Is the .35 Remington still a viable choice?

It's a great old caliber, and hits harder than its ballistics would suggest. It's a favorite in the north woods, and it's taken plenty of elk in the timber. I have a 336 from 1959, and it's fun to shoot .357 pistol bullets at the range when it's not hunting season. It may be a challenge to find ammo from time to time, but it's out there. The Leverolution ammo gives flatter trajectory, but the old Remington 200-grain Core-Lokt stuff has an excellent reputation, too.

Not a big fan of lever action rifles but the 35 Rem has to be better that my Winchester 94 30-30.
Deer ran like nothing happened when hit with a 170 gr at only 45-50 yds.
And there was no blood trail although I did find it after a search covering a circle of a 100 yds.

STCM(SW) said:

Not a big fan of lever action rifles but the 35 Rem has to be better that my Winchester 94 30-30.
Deer ran like nothing happened when hit with a 170 gr at only 45-50 yds.
And there was no blood trail although I did find it after a search covering a circle of a 100 yds.

Click to expand...

It seems to me that 150 grs are more effective in a 30-30. Some 170's open up a bit slow.

I hate delimas but when cash is available the buy wins.

Your 303 is similar In power to a 30 06. 180 grain and up would be bear medicine.

the 35 is a cartridge thatperforms above its paper ballistics.

Dad bought my bro a like new Marlin 336 in 35 Rem for his first deer rifle. He bagged many deer and later traded it in o. A 30 06. Hes told me many times he regrets not keepi g it. With large bullets it should be fine for close encounters of the ursine types.

I guess if I was concerned about home or back yard issuds I would buy a Rem 760 czrbine in 30 06. Probably use a red dot scope or iron sights.

One needs to remember shots to the body are not stoppers. Think brain spine. I probably would practice on small moving targets, like tying an old tether ball filled with a powder. Have someone stand behind you hold the ball up and shoot as it swings back om the rope.

Practice your full motion on the pump so you dont short stroke.

I remember you purchased a shotgun recently. Double or tripple aught buck for 1st or 2nd round with the rest being slugs, good slugs not the cheap ones that may flatten o. A grizzs skull. A M 12 Win with slugs or buck is what many African guides used when going into the long grass after wounded leopards and lions.

Now you have 2 mord close up choi es plus the 35 rem. If it were me and grizz is what we are talking I think thd 760 carbine in 06 might be the ticket. It would be nice for elk and longer shots at deer.

A rite priced Marlin 35 rem is on my wish list but for different reasons, nostaglia may not be a bear stopper.

Another choice is a Marlin 1895 in 45 70. Ive bagged many deer with one. Lots of Alaskan folks carry o e. Light handy and deadly.

Come to think about it id prefer it over the 760.

Buy it! Try to negotiate but get it whatever you do.

GF..The darn things sell good on this side of the Bighorns. I have a Rem pump..but ya let me know the name of that shop..and I'd have me a Marlin in 35. Wouldn't bother me to shoot an elk up to a 150 yds or so. And if it's been sitting that long..offer 350. Be prepared to buy it fer that though. I gave my FIL an ol Rem 141 to carry on his 4 wheeler back in Md... He shot 6 deer with it..and when he passed at over a 100 still had 14 rounds in that box of ammo.

Great combo! I regret trading mine...

My 1st deer rifle was a m-8 Rem in 35, shot my first deer with it.
I was just a kid and I got wound up in 35s, still am. I have the
8-14-141 yet. Ammo is a little pain, but how much do you need
for a deer gun. I load for it so it doesn't bother me. I have found
all the 35s I've owned, Marlin 336 included, shoot a 200gr RN
bullet the best. The 14 & 141 have the twisted magazine tube
to use spitzer bullets. I tried them, but found the RNs the best.
Shot many deer with the 35 with good results. I shot a buck
running with some does. Bullet went through bucks neck and
gut shot a doe. Killed buck outright, anchored the doe for kill
shot. Plenty of power for anything other than Grizz at reasonable
range for cartridge.

I second the reloading....

Buy some factory ammo and save the brass to reload. When there is no .35 ammo on the shelf, no problem. I wouldn't expect that .35 is going to get MORE popular over the next years, which is a shame, but probably true.

If I wasn't so wedded to the .45-70, I would have bought that .35 already. One of the all-time best Levergun rounds.

I have a whole rack of classic deer rifles. I'm not much for shooting paper, so I would load for Varmits to get some trigger
time on them. The 35 I loaded with 158 gr JHPs/357s. This made
a good groundhog load at up to 100yds. It definitely open up on
them. Never had to shoot one twice.

Nothing wrong with the 35rem. I shoot it in a Mod8 and a Model 81 Remington (wish I'd kept the Mod14 'C'grade).
I don't hunt anymore and haven't for years, but I wouldn't feel under gunned with either in the NE. Nor would I w/the Model 8's in 25, 30 and 32Rem. You just have to realize their capabilities.

I wouldn't ditch a .303 either. No matter what it looks like, if it's minute of a deer accurate,,it's pretty much right there in the 308 / 30-06 performance range.
Just add the rim.

Back in my much younger days, I saw quite a few Remington 14/141s in .35 Rem (I think they were also chambered in .30 Rem, basically a rimless .30-30, maybe other calibers also). I do not remember the last one I saw. What happened to them? Another, but considerably more offbeat, rifle available in .35 Rem was the "Standard" (Standard Arms Company). A very unique design from the early 20th century that could operate as either a semiautomatic or as a pump gun.

Garb that .35 man! That's a great deal on a great cartridge and rifle combination. I've had several .35's,..... all excellent weapons and did the work on deer or Hog's. I preferred the Remington or Federal 200 grain soft points but the Hornady round is a bit zippier and would extend your range. I wouldn't take it after Elk or Large Bears, not that you couldn't, but I prefer something a bit larger for them. Grab it friend.

35 rem

The 35 rem has been one of my go to "deer hammers" for the past several decades. I shoot the 200 gr load or my handloads in my super 14 TC, scoped with a Burris EER. I have harvested several deer with this combo. The 200 gr soft point clocks at around 1900 fps in my TC and the recoil is "brisk".It is basically a "bang - flop" proposition when the round is placed correctly. In a lever gun, it would IMO make a great woods gun.

Also - thank you "cowart" in post #5 for the source on converted 35 rem brass. Factory 35 rem brass is hard to find. Most vendors list it as a seasonal run. So it looks like the link you provided will be a good source.

I agree with other posters. Marlins are great rifles and 35 Remington is a great round for short to mid-range.

I checked ammoseek.com and there were 46 sources listed -- all either Hornady or Federal.

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/35-remington

I have one similar to the one your mentioned.

Here is a picture right after I got it. It also has the see-thru scope mounts:

Marlin 35 Remington

Seems like all the advice is to get that rifle...and I agree.I have one(10 years old or so) with a Nitrex 1.5-5 scope and I reload for it. I like the 180 Speer Hot Core but also load 200Rem Cls and the Hornady bullet. It`s a DRT deer gun in my part of the world. There is a forum called marlinowners.com and although it is devoted to all Marlins there is quite a bit of talk/info on the 35. If you visit the site go to the reloading section and look at a long post by a fellow whose moniker is "35 Remington". In this particular post he handloads all the available deer/big game bullets to approx. 110% of factory specs. In other words the 200 Corelokt is moving out at 2200 fps+- and he has samples of projectiles from point blank to 200 yards. The 200 CL gets his vote. I suggest you see and read his and other posts and become a reloader if you`re not already. Good Luck,I don`t think you can go wrong. John

The late hunting writer John H. Wootters, Jr. knew deer and he knew rifles. He told me that he felt the .35 Remington, like the 7X57mm Mauser and a few other rounds, just works better than its paper ballistics suggest. I think the same is true of the .45 Colt.

John killed a number of deer with the .35 and never found it lacking.

IF this rifle is in really nice shape and not rusted or too worn, I think it'd be a solid buy. I don't like lever actions, but it's one of the best.

I think I'd remove the scope and mount a Williams or Redfield receiver sight.

I think I'd keep the 9mm Colt. If it feeds good JHP ammo well, it's one of the stronger 9mm's and should last well. My son found even M882 9mm ammo pretty effective on men in Iraq, and the Federal HST or the Speer Gold Dot with 124 grain bullets is even better. If you want penetration, the FMJ 9mm rounds will penetrate until next payday. Even Elmer Keith respected 9mm penetration and cted a case where one was used na black bear.

I think a 9mm ball round in the face will reach a Bigfoot/Sasquatch brain. I'd rather use a .44 Magnum, but don't feel that you're helpless with a 9mm.

I think you should consider trading that old "reservation" .303 for a No.4 Enfield in really nice condition, and some are around. Many were sold here in recent years in the factory wrapping! I'd get some new Winchester 180 grain ammo and feel that the .303 was quite adequate for the role you mention.

But if you'd rather have a Marlin .35 in good condition, it's a killer within 200 yards. I think the Remington 200 grain SP will easily reach the vital zones on either Bigfoot or bear. The receiver sight is quick and okay for the range involved. Same for the receiver sight on the No. 4 Enfield.

I'd avoid light .35 bullets. But the basic 200 grain load made the caliber's reputation, which is good.

Frankly if I could have have just one rifle, it'd be a Winchester M-70 Featherweight Classic in .270 or .30-06, with a 2X-7X or slightly higher power scope. Leupold makes a 2.5x-8X that's an excellent idea.

If this rifle is beyond your means, the used Winchester M-70 of 1972 type may be available for a moderate price.

"Frankly if I could have have just one rifle, it'd be a Winchester M-70 Featherweight Classic in .270 or .30-06, with a 2X-7X or slightly higher power scope. Leupold makes a 2.5x-8X that's an excellent idea."

I have a pre-64 M70 Featherweight just like that in .308 Win. which is my favorite rifle.

If you noticed, there hasn't been one bad comment on the .35 Remington. I found it performs way more than people give it credit. One shot kill is the norm on hogs and deer. Never shot a bear with it though. I don't doubt it would do the job just fine. My son has it and left me with the 45/70. I like the the .35 Rem better. Kills without punishing the shooter.