25 RPM

Daryl S said:

I see no belts on that brass. I assume this is a "new" ctg., and not the "old" .308 Norma mag case. It does look even "fatter", as in the .404 basic case?

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338/300 Norma are based on the 338 Lapua case shortened, which is based off the Rigby case.

Daryl S said:

I see no belts on that brass. I assume this is a "new" ctg., and not the "old" .308 Norma mag case. It does look even "fatter", as in the .404 basic case?

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It's the 300 Norma, not the 308. There's a difference. For reference: 308 Norma, 300 Norma

Daryl S said:

I see no belts on that brass. I assume this is a "new" ctg., and not the "old" .308 Norma mag case. It does look even "fatter", as in the .404 basic case?

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It’s 300 norma mag, which is a shortened 416 rigby/338 lapua case. .590 bolt face and body diameter. 105 grains of powder behind a quarter bore bullet

I did the 6.5 RPM when it came out, in the Backcountry2 with an NX8 scope. I didn't really have a sheep rifle I was happy with. It showed up at Three Bears grocery store, and it worked just fine here and in Africa on plains game.

Works boringly well without any drama. It is just a longer 284 Win case. I probably would have been equally happy with the ultralight Seekins in any number of chamberings, but this was on the shelf.

Rifleman97 said:

It’s 300 norma mag, which is a shortened 416 rigby/338 lapua case. .590 bolt face and body diameter. 105 grains of powder behind a quarter bore bullet

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@Rifleman97
Great recipe for a very very short barrel life of maybe 600-800 rounds.
Bob

JimP said:

The main advantage that I saw was a faster twist to stabilize a longer and heaver bullet

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This is it.

If that is your bag, then this will beat a 257 Weatherby beyond 500 yards.

Muskox said:

This is it.

If that is your bag, then this will beat a 257 Weatherby beyond 500 yards.

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Even at 300yds, three of the offered bullets BC is almost double the old 117s and 120s. That is significantly less wind drift, which is the rule in Prong country. Not that people haven't been successful hunting them for a very long time.

Really, it is about Weatherby selling their 6 lug ultralight, and the most they could stuff into it (max .473 boltface). A 6.5 PRC wouldn't fit, so they did a modern cartridge design and twist the same, but differently.

TheWhitetailNut said:

What made Weatherby what it is hasn't been relevant in over 20 years. Nobody is buying extremely overbore magnums. We have rangefinders now, and ballistics/performance of low B.C. bullets get spanked downrange.

Pining for Old Weatherby cartridge design is like wanting an old 460 CID Engine when a 6 cylinder turbo beats it in every way.

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There is No Replacement for Displacement !

Muskox said:

This is it.

If that is your bag, then this will beat a 257 Weatherby beyond 500 yards.

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@Muskox
That's all well and good but in reality how many hunters shoot to 500 or more yards. I know I don't.
Fast and flat with a proven game projectiles like the Barnes TTSX,LRX, Accubond Sirocco, A frames and dare I say it the SST will all fly flat and fast out to 500 in the 257 Weatherby, 25-06 and my fast 25. Dang they will shoot flatter to 500 than the 6.5 creede will ever do and still be hitting harder.
A good fast 25 is still hitting harder at 500 than the pissant 243 is at 250.. According to my calculations my 25 is still carrying over 1,100fpe at 500 which is enough according to the experts for most medium game
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Rifleman97
Great recipe for a very very short barrel life of maybe 600-800 rounds.
Bob

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Not worried about barrel life, just trying something fun. I also estimate similar life, but it’ll probably be longer lived than that at reduced accuracy. Not here for a long time, just a good time!

Rifleman97 said:

Not worried about barrel life, just trying something fun. I also estimate similar life, but it’ll probably be longer lived than that at reduced accuracy. Not here for a long time, just a good time!

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@Rifleman97
I want to be here for both a good time and a long time but will settle in just a good time.
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Rifleman97
I want to be here for both a good time and a long time but will settle in just a good time.
Bob

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Me too, but this barrel doesn’t need to know that

After I’ve had my fun I’ll decide if I wanna throw another on there or if I will spin up a 300 norma mag. If it takes me 10 years or longer to shoot the barrel out I’d be happy enough to spin up another, 25 cal bullets are cheap compared to the big ones, and US869 is one of the cheapest powders hodgdon sells. So it’s not exactly demanding in any other way other than barrel life.

As I’ve told some others who asked me why I’m doing it, I respond with “because I love 25’s and hate barrels!”

25RPM= "right past me"

Rifleman97 said:

Me too, but this barrel doesn’t need to know that

After I’ve had my fun I’ll decide if I wanna throw another on there or if I will spin up a 300 norma mag. If it takes me 10 years or longer to shoot the barrel out I’d be happy enough to spin up another, 25 cal bullets are cheap compared to the big ones, and US869 is one of the cheapest powders hodgdon sells. So it’s not exactly demanding in any other way other than barrel life.

As I’ve told some others who asked me why I’m doing it, I respond with “because I love 25’s and hate barrels!”

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@Rilfeman87

When I built my 25 people asked me why such an oddball.
My reply, why not. It has proven to be a very efficient killer if game.
A mate built one the same as mine and is getting 3,900fps with an 80gn outer edge mono.
Says he just hold on pigs out to 450 and watches them fall over.
All this with just 54gn of 2209/H 4350
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Rilfeman87

When I built my 25 people asked me why such an oddball.
My reply, why not. It has proven to be a very efficient killer if game.
A mate built one the same as mine and is getting 3,900fps with an 80gn outer edge mono.
Says he just hold on pigs out to 450 and watches them fall over.
All this with just 54gn of 2209/H 4350
Bob

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That’s on the opposite side of the spectrum but very much the same idea! Why not?

3800fps with a 135, significantly less efficient than yours lol, but should be able to beat that by quite a bit given almost the same velocity with significant BC improvement. I’m curious to try the new heavy tipped hammer bullet that’s coming out in a few weeks (supposedly)

Axle2010 said:

My 5.0 coyote has outlasted 3 friends ecoboost junk and the only way that 6 beats a 460 is in economy.
As for the super mag cartridges you're right the range finder has made them much less necessary but if imo if you're shooting way out there then you still need more horsepower when you get there than some of these new rounds put out. "Use enough gun." This 25 rpm doesn't do anything that isn't already being done.

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Sure thing. 3 friends with failed eco's? Sounds like a curse, the 5.0 is 1.4% more likely to suffer catastrophic failure inside 300k from 2015-2025 than the 3.5 EB. Wax poetic all you like of the 460 or even 454 Chevy, we had a few of both on the farm and spent lots of time towing and hauling heavy or trying to. Then I spent nearly a decade with Ford Motor Company as a product development specialist (pre-Ecoboost). Those big engines were dogs. Anecdotally and statistically.

As for killing critters far, use enough gun was perhaps relevant in the 1950's it was written. Today we can replace that with "use the right bullet". An awful lot of elk were killed this year with 6mm Creedmoor's and GT's, and it seems most of the wounded ones are from a .300's or .338.

Used to be that anything new from Remington, Winchester, Weatherby ( you pick the brand), etc. and effectively marketed as "better", would sell well enough to make the production effort and marketing expense worthwhile. That is no longer the case. Older, experienced shooters and hunters believe in the effectiveness of what they already own and are reluctant to embrace anything that is " me too" in scope. Information and technology available today,-- i.e inexpensive chronographs, ballistics software , and untold numbers of know-it-all gun writers , bloggers and youtubers have blunted the effectiveness of a slick marketing campaign. Weatherby is seeing this first hand with the 25RPM. Ruger is also seeing this with the introduction of their Harrier rifles, a "completely re-engineered line of modern sporting rifles that represents the latest evolution in AR-pattern firearms". (their words , not mine). That gun appears to be a well configured AR rifle at a pretty good price, but calling it evolutionary is a bit a of a stretch.
Hornady has been the master of messaging when it comes to the long range game because they were the first to loudly proclaim the long range advantages of high BC, heavy for caliber bullets in a fast twist rifle. On the coattails of the 6.5 Creedmoor, they continue to successfully market and sell new chamberings across the caliber spectrum. But believe me, this comes at considerable marketing expense. I wish Weatherby, Ruger and everyone else that comes to the market with something new and "groundbreaking" all of the success in the world. But it will take true innovation and proven performance over the long term for anything to grow legs in the shooting industry. A slick marketing campaign just isn't enough anymore.

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Rifleman97
Great recipe for a very very short barrel life of maybe 600-800 rounds.
Bob

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So what?

I used to shoot F-Class when I lived in Canberra. A barrel a year was healthy for you. Lots of sun shine and disappointment from sending several thousand dollars of Lapua bullets down the 1000 yard range.

Even Kangaroo-shooters just buy a new Tikka or Howa every other year.

Muskox said:

So what?

I used to shoot F-Class when I lived in Canberra. A barrel a year was healthy for you. Lots of sun shine and disappointment from sending several thousand dollars of Lapua bullets down the 1000 yard range.

Even Kangaroo-shooters just buy a new Tikka or Howa every other year.

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I hunt and shoot in competitions, and the thought processes between the two are quite wide.

My target rifles are usually kept no more than 4-5 years max before the barrel is toast, or the lugs are set back from having fired so many rounds. They are temporary things, quickly replaced when they wear out. A barrel life of 1,000-1,500 rounds is acceptable.

My hunting rifles are a different thing. I consider them heirloom possessions that someday my son and grandson will treasure, so barrel life is a completely different consideration. Any barrel life less than 3,000rds I won't even consider for this purpose.

skydiver386 said:

I hunt and shoot in competitions, and the thought processes between the two are quite wide.

My target rifles are usually kept no more than 4-5 years max before the barrel is toast, or the lugs are set back from having fired so many rounds. They are temporary things, quickly replaced when they wear out. A barrel life of 1,000-1,500 rounds is acceptable.

My hunting rifles are a different thing. I consider them heirloom possessions that someday my son and grandson will treasure, so barrel life is a completely different consideration. Any barrel life less than 3,000rds I won't even consider for this purpose.

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I like pretty rifles.

But, in my mind. A rifle is a tool.

In my safe are tools from Blaser, Voere, Winchester and Sauer. Enough that I don't have to buy another safe, and to cover the hunts I do here in Germany.

There is a $10,000 out the door Blaser R8 with a Zeiss V8 on it. Still a tool.