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I started hunting big game with a 25-35. It was all I knew other than a 30-06 and the 30-06 would knock me on my butt. My father traded the 25-35 carbine for breaking a horse back in the 1930's.
I remember selling newspapers for weeks to be able to buy a box of ammunition for the gun. I didn't know anything about ballistics and it didn't matter. All I knew was, I had to make a good shot and to shoot sparingly because ammunition wasn't cheap.
I shot my first deer with it and even though it was a doe, I couldn't wait to get back to school to tell everyone that I had killed my first deer. In those days there wasn't such a thing as the "Outdoor Channel", "Eastman's Journal" etc, it was simply hunting and the thrill of the chase and the excitement of the story afterwards.
I killed a lot of game with that gun over the years including a 7 foot Montana Grizzly. I have had several and continue to include the 25-35 in most of my hunting trips. It is hard to decide which gun to shoot when you take 6 or 8 with you on each hunt...
Beautiful rifle! Everyone talks of the 30-30 as the first smokeless powder american sporting cartridge, but from what i understand it actually shares that distinction with the 25-35. Doesn't that then make it the grandfather of the whole .257 caliber cartridge family? Try telling that to a guy with a 25 WSSM!
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
Psalms 27:1
I've got a 25-35 SRC too. Seems like it's a cartridge than just got a little sidetracked as time went by. It's "just enough" for deer and "not to much" for a lot of other critters.
IMHO... 25 WCF may be what the .223 Remington is "trying" to be... it just got niched into a levergun cubby-hole.
always press the "red" button--- it's worth the effort and the results can be fun
You're right it is a useful caliber. I think it would be a great trainer. I'm still in search of one. I was thinking last year that a .223 necked up to .25 cal would be just about perfect these days, but then again why try to re-invent the wheel?
If you're gonna be stupid ya gotta be tough-
Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
A famous outfitter from Ovando MT Howard Copenhaver used a 25/35 for all his hunting from grizz to packrats in the Bob have had more than one dance with them myself but didnt have to pay the fiddler theres some big bruins in the danaher basin, from my experince the bears are more agressive in the absarokees north of the park. Good shooting Shrapnel, danny
After reading Francis Sell I had to have a .25-35 and got a barrel for my Contender. It is lot's of fun, capable and it doesn't kick. About like the TCU series of cartridges. I will say that while you can move the light bullets fast there is a huge difference in point of impact compared to the standard 117 gr. bulleted load.
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Never had a Winchester in a 25-35 but I have had a Marlin 1893 in 25-36 . And now I have a German Pre War Collath single shot in 6.5x52R which is nothing more then 25-35 !
All I've shot in this old single shot was some 1960's factory ammo that shot with the old German scope about 3 shots in 1 1/2" at 100 yards .
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
More great pics Shrapnel! I sure wish that Marlin would chamber their 336 Cowboy in this caliber - 24" octagonal barrel would be great. That's one I'd snap up if they'd offer it. Always wanted a 25-35 Winny.
Sharpnel as always great show & tell
6pt very fine gun
Sixgun did sell my wife a very nice flat band & its going
hunting this fall, been trying to call in a yote but no cigar
have some 75gr speer loaded for it & sure wanting to smoke a yote
great story and photos. i have a 25/35 SRC and a 1895 year of mfg. special order half oct half found, pistol grip, checkered, fancy wood.etc. though the metal is all grey it is still a great little gun. [ fairly close match to a 38/55 from the same year with the same features tho wood is not so fancy ]
these are a couple of the handiest best handling guns.
thanks for the photos and story! makes me want to take my guns down to my place in bozeman and try them out down there!
6pt-sika wrote:Never had a Winchester in a 25-35 but I have had a Marlin 1893 in 25-36 . And now I have a German Pre War Collath single shot in 6.5x52R which is nothing more then 25-35 !
All I've shot in this old single shot was some 1960's factory ammo that shot with the old German scope about 3 shots in 1 1/2" at 100 yards .
That is really cool! Where'd you get that?
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Thanks for a great read and great pictures. In my usual style, I got to the party late and "discovered" the 25-35 only about two years ago. I shoot a bunch of other hyphenated calibers, but this one for some reason avoided my radar 'til then. After shooting one belonging to a member of my gun club, I discovered what an accurate and civilized little round it is, and about perfect for our smallish eastern NC whitetails.
Phase II of the infection - find me one. Easier said than done. Without exception, '94's in this caliber bring a hefty premium, and affordable (to me) ones look to have been dragged behind a truck. Marlins in 25-36 are even tougher to find (and pricier), and I am at heart a Marlin addict.
Not to be denied, the cure has become a donor rifle in the form of a '68 vintage 336 Texan SRC. It is, at the moment, in the hands of Bill Meehan in Douglas, WY being relined and with a slightly slower 1:10 twist liner. I'll probably scope it with a straight tube low power variable (old eyes), and live happily ever after....at least until the next gun I can't live without crosses my path
6pt-sika wrote:Never had a Winchester in a 25-35 but I have had a Marlin 1893 in 25-36 . And now I have a German Pre War Collath single shot in 6.5x52R which is nothing more then 25-35 !
All I've shot in this old single shot was some 1960's factory ammo that shot with the old German scope about 3 shots in 1 1/2" at 100 yards .
That is really cool! Where'd you get that?
Thanks !
Got it from a 2 Star thats at the Pentagon !
His father in law was a Colonel or General in WWII . This rifle , my schuetzen and our Ed Kettner 16-16 and 10.75x65R Collath drilling all came home with this guy after WWII and we got them from the son in law thats a General now !
Had all 3 maybe 2 years now .
Last edited by 6pt-sika on Sat Feb 25, 2012 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
The 25-35 is my favorite 94 chambering. I have a flatband carbine that belonged to a family friend who bought it new in the 1940's. When he died his widow sold it to us back in the 70's. I shot one deer with it, a huge doe that was quartering away at about 50 yds at dusk. The penetration of the 117 Remington Corelokt bullet was totally amazing as it went clean through the hind quarter and was found mushroomed under the hide of the opposite front quarter.
What a fun story and great pictures! I really like that rifle
I was introduced to the 25-35 on my 14th birthday a long time ago. That old 1939 Model 64 came wearing a Williams receiver sight with 40 boxes of factory W-W 117gr ammo, a set of dies and a 100gr FN bullet mould. My Uncle......what a guy. It also had custom fiddleback maple wood on it, my Uncle had saved that wood for 50 years to make a stock with. But he also gave me the original wood too.
I shot my first deer with that rifle, the same as you, a doe. Way back, one Sunday per season there was a doe day. That was when I first filled my tag.
Today I still have that rifle, the dies and the bullet mould. All the factory stuff has been long shot up except for 4 boxes I put away and saved. Today I still use the 110gr bullets that old mould throws with 22grs of 3031. I use Hornadies 117gr RN with 24gr of 3031. Both loads do about 2200fps and hit to the same point of aim.
I never think of that old rifle when I am still packing it around today, without thinking of my Uncle. What a wonderful gift he gave a young boy that really needed something like that at that point of his life.
2x22
"Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction." - Thomas Jefferson
kaschi wrote:The 25-35 is my favorite 94 chambering. I have a flatband carbine that belonged to a family friend who bought it new in the 1940's. When he died his widow sold it to us back in the 70's. I shot one deer with it, a huge doe that was quartering away at about 50 yds at dusk. The penetration of the 117 Remington Corelokt bullet was totally amazing as it went clean through the hind quarter and was found mushroomed under the hide of the opposite front quarter.
We need a pic of that gun. It sounds really nice! Last year I was waiting in the lobby of a hotel in St Louis and started talking to a guy who was also hanging around. Turns out he was a big gun guy and he was a fan of the 25-35. I haven't ever seen one in real life.
I've been looking for one too. Last week I saw a Model 94 Winny in 25-35 at a pawn shop for $850. It was just a "shooter", though, because it appeared to have been buffed a little and re-blued at some part of its life, and the stock sanded and refinished as well. But it was an octogonal barreled rifle of about 1901 vintage per the serial number. I thought the asking price of $850 was a bit steep for a shooter. What do you guys say? Maybe I'll never find another even at that price?
And for us folks that can appreciate something besides a lever, there is a worthy equivalent cartridge in 25 Remington. Built for the Model 14 pump or Model 8 autoloader. Holds a couple grains more powder -- kinda' a 25-35 Improved but maintaining the long neck. These were my first 25 Rems, made from 30 Rem using a 250 Savage die to squeeze the neck down. And by the way, the pointy bullet on the right won't feed into the magazine of the pump, but would be fine in the autoloader.
25RemLoaded.jpg
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The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies. Patrick Henry
earlmck wrote:And for us folks that can appreciate something besides a lever, there is a worthy equivalent cartridge in 25 Remington. Built for the Model 14 pump or Model 8 autoloader. Holds a couple grains more powder -- kinda' a 25-35 Improved but maintaining the long neck. These were my first 25 Rems, made from 30 Rem using a 250 Savage die to squeeze the neck down. And by the way, the pointy bullet on the right won't feed into the magazine of the pump, but would be fine in the autoloader.
25RemLoaded.jpg
nice, i have a friend who has one of the pumps in 25 rem.
and of course there was marlins round- the 25/36, keep trying to snag one of those as well.
hfcable wrote:and of course there was marlins round- the 25/36, keep trying to snag one of those as well.
Had a nice 1906 vintage 1893 Marlin in 25-36 a couple years back !
Gun liked the Lyman 257325 and 257312 bullets quite a bit . I ordered a mold from NEI that worked pretty well in it also was a 114 grain FN GC bullet .
I shot some of the Hornady 117 grain RN in the rifle and as expected they did nicely , but I kinda prefer homemade lead bullets
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
hfcable wrote:and of course there was marlins round- the 25/36, keep trying to snag one of those as well.
Had a nice 1906 vintage 1893 Marlin in 25-36 a couple years back !
Gun liked the Lyman 257325 and 257312 bullets quite a bit . I ordered a mold from NEI that worked pretty well in it also was a 114 grain FN GC bullet .
I shot some of the Hornady 117 grain RN in the rifle and as expected they did nicely , but I kinda prefer homemade lead bullets
my color
i keep trying, already have dies and brass......some day, sigh.
Shrapnel, I appreciate your post. I once owned a 94 like yours with Lyman/Ideal tang sight and a very fine bore. Why I traded it I will never know. Like good friend Earl, I now have a Remington Model 14 in .25 Remington with very similar ballistics, and if I survive surgery Monday I hope to get her to thte range this spring when the doc says I am OK to life more than five pounds.
You are privileged to own so many fine firearms. Thank you for sharing with us.
I would very much like to have one!! Great stories and pix. They're so doggone rare and expensive these days, perhaps a re-barrel is the obvious answer?
Well let's see...I have a shot out Norsk Krag sporter that would be a dandy in this chambering...hmmm.
Best,
Oly
Cheers,
Oly
I hope and pray someday the world will learn
That fires we don't put out will bigger burn
Excellent and informative post! The photos are the icing on the cake.
Kirk: An old geezer who loves the smell of freshly turned earth, old cedar rail fences, wood smoke, a crackling fireplace on a snowy evening, pristine wilderness lakes, the scent of
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester. Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
6pt-sika wrote:6.5x52R which is nothing more than 25-35
Likely close enough, but the European counterpart to SAAMI lists them separately with slight differences in case dimensions. The situation is similar with 5.6x52R and the .22 Sav. I have to wonder if some company in Europe long ago took a caliper to factory Winchester ammo and starting making copies, instead of writing Winchester for the specs.
Igot my first 25-35 in 1962 for $25. It was a minty 94 carbine. Had it been a 30-30 it would have cost $10 more, as the 25 was not in demand. About the same time, I picked up a Remington 14 and 30S, both in 25 Remington. I killed lots of Texas Whitetail and Mule deer with those rifles. Throw in Javalina, Jack Rabbits and other assorted lesser critters, and those rifles did lots of good work "back in the day".
Some years back a gun scribe wrote an article on the 25-35 calling it obsolete and inadequate on deer. I wrote him and related my experience. His reply was terse and in effect told me he was the expert and my experience did not alter the reality of his superior knowledge. Lordy but the paper gods can be full of themselves when their conclusions are challenged by mere mortals.
Igot my first 25-35 in 1962 for $25. It was a minty 94 carbine. Had it been a 30-30 it would have cost $10 more, as the 25 was not in demand. About the same time, I picked up a Remington 14 and 30S, both in 25 Remington. I killed lots of Texas Whitetail and Mule deer with those rifles. Throw in Javalina, Jack Rabbits and other assorted lesser critters, and those rifles did lots of good work "back in the day".
Some years back a gun scribe wrote an article on the 25-35 calling it obsolete and inadequate on deer. I wrote him and related my experience. His reply was terse and in effect told me he was the expert and my experience did not alter the reality of his superior knowledge. Lordy but the paper gods can be full of themselves when their conclusions are challenged by mere mortals.
