which rifle?

[buggybuilder]

I will be hunting over a food plot between 2 fence lines. My shot will be 40 yards or less.
Will a .25-20 using jacketed bullets kill a deer if shot placement is correct? OR.....
a 30-40 Krag using cast bullets?

[M-Tecs]

After my dad had heart surgery he used a 25-20 to like a nice whitetail buck. I used the same rifle to take one also. That being said the 30-40 is a better option in my opinion.

[Anschutz]

I'd go with the 30-40 without more details on the loads for each. Even with that, I'd probably still say the 30-40.

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[versa-06]

The 30-40 by all means. They are known for shooting heavy boolits well. Get the alloy right & it is a slammer. Powder coat helps. -06

[Winger Ed.]

If you do your part, the .25-20 will work being that close.
However; whatever the .25-20 can do,,,,, the .30-40 can do better.

[rtyler8140]

They both have the cool factor, that's for sure. If you are confident in the 25-20 and you have proper shot placement, you should be good. 30-40 will give you more margin of error to get the job done. I'd say you need to make the ultimate decision as you know your shooting abilities & shot discipline. I think the hardest thing to do as a hunter is to know your limitations of your equipment and self and to not try and force something outside of those.

[Mk42gunner]

Having both caliber's, although I have only shot cast in my .25-20; I have to say the .30-40 is a better deer round.

Robert

[buggybuilder]

Will powder coated cast expand enough to do the job?

[35 Rem]

If I had a pet deer that I was crazy about, I would not want you to shoot it with a 25-20 at 40 yards because I know it would almost certainly die. However, if I were hunting and wanted to feel confident that a deer I shot could be recovered I wouldn't want to use a 25-20. It's just too marginal in my opinion. I have a 32-20 that I've considered but even with that step up I'm not comfortable.

The 30-40 gives a nice margin of safety so that's what I'd use.

[35 Rem]

All my cast deer hunting loads give between 2,000 and 2,135 ft/sec and they expand like jacketed in factory loads when shot into gallon water jugs. This is with 50/50 Clip-on-WW/Pure Lead plus 1 or 2 % Tin. I don't see how powder coating could change that with the same alloy.

[ascast]

I'm curious about your "shot placement" Where exactly were you going to poke the critter with the 25 ? brains? spine? heart? Oddly, I think all three of those somehow get a lot bigger when you up caliber. You got a scope? and loads to justify having a scope? I'd probly go with the 30-40. good luck

[Thumbcocker]

.30-40 with a flat point boolit

[dverna]

I am not a fan of using marginal calibers. Deer are not difficult to kill. Some poachers around here use a .22.

Think about your capabilities and experience. Make the decision based on what you know and don't know.

Unless there is a good reason not to use the .30-40 why would you consider the .25-20?

[versa-06]

Powder coating is a very easy process. If I can do it it's got to be easy, I'm not a high tech person. Any coating will establish some resistance to expansion, but after the pressure of the rifling there should be little to no resistance to the expansion. Never heard anyone with any complaints in this department. -06

[Jedman]

I would use the 30-40 as long as you are confident in its accuracy. The one problem I see in using the 25-20 is the bullet. If it’s a factory loaded jacketed bullet it is designed for smaller varmints and most likely you would be lacking in penetration.
I have a single shot rifle in 256 Win mag that I can load 87 or even 100 gr. Rifle bullets in out to 2.00”+ and can get velocities near what factory 25-35 loads deliver . I would use it for deer in a controlled condition such as a 40 yard shot and calm deer that I can wait for the perfect shot and angle .
It is a legal caliber in the upper half of lower MI where I hunt sometimes and it’s something I plan to do one day if I have the right conditions. But it probably has twice the energy of a 25-20.

Jedman

[Pereira]

I know it has been and is capable and I have one (25-20), but
I'd take the 30-40.
And I get groups like this.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231109/81cc51543aa0c37cb07c1860258e8f7c.jpg


RP

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Had an acquaintance in Colorado who poached elk with a 25-20, shot them in the heart at 25 yards or less, they would walk off, lay down and die. Use the 30-40 with a flatnose bullet, any of the 30-30 bullets, 311041, RCBS 30-180 Flat Nose or NOE clone(my personal preference), the Lee 309-170, run a gas check 1600-2000 fps, much more reliable on deer at any range.

[Slugster]

I would use the 30-40 as I believe that the 25-20 would be marginal on deer sized game. If you are confident in your abilities with the 25-20 go for it. Good luck on your hunt.

[gumbo333]

At 40 yds you could load the 30/40 with a very mild heavy cast load with very reduced recoil if recoil is a concern. The heavy cast boolit will do the job. Practice.

[cwtebay]

World record whitetail was killed with a 25-20, world record elk with a 30-40. Both records stood for a good chunk of a century.

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