Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin Talk Wanting a Marlin 336 in 358 Winchester Someday.

I wanted to throw this out for a topic. I currently have a 35 remington in Marlin 336 that I really love!!! However; for a few years I have always wanted a 358 Winchester in a 336. There is no particular reason. I just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with this caliber in an marlin 336. Thanks!

I have a Marlin 356 Win, originally a 30-30, rebored by Jess Ocumpah. I load 200 and 220 gr bullets. Basically the 356 and 358 are the same, loaded to the same pressures with the same bullets EXCEPT the COL has to feed through the mag tube or you can load a longer COL if the chamber was cut with a 358 Win reamer and has a slightly longer throat.

I can mix the two cases in the mag tube and fire them without knowing which was actually in the chamber, and without knowing which case was cycling at what time...and I use Lee dies marked 356/358 Win.

For all intents and purposes the 358 Win is a "'slightly' magnumized 35 Rem". With Hornady Leverevolution stuff the 35 is very close with the lighter bullets. But then you can get a little more pizzazz by using the Lever----powder with the 356/358 Win.

Reality wise the 356/358 W has ~7 gr H2O more case volume over the 35 Rem...not a whole lot more to sweat over. You would gain about 2% more velocity across the board bullet wise.

You will gain a slight advantage with heavier bullets in the 358W but if you stay with 180-200gr there isn't much gain if you compare apples to apples at the same pressures, IN THE MARLIN ACTION, in a BOLT GUN you have more hair to grow.

I have 444M and 458 American barrels for my "Switch barrel" Marlin so would recommend going to the large bores rather than the small gain you get with the 356/358 W.

But if you want a 358 W then go for it, but be sure to match the twist rate to a 358 bolt gun...1/10 or 1/12 will do fine.

Luck

Thanks for all of the great info!

Until I read the caveat "in the Marlin action" I was not on board with the slight gain notion of the .358 over the .35, both of which are great. As factory loaded the .358 is quite a gain over the .35....with a good bit more recoil. But I am guessing that you would not run the same pressures in a Marlin?

The 356/358w, 307/308, all have a MAP chamber pressure of 52KCUP...the new 308 MX has a MAP of 55KCUP...the 35 Rem has a MAP of 33.5 KCUP...EXCEPT for the Hornady 35 Leverrevolution ammo which is loaded with the special powder and gives you some additional performance.

The Marlin will handle the pressures.

The difference in performance is due to the higher pressure the 356/358 W are loaded to AND the slight difference in case capacity...roughly 300 fs more velocity comparing 200 gr bullets in both...as I said, you can load the 35 Rem case to the same pressures as the 356/358 W and get almost the same velocities.

Look at it this way...the 35 Rem has the same case volume as the 300 Savage and only 5 gr H2O less than the 338 Fed. The 300 Savage is loaded to 46 KCUP, again due to being used in a Savage 99 Levergun and the 338 Fed is loaded to 65 KPSI.

Take either the 300 Savage or the 338 Fed and expand the neck to 35 cal and you have basically the same thing as the 35 Rem and 356/358 Win...AND the same ballistics potential.

There have been a few older 300 Savage 99's taken out to 35/300 Sav...(it is a fairly simple rebore/rechamber or rebarrel)...using the 300 Savage case and the 338 Fed taken to 35 cal IS a 358 Win for all intents and purposes and if you run out of 358 win cases the just substitute in the 338 Fed or vis versa.

I've fired reloads in my 356W loaded to ~52KCUP without any indications of pressure, no hard extraction, excessively flattened, cratered or blown primers and no excessive base expansion...but I still keep my reloads down below 45KCUP and get ~2400fs with specific powders with 200 gr bullets and 2300fs with 220 gr bullets...my Marlin is basicaly a short range <150 yd, deer, elk, bear woods rifle...If I expect to find larger game and/or at longer ranges I pick up a longer range rifle out of my rack.

I've been doing this reloading thing a very long time and I don't do the overpressure thing in ANY rifle...especially a Marlin levergun.

CAVEAT: It is YOUR skin...DON'T do anything you feel is unsafe and NEVER believe anything you read on the net. What works for me and my rifles probably won't work for you and your rifles.

Luck