Heavier 257 AB; better BC

In past I know a lot of us have asked for a higher weight/BC AB in .257 diameter. Has anyone ever heard any more regarding this possibility?

I was playing with some twist calculators and it appears a bullet with a length of 1.3+" and a plastic tip should be stable in a 10 twist barrel. Seems like that would get a .257 AB in the 120, maybe 125 grain range... anyway would like to hear innanyone has gotten any updates or further info.

It's a shame we can't enhance our med to large case 25 s!!

It has always fallen on deaf ears here. Seams like
the 25 crowd is all on their own. To get up into the really high BC one would really want it would be more in the 135/140gr size. A 139gr ABLR would rock the 6.5 crowd. But you would no doubt need a
Faster twist. Only way to get there is to unscrew the
barrel and screw on a new barrel chambered in 6.5/06. Then you have all the cool bullets with super
High BC you can imagine. Sad but true. However out
to 400yds the 25/06 will do it all anyway. The 120gr Speers have held one the highest BC of any bullet and have a proven track record on deer sized game as an instant " light out" results for decade's now.

I've been asking for a lighter 7mm E-tip like 100gr or even 120gr for years. A lighter 6mm E-tip like 55gr and 70gr would be great too! Seems like the heavy .257 ABLR has a better chance than my wants...hang in there

Yes, I've been watching for a 0.257 Low Drag bullet for sometime.

Have always had it in the back of my mind that a target rifle w/
Long heavy barrel fast twist
Left handed single shot receiver
Chambered in the old (1915) 250 Savage
Would be quite a force at the range and very unique.

Here's some data I've kept ( G1BC/SD/Length )

Berger 115VDLHunt - 0.483/0.249/1.188
Speer 120SPBT - 0.480/0.260/1.140
Nosler 115BT - 0.453/0.249/1.205
Sierra 117GK - 0.410/0.253/1.116
Hornady 117BTSP - 0.391/0.253/1.138

I too think an 25 caliber AccuBond in the 125-135gr range would be great.
Would love to try it in my 250AI.

Not ABs but these are heavy and high bc :
https://hammerbullets.com/product/257-c ... er-hunter/
And
https://blackjackbullets.com/product-ca ... 6fd43adaa#

I ve seen both the Hammer and Blackjack but to shoot those requires a new gun. (Barrel) So anyone looking at that expenditure just pretty much defaults to a 6.5.

Those of us with 10 twist 25 s continue to be left high and dry!

Seems to me that one of the major bullet manufacturers could design a 10 twist compatible bullet that would enhance the long range potential of the 25 s another couple hundred yards and/or keep impact velocity and energy higher for better large game performance.

I harvested my mule deer at 560 yards this year with a 110 AB from my 257 Bee and it was a DRT situation. Now step up to Elk and you give up a lot of yards re... not because you can't hit them, but because of quickly dropping remaining energy.

Oh well, we might get a bullet one of these days! I do know that as I age I become more fond of 25, 6.5 and 7 calibers!!

RaySendero":3927qoiz said:

Yes, I've been watching for a 0.257 Low Drag bullet for sometime.

Have always had it in the back of my mind that a target rifle w/
Long heavy barrel fast twist
Left handed single shot receiver
Chambered in the old (1915) 250 Savage
Would be quite a force at the range and very unique.

Here's some data I've kept ( G1BC/SD/Length )

Berger 115VDLHunt - 0.483/0.249/1.188
Speer 120SPBT - 0.480/0.260/1.140
Nosler 115BT - 0.453/0.249/1.205
Sierra 117GK - 0.410/0.253/1.116
Hornady 117BTSP - 0.391/0.253/1.138

Click to expand...

Keep talkin' folks!! I haven't seen THE 250 referred to in a post this often in a long time. I gotta do some experimenting with the 110. Wish it was a BT though. CL

RL338":2rwl6lah said:

Not ABs but these are heavy and high bc :
https://hammerbullets.com/product/257-c ... er-hunter/
And
https://blackjackbullets.com/product-ca ... 6fd43adaa#

Click to expand...

I like that Blackjack Bullet!

Blkram":3dcg39xo said:

I too think an 25 caliber AccuBond in the 125-135gr range would be great.
Would love to try it in my 250AI.

Click to expand...

I agree. Unfortunately no factory rifle (to my knowledge) can ever stabilize these. Strictly a custom proposition.

Agree Fotis.
The 25, while I really like it, I believe is suffering due to the higher b.c. 224, 243 and 264 bullets. It’s kind of left in the lurch.

Fotis and Dwh7271,

Think we re all on the same page and I agree with both your comments.... there just seems to me to be a little room for bullet improvement and still use a 10 twist 25 but the bullet manufacturers probably know they won't sell near as many as if they work on 6, 6.5 and 7 bullets. Too dang bad because as I mentioned earlier the older I get the more I like smaller bullets and moderate size cases especially if good BC game bullets available for them.

Maybe as the Nosler folks age with us they ll come to the same conclusion !! lol

All we can do is keep asking and hoping.

I have been a .257 bullet slinger for quite a good number of years. The best long range bullet used to be the Speer 120gr BT. I guess the 115 Berger VLD would fly a little flatter these days but I have never tried any. I settled in on the 117 Sierra a long time ago and it does what I ask of it. I keep my shots on deer, which is the big game I hunt, to 500ish yards max with my 25-06. This is because of decrease in energy for longer ranges. If I will be hunting some place that longer shots than that will be expected I take my long barrel 264 win mag that pushes 130 Accubonds 3350 fps. I guess the .257 is not the latest greatest sexy thing these days like the .264 but the .257s can still put a smile on this old codgers face. LOL

I've got a tikka 695 continental heavier barrel 25-06 i bought new in the 90s and that was my baby for many years, shot anything i threw down the barrel 120 rem corelocs would cloverleaf. Ive recently pulled it out from the back of the safe(to steal the scope) and now thinking i should start shooting it again, just trying to decide what to load, may go with 115 partion. I'd really like to see the AB in that 120 125 range. Norma and Lapua dont even offer 25cal, dang metric system!

We all agree. If Nosler launched a 125 ABLR this will only cater to people who have a 1:9 or maybe a 1:8 twist custom tube on their rifles. So how many bullets would they sell in reality?

Fotis, your question hits the nail on the head ... how many?

Seems to me that Nosler and others believe the answer to be " not enough"..

I just wish an engineer / bullet design guy would tell us how much longer and how much heavier of a bullet could be designed THAT would WORK with the std 1-10 twist?? Then a fair determination could be estimated of sales volume. Seems a lot like the chicken or egg first on what bullet could they do for a 1-10 twt 25 caliber!

I keep hoping!!

frankm":1zjjfvf2 said:

I just wish an engineer / bullet design guy would tell us how much longer and how much heavier of a bullet could be designed THAT would WORK with the std 1-10 twist?? Then a fair determination could be estimated of sales volume. Seems a lot like the chicken or egg first on what bullet could they do for a 1-10 twt 25 caliber!

I keep hoping!!

Click to expand...

All you’re gonna get in a 1-10” twist quarterbore is about a .450 BC.... regardless of weight. It’s solely a bullet length vs. twist rate issue. Same thing with the .270.... I know, I know.... the .277 LRAB claims .500+.... but it doesn’t actually get there in a 1-10” twist.... it’s more like .465.

Sorry .25 guys.... you’re seeing the best there is, and ever gonna be, with the 115 Berger.

Rebarreling to a 1-8” .25 cal, just to shoot boutique high BC bullets makes absolutely no sense, when high BC (and game capable) bullets are readily available, and much cheaper, by stepping up to a 6.5mm or down to a 6mm.

So how does this rate of twist work then? In my 30 caliber guns with 1 in 10 twist I have bullets have a BC approaching .7, but in 25 cal 1 in 10 only .450 BC? Since a 25-06 shoots flatter to 400+ yards than almost all the new long range cartridges, would seem someone should offer a 1 in 8 twist and some longer bullets and have a winner for long and shorter ranges and using existing brass and such. Anyway 6.5-06 just doesn't sound right off the tongue and 6 -06 is a bit too overbore.

25 caliber in a 223 case looks cute too. Would be an efficient little cartridge.

Real 'Muricans shoot cartridges based on inches, right? Like my 275 Rigby.

As you go down in caliber... you have to increase the twist rate in order to compensate for bullet length.

.223s used to be 1-12”, and shot bullets in the .2-.3 BC range...... now, lots of folks are running 1-7” twist to shoot bullets with BCs of .400+.

The .243 used to be 1-10”, and .400-.425 was all you could stabilize.... my 6mm Creed is a 1-8”, and can handle bullets with BCs approaching .600.

The .260 was introduced with a 1-9” twist, but that couldn’t handle the .500+ BC bullets that are common in the 6.5mm realm.... most of them now are 1-8”, some even 1-7”.

The list goes on and on.

Bullets are getting longer, and twist rates are getting faster.... it’s just evolution. The .25 and .27 have been left in the dust... and I don’t expect them to catch up, as there’s WAY too many good options by simply going metric (6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm).

Songdog, great summary and solid facts. Basically what I was alluding to regarding guys doing 6 or 6.5 s when in market for new gun/cartridge. Why strap yourself to a 25 with slow ( by today's standards) twist rate and no bullets with high BC to support faster 25 cal twists if such was available.

Your point about the Berger being best 25 BC is definitely accurate. That said here's my two points that I still can't get my head around... probably never well. lol

1. It would seem a more solid bullet with a BC similar or slightly better than Berger 115 would sell; guys hunting with 25 s , not target shooters. I realize a mid to high 500 BC and up isn't gonna happen with only 10 twist availability; but

2. The twist calculators and bullet length tools seem to have a little room for a longer bullet that would still have stability in s 10 twist. I know it's not a 125 gr or heavier bullet but what about a 115-120 gr AB bullet with an improved BT that might get a real G1 BC of .500 (G7 of say .245 ish)?? Seems it might be possible at least per some of the calculators ( and my assumptions) but the market for it just might not be lucrative enough. Some of my assumptions for stability were that elevation would be 3500 feet, temps 50 degrees, etc. Might just be too close to the razors edge for the bullet makers to risk such a venture/financial risk.


Guess it doesn't hurt to wish.
Thx to all for thoughts and input.