Quarter bores getting some love!

[taylorce1]

I'm a fan of the 1/4" bore rifles especially the .250 And .25-06. However, I've been leaning harder on the 6mm cartridges for long range target and varmint shooting. I found this page today and they are offering a high BC 131 grain bullet for .257 calibers. I hate that it's only one bullet being offered and I don't have a barrel that can take advantage of the bullet, but who knows maybe a future build is calling me.

[joed]

It's great that there is something out there. The question is will they survive? At present no one produces rifles with the needed twist. But you can order a barrel if you like. I'll wait till mine wears out, I'm a varmint hunter and don't shoot heavy bullets from my .25-06.

[Drm50]

I shot 75gr in my 25/06s, they were groundhog guns. 100gr in 257R. I have neither now. Just got a Sav 99 in 250/3000, 1950 vintage and contrary to most
it shoots 100gr bullets well. Lucky I have tons of .257 bullets on had from past
25s. The only rifle I had that shot the heavier bullets was 257 Whby mag and a
25/284 wild cat that was built on a Tradewinds action as a deer rifle.

[std7mag]

1:7.75 twist...

That is unfortunately the reason i don't shoot Cutting Edge bullets in 25 caliber. They require a faster than standard twist.
Would be interesting to build one, and show up at a match with it though. Would definitely turn heads.

[Mobuck]

I see no real need for super-high BC bullets in my .257 calibers(not 1/4" bores)--257 Roberts (not 257 BOB), 25/06, and 257 Wby.
As proven this year on 2 cow elk, the .257 caliber Nosler Partition has everything required for big game hunting and a 100 grain soft point boat tail does well on medium/large varmints/predators.

[joed]

Originally Posted by Mobuck

I see no real need for super-high BC bullets in my .257 calibers(not 1/4" bores)--257 Roberts (not 257 BOB), 25/06, and 257 Wby.
As proven this year on 2 cow elk, the .257 caliber Nosler Partition has everything required for big game hunting and a 100 grain soft point boat tail does well on medium/large varmints/predators.

You don't see a need and neither do I. However, the trend with the crowd is fast twist, the heaviest bullet and the highest BC for every caliber.

I never bought into it and usually point out to this crowd that it isn't about the heaviest bullet and highest BC. It's about choosing a bullet for what you want to do, be it hunting or target shooting.

But, to keep the .257 caliber alive it needs to be appealing to the heavy/high BC crowd too. Last year I had one of the 6.5 CM fans tell me .257 and .277 calibers would be gone very soon because they don't have high BC bullets, I just chuckled. I'm a .257 nut and will always remain a fan.

[taylorce1]

Originally Posted by Mobuck

I see no real need for super-high BC bullets in my .257 calibers(not 1/4" bores)--257 Roberts (not 257 BOB), 25/06, and 257 Wby. As proven this year on 2 cow elk, the .257 caliber Nosler Partition has everything required for big game hunting and a 100 grain soft point boat tail does well on medium/large varmints/predators.

Luckily we all don't have to believe the same as you. I'm not in a hurry to put a fast twist barrel on my .25-06 but a guy wanting to be a little different at least have options.

[hooligan1]

.25 Creedmoor sounds interesting........

[jmr40]

We have multiple cartridges in 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 30 calibers that all do exactly the same thing. What we REALLY need to do is develop the 23 and 29 caliber cartridges. I'm certain that we'll find perfection there. If someone just plugs the data into a computer we can develop the perfect bullet, barrel and cartridge cases to make everything else obsolete. I don't understand why something so obvious hasn't been done yet.

Sarcasm aside, we already have way too many cartridges that overlap. I could choose any one of the common, or even less common cartridges in any of the above calibers and hunt anything in North America.

But it is simply a lot easier to make that happen with some than others. I have no idea why, but the 25, and to a lesser degree 27 calibers cannot take advantage of modern bullets. Doesn't mean they couldn't, but rather than spend the time, money and effort to make something in 25 caliber better I can pick up any of the 24 caliber cartridges and do anything I can do with a 25. Or go up to a 26 caliber and beat the 25's. You run into the same thing when comparing 26 and 28 caliber vs the 27s.

Personally if they never manufactured another rifle or box of ammo in anything 25 or 27 caliber I don't think it would be any great loss. On the other hand if they only manufactured rifles in 25 and 27 caliber they would be perfectly capable of doing anything any other cartridge in any other caliber can do as long as they were designed to use a broad range of bullets and bullet weights. Today that isn't the case.

[joed]

jmr40, the same can be said for cartridges. As an example, why did we need a 6.5 Creedmoor when the 6.5 Swede does the same thing?

You also like the 6mm shooting bullets of over 100 gr. Truth is back in 2011 when I bought a new model 70 in .243 no manufacturers offered barrels in fast enough twist to support the heavy bullets. They do now, most likely to cash in on the trend.

The firearm business keeps coming up with new cartridges and changes to sell new guns plain and simple. The bottom line is sales which keeps the companies in business. Take a look at GLOCK, new Gen every couple of years. Why? The newer model doesn't do anything the older one didn't.

If I followed every new trend and sold off my older guns for newer I'd be pretty poor.

[std7mag]

For long distance match applications, these bullets have a very real purpose.

That being said, i've seen a fellow shoot an impressive to me group at 1,000 yards with 75gr. hollow point Varmint Masters out of a Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts.

I personally would love to try a 257 in a long range match. But the cost of building a custom twist rifle makes it prohibitive for me.

[Don Fischer]

Only rifles I have I'd be serious about shooting varmint's or predator's with are two 243's. One shoot's 70gr SMK's and the other 75gr Hornady V-Max's. I don' understand the desire to shoot bullet's you need to buy a special barrel with a fast twist to shoot. It sound's like what people are doing that do do that is setting up to fire a bullet with a high BC so the bullet won't drop as much at long range? Well, if your really a long range shooter, you learn to shoot what you have. Going to those really heavy 223 cal bullet's cost's you velocity so some of the hold over you have to do in the first place you also have to do in the second place. Hornady shows the 75gr bullet fired from the 223 service rifle with a velocity of 2700 fps. A 75gr V-Max in 243 is 3400 fps. Wonder how far the 223 bullet has to travel to catch up with the 243 bullet?

[joed]

The heavy bullets aren't for everyone. I only hunt groundhogs anymore with my .25-06 so to me I have no need for heavy.

I've figured the heavy stuff is for target shooting but I keep hearing about hunters that use them which to me isn't practical.

The .257 caliber needs a heavy bullet to please those shooters that want long range. Without it these shooters will go to another caliber. Now they can have the choice of shooting something in .257.

[std7mag]

Don,
The heavy bullet with high BC isn't about bullet drop. It's about wind deflection.
Your 75gr. 243 bullet may drift 60 inches in a 10 mph wind, where as the 131gr bullet may only drift 40 inches in the same wind.
This is only an example, i don't have actual wind drift numbers.

For less drop, higher velocity is the answer.

For a match, trying to put 20 consecutive bullets in a 5"circle at 1,000 yards is daunting with a variable wind. I know i struggle at 600 yards with a 3" circle.

And serious distance match shooters may go through 2-3 barrels a year.

[flashhole]

I would like to have seen a dimensioned drawing of the 131 grain bullet. My #1V 25-06 (really nice gun) has a 1:10 twist barrel so likely not fast enough for this bullet.

I can only shoot to 350 yards at our local range and I am able to get sub-MOA groups at that distance with my handloads. I do better with the gun using a bi-pod and a rear bag rather than shooting bags front and rear. The preferred bullet is the Nosler 115 grain ballistic tip with a Sierra 120 grain Hunter a close second.

I'm a 25-06 fan and would recommend a gun so chambered.

[Sgt.207]

On my honeymoon in 1990, I ran into a small gun shop to look around. Found a Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts and purchased it for $240. Very accurate with Winchester 117grain plus p and 120 grain NP.