Author Topic: Why choose a .35 Remington? (Read 3907 times)

BradCoPAHunter · « **on:** December 28, 2005, 03:43:48 AM »

I've read tons of posts on the merits of the .35 Rem and the .30-30 Win. Personal preference aside, it seems that, in almost all people's experience, the .30-30 will expand, penetrate, and kill deer and black bears just as well as a .35 Remington. Plus, the .30-30 has flatter trajectory, less recoil, and many more choices & better availability (where I live) for factory ammo. So, given all that, why would I want to choose a levergun in .35 Rem over .30-30?

I ask all this because I have found a J.C. Higgins model 45 (which appears to be a Marlin 336 made for Sears) chambered in .35 Remington. It is in great shape, is priced at $225, and for some reason I keep going pulling it off the gun shop's rack. Interestingly, the gun is drilled and tapped for both scope mounts and receiver sights. The barrel is not marked "micro-groove", and, from the muzzle end, it looks to have about 8 grooves (I kept loosing my starting place). So, despite wanting the gun, my practical side says, get a .30-30 because of the reasons I listed above. Am I splitting hairs here, or is there some significant reason I should choose the .35 over a .30-30? (Note: I don't plan to reload any time soon, maybe never, so that isn't a concern.) Any and all experienced thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance for your help.

Oldtimer · « **Reply #1 on:** December 28, 2005, 09:18:58 AM »

I will give you a reason to buy that particular .35 Remington, and it is what you said in your second paragraph, that you keep going back to that rifle. Whatever the reasons, whether esthetic (it looks good) or ergonomic (it fits you well), it is worth getting. Especially if the latter, I would say get the gun. As you observe, both cartridges will do about the same thing. You could say the same thing about any of the woods cartridges, from 7-30 Waters to the .38-55 Winchester.
My experience is that most nonreloaders do not shoot all that much, unless they have a source of free ammo, so the availability of ammo is not a big factor. I once mounted a scope on a Remington 742 for a man who had it for over ten years, and he still had 12 cartridges out of the box he had bought with the gun. One cartridge went to see where the gun hit, and the other 8 accounted for a deer each. Get a couple of boxes of ammo, and you will be set for several seasons.
Since none of us has the chance to spend a lot of time in the woods, due to modern hunting regulations, you might as well spend that time with a gun that you like, and what you say makes me think you like this gun a lot. There is one more thing, if it is not all that common a caliber in your area, it might be a reason for the seller to drop the price. I once got $50 knocked off a .38 Super because the gunshop did not have any ammunition for that caliber in stock. Good luck!

35Rem · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2005, 04:31:53 PM »

Since you are posting on this forum, you have access to the internet AND the best prices on 35 Remington ammo. Look at sportsmanguide.com.
The new Hornady Leverevolution stuff looks pretty promising. Check out Midsouthshooters.com

I will say this about the 35 Rem. Whatever you see on paper, comparing it to the 30-30, throw it away. The 35 kills much better than the ballistics say. The larger frontal area, and big round nose transfer the energy much faster than the 30 cals. The 30 cal doesn't have a 200 grain bullet either.

BradCoPAHunter · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2006, 05:04:52 AM »

Thanks for your replies. After going back to the shop and handling the JC Higgins back to back with other leverguns, I had to get the Higgins. It shouldered just as quickly as a Winchester model 94, and the trigger pull was definitely better. :-) I like to wonder what kind of hunts it has been taken on, and I plan to continue taking it afield. :grin: As far as the ammo concern, as a resident of Massachusetts, I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to buy ammo through mail order. So I'll try a few different brands and then have a gun shop order a bunch of whatever it shoots best. Who knows, maybe I will get into reloading after all! :wink:

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2006, 07:27:36 AM »

I'm not a 35 Remington owner myself, but I do have several friends, and family that own, and love them. I've shot them a good bit over the years, and honestly, in real world conditions, and ranges(woods hunting), the 35 Remington is close enough in trajectory to the 30-30 that the difference is irrelevant.

The biggest difference I've personally seen is that the 35 Remington hits game a lot harder than the 30-30, and generally has a lot more stopping power. That heavy 35 caliber bullet gives you more frontal area, and that's a big plus when it comes to dropping game quickly, especially if you're talking about a truly large bodied deer, or a bear.

I think you'll like hunting with that rifle very much, and the ammo isn't really all that much higher.

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2006, 03:18:54 PM »

My ex ended up with my old Marlin in .35 Remington, and she told me she loaned it to a fellow who used it to bag a grizzly up north of Fort Yukon. I don't know the veracity of that, and it happened in the mid '70s. I don't think I would take a .30-30 out after big bears, no way! Come to think about it, I doubt if I would tackle one with a .35, even if it has been done.

-WH-

realidahorock · « **Reply #6 on:** February 09, 2006, 06:56:59 PM »

because it would make a great 356 which takes the rifle to another level. realidahorock

Savage .250 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2006, 02:24:36 AM »

Now that you have that .35 you may want to partner it up with the new
Hornady LeveRevolution shells in that cal.
Reading the info from the Hornady site makes it sound like they`ve
found a way to put new life/spark into an already good round.
I`ve got a Marlin in .35 and as soon as i can find some i`m going to give
them a try.

JEFF WARD2 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2006, 02:53:44 AM »

hello my name is jeff and i am a new leverholic...
been tosing the idea of wich one to buy next..30-30- or the 35..
i decided to go with the 35 a few weeks ago so been putting my pennies away for that one first, then not sure wich one after that but i do know that i will own a 30-30 before it is over..
i decided on the 35 for all of the above reasons, but will also get the 30-30- because like i said im a leverholic and have to have as many as i can..lol..

IkenI · « **Reply #9 on:** February 10, 2006, 04:02:21 AM »

cause I like .35s and I like the .35 Rem better than my .358 Win or .35 Whelen (most of the time)

realidahorock · « **Reply #10 on:** February 10, 2006, 07:31:36 AM »

not because of performance of course

Must be a traditional thing or something. I love to hunt with my 30-30 even today when a good bow approaches its ballistics. realidahorock

handirifle · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2006, 08:28:56 PM »

I had a 336 in 35, sold it off. Wasn't very accurate. That said, I have a Savage bolt in 30-06 that will sometime this summer become a 35 Whelen. Why am I posting this? Because I fell in love with the 35 cal round, but I wanted an accurate rifle and wanted a 250yd elk gun all in one pkg.

So I'll load the Whelen to just a hair over 35 rem for deer hunting, with 200gr round nose bullets and move up to a 250gr bullet at 2500fps for the elk gun. All in one rifle. If you just want a deer/black bear gun for the woods, get the 35 and don't look back.

That big nose on the 35 does hit harder.

demented · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2006, 07:12:14 PM »

Sometimes it seems the .35's are more ammo sensitive than 3030's but that aside, there is just something about that .35 diameter hole in the muzzle. If I found a nice .35 for $225, I'd jump all over it! Whether its power advantage is real or imagined, thats a good deal. .35's here usually cost at least $50 more than a 3030 and are always in demand. I've seen times when selling a nice 3030 would take months while .35's are soon snatched up.

Lead Poison · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2006, 05:27:19 PM »

I like the 30-30 Win. better than the 35 Rem.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2006, 02:17:14 AM »

I like the .35 Remington. Yes, you can get 30.30 ammo and rifles anywhere.....they are common around here.......maybe that's why I like the .35 I also like the larger frontal area on the .35 bullets and the fact they can be heavier. It makes a bigger hole.

The .30-30, 32 winchester special, and .35 are all very similar and while I like a .35 I wouldn't argue the merits of one over the other as they are ballistically about the same. Many of my friends started hunting with the .30-30 and that's a fine tradition.

My next lever will most likly be a .32 winchester special. More obscure than either and getting hard to find a nice one around here.

tbmaker · « **Reply #15 on:** March 06, 2006, 05:12:38 PM »

Another factor is Hornady's new ammo.
Give's the 35 the same trajectory as the 30/30 with a good thump down range. It boosts the 30/30 as well don't get me wrong.
Big reason why I'm seriously considering getting a 35 Rem.
I've got a 45/70 Marlin 1895, great for the big stuff. Now add the 35 Rem in a Marlin for some lighter work.
Nice combo to me.

fknipfer · « **Reply #16 on:** March 07, 2006, 06:44:08 PM »

I like them both and now with the new ammo from Hornady I don't know which one to take hunting. I could hunt deer with the 30-30 and black bear with the 35rem. Then so the 45-70 didn't get lonely I would try and take it elk hunting. Such confusion, I just don't know.

fknipfer

TC Cowboy · « **Reply #17 on:** March 11, 2006, 04:51:09 PM »

Brad, good choice going with the 35, ( i also have a ancient 12ga made by jc higgins for sears) i have a marlin 336 in 30/30 and a tc contender in 35. Ballistic charts are made by a calculator

I have never killed anything with a calculator, make no mistake the 35 will perform better esp. on larger game for all the reasons others have mentioned. You need to try the new hornady ammo i have tried it in both 30/30 and 35 . it really is revolutionaty, like night and day different. Makes the 30/30 a legitamate 250 yrd gun, about the same as the old 300 Savage. One other thing on my mind. I love lever rifles , they are uniguely american, and can handle at least 90 percent of the hunting you could ever do. More people need to get off the "boomzoom" super magnum craze sitting in a stand ready to "try" a 500 yrd shot. Deer hunting hasnt changed, most deer are still killed at less than 100 yrds, even here in east tx, and a slew of lightweight easy carrying levers will fill that bill everyday

good hunting!

curdog · « **Reply #18 on:** March 19, 2006, 04:45:59 AM »

i have both 30-30 and 35. the 35 has a little more knock down. have used it on all types of game with no problems

mt3030 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 19, 2006, 07:06:46 AM »

BradCoPAHunter:
As you can see from my handle I love my 30-30s (Break open, falling block, lever, or bolt). I also have a Marlin 32 Winchester Special and Marlin 35 Remington. Any of these calibers will do the job of the others. I do feel the 35 with the 200 gr bullets move it up the food chain slightly. Around here you can walk into any store and get ammo for the 30-30, something not always true with the others. I think you will love that old Sears rifle!!! If you don't, let me know. lol

Wally

tosainu1 · « **Reply #20 on:** March 22, 2006, 07:59:48 AM »

I have been wanting to get a levergun in 30-30 but this post has me convinced i would like a .35 remington, so i started to look for ammo for it and i found a Kmart that so happened to be clearing out all of it's inventory in this caliber. I think i saw about 20 boxes of Remington in the green and yellow box, on sale for only $6 dollars a box...great deal i thought so i bought the whole inventory and a marlin 336 in that caliber for $249 from a pawn shop...I think that'll last me a while.....

tbmaker · « **Reply #21 on:** March 22, 2006, 05:42:44 PM »

Can't get any better than that.

thruthestorm · « **Reply #22 on:** April 22, 2006, 03:20:31 AM »

I had a .35 Remington for years. I happened to be in K-mart and noted one on sale for $135 (1991) and it went home with me. I remember as a kid reading articles by some of the "gun experts" that the .35 Remington was a good woods gun for bear and moose. Another old cartridge no longer manufactured was the .303 Savage (basically a .30-30 with 190 bullet) that was considered a terror on grizzlies.

I see two negatives with the .35 Remington:

1) Ammo not as available as others. I lived in NC for years and it was rare to find .35 Remington there - but there are plenty in stores in PA and MD.

2) Marlin is the only consistent manufacturer of rifles in .35 Remington and occasionally Remington will put out a special line. T/C has barrels for the cartridge.

Good cartridge.

TNrifleman · « **Reply #23 on:** April 22, 2006, 05:25:43 AM »

My 35 Remington is not a lever gun, but a pump, a Model 141 Remington. I love this rifle and the cartridge. I have lever guns in 30-30, and they work just fine for whitetail deer, but the 35 gets my vote as the cartridge of choice. I still want a Marlin 336 in 35, but until then, the 141 goes hunting. Congrats on finding that Sears/Marlin, it should make you a fine hunting partner.

T.R. · « **Reply #24 on:** April 25, 2006, 02:23:02 AM »

We have a couple 30-30s and a 35 in our rifle rack. The 35 is a Marlin built in the 1950's with a 24 inch barel and abbreviated magazine. My son hunts elk with it every year. He has also taken many mulies with this rifle.

We hunt elk on private land and pay a modest tresspass fee. This ranch is bisected by the Belle Fourche River as it flows through the Bear Lodge Mts. of NE Wyoming. Most shots are fired at about 125 yards or so which is where the 35 does its best work. No bull can stand up to a well placed 200 grain softnose bullet. These animals are NOT armor-plated despite popular deceptions in current magazines.

The 35 is a keeper!
TR

Duckbill · « **Reply #25 on:** April 28, 2006, 02:38:51 PM »

The 35REM is my favorite cartridge, period. I'm a Marlin lever gun enthusiast, so I own several. The 30-30 is just too bland for me. I own them and shoot them, but the 35REM gets most of my attention. I reload, which gives me a lot of versatility. However, the new Revolution Ammo makes it pretty neat for the non-reloader.

dogngun · « **Reply #26 on:** May 01, 2006, 12:38:19 PM »

I just bought a 1961 Marlin 336 RC with the short mag, in .35 Rem. It needs a little TLC, but it cost $175. I have owned a newer Marlin in .35, and an older RC in .30-30, but never thought I'd find an oldie like this one.

The .35 Rem in the Marlin was very accurate for me, but the round is a bit more demanding to shoot than a .30-30. It will remind you to hold the rifle correctly.

I'm very happy to find this combination. It's going to be my retiremant rifle in a few years.

Mark

huntr1 · « **Reply #27 on:** May 01, 2006, 04:12:33 PM »

I have a Marlin 336 in 35Rem. LOVE IT! I have killed a number of deer with it. Most drop right where I shoot them. The furthest I have ever had one run is 10 yards. Granted, I was shooting them at 50 yards, but still, gotta love having a deer drop where it stands when you shoot it. Can't get much more humane than that.
This was my first gun (didn't know it was MINE at the time, it was bought by my father for me to use for hunting. The next year I got my first gun that was MINE, all MINE, a Remington 581 .22). Until I graduated from college, and was on my own, it was always "my father's" that he let me use. First time I went hunting with it, I missed a deer at about 100 yards and open sights at a little after dawn. My father put a scope on it after that. 3-9x28 Weaver. After I graduated from college, I put a 3-9x40 on it to let more light in. I never really liked the scope on it. Just didn't look right. But I really don't like iron sights. A few years ago, I put a Redfield peep sight on it. At the ranges I shoot, don't need the magnification of a scope, so the peep is perfect for me. It also preserves the classic lines of the gun. Unfortunately, I now live and huntin a shotgun only area. Now that I know about the Leverlution line of ammo, I am going to have to get some and try it out. Just waiting for the year that I get selected in the Maryland Bear Lottery. The .35 will get the nod over my Remington 700 in 30-06 in a hearbeat.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #28 on:** May 07, 2006, 12:13:19 PM »

My 35 Rem. was something I'd lusted after for 20 years before I lucked into a deal on it at a pawn shop. They'd never heard of it, and apologised because it wasn't a 30-30. I kept a straight face, and the price dropped from $375.00 to $200.00, tax paid. I giggled for a week, AFTER I brought it home. It kills all out of proportion to its paper ballistics, and mine shoots like a laser beam out to 150 yards, which is as far as I'll ever shoot it. It also handles pistol bullets well, TINY groups at 50 yards, and varmints simply disappear when hit. Perfect deer rifle, and I hope to nail a nasty wild pig with it someday. I love the gun, the caliber, and everything about the combination! Happy Birthday, you beautiful old obsolete :wink: Bambi-Basher!

Papajohn