I wish I had gone with the 250AI over the 257Rob as it fits well in a short action.
Having owned rifles chambered in 250AI and 25 Souper, I'd take the 25 Souper all day, every day, over any other short action 0.257" cartridge.
I see brass being easier for the Souper. How much of a velocity advantage does it offer over the 250AI?
Velocity wise the 250AI, 25 Souper, and 257 Bob that I've loaded for were within a couple of percent, but you'd expect that with case capacities running between 52 and 56 grains in Winchester brass. I had Ruger 77 RSIs with 18.5" barrels chambered for the three cartridges, the 250AI and 25 Souper used the same short action and the 257 is a long action, so close variables.
i had trouble getting the 250AI to feed smoothly in all three rifles that I had chambered for it, a Remington 600, Ruger 77RSI, and Savage 99C. I subsequently rebarreled the Ruger to 25 Souper and that eliminated the feeding issues.
I think that the 25 Souper is a better choice in a short action because the shorter case allows for more COAL latitude than the 257 and, at least in my experience, it feeds more smoothly than the 250AI. The only 25 Souper that I put together was the Ruger, so a sample size of one. I never felt the need to make another one and subsequently moved on to the 25 WSSM in super short action Winchester 70s. Also, I find that the long action Ruger 77 RSIs balance a little better than the short actions, so I prefer the 257 to the 25 Souper in that platform.
