Favorite 25 Cal?

[jmorris]

There have been more 25 cal bullets, brass, and cartridges released in the last few years than in the decade before them.

Probably why I couldn't pick any on the list. Same reason the 270 has never been one of my "go to" rounds. There are some good choices, just not as many.

I can see more interest in calibers and given rounds of calibers as mfg's design bullets that work for them though and the more choices, the better chance of finding one that will work.

 

[Boom Vang]

You do realize that the 25 cals are actually on the rise again, right? There have been more 25 cal bullets, brass, and cartridges released in the last few years than in the decade before them.

You do realize that most of the "new" releases are/were dead on arrival, right? They were a niche within a niche that only a QuarterBoreNut would appreciate, and post-pandemic that niche-within-a-niche got even more miniscule.

No .25 has set anything close to a sales record in the past 30 years, and they are not a hit with the mass gun buying public, which these days is all the ammo and gun makers really care about - it's a profit thing. My local LGS which does a hectic business has sold a single .25 rifle in a year that they sold close to 1000 rifles of other calibres. The gun makers chamber less .25 cartridges, and produce less of them, every year. During the permanent ammunition shortage, the ammo manufacturers have enough trouble supplying .223/5.56, .30-06, .308 and that 6.5 Creedmor thing, much less some obscure ultra-fanatic .25 cartridge.

It's easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees when you are into something. Everyone loves the .257 Roberts. Yet no one has seen a piece of factory brass in at least 5 years. Hmmmmm.... .25 Grendel, .25 Nosler, .25 Creedmor; yup all good cartridges would fill a pup tent at the state fair.

 

[1948CJ2A]

Tidal waves don’t have to hit the shore before we know they are coming.

Ignore reality if you so choose.

LOL, what reality am I choosing to ignore?

 

[entropy]

You're a living battery in a pod in a huge machine manufactured facility, Mr. Anderson.

 

[Agsalaska]

I hunt with a Ruger No. 1 in .257 Roberts. Killer round. That's my vote.

I am pretty much done at this point buying rifles but for the right price I would buy a .250 Savage.

 

[codytrucker]

I chose the 250-3000 even though I have had 25-06 rifles since I was 12 years old , and hunt everything from cow elk down with it . I've always been a quarter bore fan and I have two 25-20's , two 25-06's , a 257 roberts , and this 250-3000 . I got this rifle cheap as it looked to have been put away wet or bloody or something . Bluing was almost gone and the barrel and reciever bottom were severely pitted. I've had it for about 15 years , and it's an early '50's gun . I had it restored by a gunmaker in Cody Wyoming and it came out nicely. My earlier attempts to find a load for it were just so-so , and I wound up settling on an 87 grain bullet at 3000 FPS , but I wanted to try and find a heavier bullet for it . I have killed deer with the 87 grainer, but I didn't have a lot of confidence in it for bigger deer at any kind of longish ranges .

Well this morning I solved that problem! Found out it really likes a speer 100 grain boat tail and some H414 and I couldn't be happier!
It has a slow rifling twist, and some of my efforts have not paid off at all !

 

[JmacD]

I chose the 250-3000 even though I have had 25-06 rifles since I was 12 years old , and hunt everything from cow elk down with it . I've always been a quarter bore fan and I have two 25-20's , two 25-06's , a 257 roberts , and this 250-3000 . I got this rifle cheap as it looked to have been put away wet or bloody or something . Bluing was almost gone and the barrel and reciever bottom were severely pitted. I've had it for about 15 years , and it's an early '50's gun . I had it restored by a gunmaker in Cody Wyoming and it came out nicely. My earlier attempts to find a load for it were just so-so , and I wound up settling on an 87 grain bullet at 3000 FPS , but I wanted to try and find a heavier bullet for it . I have killed deer with the 87 grainer, but I didn't have a lot of confidence in it for bigger deer at any kind of longish ranges .

Well this morning I solved that problem! Found out it really likes a speer 100 grain boat tail and some H414 and I couldn't be happier!View attachment 1190843View attachment 1190844View attachment 1190848View attachment 1190849View attachment 1190850
It has a slow rifling twist, and some of my efforts have not paid off at all !

Probably 1:14 in that one. Just gotta love the “ol two-fitty”

 

[.45Coltguy]

Yeah, those sideways hits can cause some colorful words. Classic looking rig tho, and glad you found a good load. Very nice.

 

[codytrucker]

Probably 1:14 in that one. Just gotta love the “ol two-fitty”

I measured the twist rate on this a while back and its something like 1 in 14 1/2 . They used to cut these one at a time by hand , so there is a little variance in them .

 

[codytrucker]

Yeah, those sideways hits can cause some colorful words. Classic looking rig tho, and glad you found a good load. Very nice.

I started out off of my bench but couldn't find any holes , so i went to fifty yards and tried again , no luck . that is at about twenty five FEET ! 110 grain lever evolution's are definitely a no go !

 

[JmacD]

Well this morning I solved that problem! Found out it really likes a speer 100 grain boat tail and some H414 and I couldn't be happier!

I measured the twist rate on this a while back and its something like 1 in 14 1/2 . They used to cut these one at a time by hand , so there is a little variance in them .

I started out off of my bench but couldn't find any holes , so i went to fifty yards and tried again , no luck . that is at about twenty five FEET ! 110 grain lever evolution's are definitely a no go !

Mine is a 1:10 bolt gun. It really likes 100 gr Nosler ballistic tip and the now nonexistent Sierra BT gameking…

 

[codytrucker]

Mine is a 1:10 bolt gun. It really likes 100 gr Nosler ballistic tip and the now nonexistent Sierra BT gameking…

I really want a light bolt action carbine in 250 , the country I'm from has a lot of pigs and it would be perfect for a truck/UTV rifle for pigs and coyotes . I was on the verge of having a Win. model 70 barreled to it when I found this one .

I really like the gameking bullets but couldn't get them to shoot in this one .

 

[wombat13]

I really want a light bolt action carbine in 250 , the country I'm from has a lot of pigs and it would be perfect for a truck/UTV rifle for pigs and coyotes . I was on the verge of having a Win. model 70 barreled to it when I found this one .

I really like the gameking bullets but couldn't get them to shoot in this one .

I don’t think you can beat a Savage Axis II in .25-06 for a quarterbore truck gun. Bought mine as a low cost, low recoil first deer rifle for my kids and it has become my favorite deer rifle.

 

[codytrucker]

I don’t think you can beat a Savage Axis II in .25-06 for a quarterbore truck gun. Bought mine as a low cost, low recoil first deer rifle for my kids and it has become my favorite deer rifle.

I've had 25-06's since about 1976 , great caliber . I got influenced by an uncle who had one from when it first came out . But I've always wanted something like a model 20 Savage , or a 1903 Mannlicher-Schonauer .Maybe a model 7 Remington .

 

[Varminterror]

post-pandemic that niche-within-a-niche got even more miniscule.

I don't think you've been keeping pace. We're selling more new firearms per month in the US "post-pandemic" than at any time in the history of the world. Consumerism is at an all time high, and folks are BUYING faster than can be manufactured, so new product development and releases have sky-rocketed.

 

[MachIVshooter]

'Cause the 270 pre-dated the 25-06 by about 45 years. If it ain't broke...

.25-06 existed as a wildcat before the .270 was developed.

Interestingly, the .270 lost much of it's favor a couple decades after the passing of Jack O'Conner and with the coming of online groups like this helping people figure out that gun rags and gun shop lore aren't gospel.

Trends in cartridge popularity remain a curious thing. Some which should be wildly successful end up with a cult following while others that really aren't all that and a bag of chips become darlings of a generation. The .280 should have blown .270 sales out of the water when it was introduced, but it took 50 years for it to become appreciated and somewhat popular. Meanwhile the 7mm rem mag that came a half decade after the .280 enjoyed immense commercial success for a half century and is still widely liked.

 

[9x56MS]

My vote is for the 250-3000. I fell in love when I found one in a Ruger 77 RSI. With the faster rifling twist it absolutely loves the 117 grain round nose bullets. It kills all out of proportion to its size.

 

[BreechFace]

For a quarter bore I always looked towards a really efficient cartridge if I were to get into one. A 25 Souper would have gained my interest, but a “250 Humdinger” would have sold me on the idea of it were to have gained some traction.

The Humdinger was just a souper was similar to an AI job done. Less body taper and a 45* shoulder.

A current idea that’s rolling around in my head is converting a sporterized 30-40 Krag into a 25-40 Krag AI. That smooth action of a Krag with a scout scope I think would be a fun nod to yesteryear and breathe some new life into a really cool action. I’m not much of a scout scope concept but I do want one in the mix to have a part of history in both rifle and concept. I already have a Krag action, just need to make sure this is the route I want to go.

 

[1948CJ2A]

admins, can you please close this poll? thanks

 

[9x56MS]

I chose the 250-3000 even though I have had 25-06 rifles since I was 12 years old , and hunt everything from cow elk down with it . I've always been a quarter bore fan and I have two 25-20's , two 25-06's , a 257 roberts , and this 250-3000 . I got this rifle cheap as it looked to have been put away wet or bloody or something . Bluing was almost gone and the barrel and reciever bottom were severely pitted. I've had it for about 15 years , and it's an early '50's gun . I had it restored by a gunmaker in Cody Wyoming and it came out nicely. My earlier attempts to find a load for it were just so-so , and I wound up settling on an 87 grain bullet at 3000 FPS , but I wanted to try and find a heavier bullet for it . I have killed deer with the 87 grainer, but I didn't have a lot of confidence in it for bigger deer at any kind of longish ranges .

Well this morning I solved that problem! Found out it really likes a speer 100 grain boat tail and some H414 and I couldn't be happier!View attachment 1190843View attachment 1190844View attachment 1190848View attachment 1190849View attachment 1190850
It has a slow rifling twist, and some of my efforts have not paid off at all !

Sounds like you finally hit the sweet spot !

 

[Mercy Me]

25-06 ren any day other the rest of them