The 25-35 was reputedly the most accurate smokeless load you could get in the Winchester 1894, it was also a popular varmint cartridge in single shots before the high velocity .22s were developed. Townsend Whelen wrote up a High Wall he had with 26" No. 3 nickel steel barrel and double set triggers, the old Winchester A5 scope, drove 86 grain bullets as fast as he could, the High Wall is immensely strong and you could push them fairly fast. I have a Niedner High Wall .25-35 with 1930 dated Shelhamer stock, DST, made as a deer rifle only 7.5 lbs., Parker Hale windage tang sight, mint condition, superb rifle, I am embarassed to say that it has been in the gun rack for many years and I have never fired it.

Very interesting! This has really been a good topic, I`ve learned a lot about the 25/35 I didn`t know before.

You guys are driving me crazy. For years I've been wanting to build a 25/35 AI on a Marlin or Savage action. It give's you darn near 250-3000 speeds in a hammer gun, or without the 99's high price. Be a great walkin' the farm gun. Got a Savage 23 in 25/20 and a Ruger 77 Ultra Light in 250-3000, but I want that 25/35 AI. Have a real worn out, beat up, bad barreled 25/35 Savage 99. Got run over by a skidder and cracked back of the magazine. Still shoots as a single shot, but the mag well is all deformed, ain't no fixing it. Maybe I'll pick up a cheap 30-30 and get to it.

Bret--

I almost did the same thing before scrounging up that flatband Win 94. My foundation was a Marlin 336 that is still in the gunsafe, waiting for the next project idea--probably in 38-55, after I retire.

My experience with this caliber is that as the bullets get heavier (longer), they group tighter on target. Both Hornady 117 SP's and NEI 114 grain flat-noses do fine work--just keep the cast bullets under 1600 FPS, or things go south in a hurry. That 1-8" twist is the likely cause of these quirks. The twist rate for the planned 25-35 WCF project gun was 1-10" to make things a little more lead-friendly and more amenable to lighter bullets.

For those of you looking to build an AI type gun, do some research on Francis Sell's .25 Tomcat. As I remember it, he used a Marlin 336 as the basis for his purpose built blacktail deer rifle.

You can push the lighter bullets at respectable velocities out of the standard .25-35. I've personally done 75 gr. VMAX to 2800 fps. Accuracy was better than average from the Contender carbine. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a sight combination I could zero! Never have seen the like.

Ray, you're about as far along on your book as I am on mine! However, they tell me the research is the time consuming part. You should have a good bit of that done (but not all I hope). Hope you had a good time with Saeed.

Well, who says persistance doesn't pay off.

Today, I took out the loads with Rem. 86 gr. jacketed FP for the .25-20 and 10 gr. of IMR SR4759. Shazzam! Right on at 50 yards with the same sight setting as the 117 gr. for 100. Hooorah. I keep wanting to use this powder because of the high loading density.

Then... I had to try out some more of the 75 gr. VMAX burners. What do you know, I finally found out how to hold the duplex reticule for that load. As best as I can describe, I use the bottom of the top thick leg of the reticule, sort of like an inverted post reticule. Right on at 150, a little high at 100. Heck, these might even be usable!

BIG difference in recoil and muzzle blast between the two loads (not as though there is a lot of recoil in this cartridge).