Has anyone done any expansion testing with 25 cal bullets in the velocity range that these two cartridges operate at? If you have, do you have any pictures? I am going to buy either a 257 jdj or a 25-30-30 imp barrel for my G2 contender in a 22 or 24 inch length. I will mainly use this for target shooting and ground hogs but it will see occaisional use on whitetail. Thanks for any information.

I have done quite bit of testing in the velocity range you'll be operating at. One of the best bullets is the 100 grain Ballistic Tip, and it will work well for groundhogs, targets or deer. It expands well and penetrates more than sufficiently to get the job done.

From a 22-24" barrel, you'll be in the 2750 to 2850 fps range with those 2 calibers and 100 grain bullets. The 85 grain BT and the Hornady 87 grain SP will also do quite well but will be a bit fragile at closer ranges.

But back to the 100 grainers: If you can't get the 100 grain BT to shhot to your expectations, my second choice would be either the Sierra GameKing or Pro Hunter (both in 100 gain format).

I have quite a few recovered .25 caliber bullets and will try and post some photos in a few days.

Bobby,

Have you ever tried the Hornady 100 gr. SP Interlock bullet out? In my 257 Roberts I get about 2930 fps from this round. My limited experience, 3 deer, tells me that this bullet may be a little to hard for this velocity. I was thinking it may have been designed more for 25/06 velocity. My son is currently using my 257 for deer and I was planing on switching to a 100 grain Pro Hunter to see how it works out. Any thoughts on this?

Greg

Greg-

You are right: that bullet is a bit tougher than some of the other 100 grainers, though it does give excellent penetration. Slipped between ribs and into the lungs, it won't expand as quickly as some of the others. With a bit of bone to impact, though, it works very well.

The Sierra PH is a tad bit softer and will work perfectly at that velocity, and it will open adequately even with a ribcage lung shot..

Bobby provided me with a load for my 14 inch 257JDJ barrel, using the Nosler 85 gr BT. I shot a button buck in the neck at 25 yds on Dec 13. WOW. I'm still can't believe the damage it did. BANG FLOP. I know its not the same as hitting vitals but the damage was inpressive.

Bobby,
I will have to send you some pics of the damage.

Congrats on getting the buck! That should make some fine eating this winter.

Please do send some photos. I'd love to see 'em. You can send them via PM or e-mail btomekATgvec.net. Or, better yet, post them here.

Below are some .25 caliber kills from a few years ago. The whitetail buck was taken with a .250 Savage (15" XP-100) using the 87 grain Hornady at a bit over 2900 fps. The range on the quartering buck was 140 yards. The bullet broke the onside shoulder, wrecked the lungs and wound up against the hide mid-ribs and still weighed 72 grains -- and was a perfect mushroom. The doe was taken at 90 yards with the same load and a slight quartering shot as well. The bullet was not recovered but appeared to have penetrated at least 20 inches.

The aoudad was taken at 190 yards with a 14" Contender in .257 JDJ and the 100 grain BT at 2650 fps. The bullet, which gave complete peentration, went through both shoulder blades, damaged the lungs and put the ram down in his tracks.

The blackbuck was one of my longer handgun shots on big game. Using the XP in .250 Savage, I took him with the 85 grain BT at a shade over 2900 fps MV. The buck was moving, there was a stiff crosswind -- and the bullet impacted about 3-4 inches farther back than I would have liked. It was not a shot I would have preferred, but we had hunted hard for a couple days and got no cooperation from these skittish animals. So I figured it was shoot now or get shot by the guide...

Even though the impact was not perfect, the 85 grain BT did a ton of damage and put the buck down in 10 or so yards. I did add a coup de grace to the neck to expedite the inevitable, but the damage created by that first shot was pretty incredible.