Because I am bored.....I applied my Safari Grade modification to the 35 Rem 336 XLR and came up with some very good performance. Who thought that the 35 Rem had this kind of power to offer....more to come as the project continues............

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

FT, which 250gr bullet are you using? That's some surprisingly high velocity! I'm only used to seeing those kinds of speeds from a 35 Remington when using 200gr bullets.

35Rem = 358?

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Chaser of webfooted swampmonsters!

broom_jm; For test purposes I am using the Speer 250....but, I have designedr a short 255 grain cast bullet that will be used for the final product...so to speak. Here is the bullet and what it will look like loaded in a 35 Rem case.

I am striving for better "numbers" that what I have obtained so far, but I will need to try out a few more powders before I reach a final fps on the modification.

A buddy of mine is having the mold made up for this bullet and once that is done I will continue on................

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Yup, and "maybe" even better! Only time will tell!

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Defying the laws of physics, are we?!?

In any case, it seems like an interesting project. Do you have a means to accurately measure the pressures you're generating?

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IDShooter

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain

Pressures are ok...the gun hasnt blown up yet!

I use the best means I can to keep an eye on pressures. Primers, case head measurements, case stretch, extraction pressure, bolt block trauma, bolt thrust tolerances etc, At 40.0 grains of Reloader-7 (2355 fps) minimal pressure indicators showed up, and that was when I called it over...nothing dangerous...nothing crazy, but, enough for a common sense shooter to call it quits. Time to move on to a bit slower burning powder and continue on.

Once on another forum, I had a fella that ran max loads in all his rifles (and bragged about it) complaining about the pressures of one of my modifications. He asked me what my pressures were and I told him I didnt know because I didnt have pressure testing equipment to test pressures with. He went ballistic on me....then I asked him what he gauged the pressures of all his super hot loads with.............Said I am sure you have a complete pressure testing lab at your disposal....I never heard from him again.

How many folks have the means of judging pressures in their firearms....very few I will bet....but, there are a lot of us that do wildcatting and cartridge development, etc...have done it our whole lives (over 50 years for me), and never had an issue.....why, because we use experience, common sense, and keep an eye on what we are doing.

Believe me, there are two things I refuse to do...hurt one of my guns, or hurt me!!!

By the way, my last modification, the Safari Grade 444 (a 410 grain bullet at 2160 fps, 4250 ft lbs) in a Marlin lever gun, was the target of the attack by that fella who questioned my pressures. I have put over 1500 rounds through that rifle, there is little if any case stretch, no loose primers or any other case issues, no bolt block trauma (like I have seen in some used Marlins that were given a good dose of too hot loads) and that rifle is just as tight and as accurate as the day I built it.............and I still dont know what the pressures are..........

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Hahaha, yeah, I doubt many of us have full pressure testing labs. But I have known folks to send rounds for testing or use a strain gauge to get an idea. I wondered if you were using any of those methods.

But I'm certainly not attacking. Just curious.

A little anecdote about the strength of the Marlins - my stepfather-in-law got his start in reloading with a Marlin 30-30. He went to a little store in rural Montana and bought powder, primer, and bullets (no manual. Didn't know he needed one). Since he knew the 30-30 was 30 caliber, and 30 grains of powder, he loaded up 30 grains - of BULLSEYE! He said it was really hard to open the lever, and he knew something was amiss from the recoil and report. But the gun didn't blow, and he still shoots it today.

So, who knows, right?

Have fun and be safe.

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IDShooter

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain

That is ALWAYS my main concern (pressures), and yes Marlins, especially the smaller diameter cartridges in the "high pressure barrel steel" versions will take a lot more than most folks realize...BUT, I dont want to be one of the folks that finds out just how much it takes to blow one wide open....believe me, I am VERY careful. On top of that, I have folks that have shot my rifles, and there are those that want these conversions, and I am not going to put them in any danger!!!! As it stands now, "if" I was going to call it quits with this powder, bullet combination, the SAFE charge and velocity would be 2250 fps max for the 250 grain bullet. I feel that would be a perfectly safe load for any conditions...temperature, etc....and that would give the shooter an excellent safety margin. This is supposed to be fun....not dangerous! I appreciate your interest, and concern. Thanks! FT

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

If you keep working on and improving the "little 35" you might just end up with enough umph to make a good hunting round . Keep up the good work.

rooter; Someday they may call this the............................................... ............................Safari Grade 35!!!

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Keep on keeping on brother FT!

Was that meant to be tongue-in-cheek?

The 35 Remington, shooting a boring old 200gr Remington Core-lokt, has killed untold numbers of whitetails, all at considerably less velocity than FT is getting from bullets weighing 50 grains (20%) more.

I subscribe to the theory that there is no free lunch in the world of reloading. If you're shooting a heavier bullet, faster than a lighter bullet, you are employing some means outside of published reloading recipes or techniques to get there. Most of the time, what that boils down to is greater pressure, plain and simple.

Now, given that the 35 Remington was originally introduced in a semi-auto of somewhat dubious strength, SAAMI gave it a modest pressure rating. In stronger firearms, folks have been exceeding that SAAMI rating, with their handloads, for many a year.

I'm quite confident FT knows what he's doing, as evidenced by the duration of time he's been at it, and the fact that his various appendages are still intact. I'll be interested to see where this goes.

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Ask me about QDMA.

Yes sir broom jm... Tongue -n- cheek. Have a 35 that shoots cast very well and hammers the pigs down here in sunny Florida. Have followed FT on his 444 projects and now the 35 project. You won't meet a better / safer gunsmith than brother FT!

broom_jm; I think I can speak for rooter....he WAS being tongue in cheek. Rooter is a big 35 Rem fan as we are and he well knows what the cartridge is capable of. He is virtually a full time hunter, reloader, caster, etc (or so it seems), with deer, wild hog, turkey, etc, on the menu year round, and, all of his game is taken with the 444 and the 35 Rem....using his bullets and his reloads.

Fear not on the pressures. My modification has pressure regulation "built in" in a number of ways. As you said, after all these years I am still in one piece (as are all of my rifles), and this goes to show that I am adamant about producing SAFE modifications, wildcats, etc. I am not one of the proponents of running "max" loads in anything be it OEM or modified. All those hot loads do is beat up the shooter, and beat up the firearm, and worse yet injury could occur to both...hot loads are not a wise choice!

I was explaining to a buddy of mine at the range the other day why African cartridges are so large. The temperature extremes of Africa could cause a load worked up in Europe at median temps to be "over pressure" in the temps and direct light of the African sun, where temps can hold at 120+ degrees. the extra large case allows ballistics at less than max charges to be obtained while keeping pressures on the low side.

I try to follow this format when I am working with my modified rifles. The charge that produced the top number with this modification was barely a base of the bullet "fluffed" load....not compressed. At that loading 40.0 grains of RL-7, with the 250 grain bullet, the pressure "threshold' was just starting to show itself...nothing dangerous or extreme, but, it was time to quit. I am sure some shooters would reach and use loads that showed these minimal signs that pressures were getting close to the max....I wont.

As you have said, the 35 Rem has taken everything on the North American continent, and under a different name it has been a popular European cartridge ( 9.1 mm X 49 mm.....or some such thing) as well. It is one heck of a cartridge and outperforms its paper numbers by good margin. Like the purpose of wildcats, or magnums, all my efforts are intended do is improve upon the ballistics of an already fine cartridge. My minimum goal is a "safe and sane" load with this new 255 grain cast bullet at 2325+ fps, and 3000+ ft lbs suitable for shooting under "ALL" conditions.

While some must have the newest most modern cartridges available, and, dismiss cartridges like the ol' 35 Rem as being outdated, antiquated, and underpowered, a project like this will breed new life and new power in to this old beast, and show those who dismiss this cartridge that it had a lot more to offer than anybody imagined!

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

FT you gotta PM!

Thanx

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Chaser of webfooted swampmonsters!

Yes I do!!!

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Wow Flat Top that's some great power. That puts the old .35 in a whole new range. The Marlin's are a lot stronger than most people think.

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I live in America. Why do I have to press 1 for English?

Thanks roverboy! This modification really doesnt put any stress on the ol' Marlin. Most folks think because the performance is up there that the pressures are too, but my modifications dont work out that way. I would not be pulling the trigger if I thought that I would be putting my rifle or myself in any danger....believe me! Keep in mind that this "IS" a "MODIFIED" rifle. An OEM Marlin cannot accomplish this feat by any means. I think when all is said and done and the testing phase is complete, this ol' 35 Rem is really going to shine...more so than I could have hoped for. We are in the process now of having the mold made up for the new 255 grain bullet that I designed specifically for this modification, and when I get my hands on that the testing will continue. Stay tuned for occasional updates.

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"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

Have a friend, now a resident of the State of Maine, formerly of Alabama and known to us, his buddies as "Brillo" for his impressive facial hair at the time (30 years ago). Brillo had a 336/.35 and handloaded 250 grain spitzers to impressive levels, although I don't recall the specifics of his load.

We named his cartridge creations the ".35 Brillo Magnum."