35 Remington question

[handirifle]

I am thinking of a short to mid range deer/pig gun that makes a big hole, without a bunch of recoil, so having had a 35 Rem in a Marlin once before that cartridge came to mind.

Before I go into it, I'll explain whe the 35 rem. I thought about the 358 Win, since I already have it set up for 308, but in my experience, most of the time the cartridges that are down loaded that much (to 35 Rem velocities) are not real accurate. same goes in the 338 Fed end. Also, since I live in Kalifornia, it has to be lead free bullets, so I'm limited pretty much to Barnes, regardless of caliber. I know there's a couple others, but not in 35.

I have a couple questions, before I proceed. First, the case head size on the 35 Rem, is .460 and the 308 is .473, so I probably can't use that bolt head. With the 223 being .378, would I (or someone) be able to machine it out to accept the .460 case head? The Barnes bullets are a bit long, but I might be able to seat them out farther with the slightly longer action and magazine for the 308.

Thoughts and opinions? Or should I just stick to the 308 and call it good?

[bootsmcguire]

You probably could modify a bolt head if need be, and I understand your thoughts on recoil, if I may I will make a couple of suggestions.....

Why not put a brake on a 358? That should get you down to the level of recoil you want, and give you some more range and knock down over the 35 rem

Have you looked into using 358 and loading with IMR Trailboss powder? Seems to be a pretty accurate for lower recoil loads.

I understand the want for the .35 bore, it is an overlooked and underappreciated caliber and should do nicely on pigs no matter what chambering you choose (used at appropriate ranges of course ). I also understand the want for a Caliber that is off the beaten path.

[deadeye]

The 35 Rem is used successfully with the 308 bolt size in my Remington XP-100 with no extraction problems.

[kubotaman]

FWIW, I have had a couple of Remington XP100R pistols in 35 Rem converted to 7mm-08 without any change in bolt head, and they work great and without feed problems from the magazine. I would think the 308 bolt head (being the same as the 7mm-08) would work for you.

I to have been thinking about converting a recent Stevens 200 puchase in 7mm-08 (11 twist rate) to a 35 Rem. I actually have put a few 35 Rem cases in the magazine and cycled with the bolt and that seems fine. I think it would work, but best to have a compentent smith tell you for sure.

[Eric in NC]

I have two 35 remingtons on small ring mauser actions. Great combo and it works fine with the standard extractor. However, I would expect that you would need a custom extractor on the Savage since they tend to have ejection issues even with the standard size brass. It shouldn't be that big a deal to get it going, but might take some fiddling.

People use the 6.8 SPC in the Savages so whatever extractor they are using might be a starting point.

[handirifle]

Thanks for the feedback. FWIW one of the reasons I didn't mention about changing from 308, is I have not been able to get ANY accuracy out of the Barnes bullets, and that barrel. I do have some Hornady lead free loads worked up, but haven't tried those yet, to be honest.

Eric
Good to hear the 35 Rem has worked with the 308 bolt. FYI, I own quite a number of savage rifles, and have yet had a single failure to extract, regardless of caliber. My opinion, is the extractors are so simple that most of those so-called extraction issues could be solved by disassembling the bolt head and giving it a good cleaning, new or used.

As for the recoil, I should have been clearer, I am not afraid of recoil, I don't have or want a break even on my Marlin 45-70, I would just prefer a bigger bullet hole at slower velocities and lighter recoil to hunt with. That should equal less meat damage.

One thing that came to mind since my post, if what velocities I could expect with a 200gr TSX bullet in the 35 Rem, and what my velocity would be at 200yds?

[Eric in NC]

Never had a failure to Extract with a Savage, but have had MANY failures to eject due to the sloppy fit of the extractor (small factory brass, oversized bolt face etc. all add up to dropping the empty back on the next round).

The mauser claw type handles the smaller 35 Rem with no probs - just dont know about the stock Savage extractor. Should be an easy fix even if the stock one doesn't work.

[sinman]

I think you should go with a 358 IDC (358 wssm), it would feed fine from a wsm mag and you use a std Mag bolt head.

[philkryder]

Thanks for the feedback. FWIW one of the reasons I didn't mention about changing from 308, is I have not been able to get ANY accuracy out of the Barnes bullets, and that barrel. I do have some Hornady lead free loads worked up, but haven't tried those yet, to be honest.

Handi - what weight barnes have you been using in the 308?
Do the longer copper bullets require a faster twist?
Would a lighter bullet perform better since it would be a little shorter and a little faster?

Keep us posted on the 35 cal - I too live in a lead free zone. phil

[drybean]

what part of the state do you live in
drybean

[handirifle]

Maybe I should have been clearer, never had a failure to extract, OR eject, never. Lucky maybe, but I don't think so.

I used the 150gr, and my barrels are 1-10 so it ought to handle up to 165's with zero issues. I thought about the newer 130gr Barnes, but will test out the other brands first. If no better, I will seriously go after the 35 cal.

sinman
I think that would be way worse in the recoil dept than the 258 Win, much less the 35 Rem. I would really prefer something in the 160-180gr from the Barnes than the 200-225's (all that's available), just to keep the recoil down.

[philkryder]

I used the 150gr, and my barrels are 1-10 so it ought to handle up to 165's with zero issues. I thought about the newer 130gr Barnes, but will test out the other brands first. If no better, I will seriously go after the 35 cal.

Interesting.
We have a local custom cartridge loader that loads the barnes in several 308 configurations.

if you want, I can PM you with contact info.

you mention the 1-10 should handle barnes 165s. Is that based on Barnes info? How do twist rates compare for copper versus lead?

[handirifle]

I used the 150gr, and my barrels are 1-10 so it ought to handle up to 165's with zero issues. I thought about the newer 130gr Barnes, but will test out the other brands first. If no better, I will seriously go after the 35 cal.

Interesting.
We have a local custom cartridge loader that loads the barnes in several 308 configurations.

if you want, I can PM you with contact info.

you mention the 1-10 should handle barnes 165s. Is that based on Barnes info? How do twist rates compare for copper versus lead?

Yes, the 1-10, from the Barnes' site. Normally 1-10 would easily handle 180gr in lead but I am not sure about the Barnes. They usually say on their site if a particular bullet requires a faster than normal twist. I will keep your offer in mind, thanks.