Why no .25 caliber variant of the .308 Win?

[CanusLatransSnpr]

I was at the gun shop the other night, torturing myself to be honest, and I happened upon a Ruger M77 Hawkeye chambered in .257 Roberts. Looked it over and put it back on the rack.

On my way home I got to thinking and then it hit me, I haven't seen a .25 caliber variant of the .308 Win! I understand that there isn't many .25 calibers out there but, it just amazed me that there isn't a critter like this out there. Or atleast standardized anyways! There's 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm variants. Why no .25 caliber variants? Just curious!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Glenn Powell]

Really? Who in there right mind would even try to compete with Bob?

 

[GSPV]

I would hazard a guess that there is a 25-308 out there somewhere. I would also hazard a guess that the bullet selection issue on top of there already being good 6mm, 6.5mm and 7mm versions has that 25-308 choked out like young beans in a tall stand of johnson grass.

 

[MrMajestic]

Isn't it the .25 Super? The popularity of the "Quarter Bore" hinges on the bullet manufacturers. IMHO

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Thanks for the replies guys! I agree, the .257 Bob is a tough cartridge to beat but, I figured someone would have tried to steal some market share somewhere along the way? I also agree that there isn't a "big" choice of bullets out there for the .25 caliber cartridges but, it didn't stop the development of the cartridges that are out there already? I was just posing a question to get some folks thinking is all !

Mike

 

[people]

It might just be that the 257 Roberts and the 25-06 fill almost all of the 25 cal need. Out of the people I work with who shoot 25 cal all of them use those two calibers. That also included AI versions.

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

That is true people because the difference in cartridge capacity between a 6mm Rem and a .243 Win isn't that much different. Maybe a grains worth of powder? So there really wouldn't be any advantage of making a .25 variant of the .308! Good observation!

Mike

 

[Preacher]

The 25x6.5x47 Lapua is as close as it gets.. Darn good shooter too....

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

There's one that I never thought of Preacher! Sounds as if you have one or know someone that has one?

Mike

 

[normmatzen]

Then again, the 6.5mm is actually 25.6 caliber?

It is just as accurate to call it a 25 as it is to call a .308 a 30.

 

[jhord]

A Google search brings up all kinds of stuff on the .25-08 or .25 Souper.

http://www.reloadingroom.com/index_files/25-308.htm

 

[25AI260]

well there is a pro shooter who uses a 25BR there is pic of it on ACCURATE...
the .25 Souper factory dies are made for that one i saw them on midway
25 roberts [bob] i guess its called ... look up in the COW 10th & 11th issue has a small write up this fella sports writer an varmint hunter from Assue built what he coined as the .250Humdigger ... i liked it so much i had one made its off a .308 case it'll run upto the .25-06
there have been guys that made variants of it... Hornday will cut you a hydraulic forming dies.... etc. as well

the problem with .25 cal is bullet sellection... kind of a dead end... some smart company could make some $ if they were smart... its a whole new area to get into..... at least i think so

 

[Larryh128]

I've always had a soft spot for 25's, I've had 257 Rob, 257 AI & 25-06. Liked them all & would probably still be shooting one of them now if barnes had come out with the TTSX sooner. I do however have a 257 AI reamer & dies yet so maybe.

 

[Lesloan]

I've often thought a .257/08 would be a really neat cartridge. Back in the days when I was still hunting, the .257 Roberts was one of my favorite cartridges (along with the 7X57.) The only problem with the Roberts was that, as with the 7x57, factory loads were limited by pressure limits on the older rifles available for it. In the 7x57, this was eliminated by the 7mm/08, which was only available in modern, high-strength actions. There was an additional benefit, too. The 7mm/08 would also work well in short actions.

It seems to me that a .257/08 would share these benefits and would be, IMO, just about the perfect deer rifle. Light weight, mild recoil and moderate report, with excellent ballistic performance in factory loads. It'd beat the .243/6mm Rem. loads in that heavier bullets are available, and would be better than the .25/06 in that the rifles could be lighter, shorter and almost recoil-free. Long barrel life, too, which I understand can be problematic with .25/06. With high performance bullets like the Nosler Partition and modern bonded bullets I think it'd be the perfect balance of handling, weight and performance for deer-sized game.

 

[Preacher]

C-L-S I do have, and shoot a rifle chambered for the 25 x 6.5X47 Lapua these days with the 70 gr Sierra blitz kings for critters.
Shoots them into pretty small groups too...
When I need more power, I jump right to my 25/284 XP-100 shooting the 115 Berger VLD's into groups small enough most folks don't believe it.. 1 1/2 @ 300 is the norm for that short 16" barrel....

 

[GSPV]

All that good stuff mentioned about the 257-08 would equally apply to a 6.5. I.e., the 260 Remington .

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

All that good stuff mentioned about the 257-08 would equally apply to a 6.5. I.e., the 260 Remington .

And then some...with the considerably better bullet selection, better bc and better sectional density.

 

[bpd459]

Greetings,
I have had a .25 Souper for over 30 years, based on a Sako Finn Bear carbine (Mannlicher stocked). Have used the 117gr Sierra's its whole life. It has taken care of every deer, antelope and coyote that I have shot. It is not a .243 or .260, but it is a classy little rifle and I would not part with it.
John

 

[K22]

I was at the gun shop the other night, torturing myself to be honest, and I happened upon a Ruger M77 Hawkeye chambered in .257 Roberts. Looked it over and put it back on the rack.

Damn shame that the .257 Roberts fell by the wayside when the 243 was introduced. I love the 243, have three of them however the .257 Roberts is a better white tail gun but unforturnately headed for the grave yard of obsolete cartridges.

 

[boltman13]

My opinion FWIW, is a 25-08 would be a great deer and goat round, with 100 to 120 gr bullets. Would it sell? Probably not. Look at the quick death of the Win 25 SSM. Quarter bores are just not a big need for most shooters. If the 260 Rem had not gone mainstreem first there might be a way it could catch on as a harder hitting 243, but the space between the 243 and the 260 Rem is a very narrow nitch. That said I purely love my 257 Roberts.