25-20 Win

[Doctor Sam]

I had my battered/beat (nowhere collector grade) M92 SRC relined and ordered dies/bullets etc from Midway. The original chamber would leave a very large bulge in the fired case.
Lyman's Cast Bullet handbook is just about useless.
I need your experience with a cast 86g bullet.
Anyone have a favorite load they would share?
Many thanks.
Dr. Sam

[Leftoverdj]

GC or PB?

[Dale53]

I use the 257420 gas check Lyman bullet in my late issue Marlin lever action. My squirrel load is 4.0 Unique, my medium load is 11.0 grs of RL-7 and my heavy load (chronos just under 2200 fps) is 14.5 grs of RL-7 (a compressed load). It is safe in my rifle and the cases seem to last forever. I have loaded five cases for twenty times as a test with NO case losses. Bullets are straight linotype.

Accuracy is ten ring on the NRA fifty yard smallbore target at fifty yards (they shoot inside the ten ring off the bench, on demand). However, the "X" count is not high.

I person could argue that the 25/20 is the best small game rifle caliber out there. So, why is my new small game rifle a TC Carbine in .32 H&R Mag? Heck, I don't know. Just seemed like a good idea at the time (and the time is NOW (:<)).

Dale53

[Char-Gar]

I have been shooting the 25-20 since 1960 and have two at the present. The first in a Winchester 92 levergun and the other a Remington 25 pump. Both are equiped with peep sights.

I have used one load for decades with complete satisfaction.

Lyman 257312 (90 grains GC)/9/4227 This is not anything near a top end load with a velocity around 1.6K fps, but is plenty potent for small game and varmints.

This molds is discontinued but NEI makes a clone .257-89-GC #19

[35remington]

3.3 grains W231, RCBS Cowboy bullet, dacron, 1150 fps. Great small game load, flat point hits very hard. Overlubricating the bullet may open groups. Sound level is a little louder than a .22 long rifle, but much quieter than a .22 magnum. Try it with the lube grooves filled with 50/50 using wheelweight alloy or harder, then compare accuracy with water quenched and tumble lubed with Lee Liquid Alox. Also ask leftoverdj about using Johnson's Paste Wax for the milder loads. Johnson's has worked for me also.

Using wheelweight alloy with the RCBS bullet tumble lubed may close up the lubricant grooves if they are unfilled using some loads, especially with a quick kick in the rear from fast burning powders. This bullet has a large lubricant capacity, I believe because it was also intended to be used with black powder loads.

Same bullet with 5.5 grains 2400 gets around 1275 fps, accurate, powder meters well through a measure. Includes dacron.

6.0 grains IMR 4759 (NOT 4756) gets just over 1300 fps, also with dacron. Charges must be individually weighed-4759 doesn't meter so hot through my measures. Most accurate load, but a little tedious to assemble.

I consider all the above loads good small game loads that kill cleanly and ruin little meat.

Like Dale mentioned, a caseful of RL 7 with the Lyman bullet (257420 GC of 70 grains) is also a good load for me. I find that most powders have wide swings in velocity in the .25-20 unless dacron is used or the case is full. RL7 fills the case or is nearly full with most of the more powerful loads. A bit much for small game. I cast of straight linotype to help the small bands fill out.

Too bad you didn't get in on the plainbase and gascheck .25 caliber designs that leftoverdj honchoed-they are very accurate and fast and easy to cast with the six cavity Lee mould. The plainbase is an excellent small game bullet and the GC design handily beats the Lyman 257420 GC for accuracy.

[Leftoverdj]

I still have a few of the six cavity 79 grain PB moulds for $56 delivered. I use mine a lot more than I use the GC version, but most folks seem to want the GC.

[sundog]

DJ, I see alot of loads listed here that I've fiddled with also. You said you use more of the PB. Got a favorite load for it? I relined a bore a few years ago and just really haven't done much with it since. sundog

[Leftoverdj]

Sundog, I'm mostly using 4.5 to 5.0 grains of WC-820(f) with the PB bullet as cast and lubed with Johnson's Wax. Accuracy runs 1-1.25" at 50 yards. Sizing to .259 may help just a tad, but my goal for this load was the easiest, cheapest load that would give acceptable small game and plinking accuracy. One of these days, I'll do some more fiddling for the sake of fiddling.

[BPCS]

Leftoverdj:

PM sent.

[Doctor Sam]

Many thanks, Gentlemen, for all the load information. When it cools off I will put it to use. Way too hot and humid here to do much outdoors.

[9.3X62AL]

DJ et al--

I tried the RCBS boolit early in the process with my late-series Marlin 94, and now that the bore seems to be "broken in" and castings are behaving themselves--I should give plain bases a second chance.

A noise level slightly higher than that of a 22 LR is ascribed to the 1150 FPS loads.......I wonder how much quieter they would be if velocities were kept at 1100 FPS (trans-sonic is 1119 FPS). You would also avoid the trans-sonic flight disturbance the boolit potentially/supposedly experiences as it decelerates through the sound barrier.

[35remington]

When I shot the Lee group buy plainbase at 1080 fps, noise level was a bit above the long rifle but not a whole lot more. It wasn't as quiet as the long rifle subsonic but seemed pretty comparable to a tad quieter than a HV .22 long rifle in a longer barrel. 3.0 grains Unique and dacron worked well for me. For some reason, the load using 231 and the RCBS bullet did not duplicate its good results with the group buy Lee substitution, nor when it was throttled back a bit, so that's the reason for the powder change.

POI was the concern for me with the RCBS bullet and subsonic velocities. When throttled back, POI divergence as compared with my full power cast load became too great at fifty yards, spoiling the interchangeability concept of carrying one load for small game and another for called predators. So, I stuck with 1150 fps, but I would go with the 1080 fps load if I could bring the divergent trajectories in line a bit. You'd think that 70 fps wouldn't make that much difference, but it did. At least in my gun.

Like you, I figure quieter is better for a small game load, and 1080 fps will work to 60 yards on small game as regards trajectory.