Success with a .25-35 Winchester

Earlier this year I added a .25-35 to my humble Winchester 94 collection. It is one of the guns built shortly before the New Haven plant closed. I spent early fall developing a handload for it using the Hornady 117 gr. jacketed RN bullet at 2300 fps (factory ammo, when you can fund it, is good for about 2100 fps).

While there is not a ton of info on the web about the old .25-35, there is enough to make you doubt its effectiveness. Comments of too light, too underpowered for deer are common. In all fairness, there are positive comments too.

Last week was my first opportunity to try the Winchester on a Texas whitetail. I connected with a doe at 60 yards. At the shot, the deer dropped in its tracks - DRT. I was thrilled. The Hornady bullet had obliterated both lungs and the wound channel was impressive.

Today I was back in the woods with the Winchester. At first light I had a good sized buck with a dorky 5 point rack feeding at 50 yards - a good cull buck. Since I use open sights, I waited what seemed like an eternity until it was light enough to get a clear sight picture. The buck turned broadside, the hammer on the Winchester fell, and the buck went down like it was hit with a hammer. Another DRT for the .25-35!

Needless to say, I am thrilled with the performance of this 116 year old cartridge. I'm sure it will see more action in the years to come.

Yep, who would've thought you could take deer without a .300 SuperMondoMag.

Unfortunately, I don't have pics of the deer. I should have taken a pic of the lungs from that doe - they were pink mush kinda like a strawberry milkshake. I'll have to post some pics of the rifle when I get a chance.

What makes a load marginal is that it might not work so well on the next or if the shot presentation is less than perfect. It's a question of what's probable, not what's possible.

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One thing I learned from bow hunting is to have the patience to wait for the perfect broadside shot. The same methodology can be applied to hunting with light calibers. I wouldn't think of taking a shot with the 25-35 that exceeded a reasonable range or required penetration of dense bone to reach the vitals. But then, I wouldn't do that with a larger caliber either. It destroys too much meat.