I solved the problem by mounting a Burris 3-9X Quad scope on my Model 94. Designed for use on the Sako Quad rimfire rifle with its four interchangeable barrels in .17 Mach 2, .17 HMR, .22 LR and .22 WMR, the scope is capable of memorizing up to four different zeroes. Burris engineers accomplished this by installing four indicator bands of different colors on the windage and elevation adjustment knobs, and each band can be rotated independently of its adjustment knob to record a specific zero.

As I discovered, the new scope worked as perfectly on the Winchester rifle as it had on the Sako Quad rifle I had used on a Wyoming varmint shoot. I used the lower bands on the windage and elevation adjustment knobs to record a 100-yard zero for the 117-grain Winchester factory load and used the second bands for zeroing my 75-grain varmint load.

When I needed to switch from one .25-35 load to another during the hunt, I simply dialed the scope to the zero that corresponded with the load I intended to use. And since I had discovered back home at the range that the Model 94 was plenty accurate for shooting coyotes at long range, I utilized the first and second tick marks of the Ballistic Plex reticle in the Burris scope for holdovers at 200 and 300 yards.

It worked like a charm; after taking five deer with the Winchester 117-grain factory load, I switched to my varmint load and bagged three coyotes within a couple of hours on the last day of our hunt. As unlikely a coyote rifle as the Winchester 94 in .25-35 might appear to be, it proved to be an excellent choice for the job. I found it to be light, handy, compact and plenty accurate for surprising a yodel dog out to any reasonable range.

Through the years, I have taken several deer with the .30-30, and on shots inside 100 yards I see very little difference in performance between it and the .25-35. But due to its heavier bullet of larger diameter, the .30-30 has a noticeable edge in effectiveness on longer shots. During the Texas hunt four of us took most of our deer with the .25-35 and then compared notes after all the fun was over. We all agreed that shots should be restricted to 100 yards with Winchester's littlest deer cartridge, which is saying a lot more than you might think when we consider that most whitetails are taken at half that distance and less.

A DOZEN .25-35 WINCHESTER LOADS
BULLET	POWDER		ACCURACY (ins.)	VELOCITY (fps)
	(type)	(grs.)
Hornady 60-gr. FN	IMR-4198	22.0	1.61	2,448
Hornady 60-gr. FN	IMR-4320	31.0	2,30	3,011
Hornady 60-gr. FN	H4895	31.0	2.15	2,980
Hornady 75-gr. V-Max*	Varget	29.0	1.49	2,671
Sierra 75-gr. HP*	BL-C (2)	32.0	1.33	2,710
Hornady 117-gr. RN	IMR-4320	26.0	1.77	2,289
Remington 117-gr. SFC L**	IMR-3031	26.0	1.61	2,317
Hornady 117-gr. RN	H380	27.0	1.40	2,288
Hornady 117-gr. RN	H380	29.0	1.53	2,301
Hornady 117-gr. RN	H380	30.0	1.44	2,356
Winchester 117-gr. FN***	H380	30.0	1.35	2,350
Winchester 117-gr. FN	Factory Load		1.17	2,149
*This bullet is for single-loading directly into the chamber of lever-action rifles. It must not be loaded in a tubular magazine. **This bullet is no longer available to handloaders. ***This bullet was pulled from Winchester factory ammo. Winchester cases and Winchester WLR primers were used. Accuracy shown for each load represents an average of three or more five-shot groups fired at 100 yards. Velocity is an average of 10 rounds clocked 12 feet from the 20-inch barrel of a Winchester Model 94.

Aim true and keep your shots inside 100 paces and you will love the .25-35 as much as I do; try to stretch its reach too far and you might just regret bringing it to the woods.