Light, flat & fast...What round should I choose?

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hey Bob, depending on how all the current crap falls out. I have quite a bit of Super 303-25 brass.
My father has a Lee Enfield in 303-25 that may have to go to god. If you are interested in rehoming the brass. I assume you have an Epps chamber?

@BlueFlyer.
Yes I have an Epps. Hopefully your father can keep his 25. They killed a heap of game in their day and still do.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

What designation/how do you order dies?

@steve white.
There's really no designation in my design.
It's a combination of Epps, Newton, Sid church's tipan, the 25 Krag and a bit more of my own ideas thrown in for good measure.
Lee made my dies and recently made the dies for my mates rifle. They should have they die specs on hand. I have the only reamer in existence and it has only cut three chambers.
Bob

 

[Rifleman97]

@Flbt
The standard Remington loads in 257 Roberts are very very sad indeed.
Loaded to its potential it gives the 25-06 a shake up. It's no problem getting 3,200fps out of the Bob with 100grainers and upto 2,900fps with 117s
Les Bowman and Nick Harvey worked up loads back in the 80s and tried to convince Remington to load the Roberts properly but alas they didn't listen.
The Roberts is a wonderful well balanced cartridge for deer.
Bob

There’s a nice 257 Robert’s ackley improved at my Cabela’s built on an old Mauser action. Link to it I posted in the gun deals thread. Felt really nice in the hands, but as much as I want it I need to not buy anything or I’m never gonna afford the full custom I’m saving up for lol. Champagne taste on a beer budget

 

[GuttormG]

@GuttormG
The 260 REM to get the best out of it really needs a long action and long throating.
That way those long sleek bullets can be seated way out to use the case to its capacity
A 243 won't do anything but make me laugh.
Bob

OP wanted to use light-for-caliber bullets, som short action would work very nice.

In my opinion the optimal case volume for a 6,5mm projectile is the 6,5x55, yes-one can get some more speed with larger volume but at some point you just burn more powder and barrel steel.
For good order, I am writing about moderne loads and pressures for 6,5x55, not the anemic loads for Swedish mausers and Norwegian Krags (pressures kept low in hope of saving shooters eyesight...).

 

[odonata]

Just a quick "Thanks" to everyone for sharing your thoughts with me. It's always nice when other experienced shooters weigh in. Someone will usually give me something to think about that I haven't considered or be more than happy to point out if I'm about to do something dumb.

Here's a snapshot of what the feedback looked like:

That distills down to this for recommendation count & chambering:

It definitely looks like the quarter bores are the favorite! For left-handers, the Ruger MkII in stainless with a laminate stock & a 24" barrel is something that comes up rarely but I have seen them. They never go "cheap" but the price usually isn't too ridiculous. LH Sako's in 25-06 appear occasionally with 22" barrels. There are plenty of 257 Weatherby's to be had that all come with a 26" barrel.

One other option I have is that I own three 30-06's so my Remington 700 BDL with a Timney trigger would be easy to rebarrel if I wanted to downsize it. This would give me the option of picking an optimal twist rate if I was so inclined. Lots of options to ponder over!

 

[hoytcanon]

My only concern about anything “new” like the 25 CM is whether or not it’s here to stay…

20 years ago the 270 WSM, 7mm WSM, and the 300 WSM were all the rage… today good luck finding anything other than 300 WSM, and it’s not really all that common…

Hornady is pushing a lot of new cartridges lately.. all of the PRC line, the ARC line, and now more CM calibers…

They can’t all stick… a few will find popularity and stay supported for at least a little while.. others will fall by the wayside fast…

The 6.5 CM despite having a lot of haters out there is without a doubt here to stay… last year it was the #3 caliber in ammunition sales sold in the US behind .22 LR and .223… it outsold 308, 30-06, 300 WM, and all of the other “traditional” rounds by large numbers..

It’s also the #1 rifle chambering right now… 13.5% of all bolt action rifles manufactured in the US last year were chambered in 6.5 CM

While some of the other new super cartridges may stick.. many won’t..

But the 6.5 CM isn’t going anywhere… it’s killing the 30 cal market, the 270 market, the .25 market and pretty much everything else in between..

First the frogs, and now the Creedmoor shooters...

 

[fsrmg1]

My father left me a nice pre-64 Winchester model 70 Westerner in 264 Win Mag, which I'm very happy with. Shoots amazingly flat, bucks the wind like a champ and hits hard. A true 500+ yd rifle that still has the punch to get the job done out at that range.

 

[375Ruger416]

Just a quick "Thanks" to everyone for sharing your thoughts with me. It's always nice when other experienced shooters weigh in. Someone will usually give me something to think about that I haven't considered or be more than happy to point out if I'm about to do something dumb.

Here's a snapshot of what the feedback looked like:

View attachment 734931

That distills down to this for recommendation count & chambering:

View attachment 734932

It definitely looks like the quarter bores are the favorite! For left-handers, the Ruger MkII in stainless with a laminate stock & a 24" barrel is something that comes up rarely but I have seen them. They never go "cheap" but the price usually isn't too ridiculous. LH Sako's in 25-06 appear occasionally with 22" barrels. There are plenty of 257 Weatherby's to be had that all come with a 26" barrel.

One other option I have is that I own three 30-06's so my Remington 700 BDL with a Timney trigger would be easy to rebarrel if I wanted to downsize it. This would give me the option of picking an optimal twist rate if I was so inclined. Lots of options to ponder over!

That’s fantastic! Rebarreling that beauty would give it a new lease on life with a fast twist 25/06. Is a 257 Wby the same bolt face and case length? I imagine not.

Thanks for the summary - Merry Christmas!

 

[odonata]

Is a 257 Wby the same bolt face and case length? I imagine not.

It isn't the same since it uses a belted H&H parent case. But that's not really a problem if I wanted to make a particular 257 Wby configuration or something like a 264 Win appear. Left-handed rifles in 7mm RM or 300 WM are easy to come by so standard-length belted rounds can often be had with a simple rebarrel if I decided I wanted one.

With what I currently own, a 25-06 or a +P 257 Roberts would be an easy & affordable left-handed option to create.

 

[Tanks]

6mm Dasher if you reload, 6mm Creedmoor if you don’t. Fits all the requirements.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

@Mtn_Infantry
What do you call a super hot hand load in the Weatherby.
Mine does 3,660fos with a 109gn TTSX and 58gn of superformance. That's hot enough for me. Laser flat and drops game on it's arse zero to very very little tracking maybe 29 yards max.
Bob

3805FPS with a 100gr TTSX

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Im aware. Just poking fun of the trend ive seen of folks getting some these new cartridges and all of a sudden wanting to shoot game well outside their capability becsuse of the magic of the caliber.

I’ve taken game at significantly longer ranges than what most would even think to consider. I’ve had people tell me it’s not hunting or I’m wrong for taking that type of shot. It’s got nothing to do with a “new magical caliber” and everything to do with capabilities/skill which those commenting typically have no idea of. If I know I’m going to be hunting long range I’m not using a 257Wby or 6XC. Those are are the mid range calibers. If I’m going on a hunt where I know most shots will be 800+ I’m jumping up in caliber majorly.

For me the excitement and challenge is hunting at an extremely close range or at an extended range. This probably contributes to wanting my dangerous game shots at 40yds and under as well as enjoying bow hunting.

 

[KY Hunting Guy]

I would throw in the 240 WBY as well. I have killed several deer with the round and it has worked wonderfully. I actually use it more often than my 257 WBY or 6mm Creedmoor.

 

[Rifleman97]

I would throw in the 240 WBY as well. I have killed several deer with the round and it has worked wonderfully. I actually use it more often than my 257 WBY or 6mm Creedmoor.

Very underrated, I’ve been wanting to get one

 

[KY Hunting Guy]

Very underrated, I’ve been wanting to get one

I have owned 3 different ones in my lifetime but the one I have now is the one I am going to stick with. The first 2 were Weatherby Vanguard's that shot under 1 MOA. The one I have now is a Weatherby MKV Backcountry 2.0 and in addition to being accurate it is a delight to carry.

 

[hoytcanon]

You have no gap...

There is nothing needed between .22-250 and 6.5X55 with 120's.

 

[odonata]

You have no gap...

There is nothing needed between .22-250 and 6.5X55 with 120's.

That is a possible conclusion to be reached after a discussion like this. But in this particular situation, I quite like the results I get shooting 140gr Partitions out of my 6.5x55. Since it is a Ruger No. 1A, that makes it a nice compact gun for a lot of the hunting I do at moderate distances in the Arkansas & Mississippi woods.

So a question to ask myself is would I get similar results to a bolt action 25-06 or 257 Wby at triple the distance if I just started shooting 120gr bullets out of my single-shot falling-block instead? Is that an acceptable alternative?

 

[farmer_john]

I’ve taken game at significantly longer ranges than what most would even think to consider. I’ve had people tell me it’s not hunting or I’m wrong for taking that type of shot. It’s got nothing to do with a “new magical caliber” and everything to do with capabilities/skill which those commenting typically have no idea of. If I know I’m going to be hunting long range I’m not using a 257Wby or 6XC. Those are are the mid range calibers. If I’m going on a hunt where I know most shots will be 800+ I’m jumping up in caliber majorly.

For me the excitement and challenge is hunting at an extremely close range or at an extended range. This probably contributes to wanting my dangerous game shots at 40yds and under as well as enjoying bow hunting.

As long as the shots ethically made. Distance to me is irrelevant.
The issue im making fun of is that the vast majority of people over estimate their skills. And think the latest magic caliber will make up for it.

 

[Bonk]

Read a couple of posts and then skipped to the end. The answer is 25-06.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

There’s a nice 257 Robert’s ackley improved at my Cabela’s built on an old Mauser action. Link to it I posted in the gun deals thread. Felt really nice in the hands, but as much as I want it I need to not buy anything or I’m never gonna afford the full custom I’m saving up for lol. Champagne taste on a beer budget

@Rifleman97
I feel your pain in in the same boat.
Maybe we can start a go fund me page to get the funds for I new rifle.
Title
I have an addiction and the cure is expensive.
I need help with my addiction to save my marriage and family.
Just don't tell them you addiction is fine guns.
People love a sad storyline you may even get Greenies and the woke society donations.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Bob