This may seem, at first glance, like an odd comparison. However, the .25-35 was and is the lightest recoil hunting cartridge for the most popular sporting rifle ever made, the Winchester Model 94. The .300 Blackout is a low recoil hunting cartridge for todays popular AR-15 modern sporting rifles (MSR).

As it happens, the velocity and killing power of the two cartridges is quite similar and both are considered to be Class 2 (medium game) cartridges with appropriate ammunition, so this comparison is not as far fetched as it first seems. How much ballistic improvement has there been in mild Class 2 game cartridges in the last century and a quarter?

The .25-35 Winchester

The .25-35 Winchester was introduced in 1895 for the Model 1894 Winchester rifle. It helped revolutionize North American hunting and usher in the modern era of high velocity, small bore rifle cartridges. Only a few years after its introduction, most of the big bore black powder cartridges that had decimated North American plains game were obsolete. A new age had dawned, one that is still with us.

Modern shooters accustomed to the ultra-high velocities of the .25-06 and .257 Weatherby Magnum have a hard time understanding that in its day the .25-35 was just as revolutionary, and probably more so. The jump from the 1300 fps muzzle velocity typical of small bore black powder cartridges to the 2300 fps of the .25-35 represented an enormous increase in killing power and significantly flattened trajectory, allowing hits to be made with greater certainty at much longer range.

The nomenclature of the .25-35 refers to a 25 caliber bullet propelled by 35 grains of smokeless powder. The .25-35 case looks something like a .30-30 case necked-down to accept standard .257 inch bullets, which is more or less what it is. The .506 inch rim diameter and .422 inch head diameter are shared with the .30-30, as is the overall cartridge length of 2.55 inches.

The .25-35 was designed for use in 24 inch barrels, the standard Model 94 rifle barrel length, although it also became popular in Model 94 carbines with 20 inch barrels. Today, among the major US ammunition manufacturers, .25-35 factory ammunition is available from Hornady and Winchester.

The .300 Blackout

The .300 Blackout, also known as the .300 Whisper, was developed by Advanced Armament Corp. and SAAMI standardized hunting ammunition has been introduced by Hornady, Federal and Remington. These supersonic .300 Blackout loads are intended for use from a 16 inch AR-15 carbine barrel. The design objectives, according to ACC, were as follows:

• Create a reliable, compact 30-cal. solution for the AR platform
• Utilize existing inventory magazines while retaining their full capacity
• Create the optimal platform for sound and flash suppressed fire
• Create compatible supersonic ammo that matches 7.62x39 ballistics
• Provide the ability to penetrate barriers with high-mass projectiles
• Provide all capabilities in a lightweight, durable, low recoiling package

The maximum cartridge overall length is 2.260 inches, in order to fit in AR-15 actions and magazines. The .300 case, a necked-up .221 Rem. Fireball case, has a very small 23 degree shoulder, but it seems to be sufficient for correct head spacing.

The Comparison

The characteristics we will compare include velocity and energy, trajectory, sectional density, cross-sectional area, killing power and recoil. At the end I will summarize the results and make some concluding remarks. Since Hornady loads modern Class 2 (deer, pronghorn, feral hog, etc.) hunting ammunition for both cartridges, we will compare Hornady factory loads using Hornady published ballistics (when available).

To represent the .25-35 we will use the Hornady LEVERevolution load, which uses a 110 grain FTX boat-tail spitzer bullet with a plastic tip. The G1 ballistic coefficient of this bullet is .340

To represent the .300 Blackout we will use the Hornady Full Boar load, which uses a 110 grain GMX boat-tail spitzer bullet with a plastic tip. The G1 ballistic coefficient of this bullet is .305.

Velocity and Energy

Velocity flattens trajectory and makes hitting easier as the range increases. It is also the most important factor when computing kinetic energy.

Energy is a measure of the "work" a bullet can do, which in this case means powering bullet penetration and expansion. Energy is an important component of killing power. Here are the Hornady velocity in feet-per-second (FPS) and energy in foot-pounds (ft. lbs.) figures for our comparison loads at the muzzle, 100, 200 and 300 yards.

.25-35 Winchester 110 grain FTX:

Muzzle - 2425 fps / 1436 ft. lbs.
100 yards - 2181 fps / 1162 ft. lbs.
200 yards - 1952 fps / 930 ft. lbs.
300 yards - 1738 fps / 738 ft. lbs.

.300 Blackout 110 grain GMX:

Muzzle - 2350 fps / 1349 ft. lbs.
100 yards - 2084 fps / 1060 ft. lbs.
200 yards - 1836 fps / 823 ft. lbs.
300 yards - 1609 fps / 633 ft. lbs.

The .25-35 is somewhat faster and more powerful at all ranges, amounting to about 100 fps and 100 ft. lbs. between 100 and 200 yards. If you accept 800 ft. lbs. of energy on target as the minimum acceptable for humanely taking Class 2 animals, the .300 is done at 210 yards, while the energy of the .25-35 exceeds 800 ft. lbs. out to 260 yards.

Trajectory

Trajectory matters, because the flatter a bullet flies the easier it is to hit a target down range. Bullet placement is the most important factor in achieving quick, humane kills, so anything that makes hitting easier is desirable. Here are the trajectory figures in inches with a 200 yard zero, computed for a scope mounted 1.5 inches over the bore, at 100, 200 and 300 yards.

.25-35 Winchester 110 grain FTX at 2425 fps: +2.95" at 100 yards, 0 at 200 yards, -12.18" at 300 yards

.300 Blackout 110 grain GMX at 2350 fps: +3.3" at 100 yards, 0 at 200 yards, -13.6" at 300 yards

The .25-35 shoots flatter at all ranges, although not by a lot. If you want to keep the maximum bullet rise 3" or less between the muzzle and the zero distance, as I generally do, you will need to sight-in a .300 blackout rifle at less than 200 yards.

Sectional Density

Sectional density (SD) is the ratio of a bullet's weight in pounds to the square of its diameter in inches. SD affects penetration, as all other factors being equal (bullet construction, for example) the bullet with the highest sectional density will penetrate deepest. Obviously, to kill cleanly, any hunting bullet must penetrate into the animal's vitals. Here are the SD numbers for our two 110 grain bullets.

.25-35 Winchester 110 grain FTX: SD .238

.300 Blackout 110 grain GMX: SD .166

As you can see, the 110 grain .25 caliber bullet has a big advantage in SD over a .30 caliber bullet of the same weight. A longer, smaller diameter projectile penetrates better than a shorter, fatter projectile of the same weight and construction, which only makes sense.

Cross-sectional Area

The cross-sectional area (frontal area) of a hunting bullet matters, because a fatter bullet tends to make a bigger hole in the target (other factors, like bullet expansion, being equal). The wider the wound channel the more tissue is destroyed. Here only the caliber of the bullet matters, bullet weight is not a factor. The actual diameter of a .25-35 bullet is .257 inch; the actual diameter of a .300 Blackout bullet is .308 inch. Here are the cross-sectional areas of our cartridges' bullets in square inches (sq. in.).

.25-35 Winchester (.257"): 0.0519 sq. in.

.300 Blackout (.308"): 0.0745 sq. in.

Not surprisingly, the .308 inch .300 Blackout bullet has a big advantage in cross-sectional area over smaller diameter .257 inch .25-35 bullet.

Killing Power

Killing power is the most difficult factor to estimate, as there is no scientific formula to apply. Various systems have been created to estimate the killing power of rifle cartridges, with varying results in terms of accuracy. Unfortunately, many such systems have no correlation with reality at all.

One of the best, in terms of positive correlation with reality, has proven to be the G&S Online Rifle Cartridge Killing Power Formula. Not only is it generally consistent with results in the field, it can be used to compare any load at any range and includes the factors of energy at impact distance (which includes velocity), SD and cross-sectional area in an easy to use formula to arrive at a Killing Power Score (KPS).

Note that this is a comparative system. I estimate that a rifle cartridge should generate a KPS of at least 12.5 at the range the bullet impacts to be a viable Class 2 hunting cartridge.

I normally calculate killing power at 100 yards, as most whitetail deer, blacktail deer and feral hogs are killed at 100 yards or less. Here are the 100 yard KPS scores for our comparison cartridges and loads.

.25-35 Winchester 110 grain FTX: 14.4 KPS

.300 Blackout 110 grain GMX: 13.1 KPS

Both cartridges exceed the 12.5 KPS minimum at 100 yards. However, the .25-35 is the slightly stronger cartridge/load.

Recoil

One of the real benefits of cartridges in this approximate class, and one that should not be underestimated, is that they don't kick hard enough to bother most shooters. That makes precise bullet placement easier in the field, and bullet placement is the real key to killing power on big game animals.

As a generalization, most hunters can do their best shooting with cartridges that deliver less than 15 ft. lbs. of recoil energy to their shoulder. Here are the approximate recoil energy (in ft. lbs.) and velocity (in fps) for our comparison cartridges when fired in 7.5 pound rifles.

.25-35 Winchester 110 grain FTX: 6.0 ft. lbs., 7.2 fps

.300 Blackout 110 grain GMX: 4.8 ft. lbs., 6.4 fps

The .300 Blackout load kicks less than our .25-35 load in rifles of the same weight. Fortunately, both cartridges are so mild that even novice shooters should have no trouble controlling them.

Summary and Conclusion

Neither of these cartridges is particularly widely distributed in 2018, although for decades after its introduction in 1895 the .25-35 was a good selling cartridge. Its popularity declined as the popularity of European style bolt action rifles increased and the sales of classic American lever action rifles decreased.

For a number of years in the relatively recent past, there were no factory made rifles offered in the caliber. However, it is now making a comeback in the new Winchester Model 94 rifles and carbines. It is rumored that Henry will begin offering their Model H009 (.30-30) lever action in .25-35.

The .300 Blackout has found acceptance by hunters using MSRs. There are several more popular cartridges for such rifles, but the .300 Blackout seems to be gradually catching on and it is appearing on the loading lists of more ammunition manufacturers.

Reloading for either cartridge is not a problem. Reloading data, dies, bullets and other components are readily available.

In terms of performance, the .25-35 is superior in most categories. Only in cross-sectional area and minimizing recoil does the .300 Blackout have definite advantages.

However, both cartridges are very mild and their muzzle blast and kick is almost never a problem. It is fair to say that anyone who is seriously bothered by the recoil of either of these cartridges needs to practice and gain more experience before attempting to hunt deer, feral hogs and other medium size animals.