25-284
Does anyone have a load they like for the 25-284? I like 110 accu bonds in my 25-06 and my 257 Weatherby.I like IMR 4350 for powder choice, could try another powder. Thanks
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hanco1,
I'm using the 115 gr. Berger VLD over, in order of preference:
Re-19
Hodgdon Hybrid 100V
Ramshot Hunter
Accurate 4350
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I shoot the 115 Berger VLD's with H-4831 SC--it will flat out shoot... 0 -
Thanks Have you ever taken an animal with a Berger bullet? I have Bergers loaded for my 30 06 ,264 win mag,and a 300 win mag. I have not had a chance to try one on a deer or a hog. I would really love to hit a large hog in the front shoulders to see how they would do. They shoot better groups than anything I have ever shot. I hunt in the deep piney woods. I really like to shoulder shoot a buck if he has a really good rack. I don't like rooting through the underbrush to find an animal. I know it ruins a bit of meat, but there isn't much on the front shoulders anyway. 0 -
Who built the rifle? It is really beautiful. I have several Al Biesen built guns. They are nice too. 0 -
hanco1,
The Berger Hunting VLDs have a thicker jacket and will withstand many more of the potentially questionable shots. However, I have never had to use a shoulder shot on any game hunt. Hog shoulders can be especially debilitating to bullet construction. Your better choices are heart, lungs and neck. The only drawback is that sometimes it means waiting for the best shot and not a maybe shot.
The rifle in my signature this time is a collaboration between:
Gary Goudy / Steve Heilmann / Ralph Bone
ADDED:
Custom Brno ZKW465 .22 K-Hornet
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It has been quite awhile since I have loaded long gun ammo. I built a 6.5-284 wildcat back in the early 1960s...30" Shilan Barrel with a .65 taper, FN Mauser action, under a 3x9 Leupold....freebore was very minimal.
It was 100 yard "tack hammer" using IMR 4831 behind 140gr Nosler pills. Took quite a few white tails at 400-500 yards in deep South Texas.
I didn't load a lot of lighter weight pills but I had good results with IMR 4350 with light weight pills.
I never tried other powders since I got excellent results with IMR stuff at the start.0 -
quote:Originally posted by nononsense
hanco1,
The Berger Hunting VLDs have a thicker jacket and will withstand many more of the potentially questionable shots. However, I have never had to use a shoulder shot on any game hunt. Hog shoulders can be especially debilitating to bullet construction. Your better choices are heart, lungs and neck. The only drawback is that sometimes it means waiting for the best shot and not a maybe shot.
The rifle in my signature this time is a collaboration between:
Gary Goudy / Steve Heilmann / Ralph Bone
Best.
Glad we're getting you up to speed on geiving us some background on those beautiful rifles you keep in your signatures. [;)][:D] Caliber? Action?
I never understood the philosophy of hitting an animal through the shoulders to 'break him down', when you can usually hit him with a kill shot. I'll wait for a kill shot, thanks...
p.s. I always enjoy seeing those in your signature.0 -
I never used to shoulder shoot a deer until I hunted in south Texas. The brush there is ten foot tall and all thorns. You have to hack your way into it. A deer can go through it like butter but we can't. You would have to see it to believe it. Did I mention the wasp nests and the rattle snakes. Tough in the day.Really a bitch at night with coyotes howling all over. You might change your mind if you tried a bit of that.I wouldn't shoot a trophy buck in the neck.The cape would be ruined. Try to buy a cape. Five hundred dollars at least if you could find one.The deer is dead before he hits the ground. If you hit him in heart or lungs and runs a hundred yards,don't you think that is more cruel? This just my opinion. Thanks 0 -
hanco1,
With a little touch of humor:
-I never used to shoulder shoot a deer until I hunted in south Texas.
-The brush there is ten foot tall and all thorns.
-You have to hack your way into it.
-A deer can go through it like butter but we can't.
-You would have to see it to believe it.
-Did I mention the wasp nests and the rattle snakes.
-Tough in the day.Really a bitch at night with coyotes howling all over.
-You might change your mind if you tried a bit of that.
-I wouldn't shoot a trophy buck in the neck.
-The cape would be ruined.
-Try to buy a cape. Five hundred dollars at least if you could find one.
Might I suggest NOT HUNTING south Texas...[:D] There are plenty of trophy deer in other parts of the country.
The only reason I suggest this is that I'm a meat hunter and don't look for trophies. I can't eat horns. The same reason applies to cape mounts, I don't need them so neck shots are very effective for me. It's a simple matter of choice, that's all.
I've seen a few too many deer wounded from shoulder shots that manage to get away from the hunters only to die from that wound. Of course this is not the only shot taken on deer that can result in wounds.
I hunt with Bergers almost exclusively now. Although with some of the testing I get involved with, I can be found with nearly every flavor of bullet made currently. The Barnes bullets have found a sizable following both here and abroad. I sent some custom loads with a buddy going to Africa which were topped with Barnes TSX. They performed perfectly each time he connected. I have also favored Gerard Schultz monolithic designs from South Africa. Some of his SP match bullets are fairly spectacular for long range target shooting.
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I've shot literally dozens of deer with a 243 . I have to pick my shot. I chose the 243 because of minimal meat damage. I let a lot of deer walk on by.
Now let me say I shoot the gun A LOT probably close to 500+ rounds a year. I can routinely hit a crow at 300 yds. I'm really not bragging just letting you know I can pick my shot.
I have always put that little pill right through the top of the heart and both lungs and I have NEVER had an animal travel more than the length of one good jump. I can honestly say I don't shoot a dear that has its head up. It's all about the shot + the animals body language. Most of the time the animal sits down hard on its butt then makes on lunge into a pile.
I was just brought up a meat hunter and it has served me well even when looking for trophy's
BTW mesquite aint got nothin on Honey locust LOL[;)]0 -
I guess I should reply to the topic eh?[;)]
I've been in South Texas a number of times. And I've not found the flora and fauna there insurmountable. I will still take a kill shot any day over breaking down an animal. A kill shot leaves them dead. Even if they are running, they don't know it. You take any kind of a bad angle on a shoulder, with even the best bullet, and you've made that animal seriously suffer.
You have a good caliber and since it's not a standard cartridge I will assume you had the rifle built the way you like it. I also like the 110 Accubonds. But, I will say I killed most of my deer with light for caliber 85 gr. and 87 gr. varmint bullets. 85's in the .243 and 87's in the .257. There is no better magic in a bullet than shot placement.
With my experience in that case, 6mm-.284 (next size smaller), I've found H4831 is a little better than H4350. H4350 tends to work better in the longer thinner 30-06 parent case. The two cases are within a grain or two of equal capacity. My observations are based on my knowledge of burn dynamics of explosives. They aren't fact, just my observations. The wider shorter case tends to prefer a slightly slower powder.
I also got excellent results with RE-19 and RE-22. I got horrible results and had to throw away a bunch of expensive Lapua cases because of the 100V. I never even came close to published or similar powder velocities with it. Maybe I'm not doing something right, but I doubt it.
If you want consistency, then Vihtavouri is some outstanding powder. But, it's expensive. In that case and bullet weight I would try VV N150 first, but I would be more apt to think I would find a better load with either VV N160 or VV N165. The higher powder number is slower. You could also try VV N560 which has the nitro-glycerin added for more pressure.0 -
I have never shoulder shot a deer or hog that wasn't dead before he hit the groun. They don't move a muscle. Like I said before,very little meat on a front shoulder.Dead is dead.I have seen a lot of deer supposedly shot in the heart and lungs that were never found.If the country is open I shoot them in the heart too. I didn't end up with the 25 284.I mostly hunt with a 7mm Rem mag.I shoot 140 partitions in them. Thanks 0 -
I used to hunt in South Texas about 25 miles west of Carrizo Springs on about Company leased 25,000 acres. Just about everything that came out of the ground either had stickers , thorns or teeth and, as noted above, the brush is pretty thick in places.
We hunted out of high stands or along the many senderos that ran through the ranch that were passed off as roads....some had clear lines of sight for over a 1000 yards...a 6.5 x 284 was a nice piece in those places.
Long shots of 400-500 yards were not uncommon. Some clients took bucks that placed well in B&C. As for my self, I'm partial to eating deer and most eating deer don't have horns.0
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