How Do Your Pre-64 25-35's Shoot

[.45Cole]

I'm interested in a 25-35 to take the place of my .250 savage and I was really looking at Winny's Japanese 1894 sporter when I found a 24" pre-64 in 25-35 with the nickel steel for 750 at the gun show. I'm seriously thinking about the pre-64 as it's been reblued and nobody seems to want it.

I'm going to use it as a babied shooter, so how well are the old barrels with normal modern j-words?

[OverMax]

I have a pre model 25-35. (1894 L barrel) Mine has the half round half octagon barrel in nickle steel and a pistol grip stock. One additional Winchester ordered accessory not usually seen. It's Winchester factory mounted Tang peep site. A bit different in looks and operation than the Ideal peeps.

25s performance on game is about the same as a 30-30. Then again the difference between the 25-35 and the 250-3000? Old Savage cartridge develops about 400 fps more speed. So~ the 25-35s book written performance isn't in the same category as the 250-3000s. 250-3000s was a more efficient round during its time.

Only once did I hunt deer with the 25-35 shooting my jacketed reloads. Only difference between Cast & Jacketed? The additional speed jacketed is capable of. And the nice thing about cast? Having ability to go easy on the antique nickel steel rifling. No harm shooting jacketed as the barrel was meant too. But a steady diet of high speed jacketed with today smokeless powders will wear the rifling down prematurely. As nickel steel is prown to wear quite unlike today's barrels steel.

Shot a nice spike maybe 25-30 yards away from the stand with the 25-35 quite some time ago. The spike just meandered along a well established & {very old} deer run. Within a few feet the animal succumbed to its well place wound like its Brothern have done since and in my past.

Shortly after that hunting outing the rifle being a dandy collectors piece {and its not having a sling} gave me cause to retired the 25-35 to the wall.



Re-bluing isn't necessarily a bad thing unless the rifles barrel engraving was buffed to near non-existence. That kind of bluing job will reduce a firearms {collectors or not} value substantially.
750 $ You need to at least try and bargain that price down a bit. 6-ish price would be easier on the wallet.

[Dan Cash]

Compared to the .250 you have, the .25-35 is a weak sister for deer sized animals. I know that many have been taken with it over the years but many have been lost. Prairie dogs, ground hogs, coyots etc are good with the .25-35 but bigger stuff needs more rifle. Being reblued, the gun is probably not worth much more than $450-$500 as a shooter if it has a good barrel. The nickle steel barrel was intended to stand up to the erosive early smokeless propellants and is a cousin to stainless steel. I doubt you will wear it out; the .25-35 always had jacketed bullets.

[Reverend Al]

My .25-35 WCF is a '94 SRC mfg pre-WW I with a great bore and it shoots far better than I can hold it with the original open sights. I don't have a suitable mould for it (yet) so have only shot it using Hornady's 117 round nose bullet to date, but they have given great results.

[.45Cole]

Thanks for setting me straight on the price, I figured 700-750 was a good deal but Ii'll push toward the 600 range then. I was pretty worried about the j-words in the old steel barrel but it sounds like it will be fine. The buffing was first rate and it looks like the whole rebluing was first rate as all the lettering is clearly there and no rounded edges. I also like that it's reblued because so many of the good gunsmiths round here won't touch an original winchester as far as modifying it, they'll get it back in working order but would frown on sight work and my hopefully future case hardening of the butt plate, forend cap, receiver and lever.

If I pick it up I'll post pics.

[Shawlerbrook]

That is a smokin deal around here. My 1906 SRC also shoots great and the 25 35 is a great old round.

[OlDeuce]

I've got 2 SRC 25-35s and 1 is from my childhood!! my first deer gun my Dad got me when I was 12! they shoot great for what they are.. When I was hunting
I used the 117gr Hornady and for critters I used the 60gr Hornady !!!! My son loves that caliber and snitched my old one !!!! You'll like it ..It's no 25-06 but
it will do everything I want it to do !!

Ol Deuce

[OlDeuce]

I'm interested in a 25-35 to take the place of my .250 savage and I was really looking at Winny's Japanese 1894 sporter when I found a 24" pre-64 in 25-35 with the nickel steel for 750 at the gun show. I'm seriously thinking about the pre-64 as it's been reblued and nobody seems to want it.

I'm going to use it as a babied shooter, so how well are the old barrels with normal modern j-words?

Did you get the 25-35????????????

[.45Cole]

I went back to the guy and the barrel wasn't very pretty, might cleanup. While inspecting the barrel I found that the inside of the action was a little rusty, hence they had refinished the outside of the rifle. IMO this really brings down the rifle's value, so I'll let him sit on it for a couple months and then recheck it. Probably shoot for $400 some. Winchester is running the 25-35 so maybe I can get a barrel through them. The new Winney's are $1000 http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/rifles/model-94/model-94-inline-catalog-production.html