I'm looking at buying a 25-06 rig and need some opinions and options on rifle and glass. I'll be shooting paper and use it for hunting a few times a year in a blind with shots around 100-200yds. I am planning on spending around $1,500.00 and not partial to any specific brands. I'm not concerned about weight. Any and all suggestions are welcome so please let them rip. Thanks.

If you like walnut and blued steel, get your mits on a Model 70 and check it out.

This is my wife's 25-06. Its a Savage mod 112 BVSS. I have the same gun in 22-250 with a syn stock and they are both shooters!!!

That is a very nice looking gun.

I've really enjoyed mine.

I have a Tikka T3 Hunter in 25/06, and its topped with a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40. At some point, I'll upgrade the optics, but it works just fine, so I am not going to mess with it.

My wife shoots a 25-06 in a Remington mod. 700. I replaced the stock w/a Bell and Carlson stock. I have hunted with it a couple'a times and it is a great gun.

maybe one of the new Remington 700 long range. I have one in 30-06 in the $700-800 range:


Engineered to make three shots look like one. From extended-range big-game hunting to printing one-ragged-hole groups from the bench, no rifle delivers like the Model 700. And we're continually finding new ways to maximize our legendary action's inherent precision.

The Model 700™ Long Range combines the added stability of a 26" heavy-contour barrel with hard-hitting, long-action chamberings to stretch your lethal range.

Key Features:
Bell and Carlson M40 tactical stock – solid urethane stock, combined with aramid, graphite and fiberglass
Aluminum bedding block for added accuracy and an extra swivel for bi-pod
26” heavy varmint barrel with matte finish perfectly matched to its high-velocity caliber offerings
X-Mark Pro® externally adjustable trigger system set at 3½ lbs., and featuring super-tight tolerances and mirror-like surface finishes
Magazine capacity – four standard calibers, three magnum

Tikka hunter, and spend the rest on some good quality glass.

Went to Cabella's and handled the 700, Tikka Lite and model 70. I dismissed the 700 as soon as I picked up the Tikka. I really liked the way the Tikka lite handled, the action was smooth and the trigger felt good. I do wish it had a little more weight on it. The Model 70 was not quite as smooth but felt and looked good. I wish they would of had a hunter and a varmint to compare but I diidnt see one so I'll have to keep looking.

If u liked the Tikka check out the Sako A7, another great shooter for the money.

Get one you can swap the trigger out for a good one.

I own a Browning A-Bolt with a Zeiss 4.5-14x50. It's a beautiful great shooting rifle! I love it...

About those triggers...the Model 70 comes with the MOA trigger and it can be adjusted for a better pull, and if that's not good enough a spring from Ernie the Gunsmith will take it down to a beautiful pull of about two pounds. I have Timney triggers that don't quite match it. The spring is about ten bucks.

I have a Sako in 270 that is really special. Before you settle on a rifle, go look at those Sako's. That said, most of my hunting is done with a Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 260. It has a heavier aftermarket barrel, which added a little weight. The cost was well below your budget, and accuracy is beyond superb. ChadTRG42 on this forum had it put together for me.

Struggle, do yourself a favor and spend another $600- $1000 on your scope. 25-06 is meant to shoot a long way out and a cheap scope will not get it done at crucial times.

If your Max range will be 200yds you might be ok with a lesser quality optic. or a smaller caliber for that matter

hornady 117gr hp and some h4831 will be all you need to reload

As far as optics go, I am looking at getting a vortex 4-16x50 viper PST:
http://swfa.com/Vortex-4-16x50-Viper-PST-30mm-Rifle-Scope-P44561.aspx
I'm thinking that this should be sufficient but I have no first hand experience with these scopes. I could get a similar one for about $200 less but it doesn't have the first focal plane. To be honest, I don't have a clue if FFP is worth it or not.

If this scope will work, I'll have about $500 +/- left over which would put me out of the Sako's price point. I may be able to bump my budget up to 2k which would get me closer but I do not want to go over that. I need to be able to get the rings, bases, sling etc. in that $2k price point.

If I go over, the wife gets the ring she found the other day and I don't want to buy that sucker.

I've got that very scope on my 260, and I do like it. As to the worth of FFP, that question will really get some response. My personal feeling is that if your shooting is mostly hunting and at 400 yards or less, you don't need FFP. But, if your hunting at that range is to shoot tiny little woodchucks, then you do need FFP. If you are target shooting at over 300 yards, you will benefit from FFP.

Get the stainless Tikka, put that scope on it and you are done. If you buy that stainless rifle, I have some DNZ mounts that I had on my 260. If you are within driving distance, you can have the mounts for free (and a cold beer, if you wish).

I believe the Tikka and the Winchester Extreme both come with a 22" barrel. I would buy something with a 24-26" to get the extra velocity. With that budget, I would buy a Vanguard or Model 700 in stainless. I would then buy a Bell and Carlson stock and have it accurized. You should have $350-400 left over for glass, which will get you a 3-9x40 Conquest or 3.5-10x44 Meopro. You will have a Very nice rifle that should shoot bugholes.

My end result for a quarter bore was a Ruger 1B. It has always been my go to rifle. It frequently tags along while the customs sit in the safe.

X2 Only factory trigger worth a dam!!

Yes, the Tikka has a 22" barrel on it and to get a longer barrel I would have to go to the varmint model, which I doubt I could find. I have mulled the barrel length around for awhile and have read a lot of conflicting info on it. I know that it will affect the performance some but to what degree I'm not sure that I could tell a difference.

The only place I've been able to find a Tikka T3 25-06 so far is at Gander Mountain and they would have to transfer it to a local store unless I can LUCK into a used one somewhere. I tried Cabella's and academy with no luck.

The one thing that I really liked about the Tikka over the 700, was how smooth the action was on the Tikka and it just felt better. If the Tikka was a little heavier I would of liked it more but once the scope is added it should "feel" better. I didn't try the Vanguard out side by side so it sounds like another trip to Cabelas is in order.

I'm not sure that I want to go with more gun and less glass at this time but I'll try and figure out configuration per your suggestion. The last rig I bought was a combo and the glass was, let's just say not up to snuff. I ended up spending another $300+ on glass when I could of bought a better rifle with the new scope for the same amount. That was a lesson well learned.

A good Remington Sendero in 25-06 is simply hard to beat.

Struggle,
The rough action on the 700 is most likely because it is dry. It should smooth up with some lubrication and use. If you went the accurizing route, the gunsmith should polish the feed ramps. It should be pretty slick when you get it back.

To me, the Vanguard feels like a solid, well built rifle. It is definitely heavier than the Tikka. It will be more so with the Bell and Carlson stock. If you do decide to go the Tikka route, you could also put it in a Bell and Carlson stock. That would add some weight.

Check out Budsgunshop.com. They should have the Tikka in stock and they have free shipping/no tax. Check Cameralandny for scopes. They have the Zeiss HD5 for $599 and the Meopro 3.5-10x44 for $399. You will not beat that scope for $399. I have 2. I just did something similar so this all still fresh on my mind. Hope it helps

Im running a Browning A Bolt 2 Medallion 25-06 with a Swarvoski Z5

If your shots are 100-200 yards, that scopes probably overkill. Admittedly, I'm new to the idea of premium optics, grew up shooting a 30 year old tasco world class 3-9. The pst lineup of scope is going to be geared towards tactical shooters who will utilize the turrets to dial in shots at longer distance. The viper hs series is geared more towards hunters with capped turrets and I believe different reticle options. Might be a better choice. You said what distance you hunt at, but didn't list a distance for punching paper, so maybe you will utilize the turrets in the pst. In that case, feel free to ignore everything I said.