35 Rem with RCBS 35 200 FN

[WARD O]

I recently acquired the RCBS 35-200-FN mould and made up a few from straight wheel weights, 50/50 WW and Lead, and WW plus tin, all were air cooled. I sized them to .359 with Hornady gas checks and lubed them with BCA. I got to the range yesterday and shot a few. I tried 30 grains N133 and 38 grains of H335 both with Federal 210 primers. I am shooting a Marlin 336 Micro Groove with a Marbles receiver sight.

I cleaned the barrel ahead of time and again after 20 rounds and again at the end after a total of 45 rounds. There was no leading at any time.

I did not quite break two inches at 50 yards with my best 5 shot group and several groups were 3 or more inches.

Any suggestions on how to tighten up these groups?

Thanks
Ward

[dubber123]

Was the 50/50 water dropped or heat treated? If you could try them fatter, that might help. I have yet to find a "tight" Marlin. I have gotten most of mine to shoot, but some take some tinkering. Good luck.

[45 2.1]

Slug that Marlins bore...........some of them have very large groove dimensions (your boolit may be too small) and try water dropped.

[jlchucker]

Usually that boolit is a cloverleafer at 50 yards. You might try about 35 grains or thereabouts of 3031, or maybe 38 grains of 748. I've had really good luck with both of those powders. I air-dry all of my boolits.

[WARD O]

So it would appear the general consensus is they may be undersized?

[NHlever]

I would think that .359 would be fine in most Marlins. It has been in the ones I've worked with. I use Lyman's (#49) max (and accuracy) load of AA-2015 behind both that boolit, and the Hornady 200 RN. Both have shot 1" groups to my amazement, and the point of impact from my rifle is close enough to use them interchangably. My alloy is just air cooled wheel weights.

[jlchucker]

I would think that .359 would be fine in most Marlins. It has been in the ones I've worked with. I use Lyman's (#49) max (and accuracy) load of AA-2015 behind both that boolit, and the Hornady 200 RN. Both have shot 1" groups to my amazement, and the point of impact from my rifle is close enough to use them interchangably. My alloy is just air cooled wheel weights.

.359 is the diameter of my sizing die as well. Over time, I've loaded this boolit (wheelweights 9 lb plus 1 lb pure lead) for several 35's. Loads worked up from Lyman data in their Reloading Handbooks and the RCBS cast bullet handbook) . My results have amazed me exactly like yours, and seem to interchange nicely with the Hornaday 200 RN and Remington 200 Corelocts. Maybe this Marlin has an oversized barrel? Is it a new one?

[WARD O]

This Marlin is pre safety - I don't know serial number nor date of manufacture but I will look into that and report back.

I will also try to slug the barrel.

Ward

[jlchucker]

This Marlin is pre safety - I don't know serial number nor date of manufacture but I will look into that and report back.

I will also try to slug the barrel.

Ward

Ward, while you're at it, take a few of the boolits that you've sized and mike them, just for the heck of it. See what your sized boolits really are. Pre-safety Marlins in 35 can be microgroove. Microgroove came out in the mid-1950's, but Marlin didn't start putting safeties on their leverguns until 1982 or thereabouts. There's lots of pre-safety microgroove Marlins out there, but I really don't think that the microgroove thing may be your problem. I've mostly loaded for the older 35's but they were pretty much all microgroove. The first time I tried the RCBS 200 in mine--an older microgroove Texan version--it shot so well that I didn't even bother to work up a better load, and at that time a .359 sizer was all that I had.

[357maximum]

I use the 38gr-H335 load in my pre-micro marlin with wd'ed 50/50 ww/pure Rcbs-200 boolits sized .360 with complete and utter satsifaction. It is my "load" in fact.

I also use the same charge in my 1893(1916) civil guardia mauser bubba sporter in .308 with a rem rifle front ramp and a williams peep with the BRP 30-180 (unsized)with the same satisfaction.

I would check your boolit/bore dimensions.

[felix]

If the gun does not shoot that boolit with 38 grains of H335/WC844/BLC2/WW748, something is amiss and must be corrected. That IS the standard load for the Marlin 35 Remmie. ... felix

[WARD O]

I have miked the bullets and they are pretty much right on the 359 mark.

Time allowing, tonight I will try to push some slugs through the bore and see what they say.

[flinter62]

I have one made 1962 with 4 power scope. With that bullet Sz. 358,35gr.IMR4320 about 1900fps puts them in one hole the size of 1/2 dollar at 100 yds. That load is in RCBS Cast Handbook. Flinter62

[WARD O]

In checking the serial number, it is 8 digets and starts with 23 so that would make it 1977 as I understand the system.

Last night I slugged the barrel with a couple of different lead slugs and it pretty much came out where it should at .3573 - .3574.

I also have to apologize reguarding my remarks on my group sizes. I was going from first impressions formed at the range when I started this thread. Last night I took another look at the targets and then grabbed the dial calipers and measured them. My best 5 shot group was 1.6 inches center to center with a couple more groups being under 2 inches. The groups that were 3 inches or more usually included a flyer that opened them up. Perhaps it was the shooter ??? I will try these bullets again with some of the same loads as well as some of the loads suggested in this thread.

Ward

[Bret4207]

Mmmm, inch and half sounds better. The flyers could be many things, in my case the flyers are often my fault, that I admit. But I've had flyers that were out of the blue with perfect sight picture. An air inclusion, slightly cocked boolit on seating, maybe a GC shank that didn't fillout completely and the check came off. Could be a lot of things. So, what I do is use 10 shot groups and look for a repeatable pattern. If you're getting round groups hovering in the 1.5" area you're doing okay. If you see a horizontal or vertical inclination then that's bedding and if you see flyers then that's likely casting or loading flaws. Groups that open over time can be leading, or if it's as the barrel warms that can be lube failure. I'm sure there are things I've missed or that can be something else too.

Try some 10 shot groups and see what you get.

[jlchucker]

If the gun does not shoot that boolit with 38 grains of H335/WC844/BLC2/WW748, something is amiss and must be corrected. That IS the standard load for the Marlin 35 Remmie. ... felix

That WW748 load is exactly the same as mine, Felix, and I've used it with both the Lyman 204 gr boolit and the RCBS that's the subject of this thread.

[Newtire]

With the 38 gr. H-335 load and the Ranch Dog 35 boolit, I get 2163-2227 fps out of a 24 inch barrel in a pre-micro-groove barrel 336 rifle.