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Looking at building a 25 creedmoor

YotaEer

Montani Semper Liberi
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Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 3, 2019
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Pittsburgh
Contemplating a 25 creedmoor as my next build. Likely an origin barreled action from PVA or crown ridge barrel works. Could also do another tikka as I have all the spare parts from my other tikkas.

Seems to be a great mid point of power, velocity, recoil and BC.

I also have plenty of creedmoor brass, large or small primers and h4350.

My only concern is the lack of high BC bullet selection with blackjack being MIA. Looks like PVA sells some, but who knows how “in stock” those actually are. Only other option seems to be the bergers.

Anyone have some insight on finding good bullets for this caliber outside the blackjack, PVA or Berger? Is that it?
 
Contemplating a 25 creedmoor as my next build. Likely an origin barreled action from PVA or crown ridge barrel works. Could also do another tikka as I have all the spare parts from my other tikkas.

Seems to be a great mid point of power, velocity, recoil and BC.

I also have plenty of creedmoor brass, large or small primers and h4350.

My only concern is the lack of high BC bullet selection with blackjack being MIA. Looks like PVA sells some, but who knows how “in stock” those actually are. Only other option seems to be the bergers.

Anyone have some insight on finding good bullets for this caliber outside the blackjack, PVA or Berger? Is that it?
Man if you had or were going with a terminus zeu I got a 25 creed barrel 0 rounds, threaded, cerakoted, and 50 rounds of loaded Blackjack Ace rounds.
 
Contemplating a 25 creedmoor as my next build. Likely an origin barreled action from PVA or crown ridge barrel works. Could also do another tikka as I have all the spare parts from my other tikkas.

Seems to be a great mid point of power, velocity, recoil and BC.

I also have plenty of creedmoor brass, large or small primers and h4350.

My only concern is the lack of high BC bullet selection with blackjack being MIA. Looks like PVA sells some, but who knows how “in stock” those actually are. Only other option seems to be the bergers.

Anyone have some insight on finding good bullets for this caliber outside the blackjack, PVA or Berger? Is that it?
That’s pretty much it. You can find other bullets in the 110-115gr class but they aren’t really worth building a 25CM for. The 25 is supposed to take advantage of 130ish class bullets.
 
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That’s pretty much it. You can find other bullets in the 110-115gr class but they aren’t really worth building a 25CM for. The 25 is supposed to take advantage of 130ish class bullets.

That’s what it seems like.

Maybe juice isn’t worth the squeeze until there’s more bullets for it. Like a 130ish ELD in 25.

Might as well just work up some 130 ELD loads for my 6.5 instead lol
 
I mean the BC is massively different lol but it would depend. I shoot a 25 for a match gun but I’ve also got about 5 other calibers I can shoot if I can’t find bullets for my 25 anymore. It’s something I’d recommend as an experimental fun match gun.
 
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While I like mine, and it's very accurate, im not sure its worth it now that the 131’s are gone. The 135 berger is a great bullet, Just doesn't have the speed, and lacks some BC from the 131. If you want to be different, do it. Dont do it for any crazy performance advantage.
 
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While I like mine, and it's very accurate, im not sure its worth it now that the 131’s are gone. The 135 berger is a great bullet, Just doesn't have the speed, and lacks some BC from the 131. If you want to be different, do it. Dont do it for any crazy performance advantage.

This pretty much confirms my thoughts. Not doing it just to be different, more so for performance upgrade in a short action, mild recoiling cartridge.

I don’t shoot competition. Just lots of long range varmint and white tail hunting in Appalachian hillside crop fields with switching winds. 25 CM seemed to check a lot of boxes but the lack of bullet selection is the killer.
 
This pretty much confirms my thoughts. Not doing it just to be different, more so for performance upgrade in a short action, mild recoiling cartridge.

I don’t shoot competition. Just lots of long range varmint and white tail hunting in Appalachian hillside crop fields with switching winds. 25 CM seemed to check a lot of boxes but the lack of bullet selection is the killer.
Yea especially if it’s not for matches you’d probably be better off with a 6.5 or heavy 6mm
 
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I'm your classic sucker for new, neat, or never before done cartridges, but these days it's just too much trouble. It takes so long to gather up equipment and components now that it's just soured the taste for me. Here's to better times lol
 
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As a lover of the 25 Creedmoor and 135 Berger, as others have said, if you're not competing, it's really not worth it. I built mine for a specific purpose and it's been fantastic. I also was doing the build when Blackjack was still a thing. I should have bought 131s while they were available, but all the Facebook chatter at the time pointed to Blackjack always having bullets or would shortly in the future. At this point, I chalk them up to another Covid casualty; I hope I'm wrong.
A rifle I never planned to use in matches I'd want all the bullets available in that specific caliber I could find, mostly because I like to experiment. I'd go with a 6.5 Creed, 260, or x47. Even in the worst of Covid times there was some type of 6.5 bullet available. The other caliber I've just fell in love with is my 223AI. It's such a fun caliber that will compete with the 6mms with the right load and bullet, with virtually free brass. Free brass, less powder, no trimming, nice and accurate, super low recoil. I did some experimentation with the 88eld yesterday with mine and was able to get them to 2,880 with very nice ES and a nice group. I need to experiment more, but thus far, it's a winner with the 88s. 80 gr. elds absolutely hammer and I'm setting at 2950 with them. Run the numbers against any of the popular calibers and you might be surprised. I think I might try playing with some 85.5 Bergers in it and actually shoot it in a match.
 
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I too wanted to run a 25 Creedmoor after shooting out my 6.5 Creedmoor. However, after doing the math, 6CM is a smidge more expensive than 6.5CM whereas 25 is significantly more than both. I’m going 6CM.
 
I too wanted to run a 25 Creedmoor after shooting out my 6.5 Creedmoor. However, after doing the math, 6CM is a smidge more expensive than 6.5CM whereas 25 is significantly more than both. I’m going 6CM.
I'd steer you away from 6 Creed. Had one that gave up the ghost in 800 rounds of competition use. I will say 25 Creed doesn't really pencil out to any more expensive and arguably cheaper than a 6.5. Berger prices for 6.5 bullets are stupidly inflated right now, same with Sierra. I don't shoot Hornady's for anything I take very seriously, unless it's an A-tip.
 
I'd steer you away from 6 Creed. Had one that gave up the ghost in 800 rounds of competition use. I will say 25 Creed doesn't really pencil out to any more expensive and arguably cheaper than a 6.5. Berger prices for 6.5 bullets are stupidly inflated right now, same with Sierra. I don't shoot Hornady's for anything I take very seriously, unless it's an A-tip.
The 25CM price was driven by the additional cost of the barrel vs. a proof prefit.
 
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That’s what it seems like.

Maybe juice isn’t worth the squeeze until there’s more bullets for it. Like a 130ish ELD in 25.

Might as well just work up some 130 ELD loads for my 6.5 instead lol
I might be wrong but I doubt hornady will ever make a 25 cal ELD.
 
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The 133/135 Berger’s are plentiful. The Hornady are coming, but probably won’t see them until next year after SHOT.

The Sierra/Blackjack ship has sailed. A lot of people out a lot of money from that whole ordeal.
 
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The .25 Creedmoor was/is a neat idea, but lack of support through proper projectiles always made it an uncompelling option for me. I know I got piled on in the past for saying such things.

Good to see that Berger is making quality .25 bullets, but I don't see any reason to pick a .25 Creedmoor over say a 6.5CM or 6mm cartridge.
 
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The .25 Creedmoor was/is a neat idea, but lack of support through proper projectiles always made it an uncompelling option for me. I know I got piled on in the past for saying such things.

Good to see that Berger is making quality .25 bullets, but I don't see any reason to pick a .25 Creedmoor over say a 6.5CM or 6mm cartridge.
Agreed. The BJ bullet with its high BC made sense from a pure performance perspective. Now that the available bullets are within a few grains weight and few .010’s of BC of 6.5 bullets, its essentially equal to the 6.5. I have a few thousand BJ and berger bullets. I’ll shoot out the barrels I have and return to the 6.5.