I have a T/C custom shop 25/20. It is a blast to shoot. I put a Bushnell Holosight on it. I get my brass from Midway and they also have bulk bullets for the 25/20, 85 gr. I would recommend it for a fun barrel and also good on small game.
I'd vote for 256 Winchester over a 25-20. The 256 brass is beefier and not that difficult to form from 357 Magnum cases. I have a 10" 256Win Bull barrel and like shooting the 75 gr. V-max bullets for critters and the 86 gr. Remingon bulk bullets for plinking.
It's a blast. I shoot 14 gr. of H4227 with the 75 gr. bullets(which isn't a hot load) and the recoil is very low as is the muzzle blast.
I don't have a 25-20, but do have a 32-20 contender barrel which is a sweet shooter. The 32-20 brass is so thin, you can easily crumple the neck when seating the bullet if the case isn't belled and chamfered properly.
I got my set-up from Jim Graham. 10" Octagon barrels are more common than Bull barrels, but I think you'll be happy with either. 256 Win dies can be spendy, but deals on them do show up on eBay from time to time.
I don't have any experience with the 25-20, but I love my .256 win mag. The first loads I tried in it were very accurate, so I didn't even do any load development. I load the 60 gr fp (hdy # 2510) and 75 gr sp.
As mentioned, brass is easy to form from 357 with no fire forming, although I am lucky enough to have acquired around 150 factory rounds in the past that I am now reloading. About 15 years ago, I also ran across two boxes of winchester virgin empty brass in a pawn shop bought them.
My barrel is a lightweight octagon barrel. The 256 does not make the barrel jump like heavier calibers do in the octagon barrel. It is fun and pleasant to shoot all day long. I have never loaded cast bullets in this one, but I think it would be fun to try something different.
Shoot Often,
Curtis
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