I need IMMEDIATE HELP with my 336

[358Goat]

I'm leaving to go to Alberta on my bear hunt and my 336 in 35 Remington developed a problem. All of a sudden I'm having light primer strikes and the round doesn't fire. It will fire on the second strike but that's not good enough to hunt with!
I've been hand loading for nearly forty years and I'm beginning to think I've got some hard primers or my main spring has gotten weak.
I've completely disassembled the bolt and cleaned the firing pin, both pieces, and even used Emory cloth to shine up the firing pin and the longitudinal hole through the bolt. I very lightly oiled the pieces of the firing pin, reassembled the bolt.
After this I've not had any light strikes with the ammo that's been loaded for a couple years. But, I only have 3 or 4 of those left. The fresh loads in new Hornady brass gave me light strikes 2 out of 3. I REALLY wanted to kill my first bear with my .35 but I'm nervous about taking her now.
I'm seriously thinking about changing to my .375 Marlin shooting a 220gr Hornady at 2,200fps They shoot under 1-1/2" with boring regularity Or I could take my 1972 born 1895 in 45/70. In the 45/70 I would use either a 405gr Remington soft point handloaded to 1750+fps or a 300gr Nosler Partition loaded to 2,200fps. The Nosler consistently shoot around an inch at a hundred yards but I'll be hunting over bait and shots should be under 50yds. The 400 grainers shoot about 1-1/2" at a hundred yds. So either will work. I would have to load some more 45/70 and mount a scope on it since its set up with a Williams 5D and fiber optic front sight now. I have a Leupold 1-4x with the pig plex reticle in waiting that I could drop on it. The M-375 has a 2-7x Leupold on it already.
So there's my dilemma! What's happening with my 35?

 

[358Goat]

I had thought about swapping springs with another Marlin at one time but had forgotten about it in my frenzy. I loaded another box of the 405gr soft points and I already had 10 rounds. I have time tomorrow to mount the scope and sight it in at fifty yards here behind our home. While I would rather shoot at 100yds 50 will have to do. Another option if I feel I must have a lever gun is my steel framed BLR-81 in 358Win shooting 225gr Nosler Partitions at 2,400fps. I feel like....
It's either the 45/70 or the 358!

 

[JD338]

The Alberta bear hunt sounds like a great adventure, those bears can get big.
The 45-70 loaded with the Nosler 300 gr PT at 2200 fps will crush the biggest bear and give you an exit from most any angle. Go with the 45-70 and don’t look back.
Best of luck on your hunt.

JD338

 

[sako2]

If they all fire on the second strike your primers aren't seated right. Try uniforming the primer pockets.

 

[jimbires]

NEVER , oil a firing pin assy . , or trigger . oil gets gummy and attracts dirt . this oil gets thick and gummy in cold temps . when you have time , take the bolt apart wash it out good , I use automotive brake cleaner . after it dries put cigarette lighter fluid over all the pieces . lighter fluid contains a type of lube , and it works great on triggers and firing assemblies . this lighter fluid info came from , Jewell Triggers .

be sure the primers are seated completely . they should be just slightly below the case head . if you stand up a case on a smooth table , and it rocks , the primer is high .
I ran into primers being high one time . I forget what cartridge it was , I was loading for a friend . I picked through my shellholders and found one that would work . . I use the RCBS hand primer , that uses a shellholder . the shellholder groove was a little wide . the hand primer did not have enough travel to make up for this extra width in the shellholder groove . I finished seating the primers on the press .

I would not take a problem rifle on a hunting trip . you're asking for disappointing trip if you do .

 

[highoctane]

@358Goat, "changing horses mid-stream" may not be what you want but I concur with JD338 and sako2, take the 45/70 for the bears, and those primer pockets may need uniforming. As noted, it sounds like the primers are not seated all the way. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[SJB358]

Make sure you don’t have excessive headspace as well. Your cases may not be fitting the chamber real well and allowing them to lay in there. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen new brass that was way too short. There isn’t much shoulder on a 35 REM so that’s a pretty important part to positive ignition.

I use Starting fluid on pins and trigger assembly. It has a light lube in it and will not cake up as Jim mentioned.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

If you are using a different lot or brand of brass that would be what I looked at first. Easy to have that small shoulder pushed back too far on a 35 Rem. This will allow the case to bounce forward on impact of the firing pin causing light strikes. Also, if the primers are sticking up above the face of the rim after firing is another indicator of shoulder pushed back causing head space issue. Saw this happen in my Remington 760 35 Rem with Winchester factory loads. It does happen sometimes. Try readjusting your resizing die to just barely touch the shell holder or slightly above it. Worked for me in the Marlin 336 35 Rem I had. Happy hunting.

 

[grry10]

Now that you've fireformed that brass in your rifle try loading with it again to see if the problem is corrected. You should be able to see if primers are seated properly and are not protruding. You could purchase a box of factory ammo to verify that it isn't a rifle problem. If you really want to kill a bear with the .35 Rem I wouldn't give up on it yet. Good luck and I hope you have a great hunt.

 

[Johnly]

I'd remove the bolt and remove any grease or gummy residue that has gathered.
I have a bunch of old Marlin rifles, and never had a coil spring go soft on me.
I see that you posted on the MarlinOwners group, perhaps the best place to find resolution to your issue.

 

[Teknys]

I would verify your primer pockets and also the primer depth = .003" is what I use.

 

[KinleyWater]

I don't know the 336 and I don't have as much experience loading as many on here, but I would ask a few things:
- Have you visually inspected the new loads compared to known good old loads? You may notice dimensional or other differences which can clue you in as to the problem.
- Have you tried buying a box of factory ammunition to see if the same thing happens? It might help you diagnose between the rifle and the loads.
- Have you tried reloading some of the brass from the old loads that you know fire with components from the new loads? If it is a shoulder issue or a primer pocket issue, using the brass from the known good loads should solve that.

I get the love of the 35. When I was a teen, everyone I knew used either a 30-30 or a 35 rem for deer and bear. It's a fantastic round and it's something special in a lever gun. That said, I would also have a backup

 

[358Goat]

Thanks guys for all the replies and your combined wisdom, experience and your willingness to help!!!
Since I'm already committed to my 35 Whelan shooting the 225gr Nosler Partitions and I would be shooting the same from my 358 nearly at least 250fps slower I've opted for the handloaded 45/70 with 405gr flat points I loaded last night. It only took 2 rounds to sight it in and a couple more made a very tight cloverleaf at fifty yards which is as far as I can shoot in my back yard easily.
I took the load from Handloader Magazine, August 2007 #248.
I'm still under the max load of RL15 but achieving 1900fps with the 400gr Flat point. I think that will mean one dead bear...