.25-35 WCF Field Testing Hornady's New Bullets and Loads

The buck antelope stood up and was not going to let me stalk any closer, so at 195 yards, I eased into a sitting position with elbows resting between my knees, clutching a Winchester Model 1894 lever-action .25-35 WCF rifle that was 110 years old and equipped with vintage aperture sights.

- Brian Pearce

This hunt was not about the taking of an animal but rather the skill and challenge associated with getting within range while using a genuine cowboy-era rifle chambered for a classic cartridge. In other words, it was about having fun.

The buck looked especially small on the high plains of Wyoming as the aperture sight was aligned with the front sight bead on its vitals. The wind was gusting, so I waited a few seconds, compensated slightly and squeezed the trigger. The sights were perfect when the trigger broke, but the bullet appeared to hit beyond the pronghorn about 20 yards and in front of it around 2 to 3 feet.

Reflecting on several 1.5-inch groups the rifle had produced just two days prior, I could not understand how the bullet missed by that much. The buck instantly whirled and ran, which increased the shot distance to around 300 yards, then stopped and looked back. Within a few more seconds it started to stagger slightly then bedded down, and I knew the bullet had passed through its body and struck the ground beyond, leaving the impression I had missed. Another stalk was made that narrowed the distance to approximately 200 yards, whereupon a finishing shot was placed through the buck’s vitals.

Hunters who have used the .25-35 Winchester in the field know that taking pronghorn, deer or other similar game at that distance is definitely stretching the cartridge’s effective range. The loads I shot were preproduction samples (now readily available) from Hornady Manufacturing and were carefully developed to maximize the cartridge’s performance.