HW80 .25 Caliber Impressed

[slowcoach]

I had a play out of the box and it was a bit 'boingy' so stripped and properly lubed the mechanism. Now fires with a smooth clunk and running an extreme spread of 5 FPS over a 10 shot string so very consistant and smooth in so little time.
Running at the high end of power so will need watching as things bed in completely and run in especially with the Bisley 24grain slugs.

At 30 yards it is slower moving when compared to .177 and .22 but there is a lot more of it when compared to my normal .177 bis mag and .22 accupel when it does arrive.

If nothing else it makes the target holes easier to see on paper

[slowcoach]

Quick update after field trial. Not a lot to say really, no over penetration or shoot throughs but massive shock and trauma at point of impact. 20grain H&N FTT's have mushroomed to large flats where obstruction was firm.
Needless to say no runners or twitchers.
Shots taken at measured 24, 29 and 32 yards.

Better/ worse than other cals????? Nahh, gotta try them all!

[brian747]

Hi Slowcoach, you are right about trying all the calibres
i shoot them all but .25 is great fun, i have now got x3 , a bsa lightning .25 @11-00fpe
a hatsan stryker 1000s .25 @11.5fpe and a fac rapid .25@48fpe, the stryker is the latest buy and for £120-00 new its a bargain, and shoots well, i had it out lastt night
and shot my 1st bunny with it at 25 yds , the impact noise was dull a thud but no twitching just very dead , its a very underated calibre.
atb brian

[Martin(rockape)]

i think you will find most gunsmiths charge an extra £50 for the 25cal as when i bought mine last march from sandwell fieldsports i was told oh 25 cal is extra £50 but arrived in 5 weeks and love it

Risky, is your rifle SFS tuned?

Martin

[edbear2]

Another vote for this calibre at legal (sub 12) power......mine is a N.O.S. BSA used solely for rats out to 15 yards max......I used a TX200 in .177 before and trust me, the results so far with the besa are in a totally different league in terms of stopping power, and without going into graphic terms. Lets just say they really don't know what's hit them

In historical terms (I normally hang out in collectors and have few prewar BSA underlevers)......The .25 was built as a full power 45" under lever way back pre WW1, but was replaced by an identical gun with a .22 bore.....This is a high 11's seriously accurate gun given the limitations of no scope.

At the time (we are talking pre 1914 don't forget) it was stated that "although the .25 was a deadly gun out to 25 or so yards, at around the mid / high 11's in power, the much easier to live with and allow for ballistic curve and characteristics of the smaller .22 made it overall a more efficient gun", so the .25 was dropped from the range.

So.....as others have said, at sub 12 a brilliant close-medium range hunter......out past that,invest in a morter sight to allow for pellet drop

Guns are like tools, just use the right one for the job in hand!