Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 35 Remington

I am interested in hearing who still hunts with a 35 Rem or what your experience has been hunting with one. Pictures if you have any.
Thanks!

I have a Remington 141 in 35 now, but so far I have not hunted with it.

1/2 a lifetime ago I had a long barreled Marlin M36 in 35 Remington too, but I had to sell it for money to help with moving. I killed 7 deer with that old Marlin and my friend in Idaho killed a nice bear with it too. I shot it with several bullets, but the only bullet I ever shot game with was the Speer 220 grain flat nose. I used one shot per deer and my friend used only 1 to kill that bear too.
All my kills gave me exit woulds or good diameter and no deer went more then about 15 feet when it was hit, with 3 of the dropping instantly. I was not with Ray when he killed the bear, but he told me about it and said the effect were quick and the bear rolled down a steep hill a ways and was dead when it stopped. My longest shot was on a smallish buck at about 140 yards, and my closest was on a large buck at about 30 yards. Ray's bear was shot at about 30 yards too.
My Remington 141 is zeroed at 100 yards with 200 grain Remington Cor-Lokts. I think I'll try them because all I have read say they are excellent for the 35 rem. I shot about 400 of them back in the 80s but for some reason, I just never shot one at any game. So I will take the word of those that say good things about them and use them in the coming seasons. I'll use that rifle for deer, and also I will try to get an antelope with it too.

My old marlin 36 and my current Rem 141 both have peep sights. Here in Wyoming I find most of my kills on antelope are at 200 and closer with about 1/2 being at 100 to 125 White tails are shot from about 200 and closer but most are killed at 75 yards or so with a few being killed at around 25 yards. So I see no huge disadvantage for the iron-sighted 35.
Last year I killed my buck antelope at about 35 yards with an iron-sighted 270 and I killed one of my does at about twelve yards with my iron-sighted 6.5X54. I killed all my game last year with iron-sighted rifles, and all were under 200 yards. I used a Savage 99 in 300 Savage, a Remington 81 in 300 Savage, a Winchester M95 in 270, an 8X57 98 Mauser sporter and a 9.3X57 M46 Swedish Mauser. In 2018 I also killed a bunch of game, but about 1/2 of them were killed with scoped rifles in that year. I did kill a whitetail buck with my old 303 Lee rifle over irons, and also a nice Antelope buck and 2 does with the 6.5 Mannlicher that year.
Today by far we see most hunters using scoped rifles and there is certainly not a thing wrong with that, but I still find a lot of fun in using irons sights on classic old guns. I seldom go hunting with any of my open or peep-sighted rifles and need to hold fire because I can't shoot far enough to make a kill. Yes it does happen now and then, but it's rare. Probably 8 times in 10, if I go out with a rifle (or handgun) with only irons sights I still return with my animal, and it's a lot more fun.

So this year I want to use the old Remington 141. If I make meat with it I'll try to post pictures. I usually don't take a camera, but my friends always have their cell-phones, so I may get some pics.

I have a Remington 600 in 35 Rem. Inherited it used and have not hunted with it yet, but perfect brush gun for NW PA hills and deer. I've shot other 35 Rems and this round packs a wallop. For distances over 150-200 yards, there's better choices, but it easily outperforms a 30-30 or 348 Win and several shorter range cartridges.

I have three Marlins in 35 Remington. An old Marlin 336 waffle top with a 24 inch barrel,a model 336 C without the side safety,and a 336 with killer walnut that is checkered,made in the 1990s.

Have never hunted with the old waffle top rifle but have killed deer and hogs with the other two. I have only shot factory loads,the Remington
200 grain Core Lokt,and the Hornady 200 grain Leverevolution.

Both have been deadly on game, always penetrate to the vitals,and generally exit,even on big tough wild boars that were killed while fighting,and in traps at 5 yards or less.

Both of these bullets will punch through the gristle shield of really big boars,so I think they would work fine for anything in north America.
The Remington loads gives me about 2000 fps,and the Hornady about 2200 fps on my chrongraph.

All of 35 Remingtons wear iron sight only now. Used to have a Leupold 1.5-5 on one of them but no more, The old Waffle Top has the factory iron sights and isn't drilled and tapped for a scope .

The Marlin Carbines have modern aperture sights. The newer 336 has has a rear ghost ring from XS sights and an XS front post that is black with a center white line. The same system is now installed by Marlin on some factory guns and it works very well and is easy to see in dark timber situations.

The older 336 has a rear sight from Skinner sights that can be used as a ghost ring or with various aperture inserts,I usually leave the largest insert installed,which still gives you the ghost ring look but with bolder outlines. The front sight is from marbles and has a green fiber optic bead.

Both of the open sight systems work well. I can shoot groups that hover around an inch at 75 yards with either one. This year I plan on doing most of my hunting with open sight rifles. Just want to make it a little more fun,up close and personal with open sight lever actions.

I had one in a Marlin 336C back in the 80's. Used it deer hunting for a few seasons. After shooting a bunch of deer with it and seeing that it didn't kill them one bit better, faster or deader than my old .30-30 but cost more to feed, I sold it.

35 REM was a popular deer hunting cartridge in New England when I was growing up there.

I've owned several Marlin 336s, Remington 14s, 141s, and 760s, and a couple of Savage 170s.

I still have a Marlin 336SC, a Remington 141, and a Savage 170, but they are safe queens and never get shot or hunted.

Everybody who I knew/know who hunts with a 35 REM shoots FED/REM/WIN 200 grain factory loads. I've shot some of the 200 grain Hornady LeverEvolution ammo in the Savage 170 and was really impressed how accurate is was and that it was only 3" high at 100 yards with a 200 yard zero.

When I hunted deer in Maine, Marlin 336s in 35 REM were really popular and there was lots of deer camp talk about which was the better deer killer, the 30-30 or 35 REM.

This year I plan on hunting with my Marlins in 35 Remington as well as a Marlin in 30-30 and a M94 Winchester in 30-30.

Should be able to kill a least a dozen critters with each cartridge,will report back on how the two cartridges actually pan out.

So far in my admittedly limited experience,I have never had a deer or hog run off with the 35. I have killed one 8 point buck with the 30-30 that went about 100 yards despite hitting the onside shoulder and destroying both lungs. No exit,no blood trail from the 150 grain flat point. The buck was about 75 yards away when shot. He was not easy in find in thick cover with no blood trail.

Never seen anything like that in a dozen kills with the 35, always dead right there,generally exits. This year,I want to take turns using 35 and 30-30 and see how they compare.,

One load that has shown great promise in the 30-30 is the Hornady 140 ftx bullet. These actually chronograph around 2500 fps in my 30-30 rifles. I have killed one big sow at about 125 yards,dead right there with a big exit wound. She probably weighed 180 pounds. Have also killed several hogs at close range in traps with the 140 ftx,all instant kills with exits.

Maybe my bad experience with the 30-30 was a fluke,maybe the fast Hornady loads with the 140 ftx are a game changer for the 30-30.

This year I'm going to try and find out.

FWIW, I've never had a deer shot through the lungs with a 170 grain FED/REM/WIN 30-30 factory load go nearly that far. I don't recall any bang/flops with the 30-30 shooting 150, 170, or 190 grain bullets, but never had any go very far either.

Use 170 grain bullets in your .30-30. They will penetrate both shoulders and exit even on big deer IME. The Federal blue box 170's are good killers and very accurate in my rifles. They consistently group under 1" at 100 yards out of my Marlin. I recently chrono'd them at 2,204 fps out of my 336C's 20" barrel. I never had a deer drop instantly with my .35 unless spine/high shoulder shot. All lung shot went 30-60 yards before they fell using 200 gr. factory loads. Exactly the same results I get from my .30-30's. Regarding penetration there is a youtube video out there you might find intersting. It's .30-30 vs 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 win mag. on gallon milk jugs full of water. The .30-30 loaded with 170 core lokts and the .308, .30-06 and .300 loaded with 180 grain power points. Long story short the .30-30 wins by a considerable margin. The 170 core lokt being recovered, nicely mushroomed from jug # 7 while none of the others make it past jug # 4.

Interesting. Been scoping out 336s again out of sheer nuttzoness.

It doesn't "easily" outperform a 30-30 and its greatly outclassed by a 348. I've found it to be somewhat more effective than a 30-30 up close but over 100 yards out the 30-30 has impressed me a little more

Just wondering. . . .

Where do people get the idea that a 30/30 runs
out of soup at 100 yards and plows down into
the ground ? Or a 35 Remington ?

Anybody volunteer to stand out at 175 and let
somebody throw a few your way ?

LOL, I damn sure wont, my 35 chunks 220gr Speers out at 2175 fps with a stiff charge of Leverevolution powder, +3 at 100 zeros dead on at 175 yards, 2 inches low on 200 yard steel, and it knocks the piss out of that 200 yard steel, 'still' carrying some serious freight, I shot a bedded heavy horned/bodied 8pt buck through the shoulders at 156 yards, the bullet buried itself deep into the white oak he was lying beside waiting for his girlfriend to get back up, he never got his front running gear back under himself, just pushed himself like a football player lineman with back legs for a couple yards and stopped, another 220gr Speer through both hams ended it, barely a handful of wasted fajita meat lost with both hits.

I have a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem I hunt with. I use 200gr CoreLokts or 200gr Hornady RN bullets for whitetails.

I can’t say it does anything my 336’s in 30-30 with 170’s won’t do but I think 35 is a neat old round.

I have an early Marlin 336 rifle that I haven't shot anything with but family members have borrowed it to take several deer and a black bear with no problems.

My use of the 35 Remington has been in Remington Model 8 and 81 rifles. It knocks the snot out of deer and leaves a pretty good bloodtrail when using 200 gr bullets. It has not been nearly as impressive using 180 gr bullets though I have had different results with that weight bullet in a 357 magnum. A scoped M-81 is my probable "go to" gun this fall as it is shooting my 200 gr reloads very well.

I've had a couple over the years. They used to be pretty popular around here with most guys who had them swearing they were better than 30-30. That has not been my observation. Deer I've seen killed with 35 and 30-30 behaved exactly the same. I still have one, but don't hunt with it. I picked up one of the limited versions made just like the SS guide gun in 45-70, except chambered in 35 Rem It has a straight grip 18" barrel and 1/2 mag tube. They only made 500 in 2005.



It might have something to do with a 308 hitting at 600 yards with about the same energy as a 30-30 at 100 yards. The 308 has more power at 300 yards than a 30-30 at the muzzle, yet most hunters think of a 308 as a 300 yard round. Someone with good shooting skills can HIT a deer with a 30-30 at 200-300 yards, just as a skilled shooter can HIT a deer at 600-700 with a 308. Doesn't mean it is a good idea.

Both 30-30 and 35 kill stuff just as well as they did 100+ years ago. But neither round is magical and both were a step backwards in cartridge development. I still take one of my 30-30's hunting occasionally for nostalgic purposes. But I don't pretend that it offers me any advantages.

I own 2 older Marlin levers. One set up with a receiver sight and the other with a 1-4x20 Leupold. Tend to use the scopes rifle more. Never felt lacking with the 35 at the ranges I usually see deer at. Both are very accurate with 200 grain core-lokts and that is really all I have ever used.

I'm trying to wrap my head around how a 200 out of the 35 at 2000-2100 fps easily outperforms a 200 out of my 348 at 2500+ fps.....

We can only assume he has no clue what a 348 Win is.

The 30-30 was not a "step backwards" in the days of big bore blackpowder rounds. It was quite a step forward. Many hunters who were accustomed to the 45-70 and its ilk were blown away by the flat trajectory and quick kills the .30-30 gave them even on larger game. You're simply not understanding the times.

Shot a bunch of whitetails in Upstate NY with my Remington XP-100 in 35 Remington using 180gr Hornady SSP, 150gr Remington CL and Barnes 180gr X bullets at ranges from 15 to 150 yards. It's topped with a Burris 2-7x scope. Shoots better than most of my rifles!

I'm a big fan of the 35 Remington. Having said that, it's a bit of an exaggeration to say it easily out performs the 348. The 348 is it's own machine, and a good one at that.

I think the 35 R.E.M. Handloaded with the 336 action can be a pretty handy load.

The 35 Remington is one of my favorites to shoot/ collect but I have not hunted with one .

I have a Marlin 336. I've used the Hornady and bulk Remington 200 gr RN (which I think are the same bullet) with excellent results. A hunting buddy shot a buck in the front of the chest using my handloads. We recovered the bullet under the skin on the back of the ham.
I hadn't shot a deer with my 336 in 20 years but took it out last fall and shot a whitetail doe at 30 yards while still hunting. The .35 Remington still worked as good as ever!

I've got a Remington 141 in 35 rem that i had the barrel cut back to 19 1/2'' man is it cool. need to blood it besides jackrabbits!

I’ve got one that I live to shoot, but it is snake bit when It comes to hunting. Nothing EVER steps out when I am hunting with it. My .30-30 on the other hand, is a good luck charm!

I don't think they are generally the same bullet, but I do recall Mule Deer posting in the Ask the Gunwriters forum that on occasion, Remington had used ILs in place of CLs. He sectioned some Rem bullets (can't recall if they were from ammo or packaged bullets) and found the IL rings. Perhaps they have packaged ILs in some of the their bulk bullet packages over the years.

Below is a pic of a 35 cal 200 gr RN Core-lokt I pulled from .35 Rem factory ammo on the left, and a Hornady 35 cal 200 gr IL on the right. The CL is a little taller, has more lead exposed at the nose, and the jacket has a sine-wave like ripple bordering the exposed lead vs the IL having a circular border. The cannelures are at different height and of different width.


Core-Lokt Left, Interlock Right

One thing about the 35 Rem is that it is loaded pretty wimpy from the factory, maybe in consideration for all the old Model 8's or something. You can generally add about 200 fps to the factory loads which does make the thing wallop game much harder. You can go even higher if you use the logic that Marlin used the same action for the 356 Winchester chambering.

I've only got an old Remington auto loading rifle in 35 Rem made in 1907-1908. Some would say its a model 8 and it essentially is , but the truth is that is old enough that there's no model number on it before it was designated model 8. Ive only taken it out to shoot but I'm sure at close range it may have it over my 30-30? I've just not enough experience with the 35 rem.

That 348 win and 348 ackley rifles I have in my model 71 rifles are entirely another animal. Those are honestly high performance rounds and the 348 ackley is my answer to owning a 34 whelan lever action. Substantial power and performance.

If you reload, you are in for a treat with the 35 Remington.

200g FTX hornady with right at a max load of leverolution powder is magic, 3/4-1" loads at 100 yards is the norm!

I like the 35 Rem so much I'm having a second bolt action built in that caliber. My first one was a fine shooting Rem Model 7 that would shoot 5/8"-3/4" groups at 100yds with 200gr FTXs and LVR powder.

I can only hope the Win Model 70 FW that's being built shoots as well.

Thanks, Dinny

Thanks for the info! Leave it to Mule Deer to discover that fact.
The bullets I have all look identical. The bulk ones were purchased loose out of a big bin at the Tulsa gun show labeled as Remington. Who knows, maybe they were Hornady?

Do you mean 160 FTX or 140 MonoFlex?
Hornady .30-30 loads

Let me know as I'd like to order some to try.
Thanks in advance for your research!
WFR

I demonstrated the exact same result showing the 303 British with 180 bullets at 2400+ caught in the seventh jug, compared to the 300 WSM 180 gr factory ammo, in the fourth. The guy with the 300 was astonished, and asked why anyone bothers with the mags.

Ted

Contender Super 16 in first config, 40 yarder, she ran into that big log at full speed and bounced off.........didn't even twitch after the bounce.
200gr Hornady RN....hit top of onside shoulder going in (stand on top of ridge).......and fragged, ground a decent path to the offside, barely chinked a rib.
Expected it to hold together. Nope.

Same rifle, diff stock, 75 yards w same round. Clipped back of onside shoulder going in, and clipped offside at front going out.
Appeared to zip on through in one pc

200gr FTX, did not exit, 25 yards, neck shoulder junction quartering to

Running away about 40 yards , from treestand, hit was just ahead of hip along spine. Thought it might exit front of chest. Nope, it slid all the way up through the backstrap.
Dropped him, but he tried to get up and took #2 through both lungs

Thats the rifle I wanted LOL

But they be pricey and my bud picked up 3 older 760 in .35 rem so I snagged the ADL off him.

I might upgrade to a Grice one of these days.

COOL RIFLE!

Yeah, I like the .35 rem a lot.
Boom and not Ka Rack!

Easy on shoulder, hard on deer.
Woodlots w some fields, our little thicket is a 150 and in kinda thing, most 50 and in (creekbottom).

760/7600 ..........they're like a magic wand in the deer woods.

Sorry about any confusion. I have only used the 140 grain mono bullet.

No problem Doc! I will find some of those 140’s and give them a shot.
Pretty well set on .35 ammo for a while.

So is it the extra velocity that tears up the C&C bullets and reduces penetration?

Yes,in general with relatively fragile cup in core bullets, there is an optimal velocity for penetration that tends to favor mild cartridges like 303 British or a 7x57 as opposed to Magnum impact velocities.

But things can change with premium bullets, Monolthic bullets tend to penetrate more as velocity increases, Partitions can do the same thing.

Two factors limit penetration in very high velocity impacts with cup in core bullets. First,penetration is a function of momentum and bullets lose momentum as they shed mass.

Second,cup in core bullets tend to expand to very large frontal areas which creates more friction and limits penetration.

In a monolithic bullet,mass loss is very limited,and the frontal area may get smaller as the bullet continues to expand. The net result is that penetration can increase with velocity because they maintain their momentum and have smaller frontal areas that penetrate with less friction.

The other side of the coin is that cup in core bullets may kill faster precisely because they lose mass and expand with large frontal areas that limit penetration.

Assuming that they penetrate enough to reach vital organs,the loss of mass creates secondary wounding and the large frontal area allows for very rapid energy transfer. These two effects incease the volume of the wound channel even if the length of the wound channel is smaller.

If you shoot the same bullet in a 7x57 and a 7mm Magnum,the Magnum cartridge may be going 500 fps faster at impact. The 7x57 may produce the longer wound channel,but the 7mm Magnum will produce the wound channel with the greatest volume.

So depending upon circumstances,either cartridge may be the quickest killer,but generally speaking the biggest(largest volume) would channel kills the quickest.

My dad wasn't a gun nut like me. He owned just two rifles. One was a Rem 760 and the other was a Marlin 336RC. Both were 35 Rem. I couldn't count how many deer he killed with those two, in the NY Catskills and Adirondacks, along with two bears. I have them both now.

All true but you've got plenty of penetration and wound volume for deer with standard 170 grain bullets out of a .30-30 at any normal woods ranges. I have shot very nearly lengthwise through big whitetails with both 170 grain core lokts and power shoks. I have yet to recover one from a broadside or nearly broadside shot and have gone through both shoulders on numerous occasions. After killing more than 80 deer with cup/core bullets out of my .30-30's with no failures and no abnormally long blood trails to follow, I'm not going to be switching to mono's anytime soon.

70 dead deer can't be wrong. It obviously works for you. I am interested in the 140 grain Hornady Mono bullet for the 30-30 because it chronographed 2600 fps in one of my Marlins with a 20 inch barrel. It chronographed 2480 fps in a Marlin with a 16.5 inch barrel.

I have shot several hogs with this bullet,large and small and it has been a very quick killer.

The thing that I like about it is that it shoots as flat as a lot of 308 loads. I think it makes a Marlin 30-30 good to at least 250 yards,maybe 300.

The ability to take a Marlin out of the woods and into open country is pretty interesting to me. It pretty much turns a Marlin 30-30 into a 300 Savage equivalent. which is pretty good company.

I use the 160 grain FTX in a 300 savage.

I have repeatedly dispatched cow elk at 300to 400 yards. I imagine the velocities these bullets had would be similar to a 30/30 at 75 yards maybe even 100 yards. The Hornady FTX is truly a " game changer" in my mind for the 30/30 and 300 savage. I use leverever lotion powder for my reloads.

Those are impressive velocities for a .30-30. I might give it a try if I was hunting more open country. For where I hunt the old round nose stuff works fine.

35 Rem MGM 20" stainless barrel, Hornady Leverevolution ammo. I wish I still had that barrel.

Dinny, that M70 custom build sounds interesting, keep us posted when its finished. Pictures also please.

My first new rifle was a Marlin 336C about 1981, and I wanted the 35 Rem but lived on the West Coast so no 35 Rem rifles and virtually no ammo to buy. Went with 30-30 which has been reincarnated as a 35/30.

Friend of mine is thinking seriously about having one of his 94s rebored and chambered to 35 on the 30-30 case.

Any trouble getting it to feed?

Ted

Nope

i have shot more deer with a 35 than any other cartridge. i have all the pumps remington ever made in 35 and quite a few marlin models. i love the old 35. never had a deer go far after hitting them with a 200 grain corlokt. not sure any even took more than a few steps. most just dropped. i'll be taking out The Meatmaster 7600 Carbine this fall for a day or more. been a few years since i have gotten a deer with a 35.

I got a 35 Rem when I was about 15 years old. Over the 10 or so years I had it, I killed a lot of deer. Probably 5 or 6 a year at least. Nothing I have ever used killed deer any deader or faster. I went to a 270 next, and it was for longer range hunting. It was not more effective than the 35, which gave me an exit and a big blood trail every time.

And that lever action Marlin could sling lead fast. I’m guessing at the time involved, but once I managed to sneak up on a bean field that was full of deer, and they had to run past me to get to the woods. The first deer shot was standing. The next two were running. I killed those 3 in 10 seconds or less. Boy, Dad was mad. Surely the statute of limitations has long since run out.

I sold that gun when I got married. Sure wish I still had it. 336 Texan it was.

Did you get custom dies or just open up a 30-30 set?

The sensible thing to do is just sell the 30-30 and get a 35 Rem, but he/we is/are a rifle looney.

Thanks,
Ted

I have always thought this link was one of the best bullet evaluations on the net. It was about 35 Remington bullets. The original Rem 200 grain roundnose core-lokt was a great performer in the bullet test, as well as the Speer 180 and 220 grain flat point bullets.

http://www.suitorsgarage.com/gunstuff/35remington/35rempart2.html

I had two Marlin 336 35 Remingtons. One a 336C. The other was a ballard-rifled waffle top 336a. Both shot well (<1.5 moa), but I never took game with them. Sold them 15+ years ago as I was reducing the number calibers/chamberings in my gun rack.

The 35 Rem is a no muss, no fuss cartridge for woods ranges. It still works.

I need to use this to draw blood. Custom Shop Model 7 35 Rem. I couldn't handle the recoil with the McMillan stock so I mounted the action in an early Model 7 synthetic stock. It wears a Leupold fixed 4 power. I purchased it on the campfire.



Ken

Good to see you posting Ken!

Very, very cool. Should you ever decide to part with that one please keep me in mind....or at least after George in line. It is good to see you posting.

Thank you for the welcome back.

Ken

I enjoy shooting my 336A in .35 Rem. also, but like you hunt with other rifles. Too many better choices.

I dont know Michigan at all but what could possibly be a better deer rifle in those woods than the 35 Remington? Even moose and elk in thickets out west are in real trouble.

Something with a scope for these old eyes.

In my early years (eons ago) I shot quite a few deer in NY state and Maine with both a 30-30 Win and a 35 Rem lever rifles. My deceased uncle shot a 476 lb. bear in the Adirondacks in 1967 with a 336 Marlin in 35 Rem which held the state record for a number of years. The animals hit with the 35 Rem always seems to drop faster and die quicker compared to the 30-30.

I've got 20+ big game rifles in various calibers and actions but honestly in the places I hunt and at the range I shoot most deer and bear I could hunt the rest of my life using a 336 Marlin in 35 Rem.

Well said Sir. My thoughts also.

My grand dad and his crowd in West VA thought the perfect deer rifle started and ended with the 35 Remington Marlin...
most of those guys are long gone now...

my 15 yrs in Minnesota, knew a lot of old guys who thought the perfect deer round started and ended with the 35 Remington,
but their preference for the rifle chambered in it, was either a Model 14 Rem or a Model 141....then the guys that had to be different seemed to prefer a Rem Model 8 instead....

in the 80s and 90s, there sure seemed to be plenty of store ammo on the shelves in 35 Remington...

Never owned one, but I certainly could live with one, in the areas I hunt here in Oregon anymore at my age..

I don't need a 500 yd rifle, to take down a 100 lb blacktail at 75 or 80 yrds...

So Seafire you think the 35 remington and 200gr rn's would kill them any deadier than that 220 gr rn loads in your 30-30? MB

I spent last Sunday pushing through chest-high sword ferns in search of the wily blacktail. The longest possible shot was well under 100 yards. Either of these rifles would be perfect for that.




This thread is going to cost me a fortune.


Okie John