Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Tell me everything....35 Remington!

Working on one in a contender carbine. The allue was just to much for me. Tell me the loads you like for hunting, plinking loads, goofing around loads with pistol bullets, I want to hear it all!

Picked up a 16.5" carbine barrel last spring. I've played around with the Rem 150 PSPCL and the Speer 180 FP HotCor.

The Rem 150 shot lights out with 40.o gr IMR 4895.

The Speer 180 had very good accuracy with 38.5 - 39.0 gr IMR 4895.

Never did get out and shoot a deer with the 180 gr. Also have some 200 gr Rem SPCL that I never got around to shooting. They are supposed to be the cat azz in the 35 Remmy.

I like the Hornady RN with 39.5 gr. IMR4064. The Remington & Sierra ones shoot well for me also, but the Remington ones cost a lot more, and no one ever has the Sierra ones in stock.

I don't own a .35 Remington however after extensive research and range testing I have found that IMR4064 works great in my .35 Whelens. Probably will do as well in the .35 Remington. For plinking/practice loads I shoot .357 pistol bullets either lead or jacketed, for powder I mostly use Unique though Red Dot is also good. I watch for sales on seconds/blemished jacketed bullets. I am still using several bulk packs (500) that I bought from Midway a few years ago.

I picked up a couple of boxes of leverloution stuff to give it a whirl and get some brass. Also picked up a box of the 180gr. Speer FP, and I believe I have some cast RN stuff in the basement somewhere from a plan to load .38 special stuff a long time ago. The 150gr. Remington sounds interesting but I guess it's not sold as a componet bullet any longer. I have seen some of it in factory form around, but they want a fortune for it.

I used to use the 200 gr. Sierra RN over IMR 3031. Screamingly accurate out of a model 760, and the one deer I shot with it was most effectively dispatched. Not really a good test of the load, gun or shooter, as I shot her from 6 yards at a downward angle out of a treestand. Entry wound on top of left shoulder, exit between the front legs, exit wound big enough to stick my fist in and not get it messy. I'd use the load again.

It kills better than it has a right to, better than most people expect. It is the little engine that could!

I have a 35 in Contender super 14.

My favorite loads:
180 Speer FP, H322, 40.0 gr, Fed 210 primer, 2200 ft/sec
220 Speer FP, H4895, 38.5 gr (I think, at work at the moment), Fed 210, 1925 ft/sec

I dig the 35 in a Contender.

I noticed this site. I hope it helps.
http://35cal.com/index.html

These two cartridges are among the BEST for big game within reasonable forest and foothills distances.

35 Remington is popular with the Cree people of Saskatchewon, Canada. They hunt moose, caribou, and bears with their 35 Remington lever guns.

Sherwood

In a strong action like the Marlin 336 and Rem 760 you can REALLY improve the .35 Rem over factory loadings. The factory .35 Rems struggle to get 2000 fps with a 200 grain bullet loaded to about 33000-35000 psi. You can load to .30-30 pressures (42000 psi) and even a little more since .35 Rem cases are stronger than .30-30 cases. I load my 200 grain Sierras and Remington Core-lokts to 2400 fps in a 20" Marlin 336C with either IMR 3031 or H4895. The 180 Speers can be pushed up to 2500 fps (IMR 3031 and A2460) and the 220 Speers to about 2200 fps (TAC or A2520). The 200 gr. Leverevolutions max out in the 2250-2300 fps range using TAC or A2520. All these loads shoot anywhere from 0.5"-1.5" at 100 yards in my rifle. I use R-P cases and WLR primers. Recoil is not an issue in the Marlin but I'd imagine in the Contender it would be the limiting factor. But anyway, it's a great cartridge and a hell of a lot of fun to play around with.

JW

I've heard 2200, 2300, and now 2400 fps in this 35 Remington/200 gr. speed auction. Do I hear a 2500? The winner gets a kaboom. Let is ride at 2000 - 2050.

Are these actual chrony'd velocities? Seems to be pushing the old 35 pretty hard.....I run a 200 Hornady at about 2530 fps and a 180 Speer at about 2600-50 fps in my 358 Win. In my 356 Win I run the 180 Speer at about 2500, both have 20" barrels and are chrony'd velocities.....

Try out cast boolits, specifically the Ranch Dog 359-190-RF boolit. Hell on wheels from the .35 Rem or .357 Max. It is specifically designed for use in the .35 Rem and I can attest to it's killing ability on big Iowa whitetails.

I had a Marlin 336 and traded it off. Kick self in arse repeatedly. I am looking for another... occaisonaly.

Yes, those are chronographed velocities. The old .35 Rem can handle it in the right rifle - Marlin 336, Rem 760, bolt actions. I load with caution and have not seen any pressure signs or sticking cases with any of these loads. Case life is great. The .35 Rem is grossly underloaded from the factory due to most of the rifles it was chambered in - Remington 8, 81, 14, 141 & Savage 170. My loads are in the neighborhood of 45,000 psi according to Quikload, which is handled well by my 1974 Marlin 336C. The Marlin was chambered in .356 Win which is loaded to 52,000 psi so what's the difference as long as the case life is okay? The .35 Rem can at least be loaded to .30-30 pressures - 42,000 psi instead of 35,000 psi. The .35 Rem has a case capacity of 51 gr. water while the .356 Win has a case capacity of 55 gr. of water...Not much difference. The limiting factor is the strength of the brass in the .35 Rem, which is a lot closer to .356 Win brass than .30-30 brass. Also, Buffalo Bore loads the 220 Speer FN at 2200 fps...

Velocities were chronographed at 18 ft. using Competition Electronics ProChrono - add 10-15 fps for muzzle velocity. These are my accuracy loads and MAXIMUM loads in MY rifle - every rifle is different! They give outstanding accuracy 0.5"-1.5" at 100 yards.

180 Speer FN, 42.5 gr. IMR 3031
2506, 2473, 2469, 2469, 2469, 2469 - AVG 2477.20 fps

200 Sierra RN, 44 gr. H4895
2347, 2364, 2351 - AVG 2354.00 fps

200 Sierra RN, 42.5 gr. IMR 3031
2372, 2402, 2380 - AVG 2384.67

200 Rem SPCL, 44 gr. H4895
2415, 2389, 2411 - AVG 2405.00 fps

200 Hornady FTX, 41 gr. TAC
2283, 2263, 2287, 2279, 2290, 2290 - AVG 2282.00 fps

220 Speer FN, 41.5 gr. A2520
2196, 2164, 2182 - AVG 2180.67 fps

I understand some people think the .35 Rem shouldn't be hot-rodded, and I think that's great too. However, it's one of those cartridges that many are unaware of its potential. It's up to you to choose how you load it. This happens to work for me - it's accurate and very deadly. I recommend doing some reading at marlinowners.com. There are many others who share my opinion of the .35 Rem.

JW

Youper, what's wrong with loading a great cartridge to its potential? Would you load a .30-06 Pre-64 M70 Winchester like a .30-30 just because there are a few low number Springfields out there? I think not...

JW

When you get to 39-40 gr of 3031 you are compressing a 35 rem
pretty hard. I stop at 39 gr (also an accurate 200 gr load).

It's definitely compressed, however I haven't had problems seating bullets. Velocities are consistent and accuracy is great. Compression is okay as long as you use some common sense and shoot with a chronograph. If your cases are buckling when seating bullets or bullets are working their way out of the case then you've got issues. Here's some good info on compression with some comments from 35Remington over at Marlinowners. He's the expert on the .35 Rem.

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/reloading/44294-35-remington-how-much-can-powder-compressed.html

JW

I've seen posts on marlin owners and there's a 35 Rem bullet test that's been around the net from there. I have one in a 336 also and enjoy it, but I also know it's not my 356 or 358. I load it to Ramshot's max with TAC, which gives me about 2100 or so fps with the 200 CL. IIRC, most I've seen at MO are pushing 200 grains around 2200 fps....not 2400. Can you provide a link where they post they are loading to 2400?

And are you saying because the 35 Rem case capacity is close to the 356 (which is actually 57 grns) and with it's pressure being 52,000 psi, by your reasoning, that you can load it to that safely in your 35 Rem? Why not just get a 356 or 358?