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Dr. A
06-06-2005, 09:20 AM
I wondered if anyone would be good enough to share with me their 35 Rem. loads. I have a 1951 Marlin with a beautiful bore that looks to have never shot any cast boolets. I spent the entire weekend cleaning out copper fouling. I had a 210 Mountain Mold made up and with this boolet, have a shorter than normal OAL because of its short throat. The boolet is designed after Beartooth's 210gr., and looks to be similar to the RCBS as well. I made some up and water quenched them. Is this alloy going to be too hard for hunting? Also, what is a good velocity to go for when working up a load with this caliber?

Thanks for any help

David

Rrusse11
06-06-2005, 10:05 AM
David,
GC design? If so you should be able to hit 2100fps without too much trouble. Try Reloader 10, no data available, but it's a tad slower than Reloader #7. The data I've got shows a top load of 31.0gr of Rl #7 with a 200gr jacketed. Start at ~ 30.0gr of Rl 10x and go from there.
Cheers,
R*2

Dr. A
06-06-2005, 10:13 AM
GC-yes! Sorry about that. I've been looking for that powder to try in the 45-70. Have to look a little harder. Have made up some Varget, H4895, and 2520 already. Going to try out all speeds to begin with, although I shoot most down around the 1800 or 1900fps range.

sundog
06-06-2005, 10:26 AM
Dr. A, take a look at castpics load data. Everything there was developed and tested by our own cast boolit board members. The load I've settled on for the time being is RCBS 35-200-FN, 30.0 IMR 3031, for about 2000 fps. When those are used up (only a small batch left) I will begin testing the surps - 844, 2320, Data 73, and a few others. sundog

http://www.castpics.net/RandD/load_data/load_data.htm

Rrusse11
06-06-2005, 10:28 AM
GC-yes! Sorry about that. I've been looking for that powder to try in the 45-70. Have to look a little harder. Have made up some Varget, H4895, and 2520 already. Going to try out all speeds to begin with, although I shoot most down around the 1800 or 1900fps range.

David,
What's ur alloy? You asked about hunting effectiveness, I'd suggest that water dropped WW's might be a bit brittle at 2100-2200fps, but air cooled at 1800-1900fps might be just the ticket for a bit of expansion and no shortage of penetration. I found for jugs of powder that it was worth the Hazmat fee to shop at www.grafs.com and buy in bulk.
Cheers,
R*2

Dr. A
06-06-2005, 12:36 PM
Using wheel weights only. The water quenching is what I used on the 45-70 405gr. gas checked Mountain Mold boolet. I shot several animals, including an elk and several bison, and a couple of deer, but never recovered any boolet. Its a wicked load, and probably more than I need. Going to go a little more conservative this year. I wanted to try my hand at this 35 to begin with. I'll have to make a new batch and let them air cool. Thank you very much for the help. I might end up paying the hazmat. Never broke down to do that, but as many pounds as I'm going through, I need some cheaper powder! I think my brother knows someone who goes down to Powder Valley once a month...

Denver
06-06-2005, 03:53 PM
Dr. A

I recently bought a Marlin 336 RC in 35 Rem about the same vintage as yours. The bore of mine slugs about .360. I couldn't get it to shoot the RCBS 200 gr at all even after "beagaling" the mold. I've had better luck with the RCBS 180 silhouette bullet after "beagaling" that mold also to drop a bullet that I can size to .360.

Ron

JDL
06-06-2005, 04:01 PM
Surplus 4895 has done very well in both my .358's using 200,225, and 250 grain boolits, and should do as well in the .35 Rem.-JDL

35remington
06-06-2005, 09:00 PM
Try 33 to 35 grains of IMR 3031, which will get 1950 to 2050 fps, depending upon temperature. This will pretty much duplicate the typical factory load in velocity. The RCBS bullet should do well even in somewhat oversized barrels if cast of unhardened wheelweights (12 BHN). The powder charge will slug up the bullet to fit the bore, and accuracy is as good or better than any of the jacketed roundnoses in my .35 leverguns. I typically size my bullets to .360, if they will cast that large. Out of wheelweight alloy plus a little tin, my bullets usually go around .3595-.360" as cast from the RCBS 200 FN double cavity. Weight is around 214 grains with lube and gascheck.

If you want to experiment, many other powders will be suitable if you keep the velocity around 2000 fps. If the bullets are water quenched, they'll shoot, but not if they are undersized. I can show you examples of bullets that skidded going down the barrel of my Marlins because they cast a little too small and did not bump up due to the hardness of the heat treated bullet. Most Marlins have no throat, and the misalignment of the undersized, overhard bullet was pretty evident. A water quenched bullet is probably too hard for deer hunting. Some expansion is helpful, and the water quenched won't open at all.

I would echo the comments above that wheelweights are just fine for deer as is, unhardened. Expansion is fine and they hold together well on the deer I've shot. The .35 Remington doesn't need anything fancy, it's pretty tolerant as long as you don't try to push things too much. It will even shoot pretty well at up to 2250 fps, which is as fast as I have shot the RCBS bullet.

Buckshot
06-06-2005, 09:32 PM
..............Dr.A, my 35 Rem is built on a small ring Mauser vs a Marlin levergun, but i have found it to be a forgiving cartridge and lots of stuff works pretty well in it. It has a 16" twist, as I envisioned more pistol boolit type use then anything else. However it's a plumb tack driver with the Saeco #356, 200gr FNGC.

An interesting thing with my rifle was that the harder you drove it, the better it did with the 200 gr Saeco at least. I really only tested one canister grade powder for power type loads with it. That was IMR3031 and the only reason I used it was I was trying to get a handle of surplus IMR4198. I hate to use $18/lb powder when $8/lb stuff works as well! As I found out surplus IMR4198 is about like canister grade 4895 8-).

It may not be much help to you but surplus AA2200, WC846 and WC844 brings the cartidge to what I consider it's full potential. I settled on WC846 with my lot proving to be a bit faster then BLC-2. The more WC846 I put in the case, the faster it went and the tighter it shot.

I reached 41.0grs which is a full caseload and it sent the 200gr Saeco away at 2210 fps from the 20" barrel. The same charge with a 200gr Rem C-L was 2334 fps. The cast load was a WW + 2% tin alloy.

If you can get any AA2200 (hard to find and maybe NLA), WC846 or WC844 (both still available) start at 36.0grs with a 200 gr slug and work your way up one grain at a time. Wc846 or Wc844 are about perfect for the 35 Rem and 200gr slugs. The 41.0gr charge is a full case right up to the shoulder and you get top velocities and superb accuracy.

.............Buckshot

Dr. A
06-07-2005, 08:46 AM
Thanks alot, guys. I honestly began the water quenching when using this bullet on my 356. It certainly is needed for those higher velocities. For hunting I will stick with air cooled wheel weights.

Ranch Dog
06-07-2005, 09:01 AM
Hey Doc...

I've just started working with BTBs 185-grain LFN and H4895 so I thought I would give you that data. I've got a 1951 336SC (20" barrel) that slugs .3585 so I'm shooting .359 bullets. I haven't firelapped the rifle but it probably has had so many bullets pass through it that it really doesn't matter. Shoot incredible groups.

Anyway, with all the wires, cables and computers connected to my poor old rifle and 39.0-grains of H4895, it says that the bullet is traveling out of the barrel at 2054 FPS and the chamber is experiencing only 29,371 PSI. Unfortunately, this bullet requires deep seating to function through the Marlin and this load is already at 104% of the case capacity. I got others ready to go last night and will start working up to 110% of the case capacity today.

Marshall is sending me some of his new 180-grain WFNGC bullets next week. These are made with the Marlin chamber in mind and will not require so much compression. He is also working on a 200-grain bullet along those lines.

Rrusse11
06-07-2005, 09:06 AM
Hey Doc...

I've just started working with BTBs 185-grain LFN and H4895 so I thought I would give you that data. I've got a 1951 336SC (20" barrel) that slugs .3585 so I'm shooting .359 bullets. I haven't firelapped the rifle but it probably has had so many bullets pass through it that it really doesn't matter. Shoot incredible groups.

Anyway, with all the wires, cables and computers connected to my poor old rifle and 39.0-grains of H4895, it says that the bullet is traveling out of the barrel at 2054 FPS and the chamber is experiencing only 29,371 PSI. Unfortunately, this bullet requires deep seating to function through the Marlin and this load is already at 104% of the case capacity. I got others ready to go last night and will start working up to 110% of the case capacity today.

Marshall is sending me some of his new 180-grain WFNGC bullets next week. These are made with the Marlin chamber in mind and will not require so much compression. He is also working on a 200-grain bullet along those lines.

RD,
How's that pressure testing system going? You happy with it?
Cheers,
R*2

Dr. A
06-07-2005, 11:07 AM
Hey Ranch Dog,

I have slugged the thing a half a dozen times, and feel like it also does not need to to be firelapped. No constrictions, and yet I'm sure its been used with jacketed to a fault. The bullet I am using is for the throat of my Winchester, and has to be seated very low as well. Its engraving at 2.35, so I may buy the RCBS and call it good. It slugs out at a consistant .3585 as well. 24 inch tube is just too cool. Its been used, but functionally perfect. Thinking about doing what you did to your 30-30AI. Did you have it refinished, or get new wood? What was the metal treatment called again? I have a couple of samples of what I think were called a LWN that seats high at 185gr. I am anxious to shoot, but my boy is in baseball, and is taking a ton of time.

The fellow that sold me this gave me a lifetime history including 5 elk, numerous deer, and wanted the gun taken care of. :) He bought it in the early 50's as new. Quite a story. Has some ghosts!

Ranch Dog
06-07-2005, 02:12 PM
Hearing about the hunts that rifle has been on is really something special! I often wonder what each of my Marlins have experience over the years before they became mine.

Actually, shooting enough jacketed bullets is going to do the same thing as slugging a bore. It's simply barrel wear in two different forms. MikeG gave me about 100 Hornady .458X350 RNs that I'm going to send through my 450 Marlin before I even consider working with lead. This rifle is NIB.

Robert Bose used all the original wood on my 336A. The rifle even had a cracked butt stock at the grip. I simply had countersunk a wood screw and called it good enough. I don't think the hogs care. He said that I actually made a fine repair and took care of making it look better. I looks like a knot in the wood and actually adds to the rifle! The metal is parkerized which is about the best "hunt'n" finish I can think of. Everyone tha
t handles the rifle simply says... "WOW!"

http://www.marlinowners.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_Rifle.jpg

I have a Savage 99 that I had parkerized in the early '90s but the finish on my Marlin is a lot better work.