Found my marlin 336 35 Remington load today!

[Tripplebeards]

I tried cast out of my marlin a few weeks back The best group I got was about MOA at 100 yards with 40 grains of varget. I used our group buy 200 grain HP casted up with 50/50 COWW and pure lead flooring. I also added 2% pewter to the mix. My alloy has a BH of 10.5. I also tumble PC and GC my boolits. The ones I tested today were clear PC. I used the lee factory crimp collet die as well.






Here’s my lest from a few weeks ago with the 5 pound trigger pull. The top 100 yard MOA group was with our group buy HP mold and the bottom group was shot with a lee 200 grain boolit with the same alloy.




I lightened up my trigger since the last shooting session from 5 pounds to 2 1/4 pounds. I also loaded my cast boolits this time around with a polished seater die pusher that left zero markings on the sides of boolits. Last range session I used a flat seater die I customized. It pushed/seated the boolit down flattening and widening the HP area. I figured the polished seater die would keep the boolit in its original, more streamline shape as when it dropped out of the mold. Well here’s my first three shot 100 group with the same 40 grains of varget load that originally shot a 1” group, seated with the polished pusher, and with the lighter trigger. I also used smokes clear PC as it leaves a smooth, and perfectly even, glass coating even when tumbled.



I also had just enough H4895 powder left to load three rounds. I gambled and loaded up a max J word book load
to try. Here is the 100 yard group...




So 40 grains of varget is the clear winner! It’s my tightest shooting gun to date with cast. My bore slugged at .357” and I sized my boolits to .3595”. I loaded it to 2.415”, separated my boolits by 1 grain increments, used Remington RP cases, a Remington 9 1/2 primer, and trimmed all my cases to minimum length...after every firing.
Now that I’m done testing I plan on removing the tasco and see through rings and mounting up a leupold 2x7 and probably a DNZ scope base. I’ll have to move onto cast in my Remington 7600 chambered in 35 Remington next.

[Norske]

Since cast bullets won't wear your barrel, it's time to practice a lot off the bags.

[Drm50]

I had 5 35 Rems, still have 3 in possession but just sold another on Marlin Forum. I sold my 336 and a 141 Rem, just sold my 14. That leaves me a #8 & 141 Rem which I’m keeping both. I have shot a ton of deer with 35s since I was a 12yr old kid. The reason I’m keeping the #8 is because it was my first deer rifle, a load for a kid. My family has always loaded and cast boolits. The 35s shot well with cast but the only gun of the bunch I ever got to shoot scoped was the Marlin 336. Early I learned that all my Rem 35s liked 200gr RN bullets, I got my best groups with Hornadys and still shoot it to this day. And one of few cartridges I load with IMR-4064. I would love to see what I could wring out of my old 141 Deluxe but I would never D&T it for scope. When I was younger I could do 2.5” at 100yds with the Tangs on a good day.

[Beerd]

Well, you sure can't argue with results like that!
..

[Loudenboomer]

40 Gr. Varget it is. I can smell the venison on the stove!

[KMac]

Hmm. I have a RCBS 358-200 mold. May have to try some Varget loads in my Model 336 35 rem.

[Tripplebeards]

I Ran the 40 grain varget load across my chronograph today. It averaged 2100 ft./s out of my 20” barrel.

[missionary5155]

Powder Coat sure does override alot of cast issues..

[Tripplebeards]

I guess I should’ve started out with my 35 Remington lever action for my first cast boolit rifle load testing. After not getting 2 450BM’s to not cycle properly(I’m not done yet trying) and having to glass bed my 77/44 along with a a bunch of other accuracy mods and several trips to the range to get it to shoot sub MOA. My 336 just did it right off the bat with two different loads and only trying about 13 loads, three powders, and with a heavy trigger! My other rifles I tried probably 35/45 plus loads or more in each with different types of cast boolits to find a bullet and powder combo.

[Tripplebeards]

Tried my pet load out at 200 yards the other day. Never tried cast past 100 yards for groups before. My 2 1/4 pound trigger felt like 10 pounds at the longer distance and my cheap scope cross hairs looked like 2×4's against my target. My group shot 9" low with my 100 yard 1" high sight in. First group measured 2 3/4". The next two groups were about the same. I was aiming at boxes I drew that were to big imo, I'm guessing 6" boxes, so I wasn't aiming small. I'll have to re test with smaller aiming points. Im sure a better optic would help as well. The cross hairs were probably 1.5" to 2" plus wide at 200 yards. My load is minute of deer heart at 200 yards every shot.

[Beerd]

for siting in, aim at the corner of the box not the middle. sorta like your avatar.
..

[Tripplebeards]

That a good idea. I figured I’d try a cold barrel next as well. I shot the 200 yard group immediately after I zeroed it with several shots at 100 yards so I’m sure the barrel was pretty warm. I do notice my groups open up after about a dozen shots back to back in my gun.Something I will never address or care to fix as its primary purpose is for deer hunting and can count on one hand how how many times I’ve shot more than one or two times had to shoot at a deer to put it down in 40 years. I have a DNZ medium mount coming for the gun and wanted to put a better quality optic on it but don’t really want to mess with it now that It’s dialed in.

[Tripplebeards]

Well since I found my load I wanted to switch out my optic with something more bulletproof. I robbed my Ruger 44 carbine optic today and mounted up the Leupold 2x7 vx1 up with a medium DNZ mount. I’ll have to re sight it back in tomorrow And find a red dot sight for my Ruger carbine or just shoot it with open sights.



I’m going to feel a little out of place without the higher magnification and see through mounts but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I was going to leave it with the Tasco but noticed there were oil or water spots inside the lens along with black specs. I called Tasco and was told to sent it into for a replacement. Since the Tasco was coming off I figured I’d give the gun a facelift and shave a good half pound off it or more. I’ll put the Tasco on my CZ452 Ultralux when it comes back.

[popper]

2 1/2# is too light for me for anything. I put the happy trig in my 336 and that did make a big difference. Actually bushed trigger pin, EDM cut sear. I do like the floppy marlin trigger, takeup before the actual pressure - happy doesn't have that.

[Tripplebeards]

I have a 64 gun safe and another half of 64 safe full. I think there is only one or two that have triggers over 2 1/4 pounds. Most are predator predator rigs with Tinmeys that I have the triggers braking at 1 to 1 1/4 pound triggers. Most of my pistols are 2 1/4 pounds. I like to hit in the same bullet hole per bullet hole like my target I shot in my avatar. That’s from a POF P415 with a 14.5” barrel and a 3 pound timney trigger that broke at 2 pounds 6 oz right out of the package. It shots .3” 200 yards consistently when I do my part using 25 grains of benchmark and a 60 grain vmax. Never been one of those minute of pie plate guys. If my gun can’t shoot I’ll make it or trade it off for one that does. Never had a gun I can make shoot yet. Every gun I own shoots sub MOA when I find the right powder and bullet combo along with accuracy tweaking.

[Texas by God]

7x IS high magnification, TB!
You’ll never go back to those see thru rings, either! All of this is just my world view, of course.

[Tripplebeards]

Yeah, I forgot how clear my sight picture is through that scope on 7x. I poked three through the same hole at 100 yards the other day with the vx1.(it looked like a smaller three shot group than photo number three in the first post!) After that I wasnt missing the 10x tasco. At 200 yards it wasnt that bad either. I'll have to shoot some test groups at 200 yards when I find some varget. I have 18 rounds left and I'm basically zeroed at 100 yards. So I can't find varget it won't be shot again till I'm aiming at a deer. I hear there is a varget shortage. Cabelas is out. I called three other places with no luck. I have two other places to try yet.

[Tripplebeards]

Found varget today! Not a great price at $40 for a pound with tax but I believe the shop that had it new it was a hard to come by powder. I checked all the shops on my area, Cabela’s when I drove past it to central Iowa. And the shops on the quad cites area...none! I checked on line and saw Scheels had some for $29.99 which is a two hour drive back and forth. I was driving back to WI today and made a quick Google search on my phone while gasing up in Dubuque. I found a shop a couple miles away that had a dozen one pound bottles in stock for $37.99 plus Uncle Sam. I just glad I found some. It would have cost a lot more than $10 in fuel to drive to Scheels.