Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting .35 cal mold

Looking for recommendations on a mold to cast bullets for a 35Remington, 336 Marlin. Maybe something in the 200gr FP, range and I will be powder coating. Would also like to use them in a TC Bullberry 14".

RCBS 35-200-FP or a clone. 'Nuff said.

Do a search for ranch dog mold. It was made for the Marlin if memory serves me right. NOE or Accurate molds had a clone I believe.

Lee DC C358-200-RF is a heck of a good bullet in my 1958 Marlin 35 Rem. It's a clone of the 200 gr RCBS FP I believe.

I have both the Lee and RCBS molds and I can't tell a lick of difference between them accuracy-wise. Thankfully both drop bullets at .360 with my soft alloy which is the diameter I want to fill the throat in the rifle, so my only reason to pass them through a .360 die is to lube and seat the gas check.

Thanks for the suggestions. Was hopping to find one that works well with powder coating and not have to mess with the gas checks.

The RCBS 200 grain and it's copies are the Gold Standard for 35 Remington bullets. I believe you can powder coat it and leave off the Gas check.
Good Luck,
Rick

To those of you who powder coat bullets and leave off gas checks, do you find any wonkiness in accuracy compared to having gas checks in place? The question arose in my mind when contemplating that the steering end of a bullet is its base, specifically the base edge, and how the rebate for the gas check if left unoccupied by a gas check would effect things especially at supersonic velocities.

Note: I do occasionally shoot lubed lead bullets without their gas checks at low velocities (1100-1400 fps) with pretty decent accuracy but even then accuracy tends to be better if gas checks are installed.

Yes, I have tried this with several bullets and in all cases the bullets shoot much better with the gas check. I think the consistency in the bullet base with the gas check makes all the difference. I believe it’s exactly as you’re thinking about the base being the “steering” end and the base of a gas checked designed bullet without the gas check is much less than perfect.

I have a 30 cal 130gr mold I got for my sons 30 carbine. No reason to waste a gas check on those for obvious reasons. I use that bullet for plinking in the 308 also and those I gas check to get a little more accuracy. It’s not very accurate no matter what I do but the little bit helps make it more fun in the 308.

This is the one. I have shot many out of 3 different 35 Remington guns and it just works and is very accurate. I cast them at 11 BH hardness and send them out around 2200 fps with great results.

I use the gas checks and lube and size mine, so can't help you there.

Another good use for it is in a .38 S&W. I cast some really soft and lube/sized as-cast .360", to duplicate the old British Army .38/200 load for use in a WWII-era Enfield revolver. They hit to the sights whereas American-standard .38 S&W's shoot low. Been meaning to try some in a .38 Special for sh*ts and giggles but never got around to it.

Huh? "Messing" with gas checks = not messing around. The gas check will turn an otherwise miserable hunk of lead into a 2500 fps rocket. I wouldn't dream of not using gas checks. I loaded up a batch of Saeco 35 cal #352 246grs, gas checked, with 53grs IMR-4320 in 35 Whelen brass for just under 2500fps. 2480fps to be exact. Three shots were almost touching at 100 yds. My load development stopped right there. This is my Iowa deer hunting load.

RCBS discontinued the plain base FN 200s moulds. Saeco makes that plain base bullet mold in an iron mould, dual cavity.

With powder coating, baked nose down, you do not need a gas check. Especially for a 35 Rem in a lever gun.

I use the very same plain base hard cast bullets PCed in my ARs and bolt guns without a GC to 2,500 fps and no fouling. That is with a 358 MGP, 358 Win, 35 Whelen and a 350 Rem Mag. They do not foul past 2,500 it just happens to be as fast as I thought I needed to push them for my use in a hog rifle.

Cast bullets need and like as much support as possible for accuracy; removing the check is akin to removing a full diameter driving band where heat and pressure (friction) is greatest. Actually, removing them anywhere generally isn't conducive to best results.
Having metal "hanging" without support is one reason blunt, lower BC forms tend to shoot so well and are easier to make accurate loads for with lead. The group shooters aren't gunning long nosed, Spitzer profiled bore riders, and they're definitely not running them without gas checks. The 35 caliber, 200 grain bullets generally fit this criteria of blunt, stubby and easy to work with; but they don't run their best with a check shank sans a gas check or full diameter base band. No amount of paint or bonded jacket eliminates this for support.

While you may not get any leading, the odds are you won't get top accuracy for the same reasons gas checked shanks tend to shoot better than plain base bullets when heat and pressure are greatest. They strengthen the base for alignment and support and keep bore condition consistent, even if the lube goes up in smoke.

Of course if your running the gas check base first into a sizer die, you can mis-align the entire bullet, also messing accuracy up. It also helps to seat a check last with a cupped perimeter seating punch. It keeps the check aligned instead of possibly indexing off a raised sprue, which can happen with a flat punch or liftout plug.

I test my PC bullets with and without a check. Sometimes it makes a difference, sometimes it doesn't. Let the results on paper guide you.

What do yours weigh when they are dressed and ready for the ball with the Ranch Dog/RCBS?
My Ranch Dog's weigh in at 220 gr. checked and lubed.