25 Souper & 25 TCU

[davemhughes]

I am Looking to glean some knowledge from some of you that may know something about these wildcats. I am considering trying to get a barrel for made for each. Ultimately I might, if it works out get them made into an AR platform. But a barrel made for each would give me a good test bed platform to work with.

Any input would be much appreciated.

[Eric in NC]

Never played with the 25 TCU but have worked a good bit with the 6mm and 7mm TCU - pistols and rifles. I like the 7mm a LOT more than the 6 mm for my use (plinking, targets, varmints, deer on occasion). The 6mm (and I bet the 25) is more suited to varmints and targets.

Easy cartridges to work with as long as you take care setting your dies and seating bullets - very accurate, good performance for the size, etc. etc.

You should look at a 25 BR if you are hot on the 257 bore. I would go with a 6.5mm instead if I was doing it but that is just me.

[davemhughes]

Thanks so much for the info. I like the 257 but want something to use on predators. The 25-06 I have in a savage and marlin is devastating on coyotes. But looking as something in a short action to maybe work into an AR platform eventually. Most of coyotes are taken under 300m 95% of the time. I thought about a 6x45 as I have a 243 wssm but nothing but finicky to reload for. The 257 in a 25 souper or even a 25 TCU I thought would be a good coyote killer with bang flop results.

[Eric in NC]

I don't think "bang flop" when I think of the TCU rounds. They have some power but...

[375Win]

I've been running a 25-204 for about 5 yrs now and am really impressed with it. It pretty much matches factory ballistics of the 250 Savage. 100gr NPT's at 2800 fps, 80gr NBT's at 3000 fps and 75gr HP's at 3150 fps. It is a little long for an AR but a 25 TCU should come very close to my 25-204. The 25-205 is a great deer and coyote gun but not fur friendly.

I also shot a 6x45 and a 6mm-204 which are great coyote rigs.

375win

[davemhughes]

The 25 Souper is really the round I am interested in as far as working into an AR platform. The necked down 7mm-08 or a necked up 234win, depending on how you look at it I think would be a great AR coyote rig. The more I read on the 25TCU makes me think there is more than just a small reason it never made its way into the AR platform world. Now I do think the 6x45 is a god predator round well suited for the AR platform but I want a 25. Been having lots of trouble finding a good smith willing to make it for me. I just need an AR barrel made and I will do the rest. It seems they really don't want to push out of their comfort zone more than anything from what several have said. From what I have been reading it produces 250Ai performance which would be more than enough on yotes.

I have a 243wssm in an AR and its devastating on coyotes but it is the most user unfriendly round I have ever worked with as far as in an AR platform. If I can not get a 25 Souper made for me I might just have to keep working with the 243wssm I have till I get it down smooth.

[phantom]

The 25 Souper is a fine cartridge . . I own one, it is the .308 necked to 25 ! About 8 years ago I wanted to build a 25-06AI - I had shot the barrel off an old 25-06 and always wondered if the AI was any better - not really as far as I can see ! Some may argue with that but that is their opinion . . :-\ Anyway after messing with the AI for about 6 months I was just not satisfied with it's ability, and accuracy. Took it over to the Gunny one night and pulled the barrel . . was going to trash it because I thought the straight wall of the AI would compromise the integrity of the barrel if I tried to put anything else in it. He said - Hold on, lets see what we have here, we done some measuring and we had just enough to get the 25 Souper Reamer to do the job. I figured it was a waste of time and amused him with going ahead and re-chambering and threading it on. He had a set of dies and I took them home and sized and loaded some cases. I wanted it to shoot 100 gr. bullets, but it just would not do it, so I went down to the 87 gr. and shot a laddered set of rounds through it, about the 4th one of the set it settled down and made one hole at 100 yards. Mind you I had already put over 200 rounds through the barrel so it was not a new barrel anymore.

The 1610 Sierra 87 gr. bullet and 45 gr. of 4350 is the load for this rifle, it will shoot them into one hole at 3307 fps. I have shot several deer with it and a couple of coyotes, I have yet to recover a bullet, even out to 200+ yards on deer. The coyotes I have shot with it, I found it was not all that fur friendly - but I use the gun mainly for deer hunting, it is as good as the old 25-06 at that, it is a one shot one kill caliber. It shoots good enough that I have taken the head off a Turkey at 98 yards, in OK we can shoot them with a rifle during the late season, it was not off hand mind you.

A friend of mine bought one of the Olympic Arms 25 WSSM uppers for the AR platform, we have yet to shoot it because of the constraints of time. It is something that we are going to do pretty soon though, as soon as the heat gets down under 100+ here. If you get the barrel you will need a new bolt face for the .473 Dia. case head, you may contact Olympic Arms and see if they will do the upper for you, just a suggestion.

It is a fine flat shooting cartridge, and out to 300 yards it is a great caliber with the 87 gr. bullet . . Good luck with it. . .