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Your favorite Quarter Bore and why

I'm considering a build on a custom action with lightweight components and am thinking of what caliber to choose. I have a .243, a few 6.5's, .270, 7mm, and 308. I do not have any .25's, and I think this is a good time to round out my collection. I hunt PA whitetail deer and have been known to walk a few miles scouting in season. I also rarely get shots beyond 300 yards. I'm thinking the 257 Roberts would be a great choice for me.

I would love to hear from all you quarter bore aficionados as to your favorite 25 caliber cartridge and why. Feel free to throw in a hunting story along the way. Looking forward to the campfire chat.
The only 25 I have is a old 257 Roberts Remington 720, the rarest of the 3 calibers. Others being 06 and 270. I want to take the action and build a nice rifle but cant bring myself to dismantle it since its rare.
I would recommend the McMillan ultra-lite Game Scout stock though with a factory magnum barrel profile or smaller and has a vertical grip . Or a Game Warden for thicker barrels. I have a Game Scout as well which is a Monte Carlo style. Both are nice. And under 30 oz. I'd stick with the Bob or maybe look at the 25 Creedmoor. The Shorter, fatter case with more room for heavy/longer bullets is where Id go. Unless your cool with a XM or LA. The Bob is more of a XM/muaser length action I believe.
All that said I love my 6xc and plan on building a hunting rifle in it.
 
My only experience with quarter bores is with a 257 Roberts that I had rechambered to 257 Roberts Ackley Improved 40*. When it was a straight 257 Roberts It shoot everything up to 100 grain great but groups with 120 grain opened up. Making it into an Ackley, with the extra velocity, has tightened those 120-grain groups. This is now my go-to whitetail rifle. Now if Speer would only cooperate and produce 120 gr SPBTs again.
 
I've got two 25 ack improved and a 257weatherby. I'll pick the AI's anytime. Ones on a Mexican Mauser with 23" barrel & the other is a Ruger #1 with 26" barrel. They think they are are 25/06's. As PO Ackley stated optimum powder capacity for most efficient load.
 
I'm considering a build on a custom action with lightweight components and am thinking of what caliber to choose. I have a .243, a few 6.5's, .270, 7mm, and 308. I do not have any .25's, and I think this is a good time to round out my collection. I hunt PA whitetail deer and have been known to walk a few miles scouting in season. I also rarely get shots beyond 300 yards. I'm thinking the 257 Roberts would be a great choice for me.

I would love to hear from all you quarter bore aficionados as to your favorite 25 caliber cartridge and why. Feel free to throw in a hunting story along the way. Looking forward to the campfire chat.
The best imo is a 25-06ai. Fast, flat, virtually no recoil. Only one hotter is the .257 Wby. Which is overkill most of the time. 100gr Barnes TTSX for deer/Antelope and Barnes 115gr TSX FB for anything heavier. I wouldn't use on Elk or Moose but many do and successfully.
 
I have 2 25/06's. I am looking at a new up grade to a Rem 700 LA, 25/280AI case, in a 7-1 twist or faster. The case is about a .1" longer than the other cases in that type of chambering to the shoulder. You can fireform the cases or get 280AI cases and size them down to .257 necks. Otherwise I wouldn't go any less than a 25/06AI chamber. The .257WBM is possible another way to go. The others are on the line of a slow boat to china. Needing powder to push the heavy bullets.
I hunted a great many year with a Rem 721 in 25/06, and have taken over 50 deer in that time, and out to 500yds.
If wanting to you can look in Pond Shops for a Rem 700 LA with serial number A,B, & C on them. Those are good actions Newer than that not so good. You are going to have to change barrels anyway. Reamer are probable more available at smiths, than others. Otherwise you will have to have a reamer built.
Depending on what level of reloading you due. You may want to reduce the neck chambering area for a closer fit. You can it on paper cheaper than starting out the gate without thinking about it and looking what can be done.
 
My favorite quarter bore is the 257 Roberts. Not so much for the ballistics(as I prefer the .264's for my LRH), but for the classy, light sporter rifles that were available in my younger years that performed superbly in this cartridge for mid range-medium game hunting.
 
Full disclosure: I have owned and hunted with 25-06, Ruger 77, for over thirty years. I know that "one shot" kills are based on circumstances other than just a caliber/cartridge combination. My personal experience has been, once again, based on shot placement and distance and hunting size appropriate game, the 25-06 is an antelope, mule deer, whitetail and anything smaller, absolute deadly combination. I know, someone will say that it is good on elk and I know that Bob Milek hunted elk almost exclusively with the 25-06 but personal opinion does count for something, particularly when I am pulling the trigger.
I would not be concerned with shooting the "heavies". I have used the Sierra GameKing 117/120 grain bullets ever since I realized that I couldn't shoot any smaller groups than those I shot with a load of 4831 and the Sierra bullet. From inside of a hundred to a measured 476 yards, I don't know how to measure any thing better than DRT.
Long actions may be a problem for some but I am completely happy carrying a long action rifle. Components abound for this cartridge and it will not disappoint you with any standard loading if you do your part.
As with everything posted on this site, I make no presumption of perfection, just my two cents of MY opinion.
 
If you were to ask me this 15 years ago I would have said the 7-08 but if I were to build a rifle today it would most definitely be a 6.5 PRC.
IMO it is the best choice out of all the quarter bores. Good velocity, hi BC bullets and not much recoil.
 
I will say 25-06 just because nothing has ever taken a step after being shot by mine plus ammo seems to be in every store.


One of my brother in law's friends built a fast twist 25-06 for the heavy, high bc bullets. I will say on paper, the numbers look real good! He has only shot it far one time, but it performed well.
 
25-06. You do not need a fast twist barrel for heavier than normal bullets. You say you will not be shooting over 300 yards. The 25-06 with 100 gr to 120's will kill any deer alive out 500 yards. Got my 1st on in 1966, gone thru 4 of them. Settled on 100's for everything many years ago. In my opinion, one of the finest deer, antelope and medium game cartridges ever. Low recoil, flat shooting and everyone I had would shoot under 3/4" for 5 shots at 100 yds. Longest kill on coyote was 620 long steps.
 
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