
 
What size group's constitutes a worn out barrel ready to replace? I had a friend in Montana years ago shooting a 264 Win Mag and when groups went from just under 3/4" to just under 1" he proclaimed the barrel shot out!
For 100yd groups I would have proclaimed it mediocre at 3/4” and shot out at 1”. I agree with your friend.

Just because it’s accuracy level is well below what is technically possible, or well below what it once was, doesn’t mean something has to be done about it. For spotting lighting hogs or night hunting coyotes, you really don’t need really great accuracy because you aren’t shooting at great distance or at something very small. For that purpose, it would almost be difficult to wear a gun out.
 
For 100yd groups I would have proclaimed it mediocre at 3/4” and shot out at 1”. I agree with your friend.

Just because it’s accuracy level is well below what is technically possible, or well below what it once was, doesn’t mean something has to be done about it. For spotting lighting hogs or night hunting coyotes, you really don’t need really great accuracy because you aren’t shooting at great distance or at something very small. For that purpose, it would almost be difficult to wear a gun out.
Strange thing Had a close friend that died in 1995 and one of the things he left me was a 1903 Springfield he had customised by Paul Jaeger as his gift to himself when he got out of the Army 1945. He shot a lot of corrosive primers through it and the barrel is toast but, It shoot's 180gr Hornadys into 1 1/4 at 100 yds and that was my elk rifle once I decided to use it. Three elk in three shots from a wasted barrel!
 
Strange thing Had a close friend that died in 1995 and one of the things he left me was a 1903 Springfield he had customised by Paul Jaeger as his gift to himself when he got out of the Army 1945. He shot a lot of corrosive primers through it and the barrel is toast but, It shoot's 180gr Hornadys into 1 1/4 at 100 yds and that was my elk rifle once I decided to use it. Three elk in three shots from a wasted barrel!

I had an early Remington 222 whose barrel was more rusted and pitted than any other gun I ever owned and it always shot under .5”. I also ruined a .223AI by using a cleaning rod I didn’t realize was bent. It went from shooting anything I fed it under .5” to closer to 3-5”...EXCEPT 52gr A-maxes which it continued to shoot about .75”. I still scrapped the barrel. .75MOA isn’t good enough for pdogs. I’d rather fight the wind with a .222 than fight inaccuracy.(different, and more accurate .222)
 
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I have a Browning A-bolt that is going on 25 years old and groups have opened to the point its gonna get a new barrel. For the first 20 years it would put just about anything in to tiny little groups.

Curious what your cleaning process is and what solvents you run? I’ve seen many “shot out” barrels given new life with a good cleaning. I’m also always on the hunt for “shot out” rifles. 😁😁
 
Before you switch the barrel, considering hack sawing off an inch, recrown it and see what happens. Its toast anyway, right?
 
Curious what your cleaning process is and what solvents you run? I’ve seen many “shot out” barrels given new life with a good cleaning. I’m also always on the hunt for “shot out” rifles. 😁😁
I’ll will admit that extreme fouling, and/or oxidized copper fouling that had sat in a bore for years, can make a gun shoot like crap, and then be cleaned out, BUT for a 25-06 to get shot out is to be expected.
 
Before you switch the barrel, considering hack sawing off an inch, recrown it and see what happens. Its toast anyway, right?
It almost certainly the throat. Crowns wear out from cleaning. A 25-06 will wear out a throat before even a crazed benchrester with Sweets, JB, and bronze brushes would typically wear out a crown.

He would probably need to set the barrel back an inch or more before rechambering, and would likely get half or less of the original life before he was back where he is today.
 
I’ll will admit that extreme fouling, and/or oxidized copper fouling that had sat in a bore for years, can make a gun shoot like crap, and then be cleaned out, BUT for a 25-06 to get shot out is to be expected.

I was thinking possibly a carbon ring or excessive copper fouling might be a culprit. Wouldn’t hurt to try and clean it up before spending money on a rebarrel. The throat is probably a bit rough and worn also.
Be warned some gunsmiths won’t work on Brownings as they can be very stubborn to remove a barrel but a relief cut usually takes care of that.
 
Weatherby Vanguard 2 in 25-06. Of the ammo I have shot Federal Trophy Copper 100gr and Hornady American Whitetail Interlock 117gr both have shot well in it.
I have the same rifle and the Hornady was the only one I had to shoot sub MOA. I will try the Trophy Copper though and see what it will do. I could not even get my handloads to shoot under an inch in mine. I would say it was just a finicky rifle but having had one of the same in a 300wm not long ago be just as particular I think its just the nature of the rifle line now.
 
Curious what your cleaning process is and what solvents you run? I’ve seen many “shot out” barrels given new life with a good cleaning. I’m also always on the hunt for “shot out” rifles. 😁😁
I have always cleaned thoroughly after every range session and use Hoppes solvents almost exclusively. I had the rifle re-crowned a few years ago and had a gunsmith look the gun over and he cleaned it also. Nothing has had a positive effect.
 
I have the same rifle and the Hornady was the only one I had to shoot sub MOA. I will try the Trophy Copper though and see what it will do. I could not even get my handloads to shoot under an inch in mine. I would say it was just a finicky rifle but having had one of the same in a 300wm not long ago be just as particular I think its just the nature of the rifle line now.
Nature of the beast. I tried Hornady American Whitetail in a few other rifles and it is all over the place. The 25-06 likes them though. I have had good luck with Federal Fusions in a few rifles but have not seen them on the shelf yet for 25-06.
 
I was thinking possibly a carbon ring or excessive copper fouling might be a culprit. Wouldn’t hurt to try and clean it up before spending money on a rebarrel. The throat is probably a bit rough and worn also.
Be warned some gunsmiths won’t work on Brownings as they can be very stubborn to remove a barrel but a relief cut usually takes care of that.
I’m just saying that while I agree, fouling can make a guy think a gun is shot out, in a 25-06, that’s quite the gamble. They get shot out a lot faster than other cartridges. In terms of its ability to thrash a barrel, its right there with a 7mag.
 
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I have always cleaned thoroughly after every range session and use Hoppes solvents almost exclusively. I had the rifle re-crowned a few years ago and had a gunsmith look the gun over and he cleaned it also. Nothing has had a positive effect.
Cleaning after every range session is probably part of the problem. Over cleaning especially without a coated rod and bore guide does a lot more damage than good.
You could try to run a few patches with some JB bore paste/kroil and then use a better solvent like boretech eliminator/ boretech copper cleaner. It might help it might not but it’s inexpensive to try it.
If not nothing wrong with a nice new rebarrel.
 
Federal Premium 117gr Sierra Gameking BTSP.

Honestly, it shoots everything pretty well. But, the Federals were the best I tried. Most whitetail deer dropped where they stood.

Good luck whatever you decide.
 
I have shot 25-06 rifles for many years now, and I always have at least two of them in the rack. I handload all of my ammunition, and have fired thousands of rounds through rifles chambered in 25-06. The rifles that shoot that cartridge usually are not very picky about ammunition, unless someone decides that extra "hot" handloads or jamming the lands are good ideas (they are not).

For medium game (deer, pronghorn, etc.) I shoot the 110 grain AccuBond bullets, and for varmints and fun I shoot a 100 grain pill (Nosler or Sierra). I used to shoot lighter bullets (87 grain, etc.) for varmints but I now like the 100 grain bullets better. I have used the Barnes copper bullets (TSX and TTSX) and found them to be generally very accurate, but cleaning copper fouling out of factory barrels is not my idea of fun. The copper bullets fired from good aftermarket barrels do not foul nearly as badly as the original factory barrels usually do, but copper fouling is a real world issue (except on internet boards).
 

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