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47 years with the .25-06.
First of all NO cartridge "knocks down" big game. I do understand the figure of speech used normally to describe a dramatically fast kill. One contributor here touted 3550fps with a 100gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. In my experience a Browning B78 (with the decided advantage of a 26" barrel) is capable of 3480fps. Venturing beyond that (in my gun at least) would most certainly be "life on the edge". Lots of fun until you fall off. If you like playing in that sandbox your toy should be a .257 Weatherby. My Winchester M70 (.25-06) cannot hope to approach what the Browning produced for speed.
But I DO agree with the bullet: It is my "go-to" in the cartridge, and a welcome destination. Bullet history favorites for me included the 90gr Sierra HPBT (time-honored in my .250 Savages and also mentioned by a contributor to this thread), and the 100gr Sierra SPBT. When the Ballistic Tips hit the limelight, the decision to switch to a better Ballistic Coefficient was an easy one and accuracy improved measurably as a bonus.
As to imagining as a regularly expected shot on Muleys to be 500 yards, this should never be in one's thoughts. The cartridge will do it, but you should avoid doing it at almost all costs (with ANY cartridge). The Muley doesn't get the lofty respect of the "more intelligent" Whitetail, but they deserve more respect from us than going afield with intent of launching at such a range with all the potential pitfalls that WILL occur. Your own self-respect is at stake as well. It will (I should hope) disappear if you are responsible for wounding a beautiful buck. On the flip side, if you considered for a moment the 500 yard shot, thought better and closed through stalking skill to 250 resulting in a "knock down", your self respect will soar. You will be (and should be) much more proud than if the 500 went precisely as you planned. (Most normally it would not.)
On a bright sunny morning in Montana some years back, I swung into a sitting position after running a half-mile down a dry wash. My target was a huge Pronghorn and I wanted him so bad, and was so excited that my plan had worked: He was feeding unaware at 225 yards. Rather than waiting in the wash until my breathing and heartbeat calmed, I climbed the bank planted my butt, wrapped the sling and made what I thought was a "chip shot", noticing all the while the crosshairs registering every hard breath and palpitation.
The bullet caught him low in the brisket. He hit overdrive on the Autobahn.
Going obliquely almost straight away and with me still fighting my own body to steady and somehow pull this one out of the hat, I loaded and fired that Single Shot as fast as I could from the cartridge carrier on the buttstock.
I believe it was the fifth shot that caught him as he began to climb a far butte still at full speed. He smashed into the dried mud slope like a squashed bug.
Arriving at his side, I noticed the Ballistic Tip had entered directly between the shoulder blades. I looked back at where I had shot from, thinking "THAT is FAR!". After attending to him, I paced it back (pre-rangefinder days).
610 paces.
The .25-06 can do it. You should not.
First of all NO cartridge "knocks down" big game. I do understand the figure of speech used normally to describe a dramatically fast kill. One contributor here touted 3550fps with a 100gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. In my experience a Browning B78 (with the decided advantage of a 26" barrel) is capable of 3480fps. Venturing beyond that (in my gun at least) would most certainly be "life on the edge". Lots of fun until you fall off. If you like playing in that sandbox your toy should be a .257 Weatherby. My Winchester M70 (.25-06) cannot hope to approach what the Browning produced for speed.
But I DO agree with the bullet: It is my "go-to" in the cartridge, and a welcome destination. Bullet history favorites for me included the 90gr Sierra HPBT (time-honored in my .250 Savages and also mentioned by a contributor to this thread), and the 100gr Sierra SPBT. When the Ballistic Tips hit the limelight, the decision to switch to a better Ballistic Coefficient was an easy one and accuracy improved measurably as a bonus.
As to imagining as a regularly expected shot on Muleys to be 500 yards, this should never be in one's thoughts. The cartridge will do it, but you should avoid doing it at almost all costs (with ANY cartridge). The Muley doesn't get the lofty respect of the "more intelligent" Whitetail, but they deserve more respect from us than going afield with intent of launching at such a range with all the potential pitfalls that WILL occur. Your own self-respect is at stake as well. It will (I should hope) disappear if you are responsible for wounding a beautiful buck. On the flip side, if you considered for a moment the 500 yard shot, thought better and closed through stalking skill to 250 resulting in a "knock down", your self respect will soar. You will be (and should be) much more proud than if the 500 went precisely as you planned. (Most normally it would not.)
On a bright sunny morning in Montana some years back, I swung into a sitting position after running a half-mile down a dry wash. My target was a huge Pronghorn and I wanted him so bad, and was so excited that my plan had worked: He was feeding unaware at 225 yards. Rather than waiting in the wash until my breathing and heartbeat calmed, I climbed the bank planted my butt, wrapped the sling and made what I thought was a "chip shot", noticing all the while the crosshairs registering every hard breath and palpitation.
The bullet caught him low in the brisket. He hit overdrive on the Autobahn.
Going obliquely almost straight away and with me still fighting my own body to steady and somehow pull this one out of the hat, I loaded and fired that Single Shot as fast as I could from the cartridge carrier on the buttstock.
I believe it was the fifth shot that caught him as he began to climb a far butte still at full speed. He smashed into the dried mud slope like a squashed bug.
Arriving at his side, I noticed the Ballistic Tip had entered directly between the shoulder blades. I looked back at where I had shot from, thinking "THAT is FAR!". After attending to him, I paced it back (pre-rangefinder days).
610 paces.
The .25-06 can do it. You should not.
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