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SSShooter
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25-20WCF Bullets
Mar 8th, 2020 at 8:49am
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All you 25-20WCF & SS shooters............. what bullet is working for you? I would like to purchase bullets rather than cast, so am wondering what you may be shooting. I'm good with both FB and GC bullets and want to try several (if I can find that many). Think Montana Bullet Works is gone and Meister is the only one I've found for commercially cast bullets. Who am I missing?

If you are casting, what mold is working for you?

Thanks.
  

Glenn - 2x CPA 44 1/2 w/22LR (Shilen ratchet-rifled & Bartlein 5R rifled), 38-40RH & 38-55WCF (Bartlein 5R rifled) & 40-65WCF (GrnMtn 'X') barrels
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #1 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 9:06am
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Missouri Bullet has a coated 86grn that I'm going to try. I bought a box of 500to try but I haven't gotten around to assembling yet. 
It's been a few years since Remington has produced their 86grn jacketed and my supply of them will run dry one of the ace days. 
I also have several molds from 65-125grn, but I'm getting lazy. 
Bill
  
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #2 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 10:24am
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Glenn,
I've been using the RCBS 25-85-CM in both my 25WCF and 25-20SS.  I'm not a fan of adding a gas check to my lead bullets but then I don't like sizing either.  I pan lube these and shoot them "as cast" and they shoot surprisingly well.
Greg
  

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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #3 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 1:04pm
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You can't go wrong with any of these sources.  Buffalo Arms has a wide range of products and when you call you get to talk to a person who knows the needs of a shooter!  Dan at Bull Shop produces very accurate bullets in the rifles I have shot them in.  I have not tried Montana but they have good reviews.  Tom
  
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SSShooter
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #4 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 2:51pm
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Greg - that mold looks interesting if I decide I can't avoid casting.

Montana Bullet Works is not taking orders and no idea when they will. Too bad. Their 85gr GC bullet looks interesting.

Bull Shop has essentially no info on their website. Some ugly old dude sitting there with a rifle (ooops - that could be me  Grin) I'll call Monday and ask.

BACo, where I've shopped for many years, wants more for 100 bullets then most places want for 500. They make good molds, but too expensive on many other products. I complain to DaveG every time I see him at a match. His response is consistent........... buy somewhere else if you wish. May purchase a couple of hundred to test. And complain to the DaveG next I see him. Wink

Thanks to everyone thus far. More suggestions welcome.
  

Glenn - 2x CPA 44 1/2 w/22LR (Shilen ratchet-rifled & Bartlein 5R rifled), 38-40RH & 38-55WCF (Bartlein 5R rifled) & 40-65WCF (GrnMtn 'X') barrels
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Jeff Houck
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #5 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 6:28pm
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I use LBT'S 90 gr. plain base .25 designed for the 25-20 in the '92 Win. as well as the Lyman 65 gr. gas check. 

  

Jeff Houck
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SSShooter
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #6 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 9:33pm
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Jeff - who/what is LBT?

Ordered 300 (75gr & 2 different 85gr) bullets from 'bullet man dan', who seems to be bullshop above. Should be good enough to get me started and all the brass fire-formed.
  

Glenn - 2x CPA 44 1/2 w/22LR (Shilen ratchet-rifled & Bartlein 5R rifled), 38-40RH & 38-55WCF (Bartlein 5R rifled) & 40-65WCF (GrnMtn 'X') barrels
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #7 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 9:44pm
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SSShooter wrote on Mar 8th, 2020 at 2:51pm:
Greg - that mold looks interesting if I decide I can't avoid casting.Thanks to everyone thus far. More suggestions welcome.

FWIW- I like casting so I have more molds (all calibers) than the law allows.
I have found in the two Win. 1892's I have, that the longer, heaver bullets can be too much of a good thing. As the bullets approach 90 grains, my accuracy drops off. 
I am not sure what your intended use is but if it is for pistol cal. Cowboy silhouette, it does not take much velocity or mass to knock rams down. And the rest of near targets are light as a feather, so light loads are great for them.
Anyway...

NOE makes a very nice 80grn mold. Either GC or plain base. I chose a 4 cavity and had him cut two of each, GC and Plain. The mold and bullets are "best workmanship" quality. I am very happy with them.
I also have an 82grain 6 cavity LEE made to a Ranch Dog design which is almost as good as the NOE and the bullets cast and shoot very well too.

Last on the list of the good shooting bullets, I have Lyman's 257 420 at 65 grains on Lyman's list but mine casts 74grns in Lino. It shoots well enough but no better than the NOE 80 grain. I don't often use it because the GC shank is too large to install a GC of any make, so I ended up making a gas check expander button to blow out the standard Hornady check enough to install on the (dumb) Lyman 257 420. That ends up being too much work if you already have a choice of bullets that shoot well.

On the not so good list: I have the Lyman 257 312 which weighs in at 94 or 95 grns plus a gas check. I never found real accuracy with that bullet even at or near full powder charges.
I also have a hansom Hoch mold made by R.Hoch his-self. Also too long and not so accurate int the 1982's. I am likely going to build a singleshot with a slighter faster twist just to see if I can make these longer bullets shoot well. "Some day projects." Right?

So the long story short of my experience would be to keep bullet weight 80 grains or less and if you go heavy, figure on also using heaver loads to keep the velocity on the fast side.

I hope this helps,
Michael Rix
  
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #8 - Mar 8th, 2020 at 10:22pm
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Hi Michael - how are you? Been a couple of years and won't make it to Raton (going to BPCR & Levergun Nats at Ridgway) this summer. Will guess you are headed down in July and will shoot with Woody & Jim. Your .22RF case extractor still resides in my bag (tied to it with a leather lace as I tend to loose small items on a short-term basis).

Your guess is correct. Pistol caliber levergun silhouette in a Model 92 for now. 25cal barrel for the CPA for Schuetzen once I conquer the new 38cal barrel, which is my primary focus this season.  The levergun shooting is just for fun and maybe the off-hand will help me with chickens. Plan to keep MV with 25-20 in the <1450fps range with all. Thanks for the info and shoot well this season.
  

Glenn - 2x CPA 44 1/2 w/22LR (Shilen ratchet-rifled & Bartlein 5R rifled), 38-40RH & 38-55WCF (Bartlein 5R rifled) & 40-65WCF (GrnMtn 'X') barrels
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #9 - Mar 9th, 2020 at 1:11pm
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Thanks to Emmett I gave (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) a call. They have both loaded ($18-22/20rds) and new 25-20WCF brass ($65/100) available, plus shipping. I bought their 60gr, 85gr & 86gr loads (skipped the 90gr cast load) and it averaged about $1.10/rd. Figure I'm paying $0.45/rd for the bullet/powder/primer and their doing the loading. Plus, I'll have a bunch of proper cases that are fire-formed after it is all over. Loads are a bit hotter than I will load at about 2200fps, 1900fps & 1800fps. Should be fun.

Load-X is open Mon-Thurs if you want to call. They were good to deal with over the phone.
« Last Edit: Mar 9th, 2020 at 1:16pm by SSShooter »  

Glenn - 2x CPA 44 1/2 w/22LR (Shilen ratchet-rifled & Bartlein 5R rifled), 38-40RH & 38-55WCF (Bartlein 5R rifled) & 40-65WCF (GrnMtn 'X') barrels
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Re: 25-20WCF Bullets
Reply #10 - Mar 11th, 2020 at 6:53am
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My club half the Lever Silhouette and Ram Bash shooters are using Meisters. I used to cast for 38/55 now buy Meisters 1000 at a time. Offhand matches plenty of bullets for practice sessions better than bench rest accuracy from custom mold and careful casting.  Other day loading some up weighed and visually inspected 10 Meisters & 10 of my carefully selected bullets from a Hoch mold. Store bought just as good.

Don’t shoot much Pistol Caliber Silhouette, have 1894 Marlins in 25/20 & 38/40, run both on Meisters. This on advice from a couple Lever Master class P/C shooters.

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