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Thread: 35 remington loads

  1. #1
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    Default 35 remington loads

    [I] just sarted shooting cast bullets in my 35 rem 336 and I am using lyman 204gr bullets anybody have a favorite load they care to share. Also I have 2 friends who shoot other cals, mostly handgun, one says I should seat these bullets and crimp around the top land, the other guy says I should crimp below the top land which is correct. Thanks

  2. #2

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    Don't have load data, but set your over all length so the round cycles up from the magazine. Too long and it won't work, too short is also inviting trouble. You should have a cast bullet loading maual that will guide you to good starting loads.

  3. #3
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    Just remember that the most important thing to keep in mind with a micro groove barrel is that the bullet MUST be the correct size. If it is the slightest bit undersized, you are going to get shotgun patterns instead of groups. Despite lingering rumors to the contrary, mg barrels can be extremely accurate with cast bullets if they are large enough in diameter. MOA is not an unreasonable expectation at realistic ranges. I use a .360" sizer with both mg and regular rifling. Fortunately, 3031, 4895, & RE7, the best powders to use with .35rem, all work well with reduced charges for cast bullets. NEVER EVER use this formula with a SPHERICAL POWDER. NEVER use any reduced load with any SPHERICAL POWDER. Here is the reduction formula:
    Look up the load data for a jacketed bullet of the same or slightly heavier than your cast bullet weight.
    Jacketed Max Load - Jacketed Starting Load = Difference
    Jacket Starting load - Difference = Cast Starting Load
    Write out a test ladder in increasing increments of 1gr from your calculated cast starting level.

    As to OAL, you want it the longest that it will easily feed and function through the action of your rifle. However, you want to crimp into the crimping groove, or directly onto a driving band, never into a lube groove (this will allow the bullet to "float back and fort during feeding and under recoil). With the #315 (which from the weight you gave is the bullet I assume you're using) you might not be able to get it to function if you seat it out much beyond the crimp groove, it depends on the rifle - some levers can be very picky about OAL and the shape of the bullet's nose. RN bullets feed easily.

    With .35rem, you will get best results with gas check bullets between 170-220gr. I would not go much above the JStart charge level on your testing ladder as you are unlikely to see best accuracy. The tradeoff is between hardness (velocity) and expansion (performance on game). I have very good results with just wheel weights and have found there's no need to push the velocity. For hunting, anything harder doesn't expand at all, and while that isn't such a big issue with .35cal, still it doesn't hurt and I think makes for cleaner kills. I also prefer flat nosed bullets (large meplat) for any live game as they tend to expend more energy in the game before they exit (if they exit at all). With a round nosed bullet, softer is always better, so don't bother with an alloy any harder than WW's, and you might even consider adding a little pure lead to the mix to get it even softer. Remember that it doesn't take a lot of velocity - a slow but heavy bullet does the job nicely, and a softer bullet will expand better when it hits living tissue.
    "Stand your ground.
    Do not fire unless fired upon.
    But if they mean to have a war let it begin here."
    - Capt. Parker, Lexington Militia, April 19, 1775

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    Thanks guys, I have been using 36.4 grains of IMR 4895 ( recommended by a friend) with both the cast and jacketed bullets, they are both quite accurate, jacketed slightly more so then the cast. Do you think if I reduced this load a little my accuracy might improve with the cast. Is the old style ballard rifleing better then the current micro groove for cast bullets. Thanks Again JT

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    You might, it never hurts to experiment a bit to see if you can tighten the groups up a bit. That's a bit hotter than I shoot, but as long as you're getting no leading all is good. I would not be going any hotter with it, however, as you are getting very close to the limit of the alloy's structural strength and you will see stripping if you go too high. Cleaning (mining) that out of the grooves is a much bigger job than a touch of leading from the wrong lube. You could try dropping three grains and work back up a grain at a time and see if the groups widen or shrink to find exactly where the node of accuracy is.

    The .35 Rem is inherently a very accurate cartridge and a very cast friendly one, so it should be possible to at least meet, if not exceed, accuracy with jacketed bullets in any given rifle. Some barrels are more picky than others and may prefer one particular bullet more than another, but most will shoot those heavy RN's MOA or better. It is not uncommon to find more than one point on the ladder where groups tighten up, which is good to know if you try some softer bullets and start to see some leading.

    Slugging your barrel will tell you if going to a bigger sizer will help, too, it's quicker and easier than buying one and just trying it. Often upping the size by one or two thousandths can have a big effect on your group sizes, as long as you don't go more than .003" over your measured groove diameter.
    "Stand your ground.
    Do not fire unless fired upon.
    But if they mean to have a war let it begin here."
    - Capt. Parker, Lexington Militia, April 19, 1775

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    Default 35 rem

    Thanks again for all the useful info, I will cut back about 3 grains as you suggest and shoot up from there. My most accurate loads have been crimpeped near the top of the top land. One of my buddies insists I should be crimping just beneath the top land, what do you suggest? My thoughts are if it works don't fix it but is it improper to crimp at that location. Thanks again. GG

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    The proper place to crimp is where it works best.

    As I said above, most moulds do have a crimp groove just above the first drive band, and that should be used when in doubt. However, when setting OAL for a specific gun, seat as long as you can without affecting feeding as it will generally get you better accuracy. If with your particular combination you do not see smaller groups at the longer OAL, then just crimp in the crimp groove. With some guns and loads there is a notable difference - I have seen groups go from 6"+ to less than 1" @ 100yds by changing ONLY the OAL, and other times seen no difference at all - so it pays to experiment with each load just to see what happens. It is generally better to avoid crimping right into a lube groove because with some lubes (especially the harder ones) you may need all of it that's available to prevent leading at your chosen velocity. With tumble lubes it's not as critical and you can often crimp into the lube groove as long as it is a firm enough crimp to prevent the bullet moving back and forth in the case. There is no "set in concrete" rule about this. Each gun and each load may have its own best setup and only doing the actual experiments with each of your guns and loads will tell you what you need to know. Lever guns especially can be very picky about bullet shape and OAL for proper feeding, which is why there are crimp grooves on the bullet - to help make sure it will function in any action. That is where you friend's opinion comes from. Any specific individual gun may (or may not) give you more leeway to allow for some experimenting. If yours allows that leeway, then you have nothing to lose and possibly much to gain by experimenting.

    Sometimes with a particularly long throated chamber you may see the magic OAL for optimum accuracy at a length that is way too long to fit in the magazine and/or feed through the action. That leaves you either with a single shot, or hand chambering the first round to be followed up with more rounds in the mag short enough to feed properly for follow-up shots.
    "Stand your ground.
    Do not fire unless fired upon.
    But if they mean to have a war let it begin here."
    - Capt. Parker, Lexington Militia, April 19, 1775

  8. #8
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    Smile 35 remington

    So much info and help, realy glad I joined this site. Thanks Again, well it's back to the bench and off to the range. GG

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check        

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