Cheapest .25-35?

[trooperdan]

This really isn't the best place for this topic but maybe it will get some hits. I've become really interested in the .25-35 caliber and am looking for a rifle chambered in such. Problem is, seems like all rifles so chambered are old and are considered national treasures by their owners or so it seems! I just want an inexpensive rifle in .25-35! Heck, it could be a single-shot for all I care! Did TC ever chamber this caliber? Or did H&R in their single-shot line? Or is there some make of repeater that wouldn't cost more than $400?

Or is there a custom gun solution that would be a reasonable solution to my "want"?

[9.3X62AL]

TD, I feel your pain. I spent a couple years searching for a decent example in this caliber, and looked at a LARGE number of Genuwyne Jack London-Owned-And-Operated Yukon River Canoe Paddles so chambered. Their pricing and conditions birthed the nomenclature. In 1999 I gave $550 for a VERY NICE Win 94, which remains in the gun safe and won't be leaving.

I gave a lot of thought to having a 'smith install a barrel on a Marlin 336 action that my nephew and I are still playing tennis with, and that is still a viable and relatively affordable option. Or, rather, WILL BE once my nephew chooses a caliber for more than 3-4 days at a time. His most recent wildcat idea is the .338-30, or the new commercial offering of similar lineage. "You can cast those, right Uncle Al?" Oh, yeah--and the gas checks grow on trees, too. Good thing I have Pat Marlin, Buckshot, and Mountain Molds on speed-dial. KIDS.....

Anyway, the route I was about to take before that flatband 94 appeared was a new barrel on that Marlin. In some respects, this could be a better route than finding an original. The normal twist rate in 25-35 Winchester is 1-8", which creates issues for castings over 1600-1700 FPS. The usual 25 caliber twist of 1-10" should be adequate for the usual 110-117 grain boolits in this caliber, and might allow closer approach to the caliber's full velocity potential with castings (2200-2300 FPS). FWIW, 1-14" supports 100 grainers in my 250 Savage VERY WELL. And the re-tube was MUCH cheaper than most of the Canoe Paddles I saw during the search phase.

ETA--Just prior to closing their doors, Winchester showed a few Angle Eject 94s being made in 25-35 WCF. Dunno if any were actually produced, but they were on the website. Assuming someone takes up the reins of Winchester rifles at some point--and elects to continue the 1894 rifle line--one can only speculate whether more are yet to appear. It is a fine woods caliber, and had the rep for being the most accurate caliber chambered in the Win 94. My own is a tackdriver with Hornady 117 RN, and if kept at or under 1600 FPS the NEI 114 FN castings do good work as well.

[izzyjoe]

i've been kickin' around the ideal of having a marlin rebarreled too, but me finding a barrel with the right twist has been unsucsesfull.

[Mavrick]

I had an M94 Winchester .32 Spl. I've always liked the carbine, but I didn't want to get all the reloading equipment I'd need. I already had several parts for .25s.
I decided a .25/35 Improved would be about perfect. We picked out a Pac-Nor with 1:10 twist, cut it off at 22" and shortened the magazine to 1/2 length. The rear sight had been a Redfield peep, so we didn't cut the barrel for a buckhorn. We put a ramp front with ivory bead on the end, and left a barrel-band off.
It purrs like a kitten with Lyman 64gr FPGCs, with velocities from 1200-1900fps. I use pistol-powders like Unique, Herco, and 2400.
If I want it to do more, I slide in some Hornady RNs with 3031, H380, or 4064...I'm ready for deer.
It's a dream to carry, and shoots as well as ANY levergun, I could imagine. If you were to bump into a Marlin at an incredible price, it would make a good place to start. There are a lot of companies that make .25 barrels that would almost fall on to one of the little lever guns.
TC DID make a .25/35 barrel, in a couple different lengths, and they shot quite well once you found their sweet spot.
If you want to use a #1 or #3, or one of the repop Highwalls, you're going to find out what expensive means, but you will have a nice woods-rifle, accurate and with almost no recoil.
I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine,
Gene

[358wcf]

My local gunshop, Diablo Valley Guns, recently had a Win94 carbine in 25-35. I've always wanted to try on, and have seriously thought about this one, but at $700, I can't justify it, especially at Christmas--

358wcf [smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[scb]

Here's an alternative.
http://www.bullberry.com/TCbarrels.html
"Cheap" is a rather subjective term.

[LIMPINGJ]

I think it was $200.00 cash and an 03A3 Drill Rifle barreled action I gave for my 1923 Win 94 SRC. Of course the trip to Turnbull blew the cheap part.

[Otony]

I gave Wayne York a straight grip Marlin 336 and a .25 Douglas blank about two months ago. I am supposed to get it back in the early Spring, chambered to .25-35 and with the barrel profiled and cut to 22". He is going to mount a ramp front sight in the event I choose to install a peep, but no rear sight otherwise. We are setting it up with a forend cap rather than a band. Somewhere down the road a friend will be fitting a nice Treebone carved walnut buttstock and forend with a flat steel buttplate

I have a Bausch & Lomb 4x Compact scope waiting for it (old eyes). Got dies, got brass, got J-word bullets, just ready to enjoy myself with a mild cartridge perfect for the whitetails around here.

[gnoahhh]

Sounds nice Otony. I for one would like to see pics of it when you get it.

[NHlever]

Cabela's in Maine had a really nice 94 Winchester in 25-35 a while ago, and that is the first one I've seen for a long time. It was $850 so it had to stay there the day I saw it. Fox Ridge Outfitters did supply 25-35 Contender barrels, and I expect still does. They are TC's custom shop, and are located just down the road from the plant. I can make my .257 Roberts into a 25-35 sort of, but it just isn't the same thing! I did have one of those AE Winchesters on order when they closed the doors. There were some shipped, but not mine.

[Good Cheer]

Would a H&R 223 chamber clean up to 25-35?

[beagle]

From my experience, rebarrelling a 336 Marlin and cutting the appropriate dovetails and a blue job runs right at $400 and that was a few years back. So, factor that in your equation. Douglas makes a 1-10 twist barrel blank and that works well in the conversion./beagle

[redneckdan]

Possibly could ream a .256 winchester 'tender barrel to .25-35 I would have to draw up the chamber specs in a solid model program and compare them to see if it would clean up the 256 chamber.

[Otony]

Would a H&R 223 chamber clean up to 25-35?

Yes, Wayne York has done several rebores to .25-35 using a .223 Handi-rifle as the "donor".

[C A Plater]

I've seen a .25-35 Contender barrel listed for sale off and on at Ed's T/C (http://www.edstc.com/). There is also the custom barrel makers that will turn one out for you. Bullberry and MGM come to mind and there are others plenty good too.

[nvbirdman]

Mine is an 1899 Savage that I gave 50 bucks for about twenty years ago. The rifle is 98 years old and it looks it. The bore has so many pits I'd probably have to bore it out to forty caliber to clean it up, but the accuracy is still good and I enjoy it.

[Three44s]

I have a M94 dating from 1922 in .25-35 win that was our family's sheep camp gun.

It was bears and coyotes after the woolies they were protecting against. Today, I'd like more gun for bears!

I recently turned my thoughts to that rifle and acquired a set of used dies thanks to a member on this forum. Thus far, it's roared back to life with the 75 gr. J-words from Speer ....... I happended to have left over from a .25-20 project for a neighbor.

Three 44s

[jmh54738]

In 1993 I converted a then decade old (new) 336C to 25-35 Improved. Improved, that is, to my specs. I reduced the body taper, longer body length and 25 deg. shoulder angle. I made my own reamer for the 26" Douglas XX barrel, and the loading dies. A full length magazine tube was obtained from Brownells and a 336A forearm, hanger and nosecap from Numrich. No barrel bands. Although I installed fixed sights, it wears a Tasco 2x8. I ran all of the numbers through a Powley calculator for loads. My standard jbullet hunting load is 100 grains with the blue plastic cut off flat @ a chronographed 2900 fps with 35 grains of GI H 380. The 117 round noses clock 2640 with 32 grains of AA2520. My 25-20s don't like the 90 grain Loverin style bullet, but it does well here with 15 grains of 4759 for 2134 fps. I have a little sticky on the stock +1.7 @ 100 yds, 0 @ 200 yds., -8" @ 300 yds, and -24" @ 400 yds,
(100g jbullet) but I don't remember where I got those numbers. I have extreme confidence in this rifle as it has never let my down, be it deer, turkey, fox, crow, or wood chuck.
John

[ErikT]

I'm planning on converting an old Savage 99 .30-30 to .25-35 soon. The .30 barrel is completely shot out, so I'm waiting for a barrel liner from Track of the Wolf in .257 with a 10" twist. I think my gunsmith quoted me about $250 (yes, that's Canadian dollars!) to reline the barrel and cut the chamber to .25-35. Factor in the cost of the liner (about $100.00), and it's actually cheaper than a new barrel. Should be a great rifle for anything up to whitetails with the proper boolits, and I don't even need to tweak the feed mechanism!

[Good Cheer]

I'd like to find an old 6mm mold to have ground out a little and try paper patching such a dinky little booger.

[Bob Busetti]

I seen a 1899 Savage rough grey beard in 25/35 for sale. Way to high at $650. Owner pretty proud of it.

[onceabull]

I was lucky enough to come up on a Stevens 425 in 25 Rem. for substantially less than any comparable condition 25/35 I saw for sale, so you might be too..And mine has 1/10 twist.....it was quick decision for me,as I already had 2 Rem.14's in 25 R.so dies/brass were already here.... If you do,get in touch here as I have extra die set,and many new and once fired cases...(Mostly reformed 30 Rem.)...Onceabull

[bob208]

i have 2 94 win. carbines with flat bands in .25-35 and a rifle with octagon barrel intake down in the same cal.