25-35 winchester

[ra_balke]

I have a 25-35 model 94 , and I thought I would relate my experience with it.


The gun is a carbine made in year 1912, and it is well worn, with a very dark, but excellent barrel.

I wanted to shoot cast bullets with it, but I found that because of the tight 8 inch twist, ...gas cutting, even at low velosities was a problem, and I had to keep velosities below 1700 fps for any kind of decent results.

The cast bullets I used were both RCBS , .....100 gr, and the 120 gr. cast from ww metal, I do not remember the powder used.



Dissappointed with cast bullets;

I went to the only other bullet available, the Hornady 117 gr round nose.

I read over and over again, that this bullet was intended for the 25-06 and not for the 25-35, so I took the suggestions of gun writers, and I drove the bullets to 2300 fps, ( or a little more ) using 3031 powder. ( I think it was 26 grains ) These I shot into water at ranges up to about 75 yards.

All bullets mushroomed well. ( too well !! ) The Hornady bullets shed their jackets about 60% of the time. And, my old dark bore in my 25-35 showed really well cut rifling marks.

Were I to hunt with this ctg, I would be happy to use the Hornady 117 gr bullet, but I would slow the bullet to about 2100 fps, and I would limit my shots to about 100 yds.

I'd suspect that my 25-35 would work well as a deer hunting rifle. I hope to hunt with it someday.

[KirkD]

Were you cast bullets the gas check design? I have no experience with the 25-35, but I do have a 25-20. With such a small bore, I found that gas checks were essential. Plain base bullets gave awful accuracy and serious leading at all velocities.

[onceabull]

ra-balke: Despite what the "gunwriters" you read had to say re: the Hornaday 117 RN,it has been the "standard"jacketed bullet for reloading the 25/35 for at least 50 years. 2100 FPS from your carbine should be fine for most deer hunting at 100 yards or less. My Lyman handbook from the mid '50s shows a max load of 26.5 gr. 3031 with 117 gr jacketed giving 2350 FPS...I have my doubts if that was from a carbine! In that era ,The brand of bullet,brass,and primer,wasn't deemed important enough to publish...!! Enjoy, Onceabull

[6pt-sika]

I have never fooled with the 25-35 . However I have an old Marlin 1893 in 25-36 Marlin which is pretty much the same cartridge .

When I first bought the rifle I loaded some of the Hornady 117 round nose bullets and they shot very well !

Since then I have tried the Lyman 257325GC which I like a great deal ! This is a RN bullet of about 113 grains that was originally made for the 25 Remington which is nothing more then a rimless version of the 25-35 .

I also shoot the Lyman 257312GC in my 25-36 and 25-20 . This is a nice old bullet of about 86 grains that shoots nicely in both rifles .

A few months ago I bought a 6 cavity mould from NEI , it's a FP GC design of about 114 grains I think . But I have yet to spend alot of time with this bullet so far ! Other things have kept me kinda busy you might say ! Anyway another member here turned me on to that bullet so I think it may very well work pretty well also !

[Bent Ramrod]

ra_balke,

You might try 9 gr of SR-4759 behind a cast boolit and see how it does. The one I use is the Ideal 257231 plain base, around 110 gr. I don't push it very hard, but it seems to do OK in the 9" twist of my FBW single shot.

The Hornady 117gr RN is the only heavy bullet out there that is made to expand at .25-35 velocities. Winchester used to have a similar roundnose bullet of around that weight with two cannelures on it that was loadable in either the .25-35 or the .257 Roberts. However, the jacket was heavier so it wouldn't blow up at the Roberts velocities and it generally wouldn't expand well out of the .25-35.

[Bret4207]

I agree the Hornady is designed for the 25-35. I never heard anyone claim otherwise till now. There was a semi-pointed bullet of about the same weight designed for the 257/25-06 type cartridges years ago, but I don't recall if it was a Hornady. That may be where the confusion comes from.

[9.3X62AL]

+1 to the Hornady 117 RN being purpose-built for the 25-35 WCF.

I've used the NEI 114 grain flatnose with good effect in the 25-35 to about 1600 FPS, then accuracy goes south. Folks experimenting with the 6.5 Swede and its 1-7.5" to 1-8" twist report similar velocity limitations, so my assumption is that the limiting factor here is the twist rate in both calibers when it comes to velocity potential.

And that's OK. My rifles (a now-deparated Savage 1899 and present Win 94) have both shot the Hornady VERY well, and the 25-35 has gone along on several deer hunts so loaded (27.0 grains of WW-760). The castings get used mostly to get whupped by the other guys at the Burrito Shoot, and have whacked several jackrabbits with no doubt as to their effectiveness--DRT.

[Dr. A]

I've had very good luck hunting with the 25-35 (of recent manufacture) and the 117gr. Hornady bullet that was designed for the 25-35 cartridge. I had no problems with bullet construction. I've had similar limitations with using plain based cast bullets, and have primarily centered this particular gun to shooting the 86gr. Remington. Here is some pretty good data:

http://www.gmdr.com/levern/2535-86sp.htm

http://www.gmdr.com/levern/2535-90hp.htm

A while ago, we had a really good thread over on Beartooth concerning this very subject:

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=20108&highlight=25-35

A couple of fellas really showed up, shared their knowledge, and that has made for this cartridge all the more interesting to me.

[LIMPINGJ]

Mine is a Win 94 SRC from 1923. I use the out of production Remington 115gr RN. For cast keep the velocity down as others have said.