While at SHOT Show I was was approached by a booth babe wanting to talk to me about the 25-45 Sharps.  Sure.... Ended up ordering a barrel, bolt, dies, loaded ammunition and reloading data.  Any of you have any first hand experience with the 25-45 Sharps?  I am relatively familiar with the Blackout, 6.5 Grendel, and the 6.8 SPC but the 25-45 is new to me.  87gr bullet at 3000 fps... seems like it it could be a winner for medium sized game.  Thanks!

She was cute wasn't she?

We've been shooting those barrels for a time now since Black Hole makes them.  They are tack driving machines. There will be new factory ammunition coming out in the near future.  The cartridge is well positioned as a game round for deer etc.

Greg

it is a great idea but it has limits.  It is a straight neck up, no trimming, bumping, reforming required, fits sntandard mags perfectly.   Probably the best balance of powder capacity and bore efficiency out of a standard diameter case.

drawback is the bullet selection that can be properly loaded in the full length 45mm case to a COAL that will fit in normal AR mags (GI, Magpul etc) is VERY limited.  The old 87 grain hot core is about it besides a FMJ.  Nosler is allegedly produig ia special accubond for this w/ the right ogive length to load to proper COAL.

Woulda did this build w/ it but they wanted too much for factory ammo for me.  Ida doneit if it was like $20 or a little less.

Here is an answer to that 2.60 limitfrom ASC at a very good price:

http://www.ammosc.com/223-stainless-steel-20-rd-magazine/

The interior dimensions of OAL 2.316” ± .002 are perfect for reloads.  

Greg

Not to get the cart ahead of the horse but I suppose I could use a Stoney Point/ Hornady  OAL guage to experiment with how far out I can seat a particular bullet before hitting the rifling regardless of magazine dimension limitations.  If the bullet was seated too deep in the case limited by the location of rifling in the barrel resulting in a lack of case neck to bullet surface contact/tension or reduced case capacity any magazine complications would be irrelevant.  Crap! That was a long sentence!

I've been all over the map thinking about a new rifle the past couple of weeks

The 25-45 looks like an interesting round...but from what I've read the 80gr TSX won't work will it?

That really is the question, isn't it? Likely not a magazine length load but maybe one loaded in the chamber with 87gr Speers in the magazine?

If you are looking for a 223/5.56 based 25 cal cartridge that works well with the Barnes 80 gr TTSX, look Here:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_121/499109_25_223.html

It is a long read but the 25-223AR does work quite well with the Barnes 80 gr TTSX.  A gentleman in CA using this caliber to take deer and hogs.  

The 25-223AR can also handle bullets with an ogive long 0.56 in standard mags that are restricted to cartridges 2.26".  If you use mags that accept 2.3" C.O.L., you can run bullets with a 0.6" ogive.

I hope that this helps in your quest.

For hunting, the .277wolverine looks promising as far as bullet selection.

I view the big advantage of the Sharps as being that is a SAMMI'd cartidge. There has been factory laoded ammuntion produced and I know that there is an ammuntion company gearing up to load more. There are bullets that certainly will work well in the case ti get the job done.It's no Imperial elk kiler but it isn't supposed to be.  

If you need more horespower in the 25 bore why not step up to the 25X6.8 and have the best of boh worlds. Shoot the TSSX bullets to your hearts content and all the other usuall suspects. THere's one fellow out there shooting the snot out of his and he has done some super load work on this one.

Greg

My barrel, dies, etc.  arrived today!  Looking forward to starting a new project!

Congratulations.  Keep us posted as things develop.

Greg

I was planning on this for my next build but the .25-45 Sharps looks like it will suit me much better.

For research purposes only... what swayed your decision?  I'm curious so I can better understand the thought process.  Thanks!

I don't do cartridge wars, my question is simply to understand. No thread hijack intended.

Well it's a couple of things actually. I like that it's faster but mostly that it has higher ft/lbs of energy at 200 yards. I also like that there is less shell prep for the .25 cal bullet. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept of the .277 Wolverine and I still believe in the round.

What load/bullet are you referencing that is faster/has more energy at 200 yards?  Understood on the case prep part... although you can buy sized ready to load brass for the WLV on the cheap.

Here are a few links with the info you're requesting.

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2014/4/17/the-25-45-sharps-a-new-old-cartridge/

http://ar15hunter.com/25-45-sharps-cartridge-review-range-hunt-report/

http://store.srcarms.com/product-p/25x45-87hc.htm

http://www.broadswordgroup.com/25_45_sharps_87_grain_hot_cor.html

Looks like their 3,000fps claim with an .25 cal 87 grain bullet is out of a 24" barrel.

Our .27 cal 85TSX or 85MPG does 2800 out of a 16" barrel.

What bullet weight selections are offered for this cartridge?

Thanks for the links...

65gr and 87gr. I'm looking at getting a 20 inch barrel with a muzzle crown. What kind of ballistics are you getting with a 100 gr bullet out of a 20" barrel?

The longest AR barrel we offer right now is 18", and with a 16" 2625 with a 100 grain AccuBond.  We have a 20" Savage bolt that gets 2800 with a 100 grain AccuBond printing .5" groups.

Those 24" barrel numbers are not practical if you ask me, but they make the numbers look better. All of our load data posted up is basically from a 16" barrel, the more likely length one would own for their AR.

Again, .25 cal is fun but I still dispute the faster/more energy statement unless you are talking about those 3,000fps with a 24" barrel which is not fair.  

Anyone got raw, actual data from a 16"?

I think the guys that have been doing the .25-223 have done a better job.  Regular guys without any corporate backing as far as I can tell with a more bullet choice flexibility to work with. I would get a kit from them before this one.

SAAMI spec doesn't really mean anything other than a corporate entity has backed the cartridge and a buck of folks agreed on certain parameters.  If the prints are out there and formalized, good enough for me.  That being said of course being SAAMI spec'd/approved helps the confidence level of a buyer.

The 277 Wolverine for example doesn't have 65 grain bullets available for it, so there is an example of why variety is still a good thing.

The options for bigger bores in the AR15 are definitely increasing for the hunter.  A lot of the work for the market has happened or been documented right here.

We hit 2925fps from an 18" Grendel barrel with the 85gr GS Customs HV, at 50000psi metered.

Between .25 bore, .264, .277, and .300, there are a lot of options under each bore diameter for parent cases, so we're basically seeing what happened to the Mauser action in the post-War era with our grandparents, now happen in the AR15 micro action.

There are at least 3 parent cases for the 6mm's, .25's, 6.5's, .277's, and .30's that provide more than enough performance for medium game.  I wonder where we'll be at in 10 years from now as far as alternate chamberings in the AR15 for the hunting crowd.

Agreed.  The whole thing is fun.  Unfortunately I think we'Re stuck with our current parent cases for quite a while.  Which isn't a bad thing.

I am a stickler for keeping meticulous notes and chronographing both factory loaded and handloaded ammunition.  It is pretty cold here in Wisconsin this time of year so it might be awhile until I do some testing but when I do I'll post it.  FYI I ordered an 18" barrel.

Sorry for the sidetrack OP.  Good luck with your new kit and I hope you fill the freezer with it!

A little update:  The factory loaded 25-45 ammo out of an 18" barrel chronographed at 2831 fps with an ave dev of 18.3.   Using H335 I was easily able to attain 2768 fps with an ave dev of 9.6.  Winters here are cold so I'll delay trying to develop anything faster.  A max load at 25 degrees could be a disaster when temperatures hit 95.  I made a case for my Stoney Point tool and it appears that I will be able to seat a Barnes TTSX far enough out that I will get good case neck to bullet contact and not lose a much case capacity.  Of course that load will not fit in the magazine and have to be loaded singly.