.25 wildcats

[Lee in Texas]

Many years ago, while writing for Precision Shooting magazine, I took the 6.5x68 Shuler case, blew the taper out, went to a 35-degree shoulder, and necked it to 25 caliber. The 257 Banshee. 100gr Fowlers pushing 4000fps.

That was you? That’s cool. I have the story in the PS Reloading Manual.

 

[Savageseven]

 

[Savageseven]

Here is my 25-300 wsm
I shoot 100 grain nosler ballistic tips with IMR 4350 and federal gold match primers .
Average 3600 FPS with 60 grains of powder. has shilen 26 inch select match barrel. and ptg bolt head.
its a tack driver. and a blast to wax coyotes with

 

[308 5R]

I've messed with them, from .25BR, up to .25/.300WSM (.257 IdiotMag) - my favorites have been .257 Roberts, Ackley Improved. In 2013 & 14, won yardages (a pair of 200Yd.) and Grand Agg. NBRSA Hunter Nationals, with a Bartlein (1:9" twist 4 groove) barrel chambered for the 25x47 LAPUA. .257s are GREAT performers!

The .257 IdiotMag was "designed" - ordered as soon as the case was SAAMI spec'd - simply a necked-down .300WSM - with 110 Gr. BT, it delivers 3520FPS with sub 0.4MOA grouping, and of course, is a great mule deer killer. The .257 Ack. Imp. runs the 110s at 3330 FPS (Rl-17) and has been deadly on mule deer too! RG

I have a brace of Rem 700 classics (‘82) in .257 Rob that my father bought for us when I was still crawling around. I haven’t messed with them much in the last decade and have recently been bedding them up, triggers reworked etc. I have a jug of 17 for other projects and noticed it might be viable in the Bob. How do you like it in your AI? AI performance out of a straight Bob case sounds intriguing.

S/F
Ryan

 

[SBOOMER]

Can the moderators move this to the .25 section where I think it belongs? There is way too much good info generated in this thread to be “lost” in the 6BR section.

 

[Steve morgan]

I've messed with them, from .25BR, up to .25/.300WSM (.257 IdiotMag) - my favorites have been .257 Roberts, Ackley Improved. In 2013 & 14, won yardages (a pair of 200Yd.) and Grand Agg. NBRSA Hunter Nationals, with a Bartlein (1:9" twist 4 groove) barrel chambered for the 25x47 LAPUA. .257s are GREAT performers!

The .257 IdiotMag was "designed" - ordered as soon as the case was SAAMI spec'd - simply a necked-down .300WSM - with 110 Gr. BT, it delivers 3520FPS with sub 0.4MOA grouping, and of course, is a great mule deer killer. The .257 Ack. Imp. runs the 110s at 3330 FPS (Rl-17) and has been deadly on mule deer too! RG

Rg, I thought about a 338 Lapua necked to 25 Cal. Wonder what speed you could get.

 

[AWS]

In 2005 I built a 25-204. I was looking seriously at the 257 Kimber when 204 Ruger brass became available and was able to build a clone of the Kimber with no fireforming. It has turned out to be a great round duplicating original 250-3000 and 257 Roberts factory ballistics 100gr bullet at 2800+ fps.

It works well for whitetails but is a little heavy handed as a pelt hunting round on coyotes.

 

[std7mag]

With RL17 available now, you need to be faster than 2,800 fps to try to keep up with my Stevens 200 in 250 Savage with a 24" tube!
And WAAYYY more to keep up with my Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts using Hybrid 100V loaded to +P.

Not saying it isn't a good, capable cartridge, but a lot has changed since 1927...

 

[AWS]

Those two that I compared the 25-204 to made their bones with the old factory loading. I've owned two custom 257 Roberts bolt actions, two custom 250-3000 bolt actions and a Sav. 99 so I do have an idea what a .257 bullet can do in them. The 25-204 fills MY needs as a deer and antelope cartridge perfectly.

 

[Sniper338]

A 257 weatherby shooting ballstic tips has been the only round that put divots in my half inch AR500 steel, shot way at 500 yards or so... havent figured out why, something with those bullet . Factory ammo.

This thread caught my attention. I know its old, but lots of good reading. Ive had an inch for a 25 something but aint figured out what would fit in my collection. I dont need one, just a want. 25BR, 25 Grendel, 25-250AI... always been a thought..

 

[AWS]

25 Grendel rings my chimes also BUT when l looked at it hard unless you wanted to shoot less than 100gr bullets it would work. With only .007 difference and a proliferation of 6.5 bullets I saw little reason to go that route. It would make a nice .257 if you just had to have one on a Mini Howa, Mini Mauser or CZ-527.

I do have a Howa Mini in 6.5 Grendel 1.5-6x40mm Meopta 100gr Nos. CC's

 

[lelongcarabine]

Reading this all gives me the urge to work on another barrel job. I have a Brux 1-7" twist .257 barrel. I loved the .250 Savage, years ago. Built 2 different rifles and shot the barrels out. Douglas 1-10" twist tubes. Problem with the .250 Savage brass is the severely undersized case head. Remember, it was originally designed for the 99 Savage lever action. The old school "extraction" concerns were still alive and well. So my thought is either a .25/47 Lapua, or the .25 Creedmoor on a short Remington M-700 receiver. A third option is the .25 PRC based on the 6.5 PRC on a M-700 Remington long action. Load data for any of these cartridges is hearsay. Especially interested in the heavy bullet loads. Looking forward to the Hornady release of its new 138 Gr A-tip! WOW! What a "missile"!

 

[jfjohn77]

Problem with the .250 Savage brass is the severely undersized case head. Remember, it was originally designed for the 99 Savage lever action. The old school "extraction" concerns were still alive and well. So my thought is either a .25/47 Lapua, or the .25 Creedmoor on a short Remington M-700 receiver.

I don't understand your comment about an undersized case head. What exactly are you referring to. The case head dimension of the .250 Savage is .4700", same as the 25 Creedmoor (.4707) and 47mm Lapua case (.4709). Unless you consider .0007" severely undersized.

 

[JayHHI6818]

I have been shooting Contenders for 30 years and bought two Encore frames when they came out. I have two 257 JDJ barrels base on the 225 Winchester case. One is a 14 inch stainless Contender barrel and this 17 inch Encore barrel. Load the Nosler 100 gr ballistic tip with Reloader 15 and velocity is 2725 from 17 inch barrel.
257 JDJ is the cartridge on the left
309 JDJ on the right

 

[cheyenne01]

I have a couple of 25 cal wildcats.
A .257 STW , and a .257 STW AI. The ackley barreled one didn’t make 500 rounds.
I haven’t shot them in a lot of years.

 

[Chris kloster]

I’ve been shooting a 25x284 for some time, currently on my second barrel. Honestly not my fav. It’s always shot pretty good, but never not super consistent for me and velocity was kinda blah. There has been a good node @3060 but very tough on the brass. 24” Brux

 

[Kevin1990]

Anyone ever try a 25-243AI? Or would that be a 25 Souper IMP? Really interests me as of late. Been dreaming up a 25 cal these past few months.

 

[L1986]

I’ve been shooting a 25x284 for some time, currently on my second barrel. Honestly not my fav. It’s always shot pretty good, but never not super consistent for me and velocity was kinda blah. There has been a good node @3060 but very tough on the brass. 24” Brux

What bullet weight is this with?

 

[Chris kloster]

What bullet weight is this with?

Started with 131BJ now 133 Berger

 

[gemihur]

I love all of this stuff, especially the simplicity of Jay's!
I also drink my coffee black...

classic, that's all
Thanks
Jimmy