An old time caliber for hunting. Thinking about a doe hunt with either Winchester 94 in 32 Win Spcl or 25-35 in T/C. If you have used something like these what kind of luck or recommendations. Thanx

I use 45/70 quite a bit.I know this is going in the opposite direction of your 32 or 25-35, but my MO is to go with iron sights and keep the shots short. I only go this route when I am hunting in the woods where my shots are usually limited to 80 yards or less anyhow. Even then, I have had to pass up opportunities that I otherwise would have had if I had a scope and more modern caliber.

When I first got to Idaho after my discharge from the Navy, I had sold all my guns and had not replaced them before getting married. I drew an elk tag and borrowed my father-in-law's 303 British Enfield. Worked like a champ, battle sights and all. and I harvested my biggest cow elk ever. Couple years ago, I broke it out just to prove it still worked at reasonable ranges, and I didn't need an earsplittenloudenboomer to kill an animal!!

Filed my freezer with a .35 Remington this year.

Older calibers are where my interest lies these days.

.30 WCF of course. Plus .25-20, .32-20, .38-55, .44-40, .45 Colt and .45-70. All are imminently capable cartridges when applied reasonably.

Mark

I've got a Win Model 94 in .25-35, but I've never killed anything with it. Killed a few with a .300 Savage.

I won’t most likely but for some reason I keep getting drawn to pistol calibers in rifle designs

The safe is about fulll but I keep wanting to do it.

I really had my hopes Ruger would have gave us the PC carbine in 10mm/.45 acp but it hasn’t happened

I did pick up a Ruger M44 and hope to hunt with it this year

I like your thinking though

I do almost all my hunting with a 9.3x62. That round was first released to the public in 1905. I guess that would qualify as an old time round.

That 32 special is an elk killing caliber, spouse took a bull with his older Winchester 32 special.
Flex tip bullets of you want a little modern upgrade for it.

30 WCF in a 1906 Win 94.
6.5x55 in a Win 70
256 Newton in a Newton 1st Model.

I killed a javilna with a 32 Long Colt. I was pretty impressed with me stalk.

I've considered getting a 32-20 just for fun. Used to shoot it in Contender pistols for silhouette matches. I'm sure it's minimal in power but for smaller pigs and deer at close range it should do fine.

Whitedawg,

I think Bobo pretty well nailed it. For me anyway, using some of the old-timers is so much less about the "shooting" and so much more about the "hunting". Let's face it, in the grand scheme of things it doesn't take all that much to kill a deer or hog...and even less to kill a turkey, coyote, etc. Either your .32 Special or the .25-35 will take a deer out to 1-150 yards without issue (and I only mention that limit assuming that you're using the original sights...which is definitely the limiting factor for my aging eyes).

Have fun!

Mark

I use a few form time to time. 38-55, 30-30, 44 Scl, 45-70

On the thought of using pistol calibers one of my favorites for deer at closer range is the Marlin 1894 in 357 Mag. Have a few 44 mag rifles as well. I do not deer hunt with it much but have and successfully 22 Hornet.

in the past have used, 38/55, 25/35,,,.303 savge all were savage 1899's

45-70, 45 colt, 44 mag, 30-06, 50 cal Hawken

I've been using a .22 long rifle ( circa 1887 per Wikipedia ) quite a bit lately. a week or so ago i ran into a sounder of hogs while walking a creek bottom and took 4 with 9 shots.


Shot a coon in a trap a few weeks ago with a .22 short (circa 1857 per Wikipedia).

45 Colt 1872
6.5x55 1894
35 Remington 1908

Two levers and a bolt action. All have killed deer and pigs since Ive owned them.

Modern rifles loaded accordingly although the 35 has made all its kills with factory low pressure ammo. I just last week sourced brass for the 35. 250 new pieces.

45 Colt and 38-55 Marlins. Open sights, cast boolits, both are accurate.

The 35 Remington is available in the TC and shouldn’t be hard to come by. In a 14” barrel I would look at the 180g bullets. More so if you reload.

Does a wooden arrow count, propelled by a peice of wood of course? Also use a 4570&3006

Old Swede 6.5x55 that I have hauled out for pigs a couple of times. No pigs showed when I had it with me but I still try. Taken several deer and hogs with my 7.7 Jap. My go to gun for a LONG time is a "butchered" Eddystone 30-06.

Savage 99 in .300 Savage....

I’m going to try this weird old cartridge called a 30-06 or something?
Even if they say it’s washed up.

25-20, killed a small axis buck couple years ago and WT and hogs regularly. 32-20, WT and hogs. 32 Win, WT and hogs. 32 H&R Mag, hogs. 45-90 Sharp's, anything on God's green earth.