Is the 35 remington about the perfect bottle neck round for cast?

[Tripplebeards]

It seems everywhere i read here and other forums that the 35 Remington round can push cast at max jacketed velocities pretty accurately. Every other bottle neck round seems most here stay at velocities similar to max 35 Remington velocities(2000/2200). Maybe its just me but it seems like its about one of the most efficient cast rounds because so many post here its easy to get accuracy at max loadings. I would assume the twist rate has a lot to do with it as well?

[Markopolo]

hmmmmm trip.... could be, but I have No experience cuz there are NONE around here anywhere to be bought, but it is on my bucket list... especially in a marlin..

marko...

[BK7saum]

30-30 works well also and the long neck is a bonus with cast.

[GhostHawk]

^ old dirty thirty gets my vote as well, although .357 mag or max in a rifle is nothing to sneeze at.

I will say this, the old codgers I knew that hunted deep woods tended to have 35 Rem, and tended to get their deer most years.

Truth is most of them will work if you put it in the right spot. And confidence helps a heck of a lot with that.
So if your confident with your gun, load, and hunting spots it makes it a lot easier.

[Chris S]

I shoot a 35 Rem and it is good. It really likes the RCBS 180 grain silhouette slug. FWIW though, I think the 32-20 and 25-20 meet your criterion even better in that they are not capable of over speeding lead projectiles and maintain superb accuracy with them.

Chris

[Bazoo]

I'm fan of the treinta-treinta myself. I've found it to be just fine with cast at full velocity/pressure. I've not messed with it but I hear the 30-40 krag does well with cast at full speed also.

[Judan_454]

I used the Lee 200 gr FN gas check bullet out Remington 760 pump at about 2000 FPS with very good results. The cast bullet weights 203 grains as cast with 31.0 grains of Reloader 7 with a gas check.

[Tracy]

I had a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington and finally sold it because it left a lot to be desired as a cast bullet rifle. My four biggest complaints, in order of worst to least:

1) Brass availability. The brass is neither cheap nor readily available. For a couple of years I could find neither brass nor loaded ammo. Finally a bit of Hornady loaded ammo started showing up on the shelves, and I had to buy some just for the brass. You can't easily make it from another, more readily available cartridge, either.

2) No leade. That greatly limits which cast bullets you can use. I have quite a few .358 molds, and most of them were unusable in that rifle. On the other hand, all of them (including wadcutters seated out) work in my .35 Whelen.

3) Short neck. You can shoot cast bullets with a short neck, but a long neck is so much more cast-friendly.

4) Micro-groove rifling. Not saying uG doesn't work with cast. It can, but it is a handicap.

I like .30-30 a lot as a cast bullet cartridge. Also .308, .30-06 and especially .35 Whelen.
For a traditional lever action in .35 caliber, I recommend .356 Winchester. It is everything the .35 Remington is not, as a cast bullet cartridge. And if you have trouble finding brass, you can use .358 Winchester brass. Or make your own from .308, .243 or quite a few other rounds. Even .30-06, .270 etc. The rimless cases will work just fine.

Another option is .35-30. That is a wildcat that is just a .30-30 necked up to .35 caliber. There are companies that will rebore your .30-30 barrel to .35-30 with nice, cast-friendly cut rifling.

[richhodg66]

The .35 Remington is very good. In my experience, the .358 Winchester is even better.

The .30-30 is darn near the perfect cast bullet caliber, but I think the .30-40 Krag edges it out.

The real beauty of the .35s is the plethora of cast revolver bullets around that make great practice rounds very easily.

[RU shooter]

I'd also add the 32 spl in to the best cast cartridge group just like the 35 Rem you can shoot cast at jacketed speeds without too much trouble .

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I go for the 32 Special in the Marlin's, having a rim helps with reduced loads moving the shoulder. Top loads, the 35 has some advantages, if you go to 220-230gr bullets over 2100fps, but the 32 Special will push 200gr past 2100fps. If the 35 had a rim, then it would be best, cases are 'different' too, usually available, but not EASILY formed from common cases. There is the 35-30, but it is a wildcat without ANY factory ammo available. I have 30-30's, 32 Special's, 35's in Marlin's, all are good, but the 303 Savage in the Savage 99 is also a very good cast bullet cartridge 30cal 195gr at 2000fps.

[lightman]

The 35 Remington is not a bad choice except that brass can be hard to find. Other choices might be 30-30, 375 Winchester, 444 Marlin and of course the 45-70.

[1hole]

.35 Rem cases aren't instantly available but they do show up from time to time. A counterpoint to the case scarcity is that the load limits of the .35 Rem are modest and, with proper handloading techniques, those cases can last a LOOONG time! I have some that have been fired at least ten times and are still going strong.

I've loved my old second-hand 336/.35 for some 45 years and have three grandsons who badly want Papa's deer rifle when I'm gone. (Each one is tougher than the other two put together so it's going to be a fight I hate to miss ... but I sorta' expect to be like "out of town" when it happens .... :))

[rbuck351]

I believe the 35 Rem is one of many very good cast bullet shooters. My M8 Rem shoots the 200gr cast at 2200 at least as good as I can shoot iron sights and I have several hundred cases. And, it doesn't have micro groove rifling.

[Four-Sixty]

I'm a fan of 35 caliber and shoot both 35 Remington and 30-30. I prefer the 30-30 over the 35 Remington because of the long neck, the rim, and the plentiful brass.

In the 35 Remington I've had best luck with heavier bullets around 180 to 200 grains.

The 30-30 is just more versatile. It can also tap into a much wider range of lighter bullets really shinning as an economical cartridge. There is way more data on 30-30. Several models are in production to thus day.

I won't knock the 35 Remington. It, unfortunately, will just continue to linger.

[unclemikeinct]

Linger indeed young fellow. I'm only 64 years feisty. Got to tell you, before I figured out the 35 Rem liked cast. I had a ton of fun plinking w/ some el cheapo [reduced velocity] 158 grain HP J words in mine. Everyone likes shooting the old marlin 336 35 lever gun at our family August Pig-Nic. uncle mike

[richhodg66]

I didn't get real serious about deer hunting until my late twenties, but I killed my first buck with a .35 Remington. Used a very old Marlin, probably late '40s vintage, with the long barrel, pistol grip and perch belly forend. Even remember the load; one of those bulk packaged 200 grain Remington Core Lokts Midway used to sell and 35 grains of IMR 3031.

I bought the rifle because I was getting serious about casting and figured the .35 Remington was best all around cast cartridge, but I hadn't been doing it long enough to try cast bullet deer hunting yet, just didn't have the knowledge of faith in it yet.

[unclemikeinct]

Sadly, until I joined up here. I was under the impression the Marlin micro groove barrels hated cast bullets. My old Girl, a 1955 vintage 336 shoots both cast & J words pretty well. Long live the 35 Rem. Uncle Mike

[richhodg66]

We only have one micro groove, a 60s vintage Marlin .30-30 which is a Western Auto or Montgomery Wards store labeled gun. Rough exterior, but I wanted it and then my oldest son basically took it away from me he liked it so much. With a Williams FP sight on it, it's a good shooter with jacketed bullets, but I haven't gotten around to trying it with cast. I'll likely use the Ranchdog bullet in it when I do. I had heard all that about Micro Grooves, I've read enough now that I don't believe it anymore. Just gotta try it yet.

[richhodg66]

I go for the 32 Special in the Marlin's, having a rim helps with reduced loads moving the shoulder. Top loads, the 35 has some advantages, if you go to 220-230gr bullets over 2100fps, but the 32 Special will push 200gr past 2100fps. If the 35 had a rim, then it would be best, cases are 'different' too, usually available, but not EASILY formed from common cases. There is the 35-30, but it is a wildcat without ANY factory ammo available. I have 30-30's, 32 Special's, 35's in Marlin's, all are good, but the 303 Savage in the Savage 99 is also a very good cast bullet cartridge 30cal 195gr at 2000fps.

Kinda forgot about the .32 Special. I rescued an old waffle top from a pawn shop about six or seven year ago. Had to replace the stock and did a complete break down and cleaning, but it turned out to be a good shooter with cast. Only used it one one deer, but it did what it was supposed to do very well. Theoretically, it should be a better cast round than the .30-30 with the slightly bigger bore and slow twist, but that's probably just academic. It's a good cartridge.

[dragon813gt]

I find it neither perfect or even optimal. Don’t get me wrong, I hunt w/ one. But there are better cartridges available. The 358 Winchester tops the list for me. Brass is readily available since it can be converted from 7.62x51. Is technically a more powerful round when loaded to potential. And it has a neck. If lever guns are your thing you can convert a Savage 99 in 308 if you can’t find an original.

Another one I find better is 356 Winchester. You can convert a Marlin 336 in 30-30 if you don’t like any of the rifles originally charred for it. And if it’s like mine you don’t need the semi-rimmed brass. Mine feeds normal 308/358 brass just fine.

35 caliber is both perfect and optimal for hunting w/ cast bullets IMO. Lots of factory rifles available for them. And if they don’t exist you can have one converted to suit your needs.

[gwpercle]

On the cover of Col. E. H. Harrison's book , " Cast Bullets" , a 1979 NRA publication is a photo of a Seaco pot , a bench top covered with an assortment cast boolits , a mould , a red plastic ammo box with loaded rounds , 35 cal. boolits pointed up and a target taped on the wall , with the
notation on it :
100 yards
35/30-30 WIN
Rem 788
290 gr. Hoch
32.9 grs. WW748
and the target showing two 5 shot groups ...one measuring .88 " and the other measuring .77" !

I bought the book and hoped to learn of the 35/30-30 Win , maybe it could rival the 35 Rem.?
30-30 cases were much easier to come by .... But alas... there wasn't one article or word written about the 35/30-30 in the book ! Lots of other neat stuff but nothing 35/30-30 .
Still I wouldn't mind trying one out ...could be a winner in cast .
Gary

[KCSO]

If you can find one a Model 8 Remington has none of the detriments of the Marlin lever and makes a perfect 35 Remington cast bullet gun. No problem shooting at the same velocity as the factory loads and a marvellous plinker/ bolt action with cast 38 bullets.

[MT Gianni]

I didn't get real serious about deer hunting until my late twenties, but I killed my first buck with a .35 Remington. Used a very old Marlin, probably late '40s vintage, with the long barrel, pistol grip and perch belly forend. Even remember the load; one of those bulk packaged 200 grain Remington Core Lokts Midway used to sell and 35 grains of IMR 3031.

I bought the rifle because I was getting serious about casting and figured the .35 Remington was best all around cast cartridge, but I hadn't been doing it long enough to try cast bullet deer hunting yet, just didn't have the knowledge of faith in it yet.

Rich, to help nail down a date on that rifle, Marlin introduced the 35 Remington in 1951.

[dtknowles]

The necks too short and it doesn't have a rim. Far from perfect. Not sure if there is even a perfect cartridge.

Tim

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have another similar gun, it's a #4 Mk1 Longbranch that was a Parker Hale "Deluxe" Sporter. The bore was toast, so I had it rebored to .35-303 by JES Reboring.

The recommendations for loads for that cartridge are,,, start with .35 Rem Data and work up.

So I expect all of the info on this thread will be of some use.

Also as an asside: my Tru Value Hardware Store in Ojai has 3 matched Remington 14's for sale .30 Rem, .32 Rem, and .35 Rem!

Randy

[fiberoptik]

.35-40 Krag.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Good Cheer]

Designed this and had it built forty years ago.
http://i.imgur.com/enLVqCr.jpg (https://imgur.com/enLVqCr)
It's my baby, my perfect bottleneck cast round.

[444ttd]

although i am a connoisseur:veryconfu in 1898 springfield armory(bubbasized) in 30-40 krag, i'll take a 35/30-30 in win 94(post 64) with williams fp sights. i never had any 35 cal, be it 35 rem or 358 win or... i HAD a 30-30 (my first rifle) and i could not complain about it or the deer it slayed. it stayed in my safe for about 25+/- years. about 5 or so years ago, i'd heard that i could take my 30-30 and rebored it to 35/30-30. well, i didn't have the money or i spent it on rifles, until last year. JES Reboring does a really really really nice job. although i have shot 1 doe with the 35/30, the m94 is MY rifle. i have the 30-40 krag, 444 marlin, 45-70, 500 linebaugh, 7.65 argentine, 8x57, 9.3x57.....but the 35/30 is tops in my book!!!!

i like the long case neck and i luv the heavier weight boolits. unfortunately, my boolit weight is 200gr fn gc(rcbs) and i don't wanna leave that weight!!!! i have found a 270gr bullshop stomper ( https://bullshop.freeforums.net/thread/144/marlin-336-358-bullshop-stomper ) but i like the 200gr.


sighting it in
https://i.imgur.com/nBFtFB6.jpg

[45-70 Chevroner]

I didn't get real serious about deer hunting until my late twenties, but I killed my first buck with a .35 Remington. Used a very old Marlin, probably late '40s vintage, with the long barrel, pistol grip and perch belly forend. Even remember the load; one of those bulk packaged 200 grain Remington Core Lokts Midway used to sell and 35 grains of IMR 3031.

I bought the rifle because I was getting serious about casting and figured the .35 Remington was best all around cast cartridge, but I hadn't been doing it long enough to try cast bullet deer hunting yet, just didn't have the knowledge of faith in it yet.

If your Marlin is actually a 1940s model it has regular cut rifling.

[Texas by God]

It’s very good; if it was based on the 8x57 case head- it would be very great. If I had one it would pry me away from the 30-30 and 38-55, maybe. I’ve had a Marlin Texan .35 and a Remington 141 and they both shot great but never tried cast. I did try cast in the .358 Win and it was brilliant. For a traditional lever action, I’m going to vote for a JES 35-30 conversion.

[dverna]

You are overthinking it unless you want a rifle for both plinking and game. Brass can be an issue for a rifle that will be used a lot, but immaterial in a hunting gun. 100 cases will last a lifetime of hunting. My plinking, fun and close range varmint duties fall to .38/.357 rifles. YMMV

Saving a couple of grains of powder is immaterial when looking at cast loads for hunting. Nothing magical about the .35 Rem, and it is a fine round. I see no advantages to cast bullets for hunting, but if I had hunt with cast I would look at the .35 Rem, .338 Federal, .358 Win., 375 Win or .38/55.

Btw, I have a .30/30 I was going to convert to.35./30 but I could never justify it. A lot of money for what?

My perfect hunting caliber is the .308 with premium jacketed bullets. LOL. Sub MOA, effect range 400 yards, and a cheap Compass rifle that was under $225. 500 jacketed bullets were $150....a lifetime supply.

[richhodg66]

If your Marlin is actually a 1940s model it has regular cut rifling.

Yep. That was the reason I bought it.

[Edward]

I"d say the 30-30 is a great cast shooter ,but the 35 Rem has killed a pile of deer for me with the RCBS 200 gr FN over 2400 powder .

[Larry Gibson]

I concur the 35 Remington to be an excellent and very efficient cast bullet cartridge, especially for hunting game such as deer and pigs. Perhaps not any better than the 30-30 or other similar cartridges when loaded for the old semi and lever actions it was originally made for. However, when loaded to a reasonable pressure potential [not to be confused with the low SAAMI MAP] in a bolt action rifle having an appropriate twist the 35 Remington really performs as well or better than any of the others. I normally push the 200 gr RCBS 35-200-FN to 2150 fps with 4895 at 100% load density. In the 14" twist Shilen barrel on my M91 Argentine Mauser action the accuracy and terminal effectiveness out to 200 yards rivals anything I've used in other cartridges. A 230 gr cast 35 XCB bullet is driven to 2300+ fps with 1.5 moa accuracy (10 shots @ 100 yards with the aperture sights) but I have not shot any game with it. On the light end for plinking, small game and fun shooting the Lee 356-120-TB (.359 out of the mould) over 5 gr of Bullseye at 1170 fps does the trick as does a 358477 over 3 gr Bullseye at 850 fps.

The efficiency and accuracy are there in the 35 Rem. Target shows 2 5 shot groups to zero the 200 RCBS load at 100 yards and a 5 shot 200 yard group.

[gwpercle]

The necks too short and it doesn't have a rim. Far from perfect. Not sure if there is even a perfect cartridge.

Tim
What about the 35/30-30 Win. ? Might be close...but you're right , in this world nothing is perfect .
Gary

[dtknowles]

What about the 35/30-30 Win. ? Might be close...but you're right , in this world nothing is perfect .
Gary

35/30-30, no factory rifles.

Tim

[45-70 Chevroner]

Yep. That was the reason I bought it.

I have one that was made in the 1950s and it had cut rifling, I say had, because I sent it back to marlin in 2006 and had them put a 38-55 barrel on it. Marlin had a program for a short time and for $280 they would do the whole job including a new stock, forearm, barrel, and a new bolt to work with the rimmed case and what ever else it needed for the change over. They even sent back to me all my old parts.

[444ttd]

Designed this and had it built forty years ago.
http://i.imgur.com/enLVqCr.jpg (https://imgur.com/enLVqCr)
It's my baby, my perfect bottleneck cast round.

alright, now you have my interest!!!!!

[444ttd]

35/30-30, no factory rifles.

Tim


i might be cheapo himself, but a 35/30 should be on your list of guns to buy. i luv mine. when i was 13 y.o., my grandfather gave me at christmas a win m94 in 30-30. i can't tell you how many times i shot deer or at targets. i started reloading several years ago(28+ years ago) and my 30-30 went back in the safe and i "decided" that i didn't need it anymore. it was and is good cartridge, but after shooting deer with one shot, i went to an '06 in rem m700 mountain rifle and that started "my decline into handloading.":mrgreen:

the 30-30 brass is everywhere and me being cheap, could use to form a 35/30. somebody better than i can explain "i can use a 35 rem? die to make up my 35/30." i went to ch4d and got 35/30 dies and while i was at it i went to starline brass and bought 250 pcs of 30-30. then i decided, "what the heck?" and got a williams fp peep sight. i'll have to buy my mould, but bull shop makes a 200gr fn gc (rcbs). i should have gone to 245gr saeco fn gc or a 270gr bull shop stomper, but the 35/30 luvs a 200gr.

i took out 100pcs of 30-30 starline brass and ran them thru the 35/30 die and i trimmed them. i fired them 9 or 10 times(200gr fn gc with 20.0gr of 2400/dacron) and never been trimmed(expect the 1st time) or annealed. now if that ain't cheap, i don't know what is.

i gave my 30-30(federal, remmies, winnies, pmc....) cases to my dad, savage m340 in 30-30.

[mehavey]

Krag...
261307

LEGEND...
261308

Each max's out pretty efficiently in its own bullet family

[Tripplebeards]

I tried my first 35 remington cast boolits today out my 336 at 100 yards. Best group came from our group buy HP mold. It was MOA or just a hair over loaded to the hilt with 40 grains of Varget. I tried to two different alloys with Varget. I’ll try imr3031 with the group buy next time. The group below it was with a lee 200 grainer.

https://i.imgur.com/uv6NGaO.jpg

[Tripplebeards]

I lightened my trigger from 5 pounds to 2 & 1/4 pounds and finally had a chance to rest my 40 grains of varget today at 100 yards...

https://i.imgur.com/uVbAZ73.jpg

I also tried a max load of h4895...

https://i.imgur.com/yby2coi.jpg

[GLynn41]

The one bottle neck I have used and will continue to use is the .358 Win... hunting accuracy is easy--my mzv was 2300+ with Lee .358 call mold--- have killed a couple of deer with the Saeco bullet but not the 200 lee yet.. My lees are both PCd and some with mule snot. I have always had thing for the .358-- my dream rifle would be a BLR -- who knows may be. This round will do a lot of things

[Tripplebeards]

Once my 35 whelen gets back from Remington I’ll try the same HP boolits in it and see how much velocity I can get before accuracy falls off.

[Texas by God]

You can scramble an egg at 100 yards now. Good show old chap! Keep that rifle.

[MT Chambers]

Can't go with the .35 rem. mainly because of micro-groove, my fav. is the .30 Br. followed by the 30/30, 32/40, 38/55 and esp. the 45/70....all can fire cast as fast and as accurate or more so than j-word bullets.

[W.R.Buchanan]

OK, that's some good shootin' !!! Go buy a lottery ticket,,, or two!

Randy

[White Oak]

I think the .358 Winchester all around is very hard to beat, however after I acquired a Marlin 336 ER in .356 Winchester I let my .358 Win go to a buddy that has always wanted one.
There is just some thing about the feel and handiness of a good lever gun. The .358 win was a bolt gun, it is a bit more accurate, and the bullet choices were much better.

[smkummer]

I lucked out on a early 50’s waffletop 336 in 35 Rem. Pistol grip and 2/3 magazine tube. My favorite config.. so it’s NOT micro groove. Williams rear sight. Started with Lyman 358430 195 grain but it has to be loaded short and I occasionally get the Marlin jam. I can of course single load them. I cant seat that bullet to the crimp groove in 35 Remington because it hits the rifling. So I now exclusively use Lee’ copy of the RCBS 200 FP GC bullet. Works wonderfully. Currently load unique powder to 1500 FPS and its my 100-200 steel plate shooter. Enough smack to easily hear the plate go “ting”. I don’t want anymore recoil. Very economical and no doubt would shoot clean through a deer.
FWIW, I also cast for 30-30 ( Win 94), 30-40 (Krag) and 30-06 in 30 cal. rifles but I am attracted to this Marlin 35 when I want a fun day banging steel. Maybe it’s working the lever in this broke in gun.