Early Marlin 336 short throat really is short

[Abert Rim]

A friend sent a sample from the NOE 36-230 mold, and sure enough as expected, it wouldn't come close to chambering in my 1951 336-A in .35 Remington. The Lee 200-grain RCBS clone chambers just fine.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48152511622_a76318350a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gn5d6C)fullsizeoutput_11bb (https://flic.kr/p/2gn5d6C) by ComeWatson (https://www.flickr.com/photos/93930283@N08/), on Flickr

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Maybe this is another why Mike "Ranch Dog" spent the time redesigning molds for near every caliber that Marlin ever chambered. Lee was the first to cut these molds if I remember correctly.
NOE is now the prime mover for the "RD" line. But that slug your friend sent you is not one of them.
Mike in Peru

[725]

I, just this week, ran into the exact same problem / observation. Working with a friend who has an early 336 in .35 Rem, our experience seems exactly like yours. We, however, had uneven rifling engagement show up on the lead 35-200 boolit. It engraved but came to different points (lengths) on the boolit. Also, there was a faint ring on the shoulder that indicates to me that the chamber is also very tight. Fiddled, compared (with my rather old 336 / .35 Rem), measured, factory jacketed vs cast, ---- did every thing we could think to do, but came up with the conclusion that either a chamber polishing or re-cut with a finishing reamer was in order. Love to hear what you plan to do or what other might suggest. To compare the two rifles, we noted that mine had deeper - wider spaced Ballard rifling and his had shallow more tightly grouped rifling (not micro-groove). Hard to say what they did almost 70 years ago or when or who made the changes. One thing, the factory jacketed ammo chambered just fine. As a stop-gap, I plan on trying some bolts sized down to .356 & .357 to see if that helps.

[garandsrus]

I haven’t done it, but it always seemed like it would be easy to lap a Marlin throat since you can pull the bolt and have a straight line to the chamber.

Use a dummy round with lapping compound on the bullet you want to use and turn it in a drill. You could thread a brass rod into the back of the case.

[725]

I've done that on an old 7 x 57 (1893) and was thinking about doing that on this Marlin. Dog - gone thing is tight!

[beemer]

I have a 1949 336A in 30-30 Win. The throat was short, I didn't have a mold that would chamber without seating really deep. There was a thread on the CBA forum about this very problem about 10 years. I discussed it on the forum with Ed Harris and he recommended reaming the throat. That solved the problem and now I use almost any flat or round nose boolit I have.

The neck of the chamber is also tight, I can't use a boolit much over .310. The barrel is supposedly a left over 03A3 barrel and slugs at .309. I have turned the neck on a batch of 30-30 cases to just knock off the high places. Everything is good and it is one of my favorite rifles.

Dave

[725]

Can anybody recommend a reamer and where I could rent one?

[RickinTN]

I think you will find that RCBS bullet to work and shoot well in your rifle, most do. Not only early Marlin rifles, but all I've dealt with, which is several, have short throats. I know the Ranchdog bullet is supposedly made for Marlin rifles but I have yet to find one, in 35 or 30-30, that they will fit. I get similar fit to what your picture shows with heavy engraving with the bullet anywhere near the crimp groove.
I wouldn't touch the rifle with a reamer and take the chance of cutting a throat that isn't concentric. I would stick with the RCBS bullet and be happy.
Good Luck with your rifle,
Rick

[Texas by God]

I'm with RickinTN- the RCBS/Lee 200 gr is perfection for the .35 Remington. I would just use it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Abert Rim]

I'm not inclined to ream, either. I ordered the 360-210A mold from Tom at Accurate to give me just a bit more weight and more meplat than the Lee/RCBS. Hope it runs like I think it will.

[725]

Eager other how that one works for you.

[ulav8r]

I feel the 230 grain bullet is more than is needed in the 35 Remington. It is better suited to the 35x57 or 358Win.

[Abert Rim]

Well, Tom's 360-210A feeds fine, very lightly touching the lands. Now to get to the range with it.