Hornady Launches .25 Creedmoor: Bridging the Gap Between 6mm and 6.5mm

After years of anticipation in wildcat circles, Hornady has officially unveiled its factory-loaded .25 Creedmoor cartridge, bringing a long-awaited "quarter bore" option to mainstream shooters and hunters nationwide.

The newly SAAMI-standardized cartridge arrives with two premium factory load options specifically engineered to maximize ballistic performance in the .25 caliber space.

"The .25 Creedmoor represents the culmination of our ongoing quest to push ballistic boundaries," explained Jayden Quinlan, Senior Ballistician at Hornady. "We've developed a cartridge that perfectly occupies that competitive sweet spot between 6mm and 6.5mm, delivering an optimal combination of manageable recoil, flat trajectory, and exceptional wind-bucking capability."

The .25 Creedmoor concept has flourished among wildcatters for nearly a decade, typically created by necking down 6.5 Creedmoor brass to accept sleek .257 bullets in the 130-grain range. This approach yielded a cartridge that outperformed traditional options like the .25-06 in certain applications. As interest grew, companies like Petersen began producing dedicated .25 Creedmoor brass, while bullet manufacturers including Berger and Hornady developed high-BC projectiles optimized for the platform.

Hornady's sponsorship led to SAAMI standardization in January, alongside the new .338 ARC and 7mm Backcountry cartridges, establishing official industry specifications for the .25 Creedmoor.

The factory ammunition lineup includes:

• 128-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter
• 134-grain ELD Match

Performance metrics for the hunting-oriented 128-grain ELD-X load are impressive, featuring a muzzle velocity of 2,850 fps generating 2,308 ft-lbs of energy. The cartridge maintains a remarkably flat trajectory with zero drop at 200 yards, where it still delivers 2,563 fps velocity and 1,868 ft-lbs of energy.

According to Hornady, the .25 Creedmoor stands as the first SAAMI-accepted 25-caliber cartridge specifically engineered to harness the full potential of modern, high-BC bullets.

"Various .25 Creedmoor wildcats have existed for good reason—they provide serious shooters with a competitive edge," noted Quinlan. "Now we're bringing that same performance level to all shooters through our factory ammunition offerings."

Hornady is also offering reloading die sets for handloaders interested in developing custom loads for the new cartridge.