A honest review of the .25 calibre in sub 12 standard

[zini 1,939]

Hi all,

 

A bloke on here sent me a PM asking me for a honest review and my thoughts of a sub 12 foot pound .25 calibre as he was thinking about getting a BSA Scorpion converted.

 

I will post what i told him on here for others to read too as i think its a very true and honest reply and may be of interest to some.

 

Hi there buddy,

 

I always tell it how it is and don’t make things up pal so here goes.

 

The .25 calibre is definitely the king of stopping power calibres when put up against a .177 and .22.

 

The internal damage that is causes is massive and the pellet deforms very well transferring the full amount of kinetic knock down energy to the target.

 

What this allows is to give you a pellet that usually stops the quarry dead in its tracks. It also usually drops the quarry if you miss the kill zone by honest mistake and get a neck of body shot.

 

A .177 in this case would definitely drill straight through the quarries body and it would die down a hole or out of sight in a uncouth manner.

 

I have to say that Phil’s custom rifles are very accurate and of high quality too, and if I was going to think about trying a .25 calibre conversion I would get in touch with him first and see what he as to offer you mate. He will look after you.

 

In my review I found that the .25 doesn’t suffer many problems with the wind and that aiming off for windage was only needed in stronger winds.

 

What it does suffer though is elevation drops due to the larger and denser pellet flying at a mere 513 fps, which is a relatively low speed compared to a .22 at 575 fps and a .177 flying at 791 fps.

 

For this you really do need to know the rifles parabolic trajectory and if possible also use a laser range finder (LRF) to laze each shot. If you do this then you will have no problems killing humanely to your max range in the day time.

 

Longer shots can be a problem though if you like to use high magnification in the day time like I do, as you don’t get many mildots left on your scopes reticle when making shots past 40 metres if the rifles zeroed correctly at 20 metres which gives you the best point blank range (PBR) for your 1 inch zill zone.

 

Even on a low x3 mag which is what I used on the review through my scope camera and at 40 metres I was still giving the holdover 1 ½ mildots. At 50 metres I needed to apply 2 ¾, so you can imagine if I was using a x8 mag at 50 metres I would have been off the mildots reticle completely and would have had to aim on the bottom thick post of the reticle on the target to get a hit on the exploding target.

 

Night time is definitely not an option for a .25 calibre as range finding in the dark is really hard and a LRF does not work at night as you cant see what you re trying to laze without mucking about with lamps and the moon etc which I have done in the past but don’t like doing it as it takes time and sometimes the quarry is off before you get to make the precise shot.

 

Saying that though if you are going to be ratting and you know your exact range (say in a barn that is 20 metres long) and you are static hunting using NV or a low red filtered lamp then the .25 calibre would be my choice of calibres before any other as i think it would make for a brilliant rat stopper and be a ideal tool for a pest controller in these circumstances.

 

In summary mate it’s a brilliant calibre if used correctly and matched with the right shooting scenario.

 

It’s not a calibre that I would swap my .177’s and .22 for completely as they have a role too, but its definitely a calibre that I would add to my armoury and use for short to medium range hunting on rabbits, pigeons and rats.

 

Hope this helps

 

Si.

Edited September 12, 2011 by zini

[Baghdadnights 150]

Just to add to this Si

Phil is currently converting one of my stealths to .25 calibre for me to use on the squirrels as I will be at optimal range of 20 mtrs. You've just confirmed this will be the perfect tool for the job

Atb

Kev

[pianoman 3,584]

Good read that Si and very interesting.

 

From your post it's not perhaps best as a long range hunting round or a lamping round where a far greater trajectory curve and "bullet-drop" effect might cause accuracy problems

 

But, it's a killer on vermin at around the 25-metre mark and it's not too upset flying in moderate winds.

 

Any view on using it in a spring rifle?

 

I imagine a Weihrauch HW80K Karbine in .25 would be a really devastating rat and ferral pidgeon killer at medium ranges.

 

Perhaps putting it on FAC would be the way to bring it on a par with .22 performance?

 

Great stuff mate!

 

Simon

[zini 1,939]

Hi Kev,

 

Yes it would be an ideal squizzer tool mate at them ranges, probably the best calibre for the job really in my opinion mate.

 

A Stealth rifle in .25 calibre would also be really devastating on vermin.

 

Hi Simon,

 

Yes your correct in your comments there buddy. A FAC powered .25 rifle would really flatten out the trajectory of the .25 and make it as flat as a .22 or maybe even a .20 power depending.

 

I’ve tried an 18 foot pound .25 calibre HW80 at Addis house (A and M) and it was lovely to shoot mate. Very accurate.

 

Si.

[andyfr1968 772]

Simon and me were talking the other day about the possibility of fitting a .25 barrel to his FAC but I didn't think one was available for it.

 

Do you know who supplies the barrels, Si? Anchutz, Walther or HW's own...?

 

Cheers.

[Phil8282 8]

When making .25 FAC, I have seen one shooting at 48ft/lbs, shooting 31 grain Barracudas with a flatter trajectory than a .177 at 12FPE. With a residual energy of 18FPE at 100yards. In a word, devastating.

 

 

I'm glad you like it Si, and thank you for the honest review, hopefully we can break some of the "myths" that surround the bigger bore and show people what i0'ts really capable of!

 

Kev, your Stealth is one of the first on my list, and a very interesting project it will be too! I've got a few mods planned for her, a little bit experimental, but I'm confident they will work like a dream!

 

Phil

[Baghdadnights 150]

I'm sure whatever you do Phil it will perfect I'll leave it in your capable hands can't wait to see the finished result. We've got a couple of months before I'm back at the wood shoot for the squirrels so theres plenty of time.

Si if you want to have a play went she's done your more than welcome.

Atb

Kev

[Phil8282 8]

Kev if you come to the MGF on Saturday we can have a chat about it then, hopefully you can make it over!

 

Phil

[pianoman 3,584]

Hi Andy.

A .25 HW Barrel via Hull Cartridge might get the job done Andy. Might be a bit of a wait though. It's not exactly common is it!

[zini 1,939]

Hi Phil,

 

Not a problem mate at all, credit due where credit deserved and you have done a awesome job of that .25 Ultra .

 

Your highly reccomended by myself and i wouldnt have to think twice about getting my rifles looked at by you.

 

Thanks Kev for the offer, It may have to make a showing on DVD number 6 .

 

Hi Simon and Andy, Im not sure about the barrel but i know Addie may know as it was him who had one.

 

Si

[Elliott 436]

When making .25 FAC, I have seen one shooting at 48ft/lbs, shooting 31 grain Barracudas with a flatter trajectory than a .177 at 12FPE. With a residual energy of 18FPE at 100yards. In a word, devastating.

 

Wow, would love to see that - tell us more!

[sibaldib 6]

Very fair comments Si, with good pro's and cons.

 

Sib

[zini 1,939]

Richard bud

[zini 1,939]

 

I'm glad you like it Si, and thank you for the honest review, hopefully we can break some of the "myths" that surround the bigger bore and show people what i0'ts really capable of!

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil,

 

Yes agreed pal there is definitely a rumour that has been around now for many years (I believed it too) that a .25 should only be used as a FAC calibre due the pronounced trajectory profile.

 

After testing your Ultra on paper, on exploding target at up to 50 lased metres and extensively on live vermin once I felt I was up to the task I can say that that rumour is a lie.

 

The .25 is deadly accurate and as long as you do your range work first and learn your hold over / under points in conjunction with a LRF the .25 will dispatch easily out to max range in the day time.

 

Energy retention is also very good and even at yards (greater than max range for sensible hunting) the 20 grain pellet still had 5 foot pounds of energy retained.

 

This on its own would kill any of the legal UK quarry if placed in the kill zone correctly.

 

A .177 had 4.5 and a .22 was best with 6 foot pounds retained energy at yards according to CGP.

 

After watching it shoot at plastic bottles, tin cans and phone books I can say that the damage the pellet causes far out does the .177 or the .22 as it doesn’t penetrate far so imparts full kinetic energy in to the target, flattens out quickly within the target / vermin causing major internal damage.

 

What I would say though is that a FAC .25 at a high foot pound rating would be the most deadly vermin tool a air rifle hunter could use.

 

ATB

 

Si.

Edited September 13, 2011 by zini

[Big bald beautiful 1,231]

If you find an ammo the gun likes thats 99% of the job done, they are very pellet fussy and get to find a good .25 pellet compared to any standard .22 or .177