Modern 250 Savage

[TedH]

Well, ballisticly anyway. I've been playing with a new AR that I put together in 25-45 Sharps, and I've been thoroughly impressed with it so far. It's nothing more than a 223 necked up to hold .257" bullets. Magazine length restrictions limit bullets to the 70 gr. to 100 gr for best performance. So far I have put together 3 different useful loads that are all 1 moa or better.
75 gr Sierra HP at nearly 3050 fps
80 gr Barnes TTSX at 3006 fps
87 gr Speer at 2950 fps

The Barnes and Speer will be capable deer getters out to 300 yards. While the 75 hr HP should halt any coyote abruptly.

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The 80 gr TTSX load pictured proved to be too hot,and I've throttled it back to 26.2 gr of A2200. The lesser load was fired in to a row of water jugs at 50 yards. Ideal bullet performance. It penatrated 3 jugs and was recovered inside the 4th.

Looking forward to this fall and some opportunities to try it out on game.

[GunnyMack]

Boy that's a cartridge everyone was talking about when it first came out. It's a potent round considering it's ' just a 223 case '.

Ya got yourself a good shooter and like you say it'll do fine on Bambi or ol Wiley Coyote.

[ollogger]

Thats some good shooting Ted! never have figured out why that cartridge isnt wildly pouplar?
have a 250 in a Ruger RSI & i can tell you the 75 gr. hp will flatten a coyote, where the 223 gets very weak
past 300 yards, my 243 in a 99 Savage with 58 gr. V max gets it done also



Brad

[3leggedturtle]

I wish I could find a reasonably oriced 25/45 upper. Thanks for posting ballistics. Ollogger have 18" lipseys 250 stainless Ruger bolt. Still jealous of your find.

[Ray]

Once upon a time I had a t/c custom shop 9" contender barrel in the similar .25 ugalde. Never understood why the custom shop tapered barrels came in the odd lengths of 9" & 12".

The only sharps barreled upper I could find in-stock......

https://www.opticsplanet.com/sharps-rif ... embly.html

They sure are proud of them......

[3leggedturtle]

Ray, they would make a barrel in any configuration that was safe. I ordered 3 barrels from them in '05 n '06, they were a pleasure to deal with. Wished I had ordered a dozen more barrels from them. Was your barrel d+t'ed for iron sights? It cost a whole $12.50 then..! Todd/3leg

[Ray]

Ray, they would make a barrel in any configuration that was safe. I ordered 3 barrels from them in '05 n '06, they were a pleasure to deal with. Wished I had ordered a dozen more barrels from them. Was your barrel d+t'ed for iron sights? It cost a whole $12.50 then..! Todd/3leg

Early to mid nineties. Fox Ridge Outfitters was the Rochester, NH mercantile for the nearby factory. They mailed out a monthly catalog. The tapered barrels were 9" and 12". The full-bull were 12" and 15". Certain configurations/chamberings were only available for t/c collectors association members.

I don't remember seeing any encore barrels offered in those days. Wikipedia says the encore was introduced in 1983 but this has to be incorrect. The semi-custom and very short lived TCR-83 that predates the encore was introduced in 1983 but the first encore frames (blued) serial #s 0001 to 0999 date to 1995.

Some old catalogs.....

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... g&_sacat=0

[TedH]

I wish I could find a reasonably oriced 25/45 upper.

They have barrels available by themselves. That's what I did. Just replaced the barrel on a seldom used 223 I had.

[JBowen]

Very nice Ted. What reloading dies did you use and do you have to special order them?

JBowen

[TedH]

Very nice Ted. What reloading dies did you use and do you have to special order them?

JBowen

Lee dies. In stock at Midway

[Sixgun]

Sure is different and a new one on me. I can see the advantage in hunting but with the advent of the long 80 grain .223 Sierra and Bergers I believe the other off the wall cartridges took a hit for the target shooters.

The 80 gr Sierras, seated waaay out and of course single loaded with a dose of H4895 that’s just below primer piercing in a stock 16” Colt M4 (except for the Geissele trigger) is a solid 1/2 moa out to 500 meters. I use once fired brass and trash it….

[Bronco]

I like your traveling partner Six !

[Bill in Oregon]

I, too, messed with Contenders in some of the TCU chamberings -- 6mm, 6.5 and 7mm -- but never the .25 for some reason. The Sharps must be a very useful tool indeed with that level of accuracy, especially with that Barnes bullet.

[Ray]

I, too, messed with Contenders in some of the TCU chamberings -- 6mm, 6.5 and 7mm -- but never the .25 for some reason. The Sharps must be a very useful tool indeed with that level of accuracy, especially with that Barnes bullet.

"80 gr Barnes TTSX at 3006 fps"

I would imagine this combination will simply snatch the soul out of any pronghorn/mulie/whitetail. We patiently await the hunt report !

[2ndovc]

Nice Shootin'!

I'd started reading about that cartridge and had to stop myself. I already have too many cartridges to reload for. My grandfather was a huge fan to the .250-3000 and .257 Roberts. I have his Model 70 in .250 and a custom Arisaka he'd made into a .257 Roberts, I can can easily see why. The accuracy of those two is just amazing. I've added another .257 to the group, a custom HB '03A3 that belonged to a friend's relative. He's still a kid and is just now finding his way out of the RBR world. Someday, he'll get the Roberts back, but i'm going to keep shooting tiny little groups with it.

Have fun with the new rifle!

jb

[Sixgun]

I like your traveling partner Six !

Thanks Bronco. But the Road Runner is a pal of a pal of Old Savages……the only people these birds are funny to are the ones who grew up with Wily E. Coyote and the industry he promoted, Acme. . ————00

[TedH]

Nice Shootin'!

I'd started reading about that cartridge and had to stop myself. I already have too many cartridges to reload for. My grandfather was a huge fan to the .250-3000 and .257 Roberts.

jb

There's always room for 1 more.

I'm a big fan of the Roberts too. A buddy had one of mine that I built on a 95 Mauser action, but unfortunately it was stolen while he had it in his garage. The lowlife was caught but the rifle was never recovered.

[2ndovc]

Nice Shootin'!

I'd started reading about that cartridge and had to stop myself. I already have too many cartridges to reload for. My grandfather was a huge fan to the .250-3000 and .257 Roberts.

jb

There's always room for 1 more.

I'm a big fan of the Roberts too. A buddy had one of mine that I built on a 95 Mauser action, but unfortunately it was stolen while he had it in his garage. The lowlife was caught but the rifle was never recovered.

Yeah, you have me reading up on it again. Looks like about all I would need is the dies and an upper. I've done pretty well scrounging .257 bullets. Just so happens there's a complete lower on my bench with nothin' to do.

jb

[piller]

Sounds like a reasonable carry rifle for places with 100 to 300 yard shooting distances.

[KeithNyst]

Neat project Ted. I have 3 250-3000s, from 1916, 1943 and 1978. The 1943 has a Griffin and Howe mount with a Unertl 6x on it. It will do 1- 1 1/2 all day with the right load. H4895 has worked very well; with the Speer 87 Grain Hot-Cor they run just a little over 3000fps.

test ... which is the 250-3000 and which is the 6.5 creedmoor:

[piller]

No experience with either one, but the one on the left has an older style taper at the shoulder. I am guessing it is Savage.

[4t5]

I always thought the 25-45 was a good round, always wanted it in a single shot or bolt gun, I 'm not big on auto loaders, I'm just too lazy to go chasing brass!
I would consider a Henry long ranger so chambered, or rechamber a ranger from 223 if it wasn't cost prohibitive.

[KeithNyst]

No experience with either one, but the one on the left has an older style taper at the shoulder. I am guessing it is Savage.

Piller, you are correct!

[6pt-sika]

I, too, messed with Contenders in some of the TCU chamberings -- 6mm, 6.5 and 7mm -- but never the .25 for some reason. The Sharps must be a very useful tool indeed with that level of accuracy, especially with that Barnes bullet.

I have a 6.5 TCU with a 10” now . It does okay with the Nosler 120 BT but I’ve yet to fire it at a deer . I had several friends years back that were big into IHMSA . Several of them used TCU cartridges .