While I generally hunt (deer) with a .50 cal muzzle-loader, this year so many issues came up preventing me from doing so that I decided it was time to invest in a proper modern rifle. My goal was something inexpensive, highly accurate (I have a lot of morality concerns when it comes to lame shots and wounded animals instead of clean kills), and lightweight (I swear my muzzle-loader has lead plates hidden somewhere in the stock just to make me breathe heavier while I walk to a stand).
So... after 3 failed sight-in's at the range, Missouri alternative method season being over the same weekends as New Years and Christmas, and a nasty chest cold that had me avoiding my elderly grandfather (and his hunting land) so I don't give it to him as well... I deaded off to ArmsList.
My initial goal was a .243 Winchester. I even found a pretty nice deal on one... and the guy never answered me back. Jerk. Whatever, I was in no real hurry... season is over. But then I noticed a caliber I'd never heard of before. 25-06. Huh? Intrigued, I did a little research. It turns out a few people even put it side by side with the Creedmoor 65 in many ways. Effective as a hunting round for deer/elk out to 500 yards (about 400 yards further than I will ever need it to be) with amazing precision. Tell me more!
I managed to find one on ArmsList for a measly $200, researched the rifle and found some pretty solid reviews, messaged the seller and had it in my hands by lunchtime!
With that low of a price it left plenty of room in my budget for some accessories (bipod, extra mag) and ammo to goof around with.
Review:
Cost
So... the cost of a gun is a 1 time thing. The cost of ammo is a lifetime commitment. In this case, an expensive commitment. Ranging from $1.25-$2.00 a shot depending on supplier and style... the ammo can hurt the wallet a bit. Personally, I plan on reloading and cutting that cost down quite a bit, but that's a whole OTHER commitment one has to make. I am currently shooting Hornady Whitetail 117 gran, and I love them. No problems at all and nice tight groups, and I managed to get a decent price on them from Cabela's. However... the ammo for this rifle is sort of hard to find. As a somewhat obscure caliber, you won't find it on the shelves of your local Wal-Mart or even (as I found out the hard way) many gun shops. Plan ahead and don't (do what I did) find yourself dry on ammo when you need it.
Accuracy
Well, the seller clearly hadn't fire it in a while and the scope was far from centered. I hear new ones are laser bore sighted before you get them... so that's nice. I was still on paper, and it only took me about 6 rounds to walk it back to center at 25 yards. Unfortunately it's bitter cold here right now, and all of our longer ranges are either outdoor or 3 hours away. So for now 25 is my limit. Once I had it dialed in, the groups were great. Even from standing. The Simmons 3-9x40 is "ok" but tonight I think I'll drop my 4-12x40 on there to get the mil spec lighted crosshairs and blueblocker lens covers.
Weight
Like shooting a feather! After the 50 cal it seems that way. No problem holding it up for long periods of careful aim, easy to tote in 3-6 miles to a good hunting stand, pleased all the way around as weight goes. Even weighed less than my buddies slimmed down 5.56 AR. Got to rub that in a little... lol.
Again, this is all at a 25yd range... I won't really be able to judge it until I see how it also fires at 50/75/100 and possibly even as far out as 300-500 if I ever get the time to drive to such a range. But overall, I am beyond pleased with this purchase at first glance and can't wait to see how it preforms in the field and on longer ranges.
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