.35 Remington brass....buy or re-form?

[imashooter2]

Got any .444?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=23606

[GrizzLeeBear]

Cabelas shows 35 Rem. brass. At the bottom of the list.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...843&hasJS=true

[bandit7.5]

I just started a trade for 90 35rem for 200 of my 357mag. At ammobrass trader .com, Good people there. I have traded a boat load of brass for basicly Postage costs.There are some boolit boys there and some uninlightened bullet boys also girls.
I love this forum.
Dan

[BruceB]

I asked the original question, about buying or re-forming, back in December, shortly after getting the 1950 Marlin rifle for Christmas.

Since then, several kind souls here on the Board have seen to it that I have original, proper .35 Remington brass with which to work. THANKS to all!

However, given the relative rarity of the case and the limited production runs each year, plus the times in which we live with the scarcity of all types of components being very evident......I proceeded to try making .35 cases from commercial .308 WCF brass. I had a couple hundred .308 cases languishing on the shelf, since I'm using only military brass in my M1A.

In a word, it works and works well.

My procedure:

Step 1:

I installed an RCBS carbide .44 magnum sizer in my Rockchucker, set down to bump the shell-holder firmly. Run the LUBED .308 cases through this die, which will leave a narrow "belt" at the front of the extractor groove, and also may shear off a microscopically-thin ring of brass. Considerable effort on the handle will be needed. This is why we build our benches SOLIDLY.

Step 2:

Run the swaged-down cases into a .30 carbine mouth-expander die (or a Lee "Universal expander die") to flare the mouth large enough to accept the expander ball in the .35 Remington sizer die. The flared part will be trimmed-off, so don't be shy about putting a good big flare on the mouth.

Step 3:

Size all the cases to the max in the .35 Remington sizer. Again, adjust so that the shell-holder has a good "bump" against the die.

Step 4:

Trim the cases to proper .35 Remington length. My standard Forster trimmer with a Makita 3/8" drill adapted for power drive made VERY short work of this, as little as two or three seconds per case, but I'd HATE to do it with the original hand-crank on the trimmer. Deburr the brass after trimming, and we're ready for the last step.

Step 5:

Using a sharp, clean, fine-cut flat file, and chucking the case in the Unimat (a drill press would work fine, too, or a good 1/2" drill mounted in a vise) I make about 20 file strokes across the case-head and rim areas, removing the "belt" thrown-up by the .44 die in Step 1. Some experimentation will be necessary with YOUR setup to determine how much filing is needed. Once that routine is established, you can also consider polishing the filed area for appearance's sake as a final step. Keep the file CLEAN, with a fine wire brush or other method. The teeth will load-up with brass cuttings, and I find it best to clean the file after using it on each case.

An important quality-control check is accomplished by keeping the rifle itself close by the filing location, and checking each case for fit in the chamber as it 's completed. If it doesn't fit VERY easily, I put it back in the machine for a bit more filing. concentrating on the rim diameter and the web zone ahead of the extractor groove. If the case is still too snug, I toss it. No point in excessive fiddling with a single round.

At no point do I attempt to measure anything, except the trim-to length in the trimmer.

All of the above may seem time-consuming and pointless. Not so. The time involved for each case is less than two minutes total, by my timing. To get usable .35 Remingtons for NOTHING except maybe 40 minutes spent per box of 20 is a great boon, in my eye. .308 cases are everywhere, but .35s....?? I have time; it's a hobby, after all. Ammohead, Buckshot, NVCurmudgeon and 9.3x62AL can all attest to the fact that the former .308s work well in the Marlin 336.

Of course, after I'd started developing this routine, Curmudgeon found 200 rounds of new-unfired .35s for me on the web somewhere. Oh, well!

[bruce drake]

For those of us who shoot 6.5 JAP, those 35 Remington cases get the reforming of a lifetime! One good thing about being in the East is that 35 REM is a common woods rifle. I've picked up several complete boxes of the cases after the local boys finished zeroing their deer rifles last year at the range. Between those cases and also using 220 Swift cases cutdown and reformed my 6.5 JAP has never seen a proper headstamped case since I've bought it.

Some other shooters have talked about reforming 308 WIN cases for 6.5 JAP but I think that is way too much effort involved with that trick.

Bruce

[PatMarlin]

Thanks for this info Bruce!

I've got a ton of 30'06 and 308 and hardy any 35 Rem.

Now if I could just form brass for my K31 with it...

[Blammer]

go to walmart and buy some 35 rem ammo.

[PatMarlin]

Nope won't do it. Can't do it. Never gonna do it...

[onceabull]

Although I'm long on 35 remmie brass at the moment, I think I see an opportunity to lay off the unfired stuff at some future G.S. A gun show & hunting partner,and former employee,did long service in various Naval Reserve assignments,providing ample time to police up 308 GI brass,while in the Idaho desert alongside various units during summer service.. I probably had about a 1/3 of a heavy half ton pickup bed full by the time he retired,even in the eight years since,I still have too many unprocessed to count by hand. With everything else in Bruce's recipe already here,those January/February days will have another task waiting..THANKS, Onceabull

[Marlin Junky]

Graf has .35 Remington brass (Winchester brand too) but it's a half buck a pop! I need to get an 18" twist .358W barrel screwed into my Stainless M77 action and a bucket of once fired 7.62 Nato cases.

MJ

[IcerUSA]

Graff's had PMC brass for the 35 , I got a couple hundred so I should be good for a few years .

[bobk]

BruceB, et al.,
I would caution those of you who use military brass to carefully check for an internal separation groove. You know, the paperclip test? I got a bunch of 7.62 many years ago, and experienced head separations on the second reload. Turned out that most all of them had been fired in M60s with loose headspace. The case is not ideal for automatic weapons, as it has too little taper (compare with .30-'06, and many others). Consequently, feeding can be an issue under any but the most favorable conditions. I remember reading about a multinational op in Egypt in 1981, Operation Bright Star, where they tried everything under the sun to keep the 60's running. Apparently many of the guns were set up loose to aid functioning, but it took a toll on the brass. Not a problem for the Army, as long as the guns function. I switched to commercial cases for my 91, as it is hard on cases anyway.
Bob K

[PatMarlin]

Please explain the paperclip test?

That operation (war) in 1981 cancelled the rest of my europeon tour with Polygram records. I remember it well..

[PatMarlin]

Graf has .35 Remington brass (Winchester brand too) but it's a half buck a pop! I need to get an 18" twist .358W barrel screwed into my Stainless M77 action and a bucket of once fired 7.62 Nato cases.

MJ

Thought you already had a 358 whinny?

[bobk]

PatMarlin,
Oh, it's pretty simple. You straighten out a paperclip, and bend the end so it's got about a 1/8" right angle hook. Insert it into the case, all the way to the bottom. Move the point over to the case wall, and use it as a feeler. You'll feel an internal groove. Or, you can use a small flashlight. IMHO a non-LED works better. Just before it is ready to let go, there is a bright ring on the outside of the case, too.

I love the 375, but it doesn't have much of a shoulder, and it used to be that remington cases were a little small at the belt. It's hard to keep them from failing eventually right ahead of the belt. They took quite a few reloads, though. That's one reason I've never had a 458. That belt is just too small. Again, IMHO, I like a fairly abrupt shoulder, or a rim. I loaded about a gazillion 6MM Remingtons, and I never remember losing a case.

Bob K

[onceabull]

Easy for some of us to forget that not everyone has been reloading for 50 + years. That load of retreived 308 brass I got was virtually all fired from sundry MGs. Way longer than saami specs,and only good for 1 full house firing on average..Use whatever method works for you to trash incipient head separations,the effort will be worthwhile.!! For what I do with boolits in 308's ,I'd guess I get 4-5 firings,and haven't had a failure yet..BUT I DO LOOK.... Onceabull

[PatMarlin]

I hope the last 308 I bought is not like that. It was once fired from Bartlet.

[Bullshop Junior]

308 is WAY to thick at the web.
To much work.
I buy it.
They last forever.
BIC/Daniel/BS Jr.