25 TCU

Research notes

The .25 Ugalde / .25 Thompson/Center Ugalde, was developed by Wes Ugalde of Fallen, Nevada, about 1987. Like the other TCU cartridges, the .25 TCU is based on a necked-up and improved .223 Remington case. Original testing by Dean Grennell was described in the August, 1988 issue of Gun World using a Thompson/Center single shot pistol with a 14-inch heavy barrel made by Wes Ugalde. Cases are easily formed from .223 brass and do require fire-forming. The .25 TCU was originally intended for metallic silhouette shooting, but also makes a good varmint cartridge at moderate ranges. Ballistics are not spectacular, but quite adequate for the intended purpose. It is in about the same class as the old .25-35 Winchester and some would consider it marginal for deer-class animals, at least in the hands of the average shooter. Note that the .25 TCU enjoys an edge over the .25 Copperhead (.25-222) for such applications.