25 Stevens Intermediate Rimfire Step 1

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Fox

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I have been messing with an antique 44 so I picked up FFFg powder and learned a lot more about blackpowder and how to go about reloading and shooting it.

It got me thinking about grandpas 25 Stevens rimfire rifle, it is a bolt action boys rifle, an Eatonia from the teens or twenties.

I did some digging to figure out a parent case and a lot of people talked of the 27 cal nail gun blank behind #2 buck shot or an air gun pellet but this only really works in a hinge action and the powder is a smokeless with a lot of pop that can do some real damage to the gun.

The 17 Winchester Super Magnum ($20/50 or $0.40 each) are based on the 27 cal nail gun blank with a length to the shoulder about half way between the 25 Stevens short and 25 Stevens long, the case is 10 thou smaller in diameter but the rim is the same diameter and since it seals and headspaces on the rim I should be good.

I picked up a box to see if they would even chamber and after cutting the case at the shoulder then do, the extractor fits great over the rim and although it took 2 strikes the firing pin did fire off the primer with no powder.

Here is a picture of the cases, from left to right, 25 Stevens Long, 17 Winchester Super Magnum, case cut at the shoulder, 25 Stevens Short.



The original loading for the 25 Stevens Long is 10-11gr Black Powder with a 67gr bullet, the 25 Stevens Short was loaded with 4.5-5gr Black Powder behind a 65gr bullet, the Black Powder was replaced with smokeless but since there is no set rimfire powder and the stuff back then may have been different I am looking to FFFg as my powder, sure I will have to clean it but cleaning it means I am able to shoot it again.

I took the 0.5cc dipper and leveled it off with FFFg and tossed that on my RCBS scale, the load came out to 7.5gr.

Here is a photo of the load in the case.



The plan is to find soft lead .251 bullets, I would like to get 65gr but I have seen 50gr for 25 ACP, they should work fine. The biggest issue is getting the ally right, Bullet Barn has the size but I am not sure if they can cast soft for me. If not there is a place in the US that sells airgun pellets at this diameter with a hollow point at 48gr and a flat point at 49gr for about 10 cents a bullet and they an ship these to Canada.

I plan to get 25 ACP dies, remove the decapper and since I am iffy about putting the rimfire rim in a rim held shell holder I think I will make a custom shell holder that I can just set the case on when flaring the case mouth and seating a bullet.

Things are coming along.
 
.25 caliber airgun pellets are available in Canada.A custom bullet mold for a heeled bullet may be better though.Harold
 
mbogo3 said:
.25 caliber airgun pellets are available in Canada.A custom bullet mold for a heeled bullet may be better though.Harold
Click to expand...

These are not heeled, they are an inside lubricated bullet at .251, the same as the 25 ACP.

I worked out some ballistics through Hornady and with a 50gr bullet (no 65gr can be found at the moment) at just over 1000fps I am looking at something close to that of a high velocity 22LR, approx 135ft lbs at the muzzle and 105 ft lbs at 100 yards, this is all approximation though. It does give me a good idea of what a 50gr bullet will look like.

The only 25cal pellets I have been able to find in Canada are open base skirted designs running around 40gr as a max weight, the type I am looking for are in the link below. If anyone knows where I can get .251 cast bullets in Canada where they can drop them dead soft for me that would be great.

http://hunters-supply.com/shop/air-gun-pellets-c-27.html
 
Can you find a round ball to fit the cases? Or find a round ball that is only slightly larger then push it through a sizer?

We're talking about simply plinking to be able to shoot this gun for giggles. So I tend to agree with your plan to keep it simple and keep the cost down. A lot of folks that have done round ball bullets set into casings of this sort have gotten pretty good results.

The total lack of lube might be an issue. But if you bring along a little container of lard or Canola oil you could dip the ends of the rounds just before loading. The slight amount transferred to the chamber would be enough to keep the fouling soft. I've been using Canola oil for my over ball lube in my cap and ball revolvers for about 8 years now and the barrels clean easily and I've only once had any minor but noticeable lead buildup from using the wrong hardness of lead for some early casting efforts.
 
That is one thought but yet the size is #2 Buck, when is the last time you saw that size? I have not been able to find a 25 cal round ball anywhere and once we talk mold then we are talking lots of money.

I don't want to shoot this thousands at a time but I want to be able to bring it out and shoot 10-20 shots and not feel like I will never shoot it again.

I have grandpas last 5 25 Long rounds, picked up about 15 Shorts at gun shows and 2-3 Longs at gun shows are well. Grandpas ammo will never be shot, my thoughts about 6 months ago was that I would shoot it once and then it would be retired forever, the idea of being able to bring it out is awesome.

If Bullet Barn cannot do soft I will bite the bullet and bring them in from the US, 22 cents each for bullets but then again I would have to buy 750 of them in small batches to equal out the cost of 1 mold, this gun may never shoot 750 shots.
 
You should be able to size down. 257 bullets to .251 with a $25 Lee push through sizer if it's available in that size.

Will 25 acp dies work for you? Would hate to see what CH4D would want for special 25 rimfire dies.
 
The actual bore diameters of old rimfire rifles can be indifferent at times. It would be a good idea to slug it prior to laying in bullets.
 
vagrantviking said:
You should be able to size down. 257 bullets to .251 with a $25 Lee push through sizer if it's available in that size.

Will 25 acp dies work for you? Would hate to see what CH4D would want for special 25 rimfire dies.
Click to expand...

They do not make that size, already looked there, ha ha.

The 25 ACP dies will work, the bullets for them are .251 as well.

I am not all that concerned about slugging the bore, no way will I get a custom mold for it and shoot it more than for fun, the case diameter is .276, not sure if a .257 bullet would fit in there and not cause problems with the overall case diameter, I will actually be flaring the case on this as it is to fit a .251.

I looked into .257 bullets, they are min 85gr min from what I can see, but the 25-20 does have a 60gr, which I assume is cast. If I needed to size down a bullet I can always get a .224 sizer and have it reamed, I have a few friends with a lathe.
 
Lee will make any size you want if you call them.....many guys are swagging available .338 bullets to .330 for the .318 WR and the 8x56R....Harold
 
Existing sizing dies for an array of calibers can be cut off at the desired diameter and the shellholder altered to install the correct sized pin on it to push the bullet through the sizer...........see what's close in a reloading manual........Harold
A .222 .223 OD of the neck is .253" A 219 Donaldson Wasp is .250" and a .22 Hornet that could be cut and honed is at.242" at the neck
 
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Still seems like a heck of a lot of money to get bullets that are too large, or I would need to get a custom mold, I would be talking $500 for tooling to be able to make ammo at $0.50 each for a rimfire.

I am still just looking at a 50gr 25 ACP bullet, I think hard cast should be fine, in front of about 8gr of FFFg compressed in a cut down 17 WSM case.
 
I'd think you could use a collet type die and avoid pressing down the base of the cartridge that way. I see lee has a factory crimp die in 25-20 that might work.
 
I'm watching your progress as I have my grandfather's .25 Stevens as well. Would be fun to be able to shoot it.

Have you checked out swaged bullets? Corbin makes all the equipment needed, but their site is so full of information, it's hard to figure out what you actually need to do it on the cheap. I thought the dies were available to use in any standard reloading press, but I can't find that now. Will have to spend more time looking.
 
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