30/06 to 25/06

[BigDog58]

I'm considering an acquisition of a 25/06 rifle and from reading the specifications for the two, it appears that I could use 30/06 brass necked down and trimmed, for loading 25/06.

Has anyone had any experience in doing this?

Am I correct in my research that it is a fairly simple procedure?

Would I use a Full Length die or just a neck die to resize the brass? I do know that at some point I will have to Full length resize since the brass will be going into a different weapon (I have a good quantity of once fired 30/06 brass).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

BD

[Hoot]

Obviously, when you squeeze the neck down smaller, either the walls get thicker and/or the neck gets longer. Definitely lube and full length resize to 30-06. Re-lube and full length resize to 25-06 with a ball expander/decapper. Do one case successfully, trim to length and feel it out in your rifle for fit before continuing. If in resizing to 25-06, you get creases in the neck, you may have to invest in an additional intermediate caliber die and do it in two passes. 270 brass is pretty ubiquitous and once fired stuff is readily available. Consider using that. I've got some and I can give you 10 or 20 to experiment with if you don't have any.

Hoot

[aht_six]

It's very easy, just as you said, all you need to do is re-size and trim case. I have always used a full length resizing die. I have never had a problem with neck wall thickness, but I do check them all just to be safe.

Most of the 25-06 cases I have formed from 30-06 have been Federals, but I have also used Remington and Winchester cases, it all worked just fine. I have also formed some 25-06 cases from .270, the cases are a little longer than 30-06, so they take a little longer to trim.

[crbutler]

If you already load .30-06, it is easy to do, but there are some tricks.

First, commercial brass is a better choice than military brass for this.

Second, use GOOD resizing lubricant. Imperial Die wax by default, otherwise don't be surprised if you stick a few cases. One shot is not your friend for this.

Third, unless you want to throw out the cases after you have shot them 1-2 times, anneal them once you have resized and trimmed them.

.30-.25 is not too big a jump, so you will not need a intermediate forming die. If you have a .25-06 full length sizing die, it will work fine. Make sure you set it up so the shoulder is in the right place.

One other thing to remember about the .25-06 is that until relatively recently, it was a wildcat cartridge and if the gun is old, I would have a gunsmith check it to make sure that spec ammo is safe to shoot in it, as everyone had their own ideas about the chamber dimensions until it was standardized. If it says .25-06 Remington on the manufacturer's stamp for caliber, you will be OK.

[OldmanFCSA]

Jim,

I will save you the trouble = I will give you my re-sized 30-06 to 25-06 brass already fire-formed.
Since doing this back in 1982, I've purchased a good supply of factory 25-06 brass.
I have 2 25-06 rifles, love them with 87 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip projectiles.
100-120 grain is better for deer hunting unless you restrict to headshots like I do.
Everyone I've shot has dropped in its tracks, but I wait for perfect shot.

OldmanFCSA

[Hoot]

+1 on the Imperial Wax and doubly so on annealing. It's not hard to master. When I was resizing 7.62x39 down to 6.5 Grendel, it was a big help. That's where I ran into the thick neck wall issue and wound up turning the necks. Got tired of the hassle and bought some Lapua 6.5 Grendel brass. Never looked back...

Hoot

[BigDog58]

Jim,

I will save you the trouble = I will give you my re-sized 30-06 to 25-06 brass already fire-formed.
Since doing this back in 1982, I've purchased a good supply of factory 25-06 brass.
I have 2 25-06 rifles, love them with 87 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip projectiles.
100-120 grain is better for deer hunting unless you restrict to headshots like I do.
Everyone I've shot has dropped in its tracks, but I wait for perfect shot.

OldmanFCSA

Doug, I'm still waiting on the guy to decide if he wants to trade my Remington 7400 30/06 Carbine, for his Ruger 25/06 Bolt Action. I really prefered something like a 22-250, or a .243 but I also like the balistics of the 25/06 (besides, it gives me another caliber to load for ). If I end up with the 25/06 I will surely take you up on your offer. I would also like to get with you on a class for learning proper annealing and maybe learn to resize something like the 30/06 to 25/06 case conversion. I'm in no hurry so once your wife is better let me know and we can setup a day. This time I'll be sure to bring Murphy his admittance bribe