Author Topic: 35 Remington VS 308 in Encore Pistol (Read 1860 times)

fatcat240 · « **on:** December 04, 2004, 02:35:42 PM »

Hello everyone I have my Encore frame, now I need to decide what barrel I should get for next years deer season. Origionally I was thinking 308, but after shooting a buddys 35 remington lever action I was concidering the 35 in an encore pistol. What do you think? Basically I want a pistol for whitetail thats fairly accurate (at least 2MOA from a bench) fairly flat and sufficently hard hitting at 200-250 yards max. Where I live and hunt, the majority of my shots will be under 100 yards but there are times I could take a longer shot, with 250 being the farthest I'd want to attempt. I figure the 35 would be nice because it seems to have less recoil at least in a rifle, than a 308. I just dont know if it would meet my other requirments, so I thought Id ask the experts!

Thanks in advance

Thomas Krupinski · « **Reply #1 on:** December 04, 2004, 03:01:14 PM »

I think you will find the 35 Remington hard pressed to meet your requirements. It's loaded to the lower pressure limits for that are suitable for a Contender frame. The higher pressure that the Encore is capable of handling like the .308, will produce the flatter trajectory you are looking for.

If you handload and have a desire for a 35 caliber, you might want to consider a 35 Whelen for the Encore. I am looking for one, hopefully a 15" in stainless for my Encore frame. Although I also have a 15" 30/06 which is excellent, I just have this burning desire to find a good deal on a 15" Whelen which will push the same bullet choices you will have with the 35 Remington at either a higher or lower velocity, depending upon how much and which powder you choose to put in them.

jhalcott · « **Reply #2 on:** December 04, 2004, 03:05:21 PM »

the 308 will be better suited to changing conditions than the 35.ammo is readily available and reload data also.The 35 rem is not much more than a fat 30/30. With pistol bullets ,close range shots cause a lot of damage.Long range shots don't carry the energy to succeed.The 308 is better at all ranges.

C A Plater · « **Reply #3 on:** December 04, 2004, 04:19:56 PM »

I have the .35 Remington in a 14" Contender barrel and in a Marlin. I loose about 200 fps by going to the shorter barrel. I can get sub 2MOA @ 100yds from the T/C barrel on the bench. My skill level is not good enough for me to consider 200-250 yard shots from a pistol. 200 seems long for the .35 in a rifle and would have a very rainbow trajectory. At those ranges I much prefer my .308 for the flatter trajectory.

Lone Star · « **Reply #4 on:** December 04, 2004, 04:21:08 PM »

I've loaded my Contender in .35 Rem to over 2350 fps with 150-grain CoreLokts - but that's a far cry from what you can get with the .308 in the same handgun barrel. Even adding 100 fps for loading the .35 in an Encore, downrange energy is a lot higher in the .308. If recoil bothers you, consider the 7-08 or the .260; both give lower recoil but are as good or better at 250 yards in practical terms.

I'm not so sure that the .308 is "better at all ranges" then the .35 - ballistic charts don't tell the whole story in the field, and it is a lot easier to fire a .35 Remington handgun accurately than it is a full-house .308. The .308 takes a lot of practice to master at long range, and it is intimidating to many at close range too. A new handgun hunter might be better served by a .35 Remington factory 200-grain load at 50 yards than a .308 - if he can shoot the .35 more accurately. Not all shooters can master heavily-recoiling handguns, regardless of what some on this forum seem to believe; practice may not make perfect. Than's one reason you see so many .44 Mags for sale, with bullets remaining from the one box of cartridges the owner purchased.

fatcat240 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 04, 2004, 04:36:17 PM »

what would you say its max range on a 35 shooting 200grain factory loads out of a 15" tube? Its not that I cant stand recoil, Ive shot 44 mag Ruger single actions before with out any problems, its just that I prefer Lower recoil... I was just thinking If I could do the same job without jarring my brain against the inside of my skull with every pull of the trigger so much the better

Graybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** December 04, 2004, 05:11:29 PM »

Quote

what would you say its max range on a 35 shooting 200grain factory loads out of a 15" tube?

While I love the .35 Rem I don't push it passed 150 yards. Trajectory just isn't up to it. I've shot it on paper out to 250 and it takes a long sheet of paper to catch the bullets that far out. As long as your shots are under 100 yards it's as good as any. When they go over 150 yards it's time for another round.

jh45gun · « **Reply #7 on:** December 04, 2004, 07:40:23 PM »

The 308 is so versatile that is what I would get and I did! :lol: You can shoot cast loads for practice that hardly recoil at all yet will kill deer I shot a buck and a doe this year using them (150 grain) and you can shoot light jacketed loads for varmints to average weight jacketed slugs for deer and heavier for large game. If I was going to pick one cartridge as a do it all it would be the 308. Recoil with factory ammo is not that bad either due to the design of the grips I have shot 40 rounds off the bench with Remington Factory 150 grainers and never had a problem. In fact I traded my 223 barrel in on my 308 barrel because I figured with light bullets the 308 would do a better job for varmints than the 223 would and It still would make a better deer and larger game cartridge. Jim

**oneshot** · « **Reply #8 on:** December 09, 2004, 01:01:50 AM »

Fatcat, I shoot a 308 Encore and recoil isn't as bad as you may think. Comaparible to a 44magnum. I load my own and use 43.5gr H4895 , Fed match primers, and 150gr Hornady SST bullets. The load is at the low end of the manual but bave me the best accuracy.