Choices Choices 38-55 or 35 Rem. in Marlin

[Just Duke]

I am looking to get a couple more leverguns and I am swinging towards the 38-55 which until recently found out it was kinda like a 375 Winchester and can shoot a big bullet and fast..
I can also scope these rifles with Leupold 1 X 4's 30mm lighted for pretty cheap too.
So can those knowledgeable folks clue me in on the Marlin in 38-55? Might have to do some hunting to find one. Some fellow here offered to sell me one awhile back but lost the PM.
I might just get one of each. ;)
TIA,
Duke

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Duke,

If you can't find one, You can get a 30-30 converted by:

Jesse Ocumpaugh
715 South 6th St.
Cottage Grove, OR 97424

Phone: (541) 942-1342
Fax: (541) 942-7533

Last I heard was about $200

Sam (Who loves his Legendary Frontiersman 38-55 and Holy Black) :-D

[Just Duke]

Yes I have seen several on GB and wondered if they were selling them because they did not feed, funtion or shoot properly.

Does he make it on the 336 action? That would be cool cuz I could get one in stainless like this.
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Images/photo_336SS.jpg

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Duke,

He will do your gun. The Action on the 30-30 and 38-55 are the same. Just have to rebore barrel and rechamber for the bigger round. Have talked with several people on the SASS wire and they say they shoot great. I just luck up on the NIB 94 Legendary Frontiersman. Had planned to send a 30-30 off to Jesse.

Sam :D

[Bass Ackward]

I always advocate the 35 bore and that is misleading.

I should say that I prefer the medium bores and that is 35 up to .375/ .380. The problem is that you don't have standard case designs available to you once you leave 35 caliber without wild catting. But the advantage in 35 is that you have the best flexibility of twist rates for bullet length of " ANY " bore diameter.

The only potential problem with the 38-55 is what has become to be known as 38-55itis and that is where the chamber prevents you from chambering a larger enough bullet to fill your bore without reaming or neck turning your brass that is thin anyway. That is a problem with the manufacturer's specs, not the caliber. If I wanted to shoot black, then the nod would go toward the 38-55 regardless as you will be shooting fairly soft and it will eventually obturate out to fill well enough to seal.

[KirkD]

Both are good cartridges, but I prefer the 38-55. I currently own two vintage Winchester 38-55's.

[Jon K]

Maybe a little biased, but I say go for the 38-55, I'm not real fond of the short neck case BN for cast boolits.

Just my opinion,
Jon

[missionary5155]

My vote would be for the 38-55... I am inclined to the larger diameter boolits and the heavier the better. ´38-55 has been around and used successfully by generations of hunters to feed families and take care of BIG nasty biting critters. 35s are good cartriges... but the 38 is just that much better... I have Marlin, Winny, Ballard rifles and no regrets. Announce you are selling a 38-55 and a line forms.

[45r]

I keep wishing they would bring out a 358ME and been looking for a real nice older 35 rem but not much luck.I like the lower gas check prices and the cheap J-word bullets also.I think Marlin and Hornady should forget the 338 and make a 358.I agree with Bass,the 35 bore is a good one.The 35 Whelen and 358 Win are very underated.The RCBS 200 grain boolit works well in the 35 REM.

[6pt-sika]

I have four Marlin's in 35 REM and a pair of Marlin's in 38-55 . To say nothing of the pair of Marlin's in 375 WIN and another pair in 365 WIN .

ALL of these guns left the factory as the caliber they are now !

Personally if it were me I'd go with a couple nice 375's or a 356 and a 375 [smilie=1:

[6pt-sika]

The 35 Whelen and 358 Win are very underated.

Been there and done that as well as the 350 REM MAG .

All three are nice enough , but they never really drew me to them .

I do however like the 356 WIN well enough . And I know you're gonna say the 356 is nothing more then a rimmed 358 that cannot be loaded as hot . Which is true but I like the 356 MORE [smilie=1:

I'm also partial to the 338 Federal ! And this new 338 Marlin Express will quickly get a couple spots in my gun rack :drinks:

[KCSO]

The standard Marlin 336 CB is not a BAD rifle but there are some porblems you need to be aware of going in... The marlin had and over size bore and a standard chamber so Starline brass works best with cast bullets. Since there are NO jacketed bullets big enough for the Marlin bore (380 average) this is a pont to ponder. In addition the Marlin chamber is cut for 2.082 brass and not the full length brass so you do lose just a little powder space. BUT with work the Marlin can be an EXCELLENT shooter. Mine would shoot 4" groups at 200 yards. I now shoot a Winchester M 94 with a custom barrel with a full length chamber and a 377 bore. I agree on Jess, I have seen one of his tubes and it is excellent work. Now a Marlin in 38-55 is samo samo as a 30-30 but in the Winchester you need to change the feed guides for perfect functioning. If you can't find 38-55 guides 375's work just fine. I have had 38-55 and 35 Remington and have shot both and really just went with the 38-55 as I am more nterested in the older rounds. My hunting load for the 38-55 is a 260 grain Mountain Moulds gas check bullet and a healthy dose of IMR 30-31 for 1800 fps from a 26" barrel. This drops just 9 inches at 200 yards with a 100 yard zero and the soft lead slug drops deer dead.

[6pt-sika]

I see alot of folks having problems with the Marlin 336CB in 38-55 .

I must be lucky or something :bigsmyl2:

I've had a 336CB in 38-55 for about 6 years and have never had the problems most folks make comments about .

In mine I use regular old Winchester 38-55 brass . I also cast normal Lyman 375449 and RCBS 37-250GC bullets and size them in a .379" die . All of mine to date have been cast from straight wheelweights .

Now I will say I have a Marlin 1893 in 38-55 that was made in 1894 . And this one doesn't seem to shoot my bullets as well as the 336CB however the accuracy I get from the 1893 is good enough for me to kill deer out to say 75 yards .

[6pt-sika]

I almost forgot :veryconfu

The FIRST deer I ever killed with cast bullets and some type of iron sights was with my 336CB in 2002 .

I loaded the Lyman 375449 with 15 grains of SR4759 and a CCI200 primer.

Shot a spike at a little over 50 yards , he ran about 35 yards and rolled over ! Enough said [smilie=s:

[45r]

I would be plenty happy with a 356 win myself if Marlin would make blue ones with nice walnut.Would like to have the same recoil pad and bolt as the XLR's but can do without the SS and plywood stocks.I like 30 cal over 33 myself.My 308 Rem Mtn Rifle shoots half inch groups at 100 yards and a 33 would just kick harder and not be anymore accurate.The 33 needs a long neck.Thats why the new Ruger 33 had to have a shorter body to make room for a long neck.A Marlin 356 win or a Marlin 308MX necked up to 35 would be THE levergun I would want most.I could shoot a much wider choice of J-word bullets and cast boolits also.35 cal gas checks are the cheapest also and easy to find.The 35 cal 225 grain Sierra will do anything the 33 cal will do out to 400 yards.I'm sure Hornady could make something that would equall it's performance.If I got a 33 cal I'd get the new Ruger compact mag.It doesn't matter to me about the 356 not being able to shoot as fast as a 358.I go with my 300 Weatherby and 180 partitions when I want fast and powerfull.I just want a 35 levergun for woods hunting that could make a 300 yard shot in the open and not kick too hard for fast follow up shots if needed.

[Just Duke]

I am perplexed at the fact that Marlin with all the lever gun craze has not brought back the 38-55.

[6pt-sika]

My 308 Rem Mtn Rifle shoots half inch groups at 100 yards and a 33 would just kick harder and not be anymore accurate.

If I got a 33 cal I'd get the new Ruger compact mag.


Having had a couple light weight Remington's in 308 and a Ruger 77RSI in 308 . I feel I can comment on the recoil thing !

Now bear in mind I have an couple armloads of 450's , 444's and 45-70's . To say nothing of my 375 H&H MAG and 416 REM MAG . Also have a 325 WSM and a 338 Federal .

And NONE I repeat NONE of them kicked as bad as those Remington Model 7's in 308 ! Heck I have a Remington Model 7 in 300 SAUM that kicks nowhere near as bad as the pair of 308's I had on the Model 7 actions .

And with that being said I am quite partial to the 338 Federal . Although I have it on a heavy TC Encore Pro Hunter barrel . Also like the 325 WSM quite a bit and I have that one on a Winchester Model 70 Black Shadow .

I can easily see me getting one or two of the 338 Marlin Express rifles and very possibly a 338 Ruger Compact Magnum .

[C A Plater]

I am perplexed at the fact that Marlin with all the lever gun craze has not brought back the 38-55.

I suspect the biggest reason is they're at full production now. They do from time to time make special runs but waiting for another .38-55 to come around may take a decade or two to happen. But what is all this .35 OR .38-55 stuff. You will be like rest of us and make it .35 AND .38-55. Come on, you know you will. ;)

[Dusty Wheeler]

I just bough my 2nd Marlin 38-55 Cowboy to go with a Browning/Winchester '85 Traditional Hunter and an H&R Target Classic. I guess I got lucky also--all ammo feeds and functions through all four! "Long" Starline brass, Lee 379-250FP loaded as-cast (.379) of WW, 18.0 5744.