Favorite 25 Cal?

What is your favorite .257 cartridge?

  • Total voters
    105
1948CJ2A

1948CJ2A

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Joined
Jan 13, 2011
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Dallas, TX
New Year, new poll but similar to the others of late. What is your favorite .257 caliber rifle cartridge? I'm focusing on bolt and lever rifles mostly used in hunting and target shooting applications. The list of choices in this poll is derived from the Hornady 11th edition reloading manual, which is the latest manual I have currently. Any wildcats or others not listed here can be categorized as "Other .257".
 
My personal favorite is the 250-3000 Savage. I took a Yugo M48 Mauser about 20 years ago and sent it to ER Shaw where they started my own custom build. I didn't have much money so it got a cheap Boyds wood stock and a garage cold blue job. This spring, I'm going to get it reworked... already bought a stock for it last year. The 250 Savage is such an over-achiever for its size. I always found it interesting that a 25 Souper (25-08) never got standardized.

My second ever deer rifle was a brand new 25-06 Remington 700 BDL circa 1996. That rifle and my 7x57 have accounted for more deer and varmits than any other rifles in my safe. About 10 years ago, I got a 257 Weatherby Mag in a Vanguard rifle. I've done a little hunting with it but not much.
 
I voted for the .256 Win Mag. I have a Contender single shot with a 18" carbine barrel in the caliber. It is my goto rifle for called in coyotes. I only wish I could find some Hornady 75 grain HP bullets. My gun just shoots them so well, (1"@100yds) but I have not been able to locate any and my current supply is getting low.
 
I voted 25-35Win. That was the cartridge I started hunting with in an old M94 many moons ago. I actually have it in the front of the safe with plans to take a doe with it this month in the PA extended rifle season. Unless I shoot one with the cross-bow first. I've killed 2 deer with it in my lifetime, one of which was a very nice 8-point. I'll be using Remington factory 117 gr. this year. I do load for it with the Hornady 117 RN. and IMR4064.

I could have went with 25-06 too. I have a M700 that's going to be plan B if it gets late in the season and I haven't yet connected. Sierra 117 PH's over IMR4350.
 
My favorite is a paper favorite only, since I've not yet owned a quarter bore, but I really like the 257 Roberts and the AI version too. I always keep my eyes open for old 257 Roberts rifles, and eventually will have one just for nostalgia and deer hunting on nice days...
 
I really like the 25-06 and the 257 Weatherby. The Weatherby is king obviously in the speed and energy department. My old Vanguard stainless 257 Weatherby is around .75 MOA shooter with factory ammo. Stellar performance, but close shots require a sturdy bullet. I do not view the Roberts to be superior to either of these, needing the same length action, but giving up 200-400 fps . In that case family I actually like the 6mm Remington better than the Roberts.
 
I've got a semi custom Remington 700 in 25-06 with a 1-7.5 twist light Palma profile barrel so I voted 25-06 obviously. I'm trying to get the 135gr Berger and 134gr Hornady bullets figured out. I'm working on some Barnes LRX 101gr bullets and 90gr CX bullets right now.
 
Had a couple 25-06's for many years, great cartridge for hunting deer / antelope. Then I built a 6.5-06 and the 25's just set in the safe, so I ended up selling them.
When the heavy .257 bullet's came out, I got the itch to build another rifle for them. So I ended up building a 25 Creedmoor since all I'd need to do is buy another neck bushing and size down 6.5 CM brass that I have an abundance of.
Ordered a LH ARC Archimedes action, a Woox chassis, Trigger Tech Diamond trigger, and a 1-7.5 twist barrel from X-Caliber, and put it all together.
It shoots the Berger 133 & 135 gr bullets like a dream so far, but I'm still trying some different powder's with it.

Y8Xm2v6.jpg
 
I've fired more rounds through a 25-06 than any other rifle and over the years I have owned 3 of them. In an effort to reduce the number of riles that I have I sold my last 25-06 in the spring of 2023. No regrets on my part but I wanted to keep only featherweight rifles with 22 inch barrels. I will credit the 25-06 with one important skill that I acquired and that is to shoot moving objects. Years of practice and hunting taught me well and when I see a big mature buck I don't care if it's standing, walking or running. Much of my hunting now is done with a 280 Remington and if I have a shot from the side I have high confidence of making a good hit whatever the situation. The 25-06 has low recoil with a very fast bullet and is a good learning tool.
 
Last edited:
1948CJ2A said:
I always found it interesting that a 25 Souper (25-08) never got standardized.
Click to expand...

I have wondered the same thing. It should have been a standard round a long time ago. The poll left out the 25 Remington. After I read an article on them chambered in the Remington model 30 I have wanted one of them. I probably couldn't ever find ammo so I guess its just as well I never got the gun. Lol.

NIGHTLORD40K said:
Never owned any of those, but I always thought the .270 was a silly half-step between the .30-06 and .25-06. Never understood why the .270 was so popular while .25-06 kinda languished.....so I voted .25-06.
Click to expand...

If you look at the Speer reloading manual you will see that a 270 with a 22" barrel firing 130gr bullets shoots a little faster than a 25-06 shooting 120gr bullets from a 24" barrel. I would take the 270 hands down over a 25-06 any day. Maybe thats why the 270 easily out sells the 25-06. That and the fact that the 25-06 never had someone write endlessly about it like O'Conner did the 270. There is nothing wrong with a 25-06. The 270 is just a little better IMHO.
 
ThomasT said:
I have wondered the same thing. It should have been a standard round a long time ago. The poll left out the 25 Remington. After I read an article on them chambered in the Remington model 30 I have wanted one of them. I probably couldn't ever find ammo so I guess its just as well I never got the gun. Lol.



If you look at the Speer reloading manual you will see that a 270 with a 22" barrel firing 130gr bullets shoots a little faster than a 25-06 shooting 120gr bullets from a 24" barrel. I would take the 270 hands down over a 25-06 any day. Maybe thats why the 270 easily out sells the 25-06. That and the fact that the 25-06 never had someone write endlessly about it like O'Conner did the 270. There is nothing wrong with a 25-06. The 270 is just a little better IMHO.
Click to expand...
And a .30-06 shooting 130s would be even faster....
I think it was mainly the O'Connor factor, lol.
 
ThomasT said:
I have wondered the same thing. It should have been a standard round a long time ago. The poll left out the 25 Remington. After I read an article on them chambered in the Remington model 30 I have wanted one of them. I probably couldn't ever find ammo so I guess its just as well I never got the gun. Lol.
Click to expand...
The poll options were drafted from the Hornady 11th edition reloading manual. The 25 Remington was not included in that manual; therefore, it can be part of the "Other 25 Cal" choice, which I forgot to add! So thanks for the nudge :)
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
And a .30-06 shooting 130s would be even faster....
I think it was mainly the O'Connor factor, lol.
Click to expand...

Yes and the 06 isn't an overbore round that will eat up the throat as fast as the 25/06. But since this was about 25 caliber rifles I tried to stay on topic. My 06 is why I don't have a 270. Not really any point to it. Thats why I sold the Savage 270 I briefly owned. I didn't want to start reloading yet another round.
 
I guess I have to vote for the 250 Savage since it is the only quarter bore I currently own, but I’m looking at add another 25-06 or 257 Weatherby Mag next year. At one time I owned a 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 25-06 and 257 WM in Ruger No. 1s. The 250 Savage is the only one I kept it that’s more because of the rifle than the cartridge, but it has performed well for me on deer. C55F5A36-574F-4F03-9294-176F4968AD97.jpeg
 
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