Re: Best Quarter Bore
The biggest problem you have with the .25 cals is no one but Pac-nor was building any barrels tighter than a 1-10" twist. "Because that's the way we've always done it....."
Berger made a .25 cal bullet to maximize performance from a 1-10" twist, and that is the 115 VLD that you see them still making.
Another company started building bullets as heavy as 142 gr. in .25 cal, but only Pac-Nor was building the barrels. So, if you didn't change your barrel you couldn't shoot them. The manufacturer sold off his company, Wildcat Bullets, and as of yet no one has even come close to building what he did.
As it was, the 6.5's started with a tight enough twisted barrel and when they came to the U.S. it was no big deal to see 156 and 160 gr. 6.5mm bullets. The Berger 140 and Sierra 142 SMK are simply a product of the longest VLD type bullet they could get to stabilize in a standard 1-8.4" (or .6") twist of the time. This twist rate remained in place for U.S. makers and maximizes the potential of the 6.5mm bullets. So, until barrel makers start twisting the .25 cal barrels in 1-8" or 1-9", you won't see ballistics of the .25's comparable to the 6.5's.
But, for just plain fun shooting, I still like my .257 Roberts. And, my .25 WSSM is a step up from that. My .257 Wby was really the schniza as it could propel good bullets 400 fps faster.
Answer to your question: Any of the upper powered .25 cals will produce enough energy to kill antelope and deer at 600 yds. That is with a 120gr. Nosler partition, a 110 Accubond, or a 100 gr. Part./BT. They are iffy to go that far on moose or elk. I've killed an elk with my .257 Roberts at a little over 200 yards with a 100 gr. Sierra gameking. Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement.
