Have any of you done this conversion? I have heard of it being done, but what bolt head would accomadate
the 35 REM case head?
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Have any of you done this conversion? I have heard of it being done, but what bolt head would accomadate
the 35 REM case head?
I've not done it but heard of someone doing it with either a Savage or Marlin XL7. 30-06/308 bolt head should work. I think the 35 rem case head is just a smidgen smaller than the 06 but should still work.
I read/heard of somebody on another website doing this conversion and using a bolt head for 7.62x39mm.
Said he spent around $600 for parts, rifle, barrel, etc.
A standard 30-06 / 308 bolt head will work but you may need a longer extractor (like the 7.62x39 or PPC extractor).
Maybe it was PPC bolt head that he mentioned, thanks Eric.
Unless there is some compeling reason for a .35 rem in a bolt action, it would be more economical to buy a used Marlin 336 in .35 Rem considering what it will cost for a new barrel and other stuff like bolt head etc.
El Lobo
+1 If going through all that work, you'd be better off with a 358 chambering, you can always load that down to 35 Rem performance yet have more power/performance when you need it.Quote:
Originally Posted by ellobo
You don't need a PPC bolt head - standard 308 bolt head works fine but you need a longer (PPC) extractor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jericho
Shouldn't cost any more than any other cartridge conversion (except for the $10 or whatever for the extractor).
35 Rem is a great cartridge and loading down the 358 won't get you the accuracy you get with good 35 Rem loads (my experience) and 35 Rem factory ammo is a lot more common than 358.
The Marlin 336 is a fine rifle but will never be as accurate as a Savage!
Currently have two on Swede mausers (using original bolt faces and extractors) - used to have one on an old "short action" 110 that I made an extractor for - it would extract about 50% of the time with the factory length extractor.
Eric, I was curious about the .35 rem in a 336 as I wasnt impressed with the accuracy of the .30-30 which is Minute of deer in most rifles I have shot. The first one I tried was my brothers. I was amazed at how much more accurate it was that the 30-30's I tried. It held right around an inch at 100, open sights (When I had much younger eyes). After that I tried 4 more I managed to weedle out of various people to try and they were the same. Surprised me, even better with the scoped rifles I tried. This was about 35 yrs ago. Excellent for the shorter range effectivness of the old .35. Thats why I recommended it in a Marlin 336. No dought it would be more accurate in a bolt gun but for 150 yd. max shot distance I would use one at, but I would not feel I was deprived in any way with a 336. If he wants a bolt gun in .35 more power to him. I got Savages to barrel to my favorite cartridges as they were not available in current other models. 7mmMauser and .35 Whelen. Been loving those rifles ever since. Even made a .308.
Up here in the heavy woodlands of NH that old .35 will be seen very frequently in the woods. Most old timers I know, that is thier one and only deer and bear rifle.
El Lobo
Eric, any pictures of your Swede Mauser 35 Rems?
+1 358 Winchester
+1 for the 35 Rem in the 336. I had one in my younger days back in the 70's. For practice and small game I loaded 38 cal pistol bullets and could get 1.5" groups out to 75 yards using just the factory iron sights. After mounting a 1.5X4.5 scope, I could get my light load groups down to about 1" at 100 yards. I have no idea what velocities I was getting as chronographs were too expensive on a SSgt's pay.Quote:
Originally Posted by ellobo
Will try to get some up this weekend.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jericho
You might likr this article
http://www.gunweek.com/2003/feature0301.html
Thanks for the cool article SF, I have heard of converting Marlin 35s to 358 before. Have also heard of
converting Remington M760 pump 35 Rems to 358 Win.
What pressure does the 358 operate at? I would have thought that the pressure would be beyond what would be safe in the 336 action being that the 358 was really more of a bolt action round.
I always look to Hodgdons reloading pages to get a balbark feel for what presures and velocities a cartridge has.
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
358 operating pressures should be in the same range as the parent cartridge.
Several things about that article worry me and a couple of things are clearly wrong. One example being that the 35 Rem is based on the 30 and 32 Rem family - it isn't. The 25, 30, and 32 Rem all have a .418 rim diameter and the 35 is totally different at .460 or so.
Another being the lack of clarity on what loads were tested and proved "safe" - the only one mentioned uses 147 grain 9mm bullets. These light weight, undersized (.355) bullets might work fine. Don't know whether it would hold together with a full house 250 grain .358 bullet load!
That's kinda what I was thinking. Although the Marlin 336 is a great rifle and I'm a big Marlin fan myself, I wouldn't trust something operating in the 50K+psi range in one.
I always thought that the 25Rem, 30Rem, 32Rem, and 35Rem were from the same case also.
Nope the 35 is larger in diameter - completely different from the others which are rimless versions of the Winchester cartridges (25-35, 30-30 and 32 special).
The bolt head 35Rem is halfway between the 7.62x39 and the 308Win/30-06 size, if you want the 35cal go for the Whelan which is hotter than the Rem and uses std bolt (but long action)
Jericho,
Find the right bolthead and have it machined to fit(Savages are oversized to allow for misalignment), Modify an extractor to fit if you have too and buy an E.R. Shaw Barrel for 160 from Lance at the Gun Shack. When your done write us a great article like the one on the 336 conversion.
If you need any machinist help or advice put it on hear and one of us metalheads will help out.
Probably my favorite all time cartridge, let us know how you do. I might not be too far behind as I've pondered this idea more than once!
-Jake
It certainly sounds tempting. Yet, here is an article with info that would indicate not-so-good-an-idea, due to max pressure differential between .35 Rem and .358 Win. Could someone do this conversion and survive - probably - with luck...
http://www.chuckhawks.com/35rem_358win.htm
Mind you, I have not done original research on this, but would certainly decline such a conversion if offered to me.
Regards,
Dyson
I agree as there are fine lever guns out there that do handle it, i.e. M88-BLR-Sako Finn?Quote:
Originally Posted by DGNY
Don't know of a Sako lever gun in 358 but Savage made some fine 99s in 358 if you want to step up from the 35 Rem.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMajestic
However - if you are hunting inside of 200 yards, the 35 Rem will drop any whitetail sized animal with authority.
Keep in mind that the story told in that magazine article is fiction, the imagination of the writer. Sounds pretty gory but the damage he described is highly unlikely even if there is a blowup. Note that the Marlin rep did not indicate if he knew what pressures that barrel and action would handle. I am not saying he is incorrect but the supposed danger has not been proven. The conversion to the .356 rimmed cartridge has been done for years by many gunsmiths to model 336's and I have never read or heard of a rifle blowing up. I personaly would not do the conversion but by the same token I have not yet heard any substantive proof that it would be dangerous in the Marlin. 2 other lever actions have been chambered in .358, the Winchester model 88 and the Savage 99. In looking at my model 88 and my son-in-laws 336 it lookd to me like the breech end of the barrels are nearly the same in dia. Having had the 88 apart it looks to me like the lockup isnt stronger than the Marlin. The savage 99 has the strongest lockup of the three lever guns. What pressures are devleoped in some of the new Marlin cartridges they chamber for?
El Lobo
Boy did this thread go off course or what? The OP was asking about a conversion to 35 Rem, period. Not wondering if something more powerful or a better suited gun for it. Sorry to sound harsh here, but I read a lot of negative for something that should be pretty simple.
The 35 rem is a good cartridge, and depending on the ranges it will be shot at, is as good as the 358 or the Whelen for it's purpose. A deer or black bear or hog, shot at 150yds or less will not know the difference what cartridge it came from.
For Jericho, it is hard to imagine this swap costing any where near $600 if you already own the rifle. The barrel would have to come from someone that could chamber it for you since the 35 is not popular in bolt rifles, but that is not super expensive. The barrel will most likely the most expensive part of this conversion. The rest is standard, head space gauges, reloading dies, brass, etc.
Some guys rebarrel to the 6.8 SPC, just because that's what they want, not because it's the most powerful one in that caliber. Bigger isn't always better. For me personally, there is no way I would want a 35 Whelen for deer hunting. it will do nothing, to a deer, that the 308 or 30-06 will not do as well or better, and possibly be more accurate in the process. The 35 caliber has never been a top choice for accuracy or long range ballistics.
Now if I wanted a combo BIG bear, elk, moose cartridge, that also served as a deer gun, then the 35 Whelen would be hard to beat.
Jericho, my point is, if you want a 35 Rem, then build one. Tell us how it works out. I had one in a Marlin, and was not impressed with the accuracy, so I sold it. My Marlin 1895 in 45-70 will place three in a clover leaf, all day long, and that is hard to beat.
The savage ought to do better, with way better control of headspace better case/ bore alignment.
Actually got a PM from a member on another website that has done the 35 Rem conversion on a Savage Model
10 short action. Said it worked okay, some minor feeding issues, but it was corrected.