Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions The allure of the Marlin336/.35 Remington

Rediscovered lever guns some years back. 45 years ago, that was all I had to hunt deer with. One of my favorites is an early 50s vintage M336SC in 35 Remington, wearing a Williams receiver sight.

Haven't needed to worry about blood trails so far. The deer have fallen where shot, with factory 200gr Core Lokts.

I'm guessing that looks a bit like this one.

Yep, except for your nicer Redfield or Lyman sight. ;o)

You must have wussy deer. Or you must shoot them in the neck.

We have seen where a 30-06 with 220 grain have taken out the entire lungs and BOTH shoulders. And the buck will shove their entire body 10 or more yards using only their back legs. We have seen deer get shot and totally do a flip shot higher in the shoulder 360 degrees and then run off. These ALL at 100 yards or less. DRT are a rarity and usually have been on does and almost never on bucks. These are all 100% solid hits with excellent bullet placement.

Maybe the definition of DRT means if you find a deer within 30 yards. Then I believe these DRT stories. Drop in their tracks just doesn't happen in my neck of the woods. Same is true for all the hunters in our area except for those who do neck shots.

Have shot two deer in the neck in the past 48 years: One with a 30-06 at maybe 50 yards (buck standing behind a large tree, broadside), the other in the back of the neck at about 75-80 yards (buck walking uphill in thick brush), with a 25-06.

Most of the rest have been shot in the boiler room, or in the shoulder. In my humble experiences over the years, deer aren't all that difficult to kill with a well-placed shot and a good bullet.

Have killed them cleanly and quickly with a 60gr Partition from a 22-250; 444 Marlin (200gr); 35 Rem (200gr); 30-06 (150 and 165gr); 8x57 (170, 150 and 125gr); 25-06 (100gr and 117gr); 32 Special (170gr) and M629 S&W (200gr XTP). All handloads but the 35 Rem. and the 170gr in 8x57.

You might be shooting huge deer out there, but most of mine in the northern PA farm country where I hunt, were in the 120 to 140lb "class". Heaviest buck I've taken, was about 155lbs on der hoof. He stumbled downhill a few yards, after being hit behind the shoulder with a 165gr Btip from a 30-06 @ 80 yards.

Did thump a big doe at about 300 yards once with the 25-06, that rared-up on her hind legs and went back'ards about 5 yards before falling over dead, if that counts as a "not quite" DRT? ;O)

Upon further reflection, have decided I can now deduct that reverse 5 yards from any forward progress deer might make in the future, after bein' hit.

The last two deer I have shot fell where they stood. A small 2 x3 in Montana and a 180-class 4x4 in New Mexico. The first to a Hornady 180 gr SP from a .30-06 at about 50 yards in a snowstorm and the second from a 150 gr Interbond from a .300 Win Mag at about 100-125 yards. Both went right down and kicked a couple times. Neither were head, neck or spine shots.

Don't shoot too high on deer, the heart is low and blood comes out of the bottom of lungs way before it comes out the top.

The shoulders are too high, about the very bottom of the shoulder meat, where it is narrow, is about right for height, and a couple inches back.

If you hit em in the heart, they die.

The wifey just bought me my first 35 rem. It's a Sears mod 45. My understanding is that this is a Marlin. Haven't shot it yet but I'm excited about it. You gatta love a woman that buys you a nice old rifle for your aniversary. The rifle looks like it's in great shape. I hope to hunt with it this season. Are there any concerns I need to know about with an older rifle. I don't know how old it is but I haven't seen a Sears gun in a while.This rifle fits nicely between my 30-30 and my 45-70 (both Marlins) I was thinking about Rem core-lokt 200 gr factory ammo. Is this a sufficient load for black bear?

According to the "store brand" cross references I can find, the Sears M45 is the Marlin M336C.

Rem. 200gr Core Lokt factory ammo shoots so well in my Marlin 35 Rem, never did get around to working on a "better" load yet. And yes, they should do fine for black bears.

Doc H, You will find that the 200gr core-lokt simply works. The results are predictable and repeatable. They expand and penetrate and therefore kill very well.
Goat

Bought a .35 Remington 336 a few years back. Sighted it in, and never used it again.
I just never could warm up to that caliber. Wound up trading it off to a 'fire member for his Marlin 39 Golden Mountie .22 LR.
It was a pretty rifle, I just never fell in love with it.

First new deer rifle I bought when I graduated from college in 1968 was a 336 / 35rem. ( I remember paying less the $75 new for it from K-Mart) I topped it at the time with the popular Redfield 4X wideview scope on see-thru mounts. It took my first buck a year later along with many more. I sold it about 5 years ago to some guy in MO.
This gun shown now belongs to my son, it was given to him by a great buddy of mine who had to have a gun exactly like mine when he bought it in 1973. He shot less than a box of shells through it and gave my son what was left in the original box of shells . I still wish I had mine, they would be twins right down to the scope and mounts.
My son is leaving his 7-08 home this fall and will try to take a Michigan whitetail with this gift.

I am a fan of them danged ol 35 's .As long as Marlin made em.

Kerr what year is the one in the middle-that is a great looking stock

L to R . 57 , 94 , 06 . The 2 on the right started life as pistol grips . I lucked into 2, 336 T , 30-30's and swaped parts ,than sold the 30-30's .

The first one , 57 , is the real deal thow . It is kinda my pet and I dont shoot it much . I will get into casting boolets one day and than it will get used more .

i stumbled onto a 336rc in 35 rem 2 yrs ago when my rem 742 took a dump just before rifle season. what a blessing this was. this rifle was a beauty from 1962, hardly shot and i bought it for a song. having never owned a lever action, this is the sweetest carrying deer rifle i have ever laid my hands on. hunting the northeast, shots are close and quick at times.i am a new campfire member and have not read anyone using the hornandy leverevolution ammo in their marlins in 200 gr. i know some rifles like differnt bullets/ weights, but the hornandy stuff blew away the rem corelokt . i was shooting 1" groups at 100yds. the combo was way beyond what i thought it would do and you also have a bullet that hornandy says is good to about 250-300yds. the guys on this post seem very loyal to their 336's. give this ammo a try. for those who shoot winchester levers, the hornandy doesnt shoot nearly as well as it does in the marlin. i have no loyalty to hornandy but this ammo is the real deal.

"My Marlin 336 in 35 Remington is now my favorite deer rifle."

Ditto. Especially so early in the season when "seeing" ranges are short.

I like them all...I have a couple of old Winchester SRCs in 30-30s and a 25-35. I have owned a number of older Marlins also and I think the 35 Rem caliber in a marlin is one heck of a whitetail rifle or even a mule deer rifle and a borderline elk rifle...I would love to shoot one for awhile just to see how it works on elk.

The 35 Rem is a great cartridge, but wouldn't be any more effective than a 30-30 IMO with proper hits and only proper hits count anyway, so both would have the same effect....

Never figured much difference in the abilities of the 35 Rem and 30-30, but some give the slightly larger diameter the edge. I've had an old M94 in 32 Special for over 45 years. Have killed deer with that and my 336SC in 35 Rem and one is about the equal of the other, in my opinion.

Prefer the way the Marlin handles and shoots, compared to my M94, so that one gets the nod come deer seasons.

Guy I once worked with, also had a M94 in 32 Special and was gonna buy his son a new M336 in 30-30, for the kid's first deer season. Talked him into getting a new M336 in 35 Rem, instead. They were both semi-dunderheads, figured even a first class dunderhead could easily tell the difference between 32 Spl. ammo and 35 Rem ammo? ;O)

Here is a Marlin 336 in .35Rem with a Weaver J2.5 scope. An unusual combination in this day and age. But it works well and is very handy in the thick scrub.