25-35wcf

[BigEyeBob]

Any one shoot and reload for the 25-35 WCF ? I bought a chambered barrel to suit a martini small frame action , have a spare action thats not doing anything ,so I thought I would marry them together and make a complete rifle from the two parts.
Also have a swag of 87 gn 25 cal jwords that I cant get to shoot in my303/25 ,so I would use them up .I see Lee make dies on limited run but CH4D have them also and offer a neck die as well , will probably go that route.
Any info good or bad regarding the cartridge would be appreciated.
Kev.

[sharps4590]

I have no personal experience with the cartridge but it was highly thought of in drillings, kiplaufs, stalking rifles and combination guns as the 6.5 X 52R. It is on my bucket list in the right rifle, preferably a nice kiplauf.

[Bent Ramrod]

I have a FBW single shot and a Savage 99, both in .25-35. The FBW has the standard 8" (IIRC) twist barrel and is rather cranky as to loads. Happiest with the 117-120 gr jacketed bullets; most anything else is plinking accuracy, no more. I had the Savage relined with a 10" twist barrel, and it is much more versatile and easy to load for.

Very nice caliber; economical, light recoil, accurate in its favorite loadings, etc. if you can find brass, or make it from .30-30, you should be in good shape.

[clum553946]

I have an old Winchester 94 25-35 and have only reloaded the Speer 75gr Hotcore over a charge of Hodgdon Leverevolution with great results. Will try casting for it one of these days!

[Outpost75]

.25-35 Winchester Tests
Winchester 1894 with 26-inch octagon barrel ca. 1908

Velocity Remarks
Factory loads
Western 117ST 2283, 7 Sd Old yellow box from 1960s
Winchester 117PP 2259, 19Sd Current product from Midway 2.5 in. @ 100 yds. Ideal tang sight

Jacketed bullet handloads
Remington 85JSP
Powder Grains
IMR-PB 8 1273, 33 Sd Minimal expansion, non-destructive small game or turkey load
Alliant #2400 9 1330, 31 Sd POI at 50 yds. with 200-yd. factory load zero. Minimal expansion.
10 1419, 11 Sd Moderate water jug expansion to .32 cal., good game load
12 1738, 15 Sd Expands to .45 in water, core separates, blows fragments off nose
14 1950, 25 Sd Violent fragmentation, blows frying chicken to smithereens
15 2200, 39 Sd Max. do not exceed, highly destructive varmint load
IMR4227 16 1884, 22Sd Varmint load blows frying chicken to smithereens

RCBS 25-85CM Cast 12 BHN from wheelweights, shot as-cast, unsized, LLA
Meister 85-gr. .258 dia. can be substituted, but less accurate
Bullseye 4 1127, 5 Sd Quiet like standard velocity .22 LR, 2 inches at 50 yds.
5 1207, 27 Sd Report like .22 LR high velocity, 2 inches @ 50 yd.
IMR-PB 5 1272, 14 Sd Inch groups at 50 yds. most accurate with current powders
6 1339, 21 Sd Approximates factory .25-20 velocity, 1.5 inches @ 50yds
SR-7625 5 1285, 16 Sd Excellent, older lot of 7625 little different from PB load
Alliant#2400 7 1420, 29 Sd Max. for plainbased bullet, groups 1.5 inches @ 50 yds.

[Blackwater]

I haven't used it personally, but a good friend who grew up on the river with his grandad and grandma has. His grandpa had a M-94 Win., and was deadly with it. He was an amazing shot, which rubbed off on my buddy very well, and never had a minute's trouble killing deer and wild hogs with it, and MANY of them fell to that gun. He hunted, fished and trapped for a living and did occasional farm work as opportunities offered. He very seldom missed a day on the river, though, getting up extra early to check his trap and fishing lines before doing any farm work. He practically lived in the woods and swamp, and on the water.

Every night hunter I've known, have mostly used .22 LR's or at most, .22 mags to take their deer with. They were good shots, and put one to several .22 LRHP's in the lungs, usually, and lost few deer. But they could track, and were dogged at it, too, on the rare occasion when one ran more than about 50 yds. Those who think the .25/35 is "too light" for deer have never tried it, or can't shoot worth a spit, or both. It'll do most anything that needs doing, but like any OTHER caliber, requires good bullet placement. In our "modern" world, this seems to be a passe' principle, but the deer don't care about what's passe'. They only care about meeting a quick and relatively painless end.

I wish I had a dollar for every person I've known who missed or wounded a deer due to not really knowing how to shoot or place their shots, who went out and bought a .300 mag., saying, "The '06 just isn't enough to kill a deer!" All they found was that the .300 kicked so much they shot WORSE! And missed the deer entirely, and by a wider margin than ever due to jerking the trigger because they were afraid of the gun. Some then went to the .243, and began killing deer, but most needed to be shown how to shoot even with that one.

A good man with a .22 lr will eat meat regularly. A man with a .25/35 will eat even more regularly! It's been pressed into service for even bigger game, but personally, I'd limit it to deer. My buddy's grandpa's M-94 was accurate out to 200-250 yds., too, on hawks and that sort of stuff. I don't recall any really long shots being taken, but that's probably mostly due to the grandpa's frequenting the woods, where 100 yds. was a rare long shot.

And if you find any of the old 117 gr. FMJFP's, get them. They'll make some real fish getters, and work down pretty deep, if you can find the right point to aim at due to the refraction of the light in water. And it's VERY user friendly, with a milder report and recoil, so you can go out and shoot 200 rds. at a session and come back with a big ol' grin on your face instead of a grimace due to recoil.

From all I've known about it, from those who've used it, it's a very effective round if the bullets are soft enough to expand properly at the velocities it produces. Should be a near ideal .25 for cast, too. I think you'll find you're gonna' like that little Martini much better than you think you will. It's really kind'a a "giant killer," at least compared to what most today think of it as being. And there's always great satisfaction in taking an oldie goldie out and out-shooting the rest there, and hearing all the excuses they come up with, too. If any ask questions, tell them what you know. The rest probably won't be interested in learning. They're too busy tending to their egos.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

A perfect stalking rifle. This is my Martini 25/35. I use 15gns 2400 with a RCBS 100gn cast boolit!

[ulav8r]

A perfect stalking rifle. This is my Martini 25/35. I use 15gns 2400 with a RCBS 100gn cast boolit!

Looks VERY good, but the stock is cross threaded.

[BigEyeBob]

cackey handed stock BAW.

[Reverend Al]

I have an old 1894 SRC in .25-35 and have a couple of hoarded boxes of Hornady 117 grain round nose bullets which I load for it. (Mostly using IMR 3031 from memory.) Great shooting little rifle, it's very accurate and with very light recoil. Haven't got around to casting for it yet ... too many other project guns keep getting in the way.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

cackey handed stock BAW.

Over 10% of the world is truly blessed

[Good Cheer]

The 117RN is good as it gets for jacketed.
The old Remington 86 grain flat point never would shoot straight in mine.
Brass is a pain to form from 30-30 due to wrinkles at the shoulder (partial form, clean off, partial form, clean off, repeat as needed).

[BigEyeBob]

Got about 10 boxes of highland 30-30 coming ,this is loaded stuff but has been soaking in warer for about three weeks . Agun dealer friend had some complaints from a couple of customers claiming thier rifles jammed after firing this stuff . He called the supplier and they told him to soak it and then dump it down a mine shaft or similar .Anyway he soaked it and got his replacement supply , Im getting the old stuff ,I pull it apart and use the brass.
Ive got four full packs of speer 87gn projectiles ,they dont work very well in my 303/25 , it prefers 100gn Taipans (Aussie made) .So ill launch them from the 25-35 and see how they go .

[Good Cheer]

Even tiny bits of lube will give wrinkles.
Best of luck.

[BigEyeBob]

Its highland brand ammunition ,the brass is PPU which I find good quality , well I can only try , Afew wrinkles here and there wont matter much Im not expecting minute of micron accuracy .Thanks all for the input.

[OlDeuce]

Guys I use imperial wax and do a couple pushes on the 30-30 brass and it does good!!!! I have found the wrinlles come from to much wax and doing 1 push...............Ol Deuce

I really like the 25-35WCF I have 2 old SRC Winchesters and they like the 65gr boolit on small game ....Jacks & P-Dogs lol

[BigEyeBob]

If I have wrinkle trouble , Ill give plain old graphite powder a try as a lube ,It's worked in the past , bit dirty but it does work . My usual case lube is lanoline and isoproponoyl or white spirit mix . Wonder if Prep H would work ,its what in the ladies face wrinkle cream thesedays .

[Texas by God]

I've used the 25-35 for years; in the guise of .250 Savage light loads with the Hornady 117 RN.
Lightning wouldn't kill a deer any deader.

[BigEyeBob]

I will be trying to use upa couple of hundred Speer 87gn sp projectiles ,cant get any accuracy from my 96 mauser in 303/25 ,mainly because I cant seat them out far enough to get near the rifling , they have to jump too big of a gap ,100gn and 117gns are good .