The allure of the Marlin in 35

[358Goat]

I know I am not old but I am not as young as I once was. As I age I find that I am far more prone to hunt with guns that have that "right feel" about them. I currently have ten or more guns that I classify as deer rifles. They range from stainless/synthetic bolt guns to my Marlins and a BLR in 358. For several years I thought that a real deer rifle had to be a bolt gun with the ability to reach out across a clearcut or down a gasline for several hundred yards while shooting as flat as a string. The passing of time has brought me back into the woods and creek bottoms where shots are more likely to be well under a hundred yards. It is this love of the close range woods that has driven me back to the lever actions that I once considered out dated and to cartridges I once thought of as anemic and barely able to take a deer. I have had a wonderous affair with the BLR in 358 that brought me back to the lever gun. It is a TREMENDOUS combination that I have used to kill about twenty deer. But even with such success I have found some thing that just feels better in my hands. My Marlin 336 in 35 Remington is now my favorite deer rifle. I have only been able to kill around ten deer with it but the results have been very predictable and satisfying. The average distance traveled has been less than 25 yards after taking a 200gr Core-lock from a handload that includes AA2230. This combination simply works! I finally realised that a gun is carried a lot more than it is shot and the Marlin carries well. Since I now have acknowledged that my least expensive deer gun IS my favorite I have upgraded the scope to a Leupold VX-III 2.5 -8x scope. I realize that the top end magnification is more than is necessary but I have three more of these on other rifles and find that they are just about perfect for my style of hunting. They can be turned up for sesions at the range or left down low for hunting in the woods.I wish that eveyone who hunts had a combination that worked as well for them as this does for me. The 35 Remingotn hits with authority without a large dose of recoil . And when properly applied behind the shoulder a deer is not long for this world. What more could I ask for?

Ps. the picture is about 15 years old. I'm now grayer and a bit heavier...

 

[kujuak]

I got an old Marlin waffletop lever n 35 Remington a year ago. Found a vintage Lyman receiver sight (the old Marllns were not drilled/tapped for scope mountng).Found 1 bag of brass. Loaded up some ammo using the recipe on the Levergun powder can and the old rfle produced a 100 yd 1'' 3 shot group wth factory ammo velocity. Done and dusted.
Very gentle recoil,accurate . Just lovely.
Great choice of scope by the way. I have same power Leupolds, a VarX III anda VariX 3. One on a Finnwolf 308 and an older Sako Mannlicher stocked rifle, also in 308. I think it is THE perfect hunting scope.
Good hunting to you, live well and long!

 

[JD338]

The 35 cals absolutely crush deer. The 200 gr SPCL is THE bullet for the 35 Remington. Great choice on the scope. It's probably my favorite scope for hunting in the woods.

JD338

 

[Blkram]

Aren't we all! (grayer and heavier, that is)...and hopefully wiser!

I have had a lot of fun owning shooting, and hunting with my pre-81 BLR over the past 23 years! Its favourite load is 50.0 gr of W748 and a 220 gr Speer Hot Cor FP at 2209 fps. It will shoot 1" groups with this load. While the trigger has terrible creep and over travel, I do know where in its creep the trigger breaks, and that helps with the accuracy. I taken several elk, a moose, a mule deer and backed up DrMike on his grizzly bear with it, at ranges from 20 to 140 yards. My daughter used it to take her first big game; a young velvet mulie buck.
I have used it as my camp/truck/atv/saddle gun for years as it is short and handy and will take care of anything that needs to be sorted out in a hurry. I have also used it as my bacck up rifle for guiding and archery hunting. For years, it wore a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5x20 scope in QR rings and bases. I have now upgraded it to a VX-R 2-7x33 with the FireDot reticle, as these aging eyes will appreciate that red dot against the black hair of a bear or moose in the dark timber.
I like the 358 Win a lot, and finally now have a custom LH Rem 700 chambered for it. It shoots the HSM 225 gr SGK ammo into 0.557" groups at 100 yards at 2405 fps. At this time, they are not importing anymore of this ammo to Canada, so I am working on developing a handload for this bullet. So far, 54.2 gr of CFE 223 is showing the most promise at 2528 fps and a 0.720" group.

I have long been a fan of Marlin rifles and have owned several over the years in various cartridges. My Marlin 375S in 375 has been in my battery longer than any other rifle.
A number of years ago I purchased a Marlin 336CS in 35 Rem for my wife to be her camp/saddle gun. I mounted the 1.5-5 off my BLR on it for her. So far, she hasn't shot it yet, as she has been having a lot of fun with her 250 Savage (Ruger No.1) and 6.5 CM (LH Browning X Bolt Hunter). I do have some 180 gr Speer Hot Cor FPs to develop a load for it, but haven't gotten around to that as yet. Need to get out and shoot it!

So yeah, a 35 cal in a lever action has a lot to like!