Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Tell me about your experience afield w/ the 250-3000, and AI

I know Dogzapper you had a write up years back in Varmint Hunter. Did your wife rack up many deer with it? An AI right?

Pros/cons? Brass choice? What accuracy can be had w/o turning/sorting?

Lastly, would a Ballistic Tip, Accubond, or TSX be a favorite bullet on deer in 25 cal?

Thanks.

Ain't complicated, a shorter 257 Roberts that fits nicely and you don't have to trim brass.

Put a good bullet where it belongs.

That said you'll get paragraphs.

I use two, neither an AI. I use plain old cup and core bullets for deer with them, 100 Hornady with the Ruger and either the 87 Speer Hot Core or 100 Speer Hot Core with the 1-14 twist Savage M99. At 2800-2900 fps I don't see a need for the premiums. The Accubond is pretty long and doesn't shoot well out of my .257 Roberts so I haven't tried it in the slower 250 yet. The 100 TSX shoots very well out of the Ruger, just don't see the need for it on deer. 75 Sierra hp is very accurate with either for varmints. The Ruger is much easier on brass. Not quite paragraphs, but close

My field experience with the 250-3000 has been positive. Ruger M77 with Leupold M8 4x. All factory loads and I've killed from woodchuck to black bear.

Short one here

100 grn TSX's in my AI at 3250+ fps will work on anything I choose to point it at in the Southeast.........

Dad's old 99 "doesn't go BANG! It goes "MEAT!" Still does with 87gr Hot-cores. M700 and Dakota 76 get 100gr Hornadys or ballistic tips. Very accurate, and one shot kills without exception. 75gr V-max at 3415fps from the M700 are devasting on groundhogs. Gonna try the .250AI M70 with 100gr BTs this year. Expect no surprises, just meat. If the deer show up.

I hunted for a year with a M700 classic in 250-3000. Used 120r Speer at 2,550 fps. Shot a 120# doe from the club's back porch at 330 measured yards, it ran 20 yds & piled up. I still have the rifle but mostly use a 257 Roberst.

Scott, I hear you. Even though I like the looks of the blue tipped bullets, it sounds moot for deer what bullet to use. I did figure the 100 BT might be some of the most accurate.

The Roberts, well.....I guess I liked the looks of the lil 250, seems to fit a SA well and the AI seems to live up to PO Ackley's positive words.

I have read solid feedback on the Kimber in Roberts....wish they had a 250 as an option, but their 257 is in a short action so it's handy. Had not though of the 110AB being longish, perhaps more like a 117-120. I figured a 250 would be well suited for 100s but you here a few guys liking the heavier bullets. Perhaps the many slow twisted 250s are what held more shooters back from the heavies, but then again, if the 100s have been adequate....

Any preference to brand of brass guys in the 250, or Bob for that matter?

Thanks all.

The Ackley 250-3000 case seems like a really nice fit for many of the short actions on the market. How does case capacity measure up between the 250AI and a 243 or 260 case? A 6mmx250AI should be a neat round for the longer 6mm bullets. Tubb has basically been there already with the 6XC, but that seems like a somewhat complicated affair.

I have five 250-3000`s. Two in Mod 20`s, standard cartridge, three in AI, two sporters, one on a 98, one a SA 700, the last set up for target work at 600 and 1K, shooting JLK VLD 107 grn bullets.
With the exception of the target gun, I have taken game with all rifles. IMHO the 250 kills out of proportion to it`s size, whatever that means.....to me, I have had many one shot kills with these guns. I mean DRT, in their tracks. Sierra 100grn BTSP is a good one as are others. Remington 100grn RN was another, cause I don`t think these bullets are made any more. I`ve got a few hundred stashed.
A few years ago in Wy. I killed a Mule deer buck, and antilope, with the AI, both hit behind the front shoulder. The deer dropped so fast I thought it had stepped into a hole, the lope was lying down, cought his neck into the chest...didn`t move.
I LOVE my 250`s and better yet know what to expect from them.

THERE IS NO BETTER CARTRIDGE OUT THERE!!!

Mr. 65BR;
Our youngest daughter shoots an AI built on a 722 action and an RKS barrel.

Thus far in our family it has accounted for 7 deer � 6 for her and one for me - both whitetail and mule deer which ranged in carcass weight from 70lb to 145lbs. They were shot at ranges estimated between 50yds and 200 yds. Each animal was taken with a single shot and was recovered either where it had been standing or within 30-50yds.

As well, I killed one coyote that was auditioning for a Darwin award, but that is a story for another time.

All animals were shot with 100gr Hornady Intelocks pushed by enough WW760 that they are going a bit under 2900fps.

We use both Remington and Winchester brass and thus far are satisfied with both enough that I�d recommend either.

Two of the deer were hit in the vertebrae which resulted in the bullet coming apart and only the jacket being recovered. The rest of the animals were through and through bullet penetrations resulting in lots of tissue damage in between the holes.

A good example was the last mule deer - an estimated 110lb carcass weight as the scale broke that night- which was shot at about 150yds. The bullet broke the right scapula on entry, then broke 2 ribs, severely traumatized the lungs, broke 2 more ribs and exited the left scapula.

Between our youngest shooting animals with the .250AI and the eldest using her 6.5x55, I�ve been forced to rethink the parameters of what one �needs� to kill a deer.

Hopefully that was some use to you. Good luck on your upcoming hunts.

Regards,
Dwayne

The .250 Savage kills deer and pronghorn just fine when it is aimed correctly; my wife and I have both used it quite a bit. It also works very well on varmints, but is a little much for all-day prairie dog shooting.

We have never tried the .250 AI, unless you count the .257 Roberts, which has just about exactly the same case capacity. It also works when pointed straight.

I feel a kinship to the 250-3000..I began life with a 25-35 shooting deer and elk, My dad used the 25-35 and later the 250 savage and he killed probably 40 or more elk with it..None of us ever lost one btw..

How dad came about the 250 Savage is a funny story...We hauled about 30 or so mules to Colorado every year from our Texas ranch and hunted elk then sold the mules at Chimney Rock when we came out. The Colorado packers would be waiting for us..One year the Game Warden was waiting for us and he took dad to the judge for using a 25-35, dad was mortified because he believed in obeying the law...He told the judge he had been hunting with that gun for many years and never gave it any thought..The judge dismissed the case and warned him to get a bigger gun..As soon as we pulled into our hometown he went into the Hardward store and bought the Savage 99EG in 250-3000 Sav. I said, "Dad, that gun ain't very big and not much bigger than the 25-35..Dad looked at me like I was nuts and told me I didn't know what I was talking about, so I shut up pronto..On the way to the ranch he also told me that he had checked every caliber in the store and most had 4 numbers but the Savage had 7 numbers, therefore anyone with any since at all would know it automatically was the most powerful rifle in the store! I kept real quite, I knew then that I had been outmatched! To top it off that little Savage killed elk like the hammer of Thor...all you had to do was stick one of those factory rounds in the heart lung area and they died..I shot a number of elk with that rifle, but elk hunting was different back then, the elk came out on side hills in the sagebrush. We shot at under 200 yards, got in close, only took broadside shots, so it worked..

As for deer, both whitetail and Muledeer, the 250-3000 is a match made in heaven.

Today I use a .338 Win with 300 gr. Woodleighs in the timber and the 210 noslers on the more open areas. todays elk are more skittish and head for the dark timber at the first shot of the season. Most of the elk I have shot in the last 30 years have been going away from me at a fast pace on a dark timber sidehill.

I had better edit this post to say that I still have that 99EG 250-3000 in fact I have two of them and I still use them from time to time..A great saddle gun and yes I would feel Ok hunting elk with it today but its not my pick..For deer I still use it and the 25-35

Great story Ray!
Over here we use the very similar 303/25. In a SMLE it's pretty much a 250Savage clone ... maybe just a step behind depending on how its loaded. Plenty of pigs, goats, kangaroos and deer have fallen to them. Interestingly, both the 303/25 and 303/22 probably have the Savage 99s in 22HiPower and 250/3000 to thank for their development.
Cheers...
Con

Stories like Ray's and others make it rough on my wallet. As to a 6 on the 250 case, the 6-250 and 6.5-250 have been done, duplicating I would think the 6XC and the 6.5x47 Lapua respectively. I could easily build a 25 BR or go with a 25/6.5x47L to get Lapua brass, but all things considered, rather have something brass can be obtained easily (as in mfg. in US) or made/formed from other brass if needed in a pinch so I am pretty set on a 250/ai but won't rule out a Roberts. I think the late Bob Milek bragged on it, perhaps it was his dad IIRC who used one quite a bit on much game.

Love hearing the reports on the mid sized 25s.

I saw a nice Ruger in Roberts, and knew it would duplicate an AI or close, same as the new Kimbers. That new Montana in Roberts does get my attention, but I have long felt a desire to get a 250 or 250 AI, likely building one. I love the 260 and 6.5x55, but just as I gravitate toward effective rounds that some consider small, that give me a very tolerable level of blast and recoil, allowing me many hours of fun at the range, and afield, so it is with my idea of a modest 25 cal. Something classic, nostalgic perhaps as the Swede, yet not taking a back seat in killing deer size game if you use a bullet so designed and steer it right as JB said.

I am going to have to dig out that article Steve wrote awhile back.

Kimber, any chance the Montana would be mfg in 250? That would be for me an outstanding package. I may submit that to them.

Thanks guys, looks like many happy campers liking their 25s.

I shot a whitetail doe about 2 years ago with a Savage
Model 110 in .250-3000. Neck shot at about 60 yards,
dropped in its tracks. I was going to buy a Savage 14
in .22-250 a couple months later and have it rebarreled
with the barrel from my 110, but Savage brought out the
14 in .250-3000 before I did it. I was preparing to
buy a Model 14 when I found a Remington 700 Classic
in .250 this past summer. Hopefully this year I will use it
for deer.

Ray, now I know why the .250-3000 works so well. It's all those numbers!

I learn something new everyday!!!!!


Id love to share a Campfire some day with Ray.Got lots of Storys about Grampa and his Mo.92 25-20.

The 250-3000 is a sweet cartridge. I hope it gets revived as it seems to be one of the most efficient cartridges around as far as performance on game for it's size. I have only used it in the 99 but someday hope to build an ultra light mannlicher bolt gun for it.

Perfect for Whitetail and average size Hogs. Seems like the ideal "Woods Loafer" cartridge.