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View Full Version : How Many 25-20 Shooters are here?



moodyholler
09-06-2005, 11:57 AM
How about a 3 hole 86 grain, and 3 hole 115 grain FN, PB mold? Thanks, moodyholler

Bodydoc447
09-06-2005, 12:47 PM
From what I understand, Lee won't mix and match the cavities without charging a whole bunch more. Leftoverdj did a run of 86 grain 25-20 molds a while back, one with gas check base and one with a plain base. You might check and see if he can forward the specs to you. I've not seen a 115 grain .25-20 boolit but I am willing to learn!

Doc

moodyholler
09-06-2005, 01:02 PM
Sorry, I have a 25-36 Marlin also. I was wondering and writing at the same time. moodyholler

Bodydoc447
09-06-2005, 02:23 PM
Thought that was what you might have meant. On the other hand what I don't know would fill a couple of oceans. But there are other 25-20 shooters here. Check the projects threads for 25-20 interesting discussions.

Doc

Bodydoc447
09-06-2005, 03:43 PM
Gave you a bumsteer.....the .25-20 thread was in the levergun section.

Doc

9.3X62AL
09-07-2005, 12:49 AM
25-20 shooter here, and 25-35 as well.

I use an NEI 114 FN/GC in my flatband 94 x 25-35, and it does very well as long as fairly hard metal is used and velocities stay under 1700 FPS. The 1-8" twist does not lend itself to high velocity with cast boolits, as the 6.5 x 55 shooters can attest.

My 25-20 is beginning to behave almost decently with Lyman #257312, but #257420 remains recalcitrant and unrepentant. Maybe it will work in the 250 Savage.

35remington
09-17-2005, 10:55 PM
.25-20's are my favorite small game rifles. I have a recalcitrant Contender carbine barrel I'm finally figuring out, and will have another custom barrel for it on order shortly. Just to see what is possible.

The RCBS 85 Cowboy is my mainstay for small game hunting, the Lee 80 GC group buy bullet is excellent at the higher velocities for larger critters. Cast of straight wheelweights plus a smidge of tin and launched at 1900 fps using RL7 or 'Lilgun, it gives good mushrooming and shock effect. The plainbase group buy gives good accuracy with light charges of 2400 or H4227. Subsonic (1080 fps) loads using the plainbase group buy and Unique also work well. Most of my lighter loads use dacron as a filler.

I'll never be without a .25-20 again. It is just that good for most of the small game hunting I do.

Leftoverdj
09-17-2005, 11:17 PM
I still have a few of the PB version six cavities left.

trk did the drawings, and you'd have to talk with him, but I'd have no objection to anyone doing another run of the GC version or using it as a starting point.

35Rem, that's about what I found with limited work. The GC version is very accurate with full loads, and the PB is a dream small game bullet at .22 LR velocities.

9.3X62AL
09-18-2005, 01:45 AM
The 25-20 has not been exactly user-friendly for me with the castings so far. The little Marlin 94CL will just lay 75 grain Speer flatnoses right on top of one another, but the castings just don't want to cooperate quite as well. And I still have a Marlin Model 27-S slide action to assemble loads for in this caliber. Can't wait for Version 2.0 of this little project.

I did get Lyman #257312 behaving OK recently--but it takes all the tweaks to get there. Neck sizing, trimming carefully, Rem pistol primers, CAREFUL eyeball of boolits, size to .260", use of dacron. 7.0 x WC-820 did the deed with this rigamarole. That said, the hunting I've done with the 25-20 has been very satisfying. All the power needed to anchor small game, without explosive shredding--and I've connected on jacks and ground squirrels to 150 yards with the j-words. DOWN THEY GO, FORTHWITH. Hence my eagerness to get castings to work well in this caliber.

C A Plater
09-26-2005, 09:11 AM
I just picked up an old Savage 23 in .25-20. I'm cleaning it up now as the bore was full of crud and grime. I have a 10" T/C barrel too and that is what hooked me on the little quarter bore.

trooperdan
09-26-2005, 11:14 AM
Leftoverdj, do you think that .25-20 bullet will work in the .256 Win mag? I have one of the Marlin model 62's in that caliber and I like it very much. I might need one of your "left-over" molds!

Char-Gar
09-26-2005, 11:27 AM
I have been shooting the 25-20 since about 1960 or so. I now have a Winchestere 92 and Remington 25 in that caliber.

A few years back, I picked up a new old stock 4 hole Lyman 257312 and that takes care of my needs. I cast this bullet out of Linotype. Those little bullets fill out better and I get better results.

I sent some of these lubed with Felix Lube to Doc O'Meara for use in his Winchester 25-35. He used a charge of 2400 and reported to me sub 1" 50 yard open sight groups. I disremember the powder charge, but the velocity was about 1.5K fps.

NEI makes molds for a clone of this bullet.

Leftoverdj
09-26-2005, 11:56 AM
Leftoverdj, do you think that .25-20 bullet will work in the .256 Win mag? I have one of the Marlin model 62's in that caliber and I like it very much. I might need one of your "left-over" molds!

Dan, I would expect it to work very well at .22 lr speeds, but not when pushed much faster. The GC version does shoot well at around 2000 fps, but those are long gone.

trk
09-26-2005, 09:32 PM
I still have a few of the PB version six cavities left.

trk did the drawings, and you'd have to talk with him, but I'd have no objection to anyone doing another run of the GC version or using it as a starting point.

35Rem, that's about what I found with limited work. The GC version is very accurate with full loads, and the PB is a dream small game bullet at .22 LR velocities.


I can make available the AutoCAD DWG files or put them in JPG or BMP files.

Let me know. (Wouldn't be tough to stretch one or add a section or two in the grooves area to increase the mass.)