Marlin 25-21

[Old Savage]

Wes wondering if anyone knew anything about this cartridge.

[Sixgun]

OS,
It's an old BP target cartridge for the old single shots. From what I remember, it used the same bullet as most 25 calibers, the 86 gr. and is similar to the 25-20 S.S., which was somewhat popular. I have owned a few old single shots in that caliber but moved them as brass was impossible to get.

I really thought you were going to post a pic of a gal with a 25-21 inch waist.---6

[Blaine]

OS,
It's an old BP target cartridge for the old single shots. From what I remember, it used the same bullet as most 25 calibers, the 86 gr. and is similar to the 25-20 S.S., which was somewhat popular. I have owned a few old single shots in that caliber but moved them as brass was impossible to get.

I really thought you were going to post a pic of a gal with a 25-21 inch waist.---6

[Old Savage]

John Kort suggests they are the same except for length.

[Old Savage]

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/32-40 ... arlin.html

[Merle]

Perhaps I missed something here, but the only 25-21 that I am aware of is from Stevens. It is a straight walled case & I don't see how it would work in a 25-20 chamber. A quick check revealed it is still available (made by Bertram) as a special order from Midway.

[Old Savage]

Check the Marlin Owner's link.

[Merle]

Check the Marlin Owner's link.

I just read it again. Still no mention of a 25-21 that I could see.

[Old Savage]

I see what you mean. It is called a Marlin 25-20. I will check some other references I came across. The Marlin version is slightly longer. Pack notes in one of his books that the Marlin in Winchester 32-20s of recent manufacture are actually chambered for the Marlin 32-21. I wondered if the same might be true for the 25-20. I see a Marlin 25-21 mentioned in another reference.

[Merle]

I see what you mean. It is called a Marlin 25-20. I will check some other references I came across. The Marlin version is slightly longer. Pack notes in one of his books that the Marlin in Winchester 32-20s of recent manufacture are actually chambered for the Marlin 32-21. I wondered if the same might be true for the 25-20. I see a Marlin 25-21 mentioned in another reference.

Yeah, I'm especially troubled by the straight wall vs bottleneck cartridge descriptions. I hope I'm not obsessing over a simple typo.....

[Old Savage]

My interest is if the chamber in my 1990 Marlin 25-20 is actually the longer version as they did with the 32-20/32-21. The 375 Marlin is actually chambered for the 38-55 so It seems it may be a possibility.

There are. other 32-21/32-20 versions as you note.

It is clear in the picture that there are two version with the ,Marlin being longer.

[Sixgun]

OS, OS, OS........,
ok, I finally put my thinking cap on. The cartridge that you talk about does not exist. It's only in the minds of people who believe that Marlins are superior to Winchester........you know......in order to get that extra grain of powder.

As you know, I've owned and loaded for hundreds of old Winchesters and Marlins and when it comes to the 25-20 or the 32-20, there are different chamber dimensions. Marlins have always had a bit extra cut into their chambers. On a sloppy chambered Marlin, a case fired in it is hard to push in a Winchester chamber. ......I think I said that right.....still thinking here.......not easy being half Italian......

I could be wrong here, (but I'm probably not ) but I believe even today, Marlin still cut their chambers to the old dimensions.....it's all out of pride I guess.

Just leave your Marlin alone and you should stay with what you know best......squeezing the soft stuff......... ------6

[Old Savage]

Sixer, let me post this again for your perusal. I believe you know the poster.

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/32-40 ... arlin.html


Please comment.

[Sixgun]

Sixer, let me post this again for your perusal. I believe you know the poster.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/32-40 ... arlin.html
Please comment.

Yes, good ole Jack Kort.....we talked at length two nights ago on the phone. The good old boys are thinking of a rendezvous of some sort at the Ridgway gunclub at the end of the month.

I need you to take a break from all of this mind boggling gun statistic history and go back to squeezing the soft stuff. In fact, thinking of that, how bouts a pic or two?-----6

[Mike Armstrong]

The .25-21 Stevens (the straight ctg.) was also chambered in Ballard rifles, which at one time or another chambered just about every blackpowder cartridge there ever was. Most were made, and marked, by Marlin....


This is one case where a picture REALLY IS worth a thousand words....you can't confuse these cartridges if you can see a clear pic of them. I had a very early Marlin '94 with the slightly long chamber for many years. Never even saw the "proper" cartridge for it but .25-20 WCF did just fine. It was marked "25 Marlin".

Now lets kick the .25-36 around some!

[Old Savage]

There is a picture on the link.

[marlinman93]

The .25-21 Stevens (the straight ctg.) was also chambered in Ballard rifles, which at one time or another chambered just about every blackpowder cartridge there ever was. Most were made, and marked, by Marlin....

A very rare chambering for a Ballard, and so far I haven't seen one in 35 years of collecting.
The .25-20 Marlin is indeed a reality, and did have a slightly different shoulder angle, and longer neck. It also arrived on the market slightly ahead of the .25-20 WCF, and the WCF was intentionally made slightly shorter to make the Marlin cartridge unable to chamber in a Winchester. Same thing happened with the .25-36 Marlin and the .25-35 Win. The Winchester will chamber in a Marlin, but the Marlin wont chamber in a Win. Pretty clever of Win. to do what they did to make Marlins cartridges shunned by Win owners.