25-35 reloading - Range report added.

[Old Savage]

Having gotten set up to reload the TSX 100 gr. I have moved on to the Hornady 117 Rn. Open to any recipes. I think I am really going to like this caliber and rifle. Combo.

[Ben_Rumson]

Darned if I can find my way back to it to be sure, but I think I saw data for it with Hodgdon LeveRevolution powder.. Sorry if it's not there ..CRS.
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

[AJMD429]

I've never reloaded for that round (always wanted a Contender in it, though...), but < link > Ammoguide shows 18 loads for the Hornady 117 grainer, from 2014 fps to 2357 fps, using H-380, H-4198, H-4895, Varget, AA-2520, IMR-3031, and a few others. Gotta join/sign-up to get at the data, but if replies here are too sparse, could be a useful place to look; only costs $18.95/year.

[Old Savage]

I'll soon have what we need to know but I have a head start because this is the rifle that Jeff Quinn used in his test and Lane Simpson did and article and I have my own data from the TSX loads. And this is the strongest of the regular 94s. I would like any other guys with this to join in and it is an intriguing cartridge for me.

[cshold]

OS, lots of good info. over on castboollits in reguards to
the old ( - ) rounds. I found some good info. there on the 38-40.
A few very familiar lever brother names show up there as well.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

[COSteve]

Darned if I can find my way back to it to be sure, but I think I saw data for it with Hodgdon LeveRevolution powder.. Sorry if it's not there ..CRS.
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

It's there. Go to linked page, select 'rifle' and select '25-35' (it's there below 240 Weatherby Mag and 256 Winchester Mag).

[SFRanger7GP]

I load 25 Remington with 25.5gr IMR 3031 under the Hornady 117gr RN. I have a 1973 Hornady Manual with .25-35 data if you want me to scan the page and email it to you I will. Also, Ken Water's pet loads has a good section on 25 Remington data if you want it I can scan it in also.

[Old Savage]

Thanks SF and I may take you up on that. I have put together the first loads and wonder what some of you guys may have experienced.

[Kansas Ed]

While the bullet is a little different, my best load...and I've tried hoards of different ones to make my rifle shoot...is listed below...

115 GR NOSLER BALLISTIC TIP IMR-4064 26.1gr CCI-BRLR

OAL-2.535, CAPABLE OF TINY GROUPS, POINT CUT OFF OF BULLET

Ed

[dogwood2]

Old Savage, do have one of the last model 94s? I have a Trail's End Hunter, and I have enjoyed it very much. For some reason my rifle is not particular about bullets but only seems to like only H-4895 powder. I shoot 75 grain Speer flat points and the Hornady 117 grain. I would recommend that powder first. I agree you can be fairly confident in the strength of your gun as compared to the old-timers.

Dogwood (John)

[Old Savage]

Yes I do and you can see it at Gunblast.Com. I have used H380 and that has worked well. Jeff Quinn used some other powders including AA 2460. You might look at that.

[2X22]

I've used 24.5grs of 3031 and the 117gr Hornady for 37 years with nary a problem.

2x22

[Old Savage]

37 years Wow. What have you used yours for in that time?

[william iorg]

My M-94AE seems to be able to digest anything I hand it and deliver excellent accuracy.
The 117-grain Hornady shoots well in my rifle using Alliant Reloder 15. 23.0 chronographs 2,71 fps and 27.0 grains chronographs 2,325 fps. The groups seem to tighten as the velocity increases.

25.0 grains of Hodgdon Varget chronographs 2,183 fps from the 20” barrel and is a good shooting load.
27.0 grains of Varget will give you 2,278 fps. Hodgdon Varget aeems to give best accuracy for my with 100% load density of light compression.

27.0 grains of iMR 4320 is a good all around load for me choreographing 2,189 fps and you will be hard pressed to beat IMR 4320 for accuracy and top velocity in the 25-35WCF.

I don’t like IMR 3031 in the 25-35. I believe it is just a bit fast for the cartridge with the 117-grain bullet. 24.0 grains of 3031 chronographs 2,216 fps with good if not exciting accuracy.

I have mentioned how much I like Alliant Reloder 10 with the 100-grains bullets. With the 117-grain Hornady bullet 23.5 grains of Reloder 10 gives me 2,228 fps and all of my loads notes exclaim Fine Accuracy - this load will often shoot 3-shots inside 1 ¼” at 100 yards from the bench with my fore arm hand bedded into the front bag - this is about as good as I am ever able to shoot the 117-grain bullet from the Model 94. I am using a Weaver V-3 and this is a fine little hunting rig for me.

[Old Savage]

William, mine also seems to be accurate with with what I and Jeff Quinn have shot through it. Here is the sight in target after I discover that those lateral screws on the rear scope mount had become loose and the zero wandered way to the left. After retightening here is the final fine tuning with a couple of sight shifts. The group you see is the final three at the last setting and the last one took out the X. The others which I put black paper behind are the sight change trail. The load is 30 gr of H380 which I got from an article by Lane Simpson with the same model rifle. I already knew it was good to this load level from Jeff's article. I have used H380 for a lot of 7-08 loading and wanted to try it. This box of loads is what came out as I was setting up my dies and getting the seating depth and crimp adjusted. I suspect that may have played a role in the couple of rounds that were at 2288 and 2369. The rest were much closer in their velocities and the deviant rounds were consecutive, the sixth and seventh rounds. The first five only varied by 10 fps from 2309 to 2319 fps. There is no apparent bulge at the expansion ring and extraction was easy. I think I can just neck size. Here is the target. This is the 117 gr Hornady.

[Old Savage]

William, my records indicate that 3 different loads so far have produced 7/8" groups: Winchester factory 117 gr, 27.0 gr of H380 with a 100 TSX, and the load above of 30 gr of H380 and the Hornady 117 gr. RN. With 30 gr of H380 and the TSX I got 1" all these are for 3 shots at 100 yds. Actually, other than some old Imperial 117s and a load with some mixed primers these are the only loads I have tried and those four groups are the only actual groups I have shot, the others were all sighting a load. Only have 46 rds through this rifle. This is a very steady and easy rifle to shoot much as you describe with the front arm "bedded" on a back pack with a blanket in it sitting on a gym bag on the bench. The butt is just against my shoulder with both elbows on the bench. This has the advantage of feeling very much like my sitting position to me. I have probably shot approaching 10,000 rounds this way over 20 years. I have a Leupold 4X scope on this Model 94.

[william iorg]

I need to try the TSX. In the 307 Winchester and the 30-30AI the Barnes bullets gave me the best accuracy.
My 25-35 seems to do its best work with the 100-grain bullets, or I have a liking for them and do my best work with them!
The 25-35 loaded to “modern” pressure levels meets my ideas of the 256 Mannlicher type rifle. I believe it would be a lot of fun to have a Lee Enfield barreled for the 256 Mannlicher or Francis Sells 25-35 Tomcat.

[Old Savage]

I like the cartridge but I think you will find that the 100 gr TSX is a little too long to function through the magazine. Could of course be used as a single shot. The E tips are working our better here from what I have heard in performance on the small to mid sized deer around here. I may look at loading some of those. There have been some questionable shall we say lack of performance with the 260s in the TSX. Too soon to tell really in the condorland loads evaluation.