25/222 copperhead

[257]

hi i bought a ridel rifle company sigle shot rifle in 25/222 all i can find on the case length is a picture with 1.695 for case lenth no min or max lenth.when i expand the necks on new brass they start out at 1.694 to 1.697 when i run the expander ball thru they all come out about about .030 under 1.695 i have a set of redding dies that came with rifle anyway could use case lenth numbers min and max all so cartridge over all length any help would be of great help thanks charlie

[Nobade]

Hi,
I am not familiar with the Ridel rifle company. What sort of action is it? Can you get to the back end of the barrel, like a rolling or falling block? If so, you can use a gauge pin to measure to the end of the chamber and find out how long the case should be. Or alternately, form a case from a 223 and cut it down until it just goes in all the way. That way you know what your particular rifle needs.

Overall length is the same way - once you have a case that fills the chamber to the end, seat a bullet long and keep seating it deeper until it goes in all the way. Then you know the max OAL for that particular bullet.

BTW, neat caliber! I have wanted one of those for years. I just built a 6mm x 222, but have never gotten to play with a 25 caliber one. Hang on to those loading dies, you'd pay some serious money for that set if you had to replace them.

[shdwlkr]

my handloaders book
says length is 1.66 no min max dimensions though hope this helps

[Char-Gar]

The 25 Copperhead (25/222) was a wildcat developed by John Wooters back in the mid-1960s. He wrote about it extensively in Handloader Magazine. He had Clymer make the reamer and Jess Stark in Houston make the first rifle. The action was a small SAKO with a 20 1-14 twist Douglas barrel. It is a cracker jack cartridge for small game and accurate is all get out with cast or jacketed bullets. He used a standard 222 Remington case with the neck opened up to 25. Being a Wildcat who know what your chamber looks like after all these years. You best bet is to make a chamber cast and get the "real" number for your rifle.

[Larry Gibson]

A fellow at the 4 Corners Rod & Gun Club in Salem, Oregon had one built on a M700 Rem action that had been a .222 that he shot out after Wooters article appeared. I helped him cast some 257420s and we loaded them over H4895. Don't remember the amount and I didn't have a chronograph then but the load was close to a case full and accuracy was very good. Of course the 14" twist helped with that. Would be a very nice small cast bullet cartridge, especially if the 14" twist was kept.

Larry Gibson

[swheeler]

257; The article I have ".25-222... end of a long search" By John Wooters is in Wilcat Cartridges Volume II. "Case forming proved to be easy-almost- as I had hoped. Original .222 brass can be formed in one pass into the regular FL sizing die, but necks are more square if passed over a 6mm expander button first. Trimming and chamfering complete the operation, except that experience was to prove that annealing of necks after expanding makes a major contribution to case life." Wooters load data is included for 60-75-87 and 100 grain jacketed and cast loads for 257463 and 5 powders. The cartridge drawing provided says above dimensions are approximate and shows a case length of 1.695". A chamber cast or one of the Sinclair gauges that goes into a shortened case neck, to measure actual chamber length will answer your question. If you're interested in his data pm me.

[257]

it is a falling block action has a rack and pinnion opens actionwith the standard lever 24 inch barreli have been told that they made about 600 rifles total they were located in calf. and most of there work was wildcat cal. the gun has a extremly long throat kinda like the weathbys

[swheeler]

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg234/kmw3291/25222copperhead.jpg