.25-20 Winchester
| .25-20 Winchester | ||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||||||
| Service history | ||||||||||||||||
| Used by | ranchers, trappers, small game hunters, varmint hunters, mule hunters | |||||||||||||||
| Wars | none | |||||||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1892 | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Winchester | |||||||||||||||
| Produced | 1895-present | |||||||||||||||
| Number built | 90750 | |||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | .32-20 Winchester | |||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .258 in (6.6 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .274 in (7.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .333 in (8.5 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | .349 in (8.9 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .408 in (10.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .065 in (1.7 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Case length | 1.330 in (33.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Overall length | 1.592 in (40.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||
| Primer type | small rifle | |||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||
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| Source(s): Hodgdon[1] | ||||||||||||||||
The .25-20 Winchester, or WCF (Winchester center fire) was developed about 1895 for the Winchester Model 1892 lever action rifle. It was based on necking down the .32-20 Winchester. In the early 20th century, it was a popular small game and varmint round, developing around 1460 ft/s with 86 grain bullets.
While the SAAMI pressure rating is a full 28,000 CUP, modern ammunition is often loaded lighter in deference to the weaker steels used on many of the original guns. The early black powder cartridges were loaded to about 20,000 psi, but the SAAMI rating is close to that of the high velocity smokeless rounds produced later. The high velocity loadings developed 1732 ft/s.[2]
It was easy and economical to reload, and was once a favorite with farmers, ranchers, pot hunters and trappers. Though the .25-20 has been used on deer and even claimed the James Jordan Buck, a whitetail deer of long standing record in 1914,[3] its use on large-bodied game is not advised due to its sedate ballistics and light bullet construction, which makes humane one-shot kills unlikely.
See also
References
- ↑ .25-20 load data at Hodgdon
- ↑ Whelen, Townsend. The American Rifle, The Century Co., New York, 1918, pp.220-223
- ↑ James Jordan Buck at the Burnett County, WI web site, accessed 09-2009
- Cartridge dimensions from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4-1992 p. 45
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to .25-20 Winchester. |
