Long Range .25 Caliber Bullet Selection

[SSTX]

I know the title's somewhat of an oxymoron, with the limited selection of high-BC .25 cal bullets as opposed to various 6.5mm, 7mm, and .30 cal offerings. But I'm working with what I have, and I'm thinking it should work well out to around 600 yards. The problem is that I can't use a 115gr Berger (seemingly the highest BC .25 cal bullet available at .466 G1 BC), as the rifle is a short-action Remington 700 in .257AI. Seated to clear the magazine wall, the Berger's ogive is well below the case mouth. It might actually shoot fine that way, but does limit case capacity greatly and causes me concerns about feeding in what is primarily a hunting rifle.

I'm currently testing Nosler 110 (.418 G1 BC) Accubond/H4350 and 115 (.453 G1 BC) Ballistic Tip/H4831sc combinations that both show promise, but wonder if anyone has run across a hunting bullet besides the Berger that performs well "way out there" in .25 caliber. The rifle's topped with a Vortex 4-16x HSLR, so I plan to do a bit more load testing than usual before settling on one that I'll stick with and get a turret cut for.

 

[KNOTFERSAIL]

I know the title's somewhat of an oxymoron, with the limited selection of high-BC .25 cal bullets as opposed to various 6.5mm, 7mm, and .30 cal offerings. But I'm working with what I have, and I'm thinking it should work well out to around 600 yards. The problem is that I can't use a 115gr Berger (seemingly the highest BC .25 cal bullet available at .466 G1 BC), as the rifle is a short-action Remington 700 in .257AI. Seated to clear the magazine wall, the Berger's ogive is well below the case mouth. It might actually shoot fine that way, but does limit case capacity greatly and causes me concerns about feeding in what is primarily a hunting rifle.

I'm currently testing Nosler 110 (.418 G1 BC) Accubond/H4350 and 115 (.453 G1 BC) Ballistic Tip/H4831sc combinations that both show promise, but wonder if anyone has run across a hunting bullet besides the Berger that performs well "way out there" in .25 caliber. The rifle's topped with a Vortex 4-16x HSLR, so I plan to do a bit more load testing than usual before settling on one that I'll stick with and get a turret cut for.

I run 110's accubond's thru my 257roy with great results....it's hard on deer and lope's "way out there".Truth be told, i run accubond's thru all my rifle's

 

[quigley257]

I have had very good results using the 115 Ballistic Tip in my 25-06 Sendero. Very good performance at extended ranges on deer and goats. I tried some of the Bergers with mixed results.

 

[dig]

2nd on the 115 BT. They have been my go to load. I messed with the Bergers with mixes results. Figured why mess with what works. Hammered deer out to 545 and sheep at 460. Right bullet placement , no problem. Very accurate and a close BC.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I used to run Accubonds in every rifle.....Now I run all Bergers.

Why? Because the Bergers just flat-out perform.

 

[stomp442]

I would run the bergers and just single feed. High BC 25 cal bullets starts and stops with the 115 berger. I have had nothing but outstanding results with them in my 250 savages.

 

[dkhunt14]

Most of the time the VLD's want a touch to 10 in the rifling to shoot well. At least all my guns shot better this way. The VLD is long for caliber and usually won't fit a mag that way. I have my shells ready and shoot all single shots. It doesn't slow me down at all. We shot the Accubonds in a 375 Cheytec and at 1300 yards they started to tumble. Couldn't hit nothing Past that. Matt

 

[RT2506]

I have used the 117 Sierras both flat base and BT for years in my 25-06s to kill 100++ deer out to around 600 yards and see no need to change anything. Bang Flop 95% of the time and the other 5% don't go far.

 

[SSTX]

I have used the 117 Sierras both flat base and BT for years in my 25-06s to kill 100++ deer out to around 600 yards and see no need to change anything. Bang Flop 95% of the time and the other 5% don't go far.

That's why I'm really starting to favor the 115gr BT, G1 BC is not far off the Berger 115 and it's similar in construction to the Sierra's. I'm really thinking the energy figures are going to lead me to keep shots around 600 yards max anyway. That, and despite all the really good suggestions to single load Bergers, I want to keep the rifle a repeater. Although I have a box of Bergers, BT's are much more widely available around here. May save the Bergers for my Dad's .257 Weatherby.

I loaded a fresh test string of 110 Accubonds and 115 BT's last night, will try to shoot them across the Chrony tomorrow morning and let you know how they did. Thanks for all the feedback, it helps to get different perspectives..........

 

[Dosh]

SSTX, I have tried all the above bullets in my son's 25-06 and my .257 Wby. The 115 Bergers out perform the others especially at longer ranges. As mentioned, try single feed to test. Good luck

 

[angus-5024]

I don't own a 25-06 simply because I don't want to deal with what your dealing with.
If I did I would pick a bullet that shoots well in your rifle and is heavy for caliber (as long as its some what pointy) and go kill stuff. 600 yards will be no problem.

You don't NEED the best B.C to shoot long range, you need an accurate rifle. The B.C helps but is not the be-all-end all.... or run bergers single (I've done it and its faster than you'd think.

 

[SSTX]

With so many suggestions that I single-load Bergers, I'll likely have to respect that advice and try it. For now, I shot some Accubonds and BT's this morning under marginal conditions (windy, 70-80 degree temps) but had some good results. The rifle eventually printed a 1/2" group with each bullet, the Accubonds over enough H4350 for 3240fps, and the BT's over enough H4831sc for 2980fps. No obvious signs of excessive pressure in either test string. This rifle, very much like a Shilen-barreled .25-06 I used to have, showed a dramatic preference for one particular propellant charge weight in a string of test loads. For instance, the groups 0.2/grain either side of the 1/2" groups were spread out at about 1.5".

Running the numbers through an on-line ballistic calculator, it appears the Accubond carries slightly greater energy and a flatter trajectory at 600 yards than the Ballistic Tip does at it's preferred lower velocity. So, I'll work with the Accubond for now, and maybe do some single-loaded Berger experimentation when the weather here in NE Texas cools down enough for some serious range work. In the mean time, I've got some serious brass prep work to do before the next round of shooting.............

 

[stomp442]

As mentioned above BC is not everything but if you are relying on Noslers numbers for accurate representation of BC you are going to be left feeling a bit disappointed in actual results. The 115 ballistic tip is one of the most exaggerated and inflated in Noslers line up. Bryan litz lists an actual BC of .399 vs the advertised .453. I don't have any actual data for the 110 but the advertised .418 is probably closer to .390

 

[sundance1972]

The 125gr Matrix may be worth having a look at.