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Old February 6, 2016, 03:31 PM   #1
stagpanther
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Ar test day at the range

Snowed a foot yesterday so the going was a bit tough getting to the gravel pit where I shoot--plus I was shooting into the sun (i.e. bad snow glare) and gusty winds to 20+mph.

First up was my 25 x 45 sharps build using my first hand-loads I've done for it and the results are promising. These are 90 gr Gamekings and they seem to shoot well--despite the warnings I received about potential seating/length issues. The only real problem I had was with sharp's own magazine which doesn't allow for as much COAL as other mags do.


5 shots @ 100


I'm generally not a big fan of gamekings--but Kurt at KAK advised me I should try them in my new 358 win build--so I figured he knew best and decided to give the 225's a try. Although the group is only around MOA--it would have been much less had I not flubbed the shot at lower left--I have hopes for making this a 1-ragged hole shooter eventually.

5 shots @ 100
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Last edited by stagpanther; February 6, 2016 at 05:19 PM.
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Old February 6, 2016, 03:47 PM   #2
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What is a "25 x 45 sharps" ? And where do I get one? Or that is a build only?

Please tell me more.
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Old February 6, 2016, 04:07 PM   #3
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The 25 x 45 Sharps is more or less a 25 cal bullet fit into a 223/5.56 case--the neck being slightly necked up but other than that no changes at all to a standard AR 15 platform (other than the barrel, of course).

All you want to know can be answered at Sharp's website at: http://srcarms.com/

In my particular case--I bought the complete upper when it was on sale--I couldn't put the upper together from parts for less--or at least from as high quality components. Very smooth easy to shoot and best of all--simple to reload for as it's an easy neck-up from plain old 5.56 cases.

The biggest drawback to the cartridge is that longer bullets are difficult to seat since the shoulder is so far forward--but a minor inconvenience since performance falls off rapidly the higher the weight of the bullet used.

An insider at a barrel manufacturer tells me that a 25 cal LBC is on it's way (in other words a Grendel case necked down to 257)--now that should be VERY interesting. : )

PS--Be cautious with Sharp's own ammo if you intend on reloading with it--it appears to be re-manufactured LC brass with reamed primer pockets that are on the loose side--at least the 100 rounds I bought from them were.
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Last edited by stagpanther; February 6, 2016 at 04:29 PM.
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Old February 6, 2016, 04:50 PM   #4
rickyrick
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I hope this cartridge takes off. Seems like a good idea.
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Old February 6, 2016, 05:04 PM   #5
stagpanther
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Quote:
I hope this cartridge takes off. Seems like a good idea.
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I think it has a 50/50 chance of catching on--the 87 gr hot cor seems to be it's main claim to fame in achieving 3000 fps and it seems to be a one-horse race with only Sharps vested--another thing going against it I think.

The field is jammed with AR cartridge wildcats so it might get lost in the noise.

Anyway, I like it and for what it can do--it does it well.
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Old February 6, 2016, 05:18 PM   #6
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Perfect fit in states that have that pesky .25cal rule. Seems odd that a 9mm glock is okay but .223 rifle isn't

The barrels are very reasonably priced as well
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Old February 6, 2016, 05:23 PM   #7
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Quote:
Perfect fit in states that have that pesky .25cal rule. Seems odd that a 9mm glock is okay but .223 rifle isn't

The barrels are very reasonably priced as well
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LOL--friend of mine dropped a doe last year with a shotgun slug--she had a perfectly intact 9mm bullet embedded in her.
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Old February 6, 2016, 05:29 PM   #8
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My next upper may be 25-45. Seems like a better option than 300blk.
Or my current upper build, but I'm not into reloading yet. I'll probably continue on with a .223 varmint upper then 25-45 next.
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Old February 6, 2016, 05:33 PM   #9
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I also built a 300 BLK pistol recently and love it--it's not a long range gun by common rifle standards--but it certainly shoots better than any pistol I've ever shot before. Well worth the build IMO since the components are extremely cheap. Anyways, I think you'll be happy with the 25 x 45 as long as you stay under 100 gr bullets (though I intend on trying them one day) there are not a whole bunch of loads with data out there--none from any bullet/powder manufacturer--so it's a "work in progress."
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Old February 6, 2016, 06:02 PM   #10
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Thanks, impressive accuracy for resources expended - atleast to mE.
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Old February 6, 2016, 06:28 PM   #11
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Love your set up, it's already a good shooter especially under the wind conditions you stated. Hope you really enjoy it. Performing a ladder test might get you the one ragged holes you are looking for. Good luck!!
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Old February 6, 2016, 08:15 PM   #12
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Thanks guys. I'll refine my load search with the next batch--but it's nice to know I'm in the ballpark. : )
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Old February 6, 2016, 08:22 PM   #13
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25-45 looks like a nice setup. Simple case form, no loss of case capacity, that's a big plus for me. Groups look great , you'll find out what it likes, nothing better than that when it happens.

thanks for posting
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Old February 7, 2016, 05:16 AM   #14
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One thing I forgot to mention--this 25 x 45 grouping was towards the lower end of the charge range I tested--generally rule of thumb is best nodes are commonly found within a 10% range of start and max charge range--but I didn't get anything near as good towards the upper end of the charge weights--though that may be simply because I didn't shoot well.
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