35 rem lever gun

[braddock]

Just bouncing this idea off the forum, I've a hankering for another lever gun, I know what I don't want, and that is any caliber bigger than 38/55, don't really want another pistol cartridge and I don't want a new gun or a collectors piece.
I saw the 35 Rem as a possible as it generates enough ME to be legal for all UK deer should I decide to return to hunting, one of the main reasons I had was the possibility of using 357 bullets to reload for it.
I have a 30/30 with molds, dies etc and am quite happy with that gun but find I use it less and less as I can't get my hands on LR primers, I also have a rossi r92 in 357 with all the gear to cast my boolits that is my range favorite.
I've found a local machine shop who will make me 100 pieces of brass for a unit price of about 4 times 30/30 starline brass BUT he won't form it down to caliber. FWIW I intend to specify that the machinist makes the primer pocket to suit small rifle primers, given that it will be just a tool for plinking 99% of the time and I'll buy branded brass as it becomes available to use up the last of my 1000 LR primers.
My query is (a) is it much of a chore to neck the case down with a full length sizing die and, if it's easy-peasy, what's the best dies to get bearing in mind I'm only going to get 100 made in the first instance and (b) will it perform OK with 170 grn TL SWC and reduced loads.
I only intend to use light loads so the cases should last quite well as they have a reputation for longevity.
I almost bought a 38/55 mod 94 but in the end it got sold before I could bid on it. I also researched other lever gun 35 calibers but they all use LR primers and guns are virtually impossible to source this side of the Atlantic whereas I know of two marlin lever guns that tick my boxes which means a carbine, straight pistol grip and full length mag tube.
What do you think?

[FergusonTO35]

Is .30-30 legal for deer over there? A smart .30-30 with 170 grain slug will accomplish pretty much anything the .35 will. You say you don't want anything bigger than .38-55, but cowboy loads in .45-70 are easy to shoot and will kill anything no problemo. Little tip for you: large pistol primers will work in most low-medium pressure rifle rounds, don't know if you can get them over there.

[imashooter2]

My Marlin won’t chamber SWC pistol boolits. Any full diameter band in front of the case jams in the throat.

The small shoulder on the .35 REM should be easy to form with any standard rifle sizing die. Be sure to use a good quality case lube.

[braddock]

Muzzle energy requirement is 1700 ft.lbs in most of UK but in scotland it's 1750 ft.lbs with a minimum muzzle velocity of 2450 fps. I don't want ever to go hunting in scotland as it's probably got more bugs than alaska and the people speak jockonese and as I'm nearly deaf I can't understand them.
I'd probably sell the 30/30 anyway as it'll be of no use to me.
I don't want a 45/70 as the guns tend to be heavier than the carbines and I've just turned 79 so weight is a big issue for me.

Imashooter2 thanks for that info, what about the TC boolits? or do they have to be fprn?

[pworley1]

I have had good results using these in my 35 remingtons. Lyman 358311, 358315, Lee C358-200RF. I have formed brass from 308 win but it is a bit of work.

[RickinTN]

A thought to share with you. Since the brass is custom have him make it with the internal volume of .357 magnum brass. Wonderful for reduced 35 Remington loads and use production brass when available for full house loads.
Good Luck to you!
Rick

[imashooter2]

Muzzle energy requirement is 1700 ft.lbs in most of UK but in scotland it's 1750 ft.lbs with a minimum muzzle velocity of 2450 fps. I don't want ever to go hunting in scotland as it's probably got more bugs than alaska and the people speak jockonese and as I'm nearly deaf I can't understand them.
I'd probably sell the 30/30 anyway as it'll be of no use to me.
I don't want a 45/70 as the guns tend to be heavier than the carbines and I've just turned 79 so weight is a big issue for me.

Imashooter2 thanks for that info, what about the TC boolits? or do they have to be fprn?

They don’t have to be RNFP, but they have to have a body under full diameter. Check the pictures of the molds that pworley1 recommends. All have forward bodies smaller than the driving bands.

[FergusonTO35]

I don't want a 45/70 as the guns tend to be heavier than the carbines and I've just turned 79 so weight is a big issue for me.



My Henry .45-70 carbine is under 7 pounds and comes with a nice thick recoil pad. Henry lever action .45-70's with the round barrel are about the same size and weight as the .30-30's. Just sayin'!

[dverna]

Ask you machinist if he can make a threaded insert to convert your .30/30 LP cases to SP. A fine thread should be good and maybe a drop of Loc-Tite.

That would allow you to use your .30/30 to test the concept. You may find it works well enough.

You can purchase SP .308 brass from Starline and convert it to .35 Rem:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?275752-Converting-308-Win-to-35-Remington#:~:text=Converting%20308%20Win%20to%2035 %20Remington%201%201.,length.%206%206.%20Neck%20si ze%20to%20final%20size.

[rockrat]

Or have your machinist make bushings, non threaded, and loctite them in your brass, to be able to use small primers.

[Pereira]

I have shot several different types of 357 boolits through my pair of Marlins.
SWC, rfn, and even a wfn 180gr that I purchase from Missouri bullet co.
The wfn cycles fine bullet has to be seated a little deeper or it hits the lands before the bolt reaches full battery.
15.0 grs. of Red dot and it slaps the heck out of the big gong at 50 yds. from the deck.

RP

[MostlyLeverGuns]

With a little careful work, 308 Win can be formed into 35 Rem. Small primer .308 do exist. Another consideration would be the .32 Special. The 32 Special can accurately push a 200 grain bullet to 2000 Fps and can be very accurate. A 'souped up' and blown-out 32-40, the 1-16 twist and slightly larger bore make accuracy just a little easier than the 30-30. Making primer pocket bushings - large primer to small primer can work well. At one time, a US company did produce such a thing, I think it was for the 454 Casull.

[TJaway]

My experience with the 35 Rem has been good. I refer to it as a "Bang-Thud" Deer round. Bang you shoot the critter, thud, it falls over dead. None of this following a blood trail work. My Marlin lever rifle has microgroove rifling, and I have read that kind of rifling does poorly with cast bullets. I think my rifle doesn't know how to read because it does just fine with cast bullets. Be aware I use step loads to find the "sweet spot" propellant weight. Even with jacketed bullets, I find best accuracy and max power don't align. I always favor peak accuracy.

[georgerkahn]

Muzzle energy requirement is 1700 ft.lbs in most of UK but in scotland it's 1750 ft.lbs with a minimum muzzle velocity of 2450 fps. I don't want ever to go hunting in scotland as it's probably got more bugs than alaska and the people speak jockonese and as I'm nearly deaf I can't understand them.
I'd probably sell the 30/30 anyway as it'll be of no use to me.
I don't want a 45/70 as the guns tend to be heavier than the carbines and I've just turned 79 so weight is a big issue for me.

Imashooter2 thanks for that info, what about the TC boolits? or do they have to be fprn?

I have three Marlins (336 family) in .35 Rem, and I know two of them shoot pistol bullets (358-311) quite nicely with no hangups at all. As well as, of course, heavier bullets cast for the .357 Rem -- my favourite is the RCBS 35-200. Oh -- when I was in Scotland -- waaaay up north -- I came upon a gentleman plowing a field behind a beast or burden fully attired with kilt, leggings, etc. Still in film days, I put a telephoto lens on my SLR 35mm camera; set f-stop. etc., and got all ready to take the picture when he turned my way. Bion, he was wearing a sweatshirt, crimson on colour, with HARVARD UNIVERSITY in white letters on its front. That, bion, ruined my day! On the other hand, at pretty much all social gatherings the "drink" was a large vessel of beer to which a generous shot of scotch whiskey had been added... I made a lot of good memories in that UK trip.
geo

[braddock]

Scotland is great in the winter, no bugs and it's first stop for geese on their way down from Iceland etc. I'm not a drinking man so anything that isn't sugar free or breakfast tea is a waste of space for me.

[35 Rem]

I have a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington but I've never tried a pistol bullet in it. I have used an Accurate mold 36-200A which has a driving band in front of the crimp groove that is .050 wide at it's full .359 diameter and then it tapers to bore diameter over the next .050 inches. My gun will not chamber these due to the driving band jamming into the rifling. I work around the problem by trimming cases .010 under the Min length. This gives some idea for how much full diameter portion of the bullet can be in front of the case mouth and still chamber.

Accurate was obviously made aware of the problem because a variation of the same design exists (36-200AS) with the front driving band shortened by .020.

[Eddie Southgate]

BLR in .358 Winchester. Use SR primed .308 to make the brass and any bullet that is 35 caliber. Can load light or hot. I'm not buying anything that I have to custom machine brass for though I will reform when needed to have hard to get brass.

[wmitty]

A member here (Nobade) described rechambering a 336 in .35 REM to.358 Win and using .35 REM data to remain within safe pressure levels. The small primer .308 brass could be necked up and used. Of course, I can certainly see the difficulty involved in selling a rifle so chambered. Just thought I would mention this route. Oh, I always wondered what the Scots were speaking …. Jockonese ….

[Shootn]

I have two JM Marlins from the mid 70s. A 30/30 and a .35 Remington. I love them both. I don't think one is significantly "better"
at killing deer than the other. Me and the .35 have been together since it was new. I have killed a truck load of deer with that gun.

[nhithaca]

A 35 Rem rechambered to a low power 358 Win is really just a 356 Win without the rim. I would have used the 356 Win reamer and just made brass from 444 Marlin to avoid ever loading a full load 358 Win in such a rifle. Always wanted to build a 376 Marlin (356 Win brass blown out to 375, again using 444 brass). Reamers are available for 375/308 so you just have to cut for the rim. It really is just the 375 JDJ round only shorter to fit through the 336 receiver.

[farmbif]

if I ever get a marlin in 356 win there is no way I would even think of rechambering it.
if you can find a marlin 336er it will check all the boxes of what you are after 2400+ fps with that 200 grain bullet not sure the foot pounds of energy but I got to believe it would be plenty.

[redhawk0]

(fps^2 X Bullet weight (gr) / 450240 should give you your FPE value.

So in farmbif's case....it would calculate to ((2400*2400) X 200) / 450240 = ~2560 FPE

That sure is plenty.

redhawk

[Shawlerbrook]

Farmbif is spot on. They only made a few thousand 336ER’s in 356 and altering one would be sacrilegious. I made my 356 Trapper from a Marlin 30AS and love it.

[nhithaca]

I am afraid that there is a misunderstanding about my post on making a 358/356 conversion on a Marlin 336.
No way I would propose to use a factory 356 rifle for rechambering. I was referring to the use of 356 brass to be used in a conversion to a 35 caliber gun or a rechambering of a somewhat common 35 Rem gun to 358/356.
Rechambering a factory 356 Marlin would be like rechambering my original 375 Marlin to a wildcat 376 using 356 brass like I said. Should never be done!!
But I would re-bore a plain jane 30-30 to 35 or 375 caliber with no hesitation.

[JFE]

The primer shortage won’t last forever. However finding brass in 35 Rem won’t ever be easy in the UK, I suspect.

I have a 35 Rem and while it’s a great cartridge, it’s never been popular here in Oz. Finding brass or ammo here is a real challenge. I’d imagine that would be the same in the UK.

You could get the chamber of a 35 Rem throated to accept pistol cal bullets but why not just buy a rifle mould that fits the chamber? Bullets need to be 0.359-0.360” to work best in my 35 Rem. Most commercially cast options here for the 357mag are close to 0.357, maybe 0.358.

If a 35 Rem rifle is cheap enough you could always have the chamber reamed to 356/358. You can buy factory 308 cases with SR primer pockets if you were so inclined, then form to 358 - I think Lapua make them.