357 Cal. Pistol Bullets for 35 Remington Rifle Loads

[Charlie Martinez]

My old Speer reloading manual provides reloading data for my Marlin 336 - 35 Remington using light 357 Cal. pistol bullets. These loads were recommended for small game & home defense.
If these loads are good performers, anyone with a 35 Remington lever action rifle can replicate or maybe even improve performance of a 357 Magnum lever rifle.
Has anyone experimented with these loads in the 35 Remington?

 

[Bfh_auto]

I have loaded 357 XTP in a 35 Whelen.
180's shoot very well for me. 125's didn't do well.

 

[Jim Watson]

Marlin 336 .35 is sensitive to OAL and I did not get revolver bullets to feed.
Remington 600 .35 was so-so.
A friend's Remington 81 would feed semiwadcutters but we did not have them loaded hot enough to cycle the action.

 

[brewer12345]

I tried some light loads on Unique and powder coated RNFP 158 grain cast bullets in my 336. Shot OK, nothing to write home about. I think if you got some fatter bullets it would do better. Since I own a 357 lever and shoot lots of 38 through it, I didn't feel it was worth the effort.

 

[Pudge]

I tried some in a Remington 141. I don't remember if it was the feeding, or the accuracy, or just the different poi, but like brewer12345, I did not find it worth the effort.

It was something I wanted to try, and my experience doesn't mean your efforts would be fruitless.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve used the Hornady 158gr XTP in a Marlin M336C in .35Rem.
I knew to seat them to ~2.5”oal so as to facilitate feeding. (Not to cannelure). No crimp.

Shot ok, but to significantly different point of impact.

After ‘08 ObamaAmmoGedon, I purchased an RCBS 200gr FNGC mold and haven’t purchased a .357-.358” jacketed bullet since.

I recently picked up a distressed S&W Mod 19 Nickle that I’ve refurbished and have been feeding it the residual jacketed bullets. My remaining.358” rifle bullets are earmarked for a .358 BLR’81 I inherited from my best friend who passed in ‘98. Lifetime supply of 200gr Corlokts (RN and PSP) as well as Hornady 180gr SSP’s, 200RN and 200gr PSpt Interloks.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I tried some light loads on Unique and powder coated RNFP 158 grain cast bullets in my 336. Shot OK, nothing to write home about. I think if you got some fatter bullets it would do better. Since I own a 357 lever and shoot lots of 38 through it, I didn't feel it was worth the effort.

Did you try double coating those bullets? That sometimes works if the bullet is a little too small.

 

[brewer12345]

Did you try double coating those bullets? That sometimes works if the bullet is a little too small.

These were MBC commercial stuff. If I were to do so again I would try sizing to .360 and see what happened. The MBC bullets did a 2 inch group at 50 yards, so not shotgun pattern. Its just that I know that with factory ammo this rifle will do an inch or so at 100 yards and with all my other choices for cast loads I would prefer not to use the scarce and expensive 35 Rem brass for this sort of thing.

 

[JPIMBO]

I had the idea to shoot pistol bullets in the 35 Remington years ago. Sounded fun but never got the Marlin. Looked em over for years then gave up. One of the few slow ones you can do that with.

 

[gralewaj]

I've loaded and shot 158gr .357 bullets over Trail Boss powder out of my 336 .35Rem Tons of fun for kids. I don't recall the load data offhand. Also have several loaded for a .358 Win that are fun as well!

 

[Jimfern]

This is from my 1969 Marlin 336 with Sierra 357 bullets at 100 yds.

 

[Armorer 101]

With the 35 you can get good results with the 200 RCBS, just seat the bullet to the same OAL as the 200 RN factory bullet. If you powder coat the 200 and size to your groove diameter you should be able to get the same velocity as the jacketed bullet, without any leading. I run them in my 358 MGP AR guns the MGP, based on a necked up 6.8 is roughly the same as a 35 Remington, without a problem and get about .3 at 100 near 2,500 fps. I also use them in my 35 Whelen and my 357 Super Mag rifles and handguns.