Reloading for a Marlin 336 (1989) .35 Remington

[GregT]

When I got this rifle a month or so ago, I figured that reloading for it would be easy. Quite the contrary! The reloading manuals seem to think that all a person is going to use are jacketed bullets. I like to try lead slugs and the first thing I will try is bullet #358156 at about 160 grains. Initial powder and charge is 10.4 grains of Trail Boss (This is 80% of the weight of the powder to the base of the bullet). Wolf primer and R-P brass. Found that my Lee seating die has barely enough seating plug adjustment down to do the job. I will give Lee a call today on this. Feed from the magazine tube is flawless. Wondering if any of you have tried other lead bullets?
GregT

[Mainehunter]

Others will chime in but the go to cast bullet these days is the Ranch Dog design 190 grain GC. If you don't cast, Carolina Cast makes them and the price is very affordable. I have a Marlin 336 35 Rem. (1950) that I have yet to try the Ranch Dog but been using the RCBS 210 grain bullets.

If you go back to the homepage there are good articles on the 35 Rem. using cast bullets.

Mainehunter

[GregT]

Thank you! I will check out the reloading section as you note.
GregT

[Bill in Oregon]

Yoo-hoo, Earl, this is your home territory!

[Mainehunter]

Yoo-hoo, Earl, this is your home territory!

+1... Silly of me not to mention Earl!

Mainehunter

[AJMD429]

I always make sure to have several sources before loading up live ammo, and try to make sure that at least one 'manufacturer' lists a load equal or greater than what I'm going to use. However, one website that makes the process far easier is AmmoGuide.com - that site allows MORE searches and sorts and "what-if's" than any other I've found. The alleged 'down-side' is that it actually <gasp> allows 'user' loads to be posted, but I find that a PLUS, because more limits are explored. I use AmmoGuide to 'search', then narrow the search down with a site like "LoadData", which only uses 'manufacturer' data. THEN I head to the range to develop MY best load...

As far as having a shelf-full of "Reloading Manuals", I think that is not needed these days - get one or two that have INSTRUCTIONAL value, but there is more data, and more 'updated' data, off the internet than from any printed 'manual'. The 'book' type Reloading Manuals are far more useful for the information on general reloading than just the actual 'load' data. I got the Lee manual for the 'powder density' data and other information I found useful, and the Lyman manual for the extensive 'cast bullet' section, and plan to get the Barnes manual for an update on the lead-free bullets.

[3leggedturtle]

The Saeco 180gr GC RNFP is a great mold and has worked quite well out of my Puma 357. Havent Shot it out of my 35Rem yet.

[earlmck]

Greg, I guess you've already found out there is hardly any throat on that 35 Remmy so all the normal cast bullets have to be seated real deep or the top driving band jams into the rifling. Both Lyman and RCBS make a bullet with a long bore-ride nose that lets you seat to normal length. I've got the Lyman -- #359315 -- which is a round-nose and shoots nice in all but one of my 35 Rems. The RCBS is real similar but is a flat point and if I was ordering a new mold I'd go that way 'cause I like the better "thump" you get from a flat nose if you use it for hunting.

Any load that gives about 1800 fps seems to work fine. Loads I have used that gave this velocity have been: 20 grains 4759; 31 grains 4895; or 31 grains of Varmint. All seem to shoot pretty similar. I haven't got any leading from going to higher velocities but groups opened up more than desired (the bullets are water-dropped wheelweights in composition).

I have a wonderful 180 grain LBT flat-nose I shoot in my revolvers that I was looking forward to using in the 35 Remington. It is OK at low velocities but sure opens up at more normal 35 Rem velocities, and I've been blaming the throating that makes me seat this thing so deep the base of the bullet projects down in the powder. Anyway, that has been my story with the 35 Rem and when I got the Lyman 359315 I got happy enough I quit experimenting and just started loading/shooting.

[GregT]

You are correct. Bullet #358156 has to seat tight to the crimping groove, not quite down to the powder. In fact, all the adjustment is used with the Lee seating die to get it down far enough. I next tried the Dardas made 158 grain bevel base flat nose and that seats about to the bottom of the neck. This is a hard bullet and feeds perfectly from the tube. I again used 10.4 grains of Trail Boss. I will shoot this on target today to see what it does. I put a Williams Fool Proof receiver sight on this rifle as I enjoy the adjustment without trying to move the front sight. Lately, I have been looking for the one load that satisfies me and then that will be the load for that rifle. Then, as you say, I will load and shoot. Saves a lot of fooling around. Thanks for the note.
GregT

[elroy63]

I have used 10.0 grains of red dot with a lee 158 grain SWC gas check bullet in my 336 and it feeds and shoots just fine

[Chuck 100 yd]

Here is one my .35 likes.

The Gas check shank was loose with this soft alloy so I glued them on before crimping just as a precaution. I later opened the gas check shank area about .001 on the lathe.
I pushed these rather soft bullets only up to around 1600 fps but they shot very accurately in my rifle.
50 yd. target.

[GregT]

Good Morning!
Nice target with that bullet. Is it a Lyman bullet? While I don't want to turn this into a reloading list, this point is probably important: Don't assume that because the 336 Marlin in .35 Remington can use common pistol size .38/.357 lead slugs that most should work.
I have some 160 grain hard lead .358 sized bullets from a commercial maker that are superb in handguns but lousy in the Marlin. The problem is the blue colored lube. One grease groove bullet. With one groove the blue lube left lead on top of the lands all the way down the bore. This after 25 rounds, the accuracy went from like that seen on the excellent target above to paper plate size at 60 yards and 25 rounds. What to do? I have a 1000 of these I had hoped to use some in the rifle? To test the lousy lube theory, I scraped out the lube, and put my own Alox/Beeswax lube in its place by resizing and lubing the bullet. Guess what, the accuracy is back and the bore is shiny after firing another 20 rounds. Found I could soak the bullets in paint thinner for about a half hour to remove the original lube with no bother. So, it proves to me once again that this Alox/Beeswax lube is darned hard to beat.
GregT

[Chuck 100 yd]

I would tumble those bullets in Lee Liquid Alox right over the lube that is already on them.
That should help a bunch with the leading issue.
Those bullets are the Lyman 200 gr. made for the .35 Rem. The RCBS bullet is a very good one also. I wish I had both.

[GregT]

Terrible day yesterday for the folks in Oklahoma. It was like the eye of the hurricane yesterday here in NW Wisconsin. Then the bad stuff started again in the early evening. My water handling system in the basement and my gunroom is working so far, as long as we have electricity.
My lesson learned with these bullets is that wherever possible, when I order commercially made bullets, I will get them as they come out of the mould. Some makers offer this. Also wonder what this one lube groove bullet is all about? And the lube groove put on the bottom third of the bullet! I would think that there should be at least two lube grooves in each bullet of this size and they should be placed near the top of the bullet where the sides bite the rifling as the bullet enters the barrel.
Not shooting until this weekend provided I'm not blown off the planet by the weather.
GregT