It’s been many years since a serious ammo firm has given a .25-caliber rifle cartridge a second look. Previous to this 12 months, the 57-year-old .25-06 Remington was the newest quarter-bore to attain any form of business success, and plenty of had given up on the class after the rise of 6.5mm and 6mm choices.
However now, inexplicably, the quarter-bore is making a comeback. Hornady launched their 25 Creedmoor in Could of final 12 months (click on right here for a deep dive into that cartridge), and only a few weeks in the past, Weatherby got here out with their very own tackle the .257–the 25 RPM.
I’ve been on the quarter-bore bandwagon for some time, however it’s not like hunters have been clamoring for extra mid-power cartridges. Can Weatherby’s new providing provide you with an edge over different .25’s, or is it only a play to get forward of the subsequent sizzling ammo pattern? Preserve studying to search out out.
The Weatherby 25 RPM
Just like the 25 Creedmoor, the 25 RPM (Rebated Precision Magnum) guarantees to modernize the quarter-bore. The 1:7.5” really helpful barrel twist price can stabilize 133-grain bullets even whereas touring 3,000 feet-per-second (fps) on the muzzle. The big case physique diameter, low physique taper, and 35-degree shoulder mimic trendy cartridges by maximizing effectivity, however it wouldn’t be a Weatherby cartridge if it didn’t additionally maximize velocity. The 25 RPM can push a 107-grain bullet (a extra conventional weight for a quarter-bore) a whopping 3,350 fps on the muzzle, whereas the 117-grain capsules scream alongside at 3,150 fps.
The 25 RPM is a necked-down model of the 6.5 RPM case, which is a derivation of the previous 284 Winchester. Meaning the brand new 25 can use the identical frequent bolt face as a .308 Win., 243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 7mm-08 Rem, however the general size mimics the .300 Win. Magazine. (3.34 inches). It’ll want a protracted motion to accommodate that lengthy cartridge, however that’s the worth you pay for hitting these velocities.
Weatherby is at the moment providing the 25 RPM with 4 bullet choices (velocities from a 24-inch barrel):
117g Hornady SST (polymer tip, copper jacketed) | BC: .390 | 3150 fps
117g Barnes LRX (polymer tip, stable copper) | BC: .530 | 3150 fps
133g Berger Elite Hunter (copper jacketed) | BC: .613 | 3000 fps
A field of 20 will value you between $80 and $110 if you happen to order instantly from Weatherby, and as of this writing, solely the 117-grain Hornady SST is in inventory. Large on-line retailers like Halfway USA aren’t but stocking the 25 RPM, although I’d anticipate that to alter quickly.
Listed below are some further specs on the brand new cartridge:
Max OAL: 3.34”
Case Size: 2.4 inches
Bolt face: .477 inches
Twist Price: 1:7.5
Stacking It Up
There’s little doubt the 25 RPM is spectacular, however how does it measure up in opposition to different quarter-bores, each previous and new?
When stacked up in opposition to the 25 Creedmoor’s searching bullet choice (128-grain ELD-X), the 25 RPM has the Creed beat on velocity, vitality, and trajectory–regardless of taking pictures a barely heavier bullet.
It’s vital to remember the fact that the 25 Creedmoor is simply working with 60% of the 25 RPM’s case capability. The truth that the Creed will get as shut because it does is spectacular, and the lighter cost will produce much less recoil, which some will recognize greater than the additional velocity and vitality. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re searching for a quarter-bore that may actually pack a punch, the 25 RPM shall be a greater choice than the Creed.
I additionally pulled ballistic information for the 25-06 and 257 Weatherby Magnum and stacked them up in opposition to the 25 RPM and 25 Creedmoor utilizing related bullet weights.
As you’ll be able to see, on this comparability a minimum of, the 257 Weatherby Magnum has its newer counterpart beat in all three classes. That unbelievable 3,400 fps muzzle velocity permits the older cartridge to take care of a velocity and vitality benefit out to 500 yards, and it additionally drops much less at each distance.
After all, very like the earlier comparability, the 257 Wby. Magazine. is working with extra powder than the 25 RPM. Weapons chambered in that cartridge are additionally unable to stabilize the high-BC, heavy-for-caliber bullets that the RPM is designed to shoot. These bullets will buck the wind higher at any distance, and if you happen to enhance the gap to about 700 yards, the RPM drops lower than the older Magnum.
The RPM and the Creedmoor are remarkably related on this comparability, however the 25-06 struggles to maintain up. It performs comparatively higher with lighter bullets, however if you would like one thing to compete with the RPM’s 117-grain choices, it gained’t be as quick, flat, or highly effective because the newer choice.
Final Shot
I haven’t had an opportunity to get my arms on the 25 Weatherby RPM, but when the revealed ballistic information pans out, it is going to be a wonderful addition to the rising steady of quarter-bores. It gives the screaming sizzling velocities we’ve come to anticipate from Weatherby, however it additionally tempers these speeds in favor of heavy, high-BC bullets most popular by long-range shooters.
I nonetheless are inclined to favor the Creedmoor as a deer cartridge. It has greater than sufficient juice for these critters, and its smaller case will produce much less recoil than the RPM. The .25-06 additionally does a tremendous job carrying out what many see because the quarter-bore’s area of interest: stepping right down to predators and varmints with gentle, fast-shooting bullets and punching as much as deer and different large recreation. When you already personal both of those cartridges, the RPM gained’t do that rather more.
Nonetheless, it’s not possible to disclaim that Weatherby’s new cartridge gives extra peace of thoughts for longer vary pictures, and its velocity and vitality benefits make it extra appropriate for stepping as much as bigger animals like elk. These 107-grain capsules are completely screaming out of the barrel, they usually’ll make fast work of no matter coyote occurs to get in the best way. It seems like a stable cartridge from a legendary firm, so with regards to searching cartridges, I say, the extra the merrier.
