.25 Stevens Short

The .25 Stevens Short was an American rimfire rifle cartridge, introduced in 1902.

.25 Stevens Short
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designed	1902
Produced	1902–1942
Specifications
Case type	Rimmed, straight
Bullet diameter	.251 in (6.4 mm)
Neck diameter	.276 in (7.0 mm)
Base diameter	.276 in (7.0 mm)
Rim diameter	.333 in (8.5 mm)
Case length	.599 in (15.2 mm)
Overall length	.877 in (22.3 mm)
Primer type	Rimfire
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 65 gr (4 g) (smokeless) 950 ft/s (290 m/s) 130 ft⋅lbf (180 J)
Source(s): Barnes & Amber 1972

Developed by J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company, it was intended to be a lower cost, less potent variant of the .25 Stevens, on which it was based. It initially used a 4.5 to 5 gr (0.29 to 0.32 g) black powder charge; this was later replaced by smokeless. It was offered in Stevens, Remington, and Winchester rifles, and could be used in any .25 Stevens rifle, also (in the way the .38 Special can be fired in weapons chambered for .357 Magnum).

It was more powerful than the .22 Short, as well as less expensive, but more costly than the .22 Long Rifle and offering no edge in performance. It was also inferior to its parent cartridge. As a result, it was not a popular hunting round.

The cartridge continued to be commercially available until 1942.

Sources

• Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".25 Stevens Short", in Cartridges of the World, pp. 276 & 282–3. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.
• ______ and _____. ".25 Stevens", in Cartridges of the World, p. 276. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.