25-35 Winchester

[William Iorg]

I shoot a 24" TC Contender and the new 20" M-94AE.
With the 100 grain spitzers and the 117 grain Hornady round nose bullet Alliant Reloder 10 and 15 are top performers. With lighter bullets such as the 75 gr Sierra JHP I recieve very good accuracy from IMR 4320.

Several of us have sent e-mail to Speer asking them to make a 100 grain flat nose for the new Winchester. Ken Waters in one of his last Pet Loads articles called for a new 100 grain .25 caliber bullet. Waters felt this would add new life to the .25-35 and I agree.
Speer has been nice in their replies but has told all of us they believe there is no market for the bullet. This is probably the "chicken or the egg" argument. With a new 100 grain bullet I dont think the cartridge will attract attention of some who would not ordinarily consider it.

[snoopy(cda)]

why hasn't winchester necked the 307 down to 25? this would certanly be more interesting than the 25-35. and might be the fastest lever cartridge available, no? a nice deer/coyote package.

[Rocky Raab]

Talk about roads retravelled!

I love the quarterbores, and in my reading have learned that many, many rounds were altered to .257-bore over the years. Some of the more popular rounds for break-open or single shot rifles (which work best with rimmed rounds) included the 25 Krag, the 25-303, and several "improved" versions of the 25-35.

Rimless favorites included Neidner's .25-06 of course, but also the original 250-3000, the .25-20, Roy's own 257 Weatherby, and my own favorite, the 25-308. All but the latter were formalized from wildcats to factory rounds. There were others that hardly lasted longer than their chambering reamers: 25-300 H&H for example.

[California Hunter]

We own two of them, a traditional lever action model 94 and an octigan barrel (very long though I have never measured it) which were carried by my great grandfather. We never, ever use them for deer hunting because they are so underpowered by todays standards. If you are going to purchase a lever action carry gun, I suggest the 30-30 which is considerably superior all the way around. I am not being intentionaly negative, but the 25-35 shoots a 117 grain bullet 2,300 fps out the barrel and is under 2,000 fps at 100 yards. In its time, very, very impressive, but by todays standards, too far down the feeding chain to be considered a serious "deer rifle".

[William Iorg]

What is really needed for the new Model 94's is a 100 grain flat point bullet. I have been shooting Remington spiters single shot in my new Winchester. These are accurate and at speeds up to 2560 fps have enough energy for close in deer hunting.
A bullet of good shape such as a scaled down Speer flat nose would expand the capability of the little cartridge.
As it is now it is a fine coyote gun for called in critters.

[PJgunner]

Originally posted by Rocky Raab
PJ, I was trying to be nice. It was that jackass Layne Simpson. But don't tell anybody.

Rocky. Methinks we agree on the jackass.
Paul B.

[quigleysharps4570]

Originally posted by California Hunter
We never, ever use them for deer hunting because they are so underpowered by todays standards.

I figure those old timers had to be better hunters. The set-ups I'm seeing today has taken away that.

[PJgunner]

Originally posted by California Hunter
We own two of them, a traditional lever action model 94 and an octigan barrel (very long though I have never measured it) which were carried by my great grandfather. We never, ever use them for deer hunting because they are so underpowered by todays standards. If you are going to purchase a lever action carry gun, I suggest the 30-30 which is considerably superior all the way around. I am not being intentionaly negative, but the 25-35 shoots a 117 grain bullet 2,300 fps out the barrel and is under 2,000 fps at 100 yards. In its time, very, very impressive, but by todays standards, too far down the feeding chain to be considered a serious "deer rifle".

CH. That long barrel is probably 26". I left California back in 1970, and at that time the 25-35 swas illegal ffor deer due to it's not having exactly 1000 Ft. Lbs. of energy at 100 yards. Just out if curiosity, did they ever change it to allow it's use for deer? I did know a few old timers that lived back in the hills of Lake County that used the 25-35 exclusively for deer. They felt the 30-30 was too much gun. I went on my first deer hunt with those fellows back in 1949 and they helped mew get my first deer with my overpowered 30-30. Those old boys really knew how to hunt.
Paul B.