September 24th 2023Sunday gunday: 25 BR Benchrest Rig – The.25 Caliber OptionThey claim that a man cannot have too much time or money. Darrell Jones would say that a man cannot have too many BR rifles. Darrell owned a fleet of BRs in 22 BRs, 6mm BRs, 6.5 BRs, 7 BRs and 30 BRs. He was intrigued by a rifle of the.257 calibre. Could it shoot as well a 6mm BR? Could it compete with the more popular calibers at the highly competitive 600 yard benchrest game? Darrell Jones created a 25 BR that proves its viability as a competition round through careful research and component choice. Darrell’s 25 BR, “Peppermint”, won its first match by pushing 115gr high BC Berger bullets.After several weeks of deliberation, I decided to build a.257 BR. I had already ruled out a.257 AKLEY IMPROVED. My dilemma was that I was unsure of the accuracy potential of the.25 BR. I also wanted to compete in F-Class competitions at 600 yards. I have several BRs in 22 BR as well as 6BR, 6.5 BR 7 BR 30 BR. They all shoot extremely well at 600 yards. This led me to believe that a 25 BR would deliver excellent accuracy, just as its other BR siblings. Why would a 25 BR not shoot accurately if I built it using the right components? The feasibility saga started. I began my search for custom bullets in 25-caliber. There aren’t many 25-caliber bullet makers. I found only two custom bulletsmiths that produce 25s. I looked at Fowlers, then at Bergers. When I was looking, I found that both Jeff Fowler’s and Berger’s 110-grain flat base bullets were available. [Editor – this 110gr Berger bullet is no longer available]. The Berger 110gr FB Bullets (.414 Ballistic Coefficient) fired very well from my 12-twist Ackley 25-06 Ackley. I wanted to shoot heavier bullets if possible. Berger makes a boat-tail 25-caliber VLD bullet with a high-ballistic coefficient. This requires a 10-twist-barrel.Panda Actions, McMillan stocks, Weaver t-36
As you can see I chose a Panda polished action with a McMillan BR weighted stock painted metallic silver and red candy cane stripes, hence the name “Peppermint”. This gun can now be used as a 25 BR switch barrel and a 6 PPC switch. When I want to use the gun for 6 PPC at short range, I just screw on the PPC barra, then swap out a bolt from another Panda action that fits the PPC bolt faces. This is one of the benefits of custom Kelbly action! Do not even consider exchanging bolts with factory guns. The optical system is handled by Kelbly rings, a Weaver T-36 scope with fixed-power, and a Jewell Trigger set at 1 ounce. I spent some time on the internet looking for rental reamers with suitable throat dimensions. Elk Ridge Reamer Rentals offered a 25 BR Pilot Reamer. Elk Ridge sent me a reamer drawing that was designed to SAMMI specifications. I asked how often the reamer was used and was told, “not very often”.I wanted a minimum no turn neck optimized for Lapua Brass. The drawing indicated that the neck would be.281? The drawing indicated that the reamer would cut a.281? This was close to perfect, but I had to remove two thousandths from the necks of Lapua brass 6BR after I necked them up. I resized the brass using a.277? bushing. The loaded rounds were.279?. After realizing that I was within the ballpark, I decided to use the Elk Ridge Reamer to build a 25BR that could fire 110gr or even 115gr bullets. The question was now where to find a match-grade barrel for 25-caliber. I called several custom barrel-makers including BlackStar Barrels (no longer in business) in Texas. I had great success with the BlackStar on my 6BR “Chantilly”. It delivered great accuracy and impressive velocity. Since the 25 BR and BlackStar barrels were so similar, I chose another BlackStar. I ordered a straight-contour tube with a 1.250? diameter, 10-twist, and 6-grooves. After chambering, it finished at 1.245? After chambering, the barrel finished at 1.245? With a crown of 11? crown. I had the throat enlarged to accept both Berger 115gr and 110gr bullets. When seated.010″ into the lands, the bases of the FB-110-grainers are flush with the neck/shoulder junction. When seated.010? into the land, the bases of the FB 110-grainers sit flush with neck-shoulder junction. The bottom of the bearing surface is the same for the longer 115gr vlds. The start of the boat-tail is almost at the same level as the neck-shoulder intersection.
The barrel broke easily after 10 shots using the “shoot once and clean” method. The load that I started with was a Varget load of 31.5 grains with CCI primers 450. Both Berger 110s & Berger 115s had a similar Point of Impact (POI), at 100 yards. The 115s, however, impacted two inches higher with the same load at 600 yards. This shows the benefits of having a higher BC. The 115-grainers ran at 2837 FPS when pushed by the CCIs and 31.5 grain Varget. Peppermint Wins 600 YardsPeppermint won her first competition at 600 yards. I shot the Berger 115s with 31.5 grains Varget. She won the match with a perfect 200 score with 14 Xs, shooting the Berger 115s at 31.5 grains Varget. My club uses a SR3 Target. The X-Ring is 3? The 10-Ring is 7? in diameter, while the X-Ring measures 3? There were many very good shooters at the match with top-flight rifles in accurate calibres such as 6.5-284 or 22 Dasher. I was lucky to win, but I credit Peppermint for her excellent bench manners and accuracy. It takes a very good gun to come out “on top” at her first match. This cartridge is perfect for Egg Shoots, 500m varmint matches, and the 600-yard F-Class game. This is a cartridge that will work well for Egg Shoots, 500m varmint games, and the 600 yard F-Class game. 27? 27.5? 27.5? 28? 24? Velocity: 3100 fps, 2880 fps, 2837 fps, 2851 fps, 2719 fps, 2970 fps Comparing BR-based VariantsNow that i have several calibers from the BR cartridges family (22 BR, 6mm BR, 6.5 BR, 7 BR, and a BR 30 ), i am of the humble opinion that each has its own place The 22 BR is a varmint-hunter’s dream. It can shoot a bullet more accurately and faster than the 22250. The 22 BR, with its 8-Twist barrel can shoot an 80gr SMK at 600 yards with extreme precision. The 6 BR is capable of it all. The 6mm caliber is a versatile caliber that offers a variety of bullets for every shooting situation. All major barrel makers offer 6mm barrels with a wide range of twists. Since the 6 BR cartridge has been so popular, a lot of information is available about reloading. It is easy to find a loaded that will shoot well in any bullet weight. The 25 BR has proven to be easy to tune, proficient and not fickle. Load development can be done with ease to achieve extreme accuracy. The 115gr Berger is a high-BC projectile that can be used in this caliber. This makes the 25 BR a viable option to the 6 BR. As I have shown, it can compete with a 6 BR head-to-head. There are few light bullet options available, particularly from custom makers. The 123gr Lapua Scenar has a stated BC of.547, but may be a little heavy for the case. The 7 BR was specifically designed for silhouette shooting and excels in that role. The 7 BR can shoot a 130 grain round at 500 meters with a high degree of consistency. The 30 BR is also outstanding. The 30 BR cartridge is now the most popular cartridge for benchrest score-shooting. It is also very accurate for 200-yard group shooting and capable of winning a 600 yard F-Class match. I like the fact that the barrel life is over 6,000 rounds. If I could only keep one BR in my safety deposit box, I would choose the 8-Twist 6 BR “Chantilly”. I’d be happy. Last but not least, if a cartridge has BR stamped on the case it will shoot very accurately if you are able to.
Tags: 25BR, 6BR, 6mmbr, Benchrest, Darrell Jones, Gunsmithing, Marksmanship, McMillan, Peppermint, Reloading, Stolle Panda, Switch-Barrel
