What's your Favorite 35 caliber hunting bullet ?

[boatbum101]

I'm trying to find one that'll withstand a 2200 fps impact & still expand @ 1700 . Seems that most either are made for 357 Mag or 35 Rem & up . When I had a 358 Win I really like the Sierra 225 SBT & the Nosler 225 Partition , plus it also shot cast bullets wonderfully . Wish I could find some old Rem CL or Win PP . Too bad the new Win 180 PP for the Legend are .355 . I begining to think my best option is going to be cast wide meplat gaschecked . Most are currently using either the Horn 180 XTP or Speer 180 FN in this caliber but I feel that the XTP is too soft & the Speer too hard for my velocity envelope . Has anyone used the Sierra 200 RN ?

 

[federali]

200 grain softpoint

My only .35 Caliber hunting arm was a Marlin 336 in .35 Rem. For this, I used a 200 grain soft point, usually by Remington or Winchester and either would put a whitetail down in short order.
I stopped using hand loads in this caliber as no matter how I adjusted the dies, I suffered occasional failures to fire. The lack of a shoulder on this cartridge can be problematic.

I've had no issues with factory loads. BTW, I think your .358 Win. is a perfect woods cartridge with some range if you need it.

 

[boatbum101]

Yes the 358 was a wonderful woods cartridge . Would do about 85 - 90% of what a 35 Whelen would do . Sadly I sold it as I no longer have access to nor can afford to hunt places where it was useful . Speer 180 FN needs 2400fps MV to work well , something current case isn't capable of as 2300 is really pushing it & primer pockets get loose . Horn 180 XTP was told not over 1800fps MV . So was thinking someone made a 200gr SP that could split the difference .

 

[mtgianni]

I like the Speer 220 gr out of the 358 and 356 I owned. Great bullet for Elk and Moose. The 356 shot the Speer 180 fn at 2800 fps and was a whitetail killer for sure. As far as lead goes the Saeco 352 245 gr does a good job out of the 35 Whelen and 358. I like the RCBS 200 gr and the LBT 180 fn out of the 357 Maximum. It would help a lot to know what you are shooting the bullets out of and what you hunt.

 

[Fishinfool]

I have used the 35 Whelen and .358 Winchester to take a fair amount of big game. My favorite bullet in either is the Nosler Partition 225 grain. I was never happy with the factory Winchester 200 grain silver tip in the .358 - They expand to quickly and come apart. OK for lung shots, but not if you need penetration.

Nosler rates it for 1800 fps or faster for reliable expansion. Nice thing about the Nosler PT is that the front half is soft, and expands easily, even at lower velocity, while the rear half hangs together for penetration. A while back I loaded some for a friends .35 Remington out of a Marlin, and they expanded and worked well for him on big Maine deer. Nosler PT's may be over kill for the velocities you are looking at, but they never fail, so they are what I always use in my .35's.

If you want a more aerodynamic bullet, the Accubond .358 200 grain is also rated for expansion at 1800 fps, though I have not used that bullet myself.

Larry

 

[much ado]

35 bullet

BoatBum,
I can`t quite figure what cartridge you`re currently loading for ? If you`re loading for 35 Rem, 35 Rem +P velocity range it`s hard to top the 180 Speer.

 

[boatbum101]

No loading the 357 Max . If it were either a Whelen ,358 or 35 Rem there'd be no issue . As is for jacketed bullets I don't have the velocity for definate expansion or I have too much depending on bullet design . More I dig the more convinced I am that a cast bullet with a good meplat from 180 to 220grs is probably my best bet . Once I find accuracy I can then play with alloy to give desired results . I had also thought about annealing jackets as they used to do with the Horn ELD's . There is boutique bullets available that will work but they're pricey . BTW main game I shoot are hogs as local deer are tiny . So penetration is needed & the ability to take out shoulders + with pass through a good blood trail .

 

[model17]

My old .35 Remington model 14 was deadly on deer with 150 or 180 gr. JSP

 

[Rogeronimo]

I have boxes of nosler 180gn. partition bullets that may be just what you want.

 

[boatbum101]

Unfortunately the 180 Nos Part are discontinued like the Horn 180 SSP bullets .

 

[CH4]

I'm trying to find one that'll withstand a 2200 fps impact & still expand. When I had a 358 Win I really like the Sierra 225 SBT & the Nosler 225 Partition

Great minds think alike. I also like the 225 NBT. The 225 Sierra is still my favorite. I know it performs well at 2600 and below.

 

[boatbum101]

The Ballistic Tip was made for the Whelen took up too much case space in the 358W .

 

[gwpercle]

Might want to take a look at NOE Bullet Molds :
360-198-SWC-U4
360-214 FN-U3
360-228-SWC-AN3
Can't help but think one of these designs in 357 Max. , cast in solid point , would be just the ticket on hogs and cast in HP would be fine for the lighter deer and other game not as well built as a hog.
An alloy of 50-50 COWW and soft lead would be a good place to start .
I would order the mould with both flat point and hollow point pins .

My link says NOE Bullet Moulds but it may have changed to NOE Bullet Molds ... try a search .
Gary

 

[boatbum101]

Have 2 NOE moulds & agree they're great . Already have an LBT 180 WFNGC & am reasonably sure it'll do what I want . Have also been looking at a couple of Accurate moulds too . Would like to find similar to the LY358627 SWCGC . RCBS 200 GC should also work but would prefer a larger meplat .

 

[Drm50]

I have several 35Rem rifles. The Sierra 200Rn is harder than the Hornady 200Rn. I’m loading 36gr of IMR-3031 at 2000fps. Used in 14,141 and 8 Rem. I have shot a good many deer with 35R and the 200gr RN is best bullet I have found. I’ve had no luck with accuracy with the lighter spitzer bullets. Found this to be true in Marlin 336 too.

 

[6string]

Another vote for cast Boolits

Going along with gwpercle and boatbum101.
Cast boolits bring out the qualities of the 35s. For what most folks use them for, you probably won't be the trying for 300 yd shots with couple inches of mid-range trajectory.
For your velocity range, I'd be going with the RCBS 358 silhouette bullet.
Getting the right expansion will be simply a matter of alloy choice.

Jim

 

[boatbum101]

River bottoms , thickets most shots less than 100yds . Not snipping for sure . Cast will bring it's own challanges . Jacketed you want velocity for expansion , cast generally you want less . Expansion with cast means either softer alloy or annealed nose / soft cast with harder body . For my use expansion while nice is secondary . Penetration with cast is rarely a problem unless too hard / brittle an alloy . Should keep me out of trouble for a while .

 

[SuperMan]

Have you tried the Speer Gold Dot 170 soft point? Don't think you will have to worry about it coming apart since it is a plated bullet...

Speer Gold Dot Bullets 38 Cal (357 Diameter) 170 Grain Bonded Jacketed

.35 caliber bullets are tough... I hunt with a .358 Winchester and several different .350 Remington Magnums and have never had a bullet fail no matter how hard they are pushed...if anything on game like black bear and deer they under expand. I have several friends who shoot Whelens, .358s, .350 Norma Mags and .35 Rems and no one recovers bullets and very little meat damage..

1992 35 Calibre Bullet Test Results

.35 Remington Factory Loads Part I - 336 Marlin

 

[boatbum101]

I've also wondered about the GD 170 SP . Worth a call to Speer to find out . Superman you also make my point in that most 35 cal bullets will show little expansion @ 2100 MV or blow up as that's too fast . I also had a 358 & used the Sie 225 SBT or Nos PT 225 . In my mind if it's non - expanding I want a big heavy blunt lead slug vs a jacketed one that't too stout to open . I know a WFN will do the job .

 

[mtgianni]

The RCNS 200 gr will do good, in my handi Max I have shot the ly 358627 a 215 gr listed swc with good groups but not on game. Are you using s revolver or a single shot?