If a grandpa had more money than brains and wanted to build a bolt action in 25-35 for his young grandson, what parent rifle, receiver, etc. should he look for? I know its stupid, but you are talking to the one that loves all the odd ball stuff.....and who, coincidentally, had no problem finding ammo because no one ever buys what i shoot...lol....thanks guys.

forget the bolt action rifle take a Ruger # 1 and rebarrel rifle to 25 -35 rifle , the #1 will always still have value ,if you look real hard and ask on the 24 hr campfire free ads you may fine a Ruger #1 25 -35 ? good luck ,Pete53

Thanks Pete. I will have to cut the stock down on whatever gun I choose. I was thinking of just getting a TC Contender in the caliber, but hope to find something more in line with a small Model 7 size. Appreciate your advice and I would love to have that gun in a No. 1 for me. Thanks again

you must really dislike that kid......

Haha 😂😂

I had a Marlin 336 rebarreled to .25-35.. Fun gun..

Rem 788 in 30-30, you could really spruce up a Sav 340 or one of the clones, Springfield, Hiawatha and there are a couple others. I saw a beautiful Mannlicher stocked 340 a number of years ago, some even came with a butter knife bolt handle from the factory.

Forgot the Win Model 54 came in 30-30 also and the Rem Model 30 came on 25&30 Rem a rimless version of the 30-30/25-35

There's some good choices above, and I do like the 25-35 Cal. your looking at. When my boys were young and starting out, yeah we all start them out on .22 cal rifles, naturally, and then graduate to what your talking about. I went with a few savage .17 cal rifles, and graduated from there to a 25-20 Winchester model 1892,Lever action, loading one shot at a time, and again graduating from there. Using Bolt actions also, trying to show them the Difference, and letting them find their way and compare accordingly. My father in Law,(Grandpa), gave them a Harrington and Richardson, .22 cal. rifle for Christmas one year, as I gave them a Winchester Model 67 bolt action .22 the next year! One is a Sniper in the U.S.M.C., and the other hunts all over the Country for Big Game! You have several choices, Good Luck!

This grandpa bought his grandson a 7.62x39 because 6.5 Grendel youth models weren’t anywhere to be found then. Three bucks down in three years, including a 200lb one. He’s covered until he grows a bit, maybe even longer. Still, a Grendel is my idea of a near-perfect rifle for kids, especially where .223 isn’t legal like VA.

Might try an SMLE. Load one with 25-35 cartridges and see if it feeds and ejects them. Just don't fire it.


If it feeds and ejects well you would simply need a barrel and a chamber reamer and the use of a lathe to fit it up.
The old Lees can look classy when done right. this one is a 303, but making one in 25-35 would be no more difficult if the action feeds them to start with.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479@N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479@N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479@N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]

I went to Gunbroker and searched bolt action rifles in .30-30. A Winchester 54 in .30 WCF is for sale. No bids @ $2600. Enjoy

I like the .25-35 Contender option! In fact I liked it so much that I had Match Grade Machine make me one for my G2! Cheaper than any first class conversionof a really nice bolt action, and he can add barrels later to HIS taste!

Mine has 4 barrels presently: .22 LR match chamber, .357 Magnum "Super 16," .25-35 WCF, and a .410 3" "Magnumb" shotgun. All but the Super 16 are customs from MGM. (The latest "Rifle" has an article on MGM).

A friend of mine used to have a beautiful custom rifle in .25-35 on an 1898 Krag action. It was, however, a single shot. Happens he liked BASS (Bolt Action Single Shot) rifles just fine. There was one in .22 WCF Improved (ever see one of those?) in a recent issue of "Handloader"--drool worthy if you like that sort of thing. I do.).

Keep in mind that a .25-35 with lighter, better designed .257 bullets that have points is a whole different critter than the old timers with heavy, flatnose bullets.

I do like the idea of a "Lee Speed" in .25-35. If you have more money than brains.......try a Krag in .25-35. Sedgley made them work.

texasjohn, that's a beaut!

I happen to like "Sedgleys". I also have a Lee Speed that I admire. I think the .25-35 is a wonderful old round and I like to see a Grandpa thinking outside the box on such a project. The Contender option would be the easiest............

John

The Ruger #1 or less costly #3 seems an excellent solution. I'd recommend too! But as the courtroom objection goes... "Nonresponsive to the question!" Already mentioned above, several bolt rifles. All good candidates particularly as already chambered for the same genre rimmed spec'd shell. A giant leap forward as factory rimmed cartridge designed. Conversions to rimmed, not just a matter of Christmas tree fashion, hanging a barrel and some 'ornament' elements on a centerfire receiver! The correctly chambered rimmed round rifle, far better than the potential mess, headache & $$$ of modifying bolt and magazine assembly!*
My choice would be the Win 54* first yet, as noted, both pricey and moreover potentially destroying collector value IF original! Even where not, too often seeking the suckers. Typically offered with high prices, seeking uninformed!
The Rem 788 also about as good choice and the Win. Much later production, not genuinely "collectible". Also all other than Model 54 Win, "Push Feed" if that makes a difference. (My belief
shouldn't make any.) The Savage model 340 mentioned, seeming another excellent alternative and probably the least expensive variant of the several discussed. My sole addition, the Savage/Springfield rifle Models 40 or deluxe version Model 45. Any of these several Savages, mediocre trigger pull at best. Without creative work, learn to live with them. I have all this Thread-mentioned rifles in original 30-30 Win chambering, excepting the Model 340. I speak from "user"/design observer, rather than gunsmith experience.

*Factoid: *The Model 54, Winchester in 30 WCF chambering, actually designed & produced with unique receiver & other components specifically for that chambering! Great quality, but some replacement parts...! Potential issue!

Good luck & just my take.
John

Wow...love the pics..As practical as synthetic can be, the warmth of wood can't be beat for me. All good suggestions, but I am stuck on this caliber and the limitations/costs that come with it. Rebarreling a Marlin 336Y as was mentioned somewhere is attractive too. Thanks again.

To me you couldn't get much nicer than a good 1885 HiWall in 25-35.

One criterion I used when choosing a rifle for my grandson was the availability of ammo if Grandpa should suddenly go under, or otherwise be unable to provide it. I bought 100 rounds of hunting ammo, mounted a scope on a rail for maximum adjustability, and turned over a ready-to-hunt package to him.

Not knocking the OP’s choice, just being practical because stuff happens.

Good point....I started buying the Hornady Leverevolution ammo for the caliber last fall. Going to get some dies too. Should soon have some brass from a friend too. I have used Superior Ammo and like their work when I get in a bind. I am the one who hunts exclusively with the 257 Bob, 7-30 Waters, 7x57, 264 Win, 308 Norma, 300 H&H, 6 mm, 6.5 Jap, 38-55, 250 Savage., 35 Whelen, and some of the Ackleys. Been hoarding ammo for years. But you are right, he wont find the 25-35 at Walmart or the local convenience store. Luckily, I got the hooks in the son-in-law when I gave him the 28 ga. double for his first Christmas with us. I think he will pick up the torch when I'm gone. Talking to the kids about the old calibers and why we want to keep them alive sure was fun. They can carry on intelligent conversations with most everyone at the camp from their age to mine.

P.S. In the ammo shortage of late, I can find more ammo than I expected in stores around the state. No one else (or very few) is shooting it.

does your grandson actually want a 25-35? Why not get him what he wants, or what he will probably want later on? I've never met anyone under 70 that wanted a 25-35...

Gotta admit that, in all my 77 years I've never even considered a 25-35.

How about a 30-30?

What's the kid gonna do when Grandpa's no longer around to keep him supplied with 25-35 ammo?

lol.. I raised girls ...both were proficient shooters with .22 bolts by 5. Took first deer at 6 and hunt with me to this day. They can walk in a room here and pick out any caliber they want. He will be able to as well, and if he wants it, it's his. Personally, I prefer the vintage and the oddities, and I hope he will too. At 5 or 6, we will be looking for low recoil calibers. I am going to fix him up a 25-35 for him for all the reasons above. He can always choose his favorite as he learns. This one will just be one of his options. I will have the stock fit to him too. I find that proper stock fit is as important, if not more important, shooters, particularly the young ones. Ammo is never going to be a problem here. I have already started stocking up and will order dies. The 30-30 is a fine round. I have several 30-30's, even a Rem 788. The recoil of the 25-35 is almost half that of a 30-30 too.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/25-35_combination_cartridge.html

Many years ago I walked into a gun shop and they had a custom Krag that had been rebarreled to 25-35. It was a very nice looking rifle probably converted in the late 40s or early 50s, even had a scope on it. I drove around for awhile and came back to look at it again. Of course it was gone........

Well, I learned something today. I had no idea that you could buy .25-35 ammo. I just assumed it was a semi-wildcat and you had to make it out of .30-30 cases.

the last 25-35 ammunition that I saw for sale had 6.35x52mm stamped on the box if I remember correctly. This was probably 5 years ago

I have a couple of .25-35s and one .25-35AI…..it’s a great little round and with the Hornady ammo that’s available makes it even easier to use.

One that I have is an Austrian stalking rifle single shot that is a sweet little gem, one a Winchester 1894, the other a 16 gauge/.25-35 combo gun. The .25-35AI is an MGM barrel on a Contender frame that I got here on the campfire.

Always wanted to make a .25 Krag and have the action sitting around just waiting for some attention - beautiful ones in this thread!!

I thinks it’s a great project and something that they’ll certainly remember getting from you!

PennDog

Don't let anybody dissuade you. I, like you, get a crazy idea involving a particular odd-ball cartridge in my head, and nothing more "practical" can make me settle. Years ago I wanted a modern .25-35 that I could scope. There were no options, so I went the Contender Carbine route with a 20 1/2" Fox Ridge barrel. The itch was scratched, and then a few years later Winchester released the 94AE Trail's End in .25-35 so I bought one of those too.

There was an article in Handloader many moons ago where a guy took a beat up old 788 .30-30 and turned it into a .25-225 Win wildcat, pretty much a .25-35 Improved. If you could find another beater like he found, the 788 would be a simple conversion.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks SC...Ill look for another 30-30 in 788...If you ever put your TC up for adoption, please let me know.

Wowza ..... That's beautiful!

Yup ..... It's boring, but a 30-30 would be a better choice.

Probably a lot easier to find a beater Savage 340 than a Remington 788

Yes, much better. All kinds of 30 cal bullets out there if the kid gets into reloading. But's it's obvious Grandpa knows best.

Spitballing here what about the Steyr 95? The rim is a little larger so not sure. It’s been a while since I held one.

I did something similar for my daughter but built a 250 Savage...opens up your options on a suitable rifle to start with. She is left eye dominant so I took an older steel framed BLR in 308 and rebarrelled it. Shoots very well.

250 Savage

25 Creed

Don't stick your grand son with horrible thin walled brass where problems abound.

Easy button: 25 Creed

Or the supermodel 6 Creed.

how about a bolt action 6x45? (6mm/223), load it with 85 gr bullets instead of 86s or 117s

could get it barreled in a rem model 7

Very wise words. I have seen it many times where the grand parents has unique rifles, then the kids inherit the rifles. Their first thoughts are WTF is this? Down the road the custom rifle goes for a 1/10th of what it is worth.

Lesson: Don't make the kid's life hard by giving them something impossible to work with. A nice rifle in readily available brass and loaded ammo will be a cherished gun, odd ball stuff...gone and forgotten quickly....with the kids thinking, "Grand Pa liked Weird Stuff, we don't know what it is".

I'm a grandpa. I built a nice .308 Win. for my youngest grandson last year. He is 3 years and 3 month old. He's good size for his age. I took his rifle on a hunt last year, I got two deer with it. I might use it again this year, my 30-06 is calling me. I really like hunting with my 30-06, it always works great.

The original T/C Contender is not a kids gun. Maybe the G2.

With the original, if you cock it and let the hammer down, you’re on a live primer. You have to cycle the action to bring up the hammer block. Kids may not always remember to do that.

DF

Now that I think of it, I have a Savage 340 in very good shape with two magazines sitting in a safe. It would make a good platform to do what you want. PM me if you’re interested and I can send you a few pictures... I still think a 250 Savage would be just as interesting and easier.

I have a 788 Remington chambered for the 25-35. I picked it up at a gun show. It looks to be set up as a Hunter Class Bench Rifle (it meets all the spec's). The barrel has a 1 in 14 twist. It doesn't do well with 117gr bullets. It does great with 90gr and lighter bullets. The Timney trigger is wonderful. I have been able to find more than 200 new cases and the guy I got it from through in another 60 cases he had and a set of reloading dies. Since it also had a 4 x16 power Zeiss scope mounted on it I think I got a pretty sweet deal for only $600.00, but that was his asking price. He told me that he had been trying to sell it for more than a year.

I don't think the 30-30 route would be boring at all. I have a Lee mold in 309-170 that drops cast bullets that are capable of consistent 1" groups at 100 yds. I believe the older techniques of handloading and bullet casting should be taught to this younger crowd who are far too dependent on off the shelf stuff. Along these lines far more options exist for a 30cal rather than a 25. It's more versatile and powerful and definitely better at knocking game over. I believe the current world record elk was taken with a 30-30. The 25-35 would not be appropriate on an elk hunt. Useful bullets that work at 25-35 levels aren't exactly abundant. This would be a caliber for a skilled marksman who precisely place a shot, but once again the 25-35 isn't known for ultra precise accuracy