Factory loaded ammo is loaded quite mild. To quote John Barsness, “burrito fart” pressures. In deference to early semi-auto rifles...
I’ve used it to shoot dozens of Alabama and Georgia whitetail and several pigs.
The good-bad is the round and flat nose bullets. With an appropriate constructed bullet it kills splendidly. Too many component bullets are constructed too tough, intended for the .35Whelen and .350RemMag. My absolute favorite is the Hornady 180gr SSP. A Remington M760 I Had was amazing with it.
With a knowledgeable shooter, sighting in properly, the .35Rem is easily capable of 200-225yd kills.
I sight in for +3” at 100yds. This puts the 200gr RN zero at 160yds, down 5” at 200yds. (@2,000fps). However, my handloads for either 200gr Remington Corlokt or Sierra 200gr ProHunter over H4895 run 2,250fps and are zero at 180yds and only -2” at 200yds.
Just sighting in at 100yds really hobbles the .35 and it’s little brother the .30/30.
Fortunately, I have a lifetime supply of brass. Unfortunately hoerver, I also have about two dozen other rifles vying for my attention, to include two Marlin .338ME’s and a BLR-‘81 in .358win.
Due to Remington discontinuing the 200gr CL as a component bullet and dearth of components ‘08-14, I started casting the RCBS 200ge FNGC. Mine casts to 218gr. At 2,000fps it’s 2moa and kills deer as good as ANYTHING.
Not a fan of the 200gr FTX. Had one penetrate a mid-sized 8pt buck through heart, and still nearly lost the deer due to lack of blood trail (NO expansion). Ice pick sized hole through heart from 27yd shot...