WE are always extolling the virtues of the latest super-duper ultra high-velocity small-bore cartridge and the expensive rifles required to contain such a high-pressure round. This is as it should be; it certainly makes for exciting reading among gun nuts and fosters comprehension of exterior ballistics.
In the wild rush to keep strictly up-to-date with the latest and greatest modern rifles, we’re prone to forget the proven standard calibres that served some of us older shooters so well, yet which are practically unknown to the new breed of hunter rifleman.
Recently I suffered a bout of nostalgia, remembering a prime favourite of my early days 70 years ago — the .25-20 Winchester. My rifle was a Winchester Model 1892 lever-action — what else? For it, I traded a BSA Sportsman 15 .22 rimfire, which was my first small game rifle.
The .25-20 WCF (Winchester Centrefire) was developed specifically for the short action of the Winchester Model 1892 lever-action rifle. It
