.25-20 Single Shot and .22-3000

A long time ago at a Gun Show far, far away, I came across a Baggie of fired .25-20 Single Shot cases. The Baggie was the quart size and pretty full, and the price was well below reasonable. Even back then (towards the end of the Pleistocene:-)), such antiquated shells were hard to come across. But, I figured, as good as the deal was, I didn't have a rifle in .25-20 SS caliber, so I couldn't see buying the shells.

Two weeks later, I bought my first rifle in .25-20 Single Shot caliber, and have been looking for that Baggie ever since.

Never found it, but in the course of the search I was determined not to let anything reasonable get by me again. Here's a few of the items I've encountered in the process:

Attachment 191207

I find myself increasingly reluctant to fire these old shells any more, at least those that I have a full box of. The odd individual finds of miscellaneous headstamps are the ones that get fired, along with the newer brass from Nelsdale, Bertram and Jamison.

I also figured back then that anything that could be converted into the caliber was fair game, such as the .22-3000 wildcat based on the .25-20SS. The Griffin and Howe shells are on the left, the topless (alas!) box on the right contains the J.B. Smith shells.

Attachment 191208

Unfortunately, the shells are now Collector's Items in themselves so again I don't have the heart to fire them. I might yet chamber a rifle in .22-3000 or 2R Lovell, just to see what the caliber is like, but it will be fired with Jamison brass.

I had a Hopkins & Allen falling block target rifle in 25/20 SS. Also had a Stevens FB that had
been rebarreled to 22R-L. I let most of the brass go when I sold the guns but still have a box
of each, just in case.