Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 25 Gibbs

I just acquired a set of 25 Gibbs dies, traded into a 10" twist 25 cal barrel and have a spare Savage or Mauser action in the safe.
Has any one ever worked with the quarter bore Gibbs before? I'll take any and all pointers and advice.

I fiddled with a 270 Gibbs about 18 years ago. Had used a standard and Ackley 25-06.

You must be willing to form the cases and be a pretty advanced reloader to concoct loads. You will gain about 100 maybe 125 fps over the standard 25-06 AT THE SAME PRESSURES.

I suggest you chuck the dies into the nearest deep river or lake and get a standard 25-06.

Sounds interesting!

About a year ago I put a 25-06 together on a 98 action. The wood "almost" fits and I haven't finished it yet. I think I'll play with it for a while then send it down the road.
I can never let a set of oddball dies get away from me, so hence the need for a project. The barrel I'm looking at trading into is a heavy weight - kinda like a Sendaro contour.
I have an abundance of 270 brass and no 270. I'm hoping that will be enough of a false shoulder.

I dont know too much about wildcats, Gibbs rounds in particular.

Whats the difference between the 25 Gibbs and the 25-06 Aclkey?

Can you use the COW method and not worry about the false shoulder? Jam a bullet hard into the lands?

The Gibbs has the shoulder moved forward. Thus, you need to neck up, then neck down to a false shoulder to make an adequate fireforming method.

Or neck down 270 brass directly but with the concept of a "false shoulder" still being used.

Cowboybart,

I made one about like the Gibbs. It is called .257SLR. One hundred grainers ran 3,500 plus or minus from a 26" barrel. I used .270 and .280 brass.

The photo shows the .257SRL and the 6.5SLR that replaced it.

Best advice on this entire site.

Wolfe Pub. Co used to sell a thin book called "Gibbs Cartridges" (or something similar). I bought a copy years ago. It has data and information for most, or maybe all, of the Gibbs cartridges.

The same .25 Gibbs article was reprinted in Wolfe's "Wildcat Cartridges", Volume 2.

I've got headspace gauges if you need them. Let me know, I'd loan 'em to you or sell them reasonably, whichever you prefer.

From the old "Redford Reamer Co." still in the box they were shipped in.

Thanx Tim. 4D has the reamer but no gauges. I have 75 or so loaded rounds from the former die owner. Gauges would be nice.

Two friends have tried .25 Gibbs, one eventually went back to the standard case.

Having loaded for the Gibbs series for quite a few years I would say to go for the standard .25/06, or the Ackley Improved if you want something different.

If you build a Gibbs start with Ackley Improved data and work up .......

Know that some of the factory case brass made after about 1990 was not always conducive to fire forming Gibbs cartridges. I use Lake City GI brass for forming the .30 Gibbs and have no issues.

Sell the dies to a fanboy and take the money and buy a 6mm Creedmore.

One of my good customers had me build him the whole family of Gibbs, 240, 25, 6.5, 270, and 30, mostly on 1917 actions. He loves them, after he gets the brass formed.

Sounds like he still needs the 8 and the 340...never tried a 340, but the 8mm is fun.

6 Creedmor...great suggestion.

I have 6-223, 6 PPC, 243, 6mm AI and 6-284. There will be NO MORE 6mms in my safe