Given the relative scarcity of 358 Win rifles is there any reason why the common 35 Rem Marlins cannot be rechambered? After looking at the cartridge dimensions it would seem to be a relatively easy conversion. I must be missing something.

I think the biggest issue would be one of pressures. 35 Remington operating at SAAMI spec 33,500 PSI is a lot lower pressure than the 358 Winchester round at 62,000 PSI and most old Marlins may not be safe at the higher pressures.

Dr. Duc: I can't comment on how safe it is, but this conversion has been done:

http://www.gunweek.com/2003/feature0301.html

I'm not sure I'd convert a Marlin in 35Rem to 358Win, but 356Win (though somewhat mroe difficult to get brass for)
would probably be a better choice....

Unless I'm mistaken the 307/356/375Win uses the same rim dimensions as the 30-30/38-55/25-35Win
so all you'd need to do is rechamber the barrel
and swap in a 30-30bolt, then appropriatly remark the barrel.

though I'm not sure if the 35Rem Magazine tube and follower are different for the 35Rem I seriously doubt that they are....Doing what I've outlined is probably cheaper to do because it eliminates the expensive parts of the job,
in reworking the 35-rem bolt face and making a custom extractor.

AllanD

Just went down to the shop and measured fired cases from .30-30 Marlin Model 336-SC, and .356 Winchester M94-AE.

Rim diameters on both cases are .500" right on the money.

Case head diameter of the .30-30 is .415".

Case head diameter of .356 Winchester is .466".

(Think I'll go down again after lunch and re-measure, just to make sure no errors in that .30-30 head diameter...but that's what my note to myself says I found.)

To me, that means that a flat-faced (not countersunk) .30-30 bolt face may be used with either cartridge and extract/eject well. That is, so long as length of case is short enough to work through whatever action is involved.

Did not take the time to measure outside barrel diameter of a Model 336 Marlin .35 Remington at the breech, so don't know if there is enough "meat" there to make me want to shoot a barrel rechambered to .356 or .358 Winchester.

Depending on where my Marlin (the one in .35 Rem) is in the vault (if it's not buried too deep), I'll try to fish it out and measure that too when I go back down there.

Brass would not be a problem, as my .356 M94-AE digests both rimmed .356 cases and rimless .358 cases with equal aplomb. Feeds/ejects them both just fine, when used as a single shot...just throw the .358 cartridge in on top of the "carrier" and close the lever. Don't know if it would work using the magazine tube...haven't tried that.

And .358 cases are dead simple to make from .308 cases......

Given the strategic reserve of the Marlin action, I'm really not worried about pressures. The same receiver is used on all of the modern 336 series and the 1895 is the same for 45-70,444 and 450 Marlin. The cases feed from the mag but the bolt needs to be opend up for the 308 parent case. It really doesn't look too difficult. If I screw it up it won't be the most expensive mistake I ever made.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dr. Duc:
Given the strategic reserve of the Marlin action, I'm really not worried about pressures. The same receiver is used on all of the modern 336 series and the 1895 is the same for 45-70,444 and 450 Marlin.[QUOTE]



I think the operative word in this quote is probably "Modern". Trouble is there are a zillion older Marlin 336's out there. Not certain how secure I'd feel chambering some of the older 336's to any of those cartridges. Probably safe, but I like re-chamberings to be "positively" safe. Just my thing......

(Loaded appropriate to the action vintage, they'd not be scary, but a fella oughta see some of the handloads fired at our range...scare me to death even when fired in guns factory-built for the cartridges at hand.)

buy a 356 marlin big bore and go.. i've seen 35 rems redone to 358 win.. and *I* wouldn't shoot one

jeffe

Seems it would be better/easier/safer to just buy a BLR in 358 which can use spitzer bullets as a bonus. I have one for sale if you think you'd like to go that way.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Duc:
Given the relative scarcity of 358 Win rifles is there any reason why the common 35 Rem Marlins cannot be rechambered? After looking at the cartridge dimensions it would seem to be a relatively easy conversion. I must be missing something.

I may be wrong. But even if you could get it to work mechanically, IMO the .358 is too high-pressure a round to be totally safe in a Marlin lever gun.......

I don't mean to be ,or seem, argumentative but why is the Savage 99 safe and the Marlin too weak? The Marlin is a stronger action,i.e. the 375 Win, than the Savage(or so everyone says). I just don't see the pressure problem. Function maybe but not pressure.
But then I think the low number Springfield receivers were OK too unless you put God's own overload in them.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Duc:
Given the strategic reserve of the Marlin action, I'm really not worried about pressures. The same receiver is used on all of the modern 336 series and the 1895 is the same for 45-70,444 and 450 Marlin. The cases feed from the mag but the bolt needs to be opend up for the 308 parent case. It really doesn't look too difficult. If I screw it up it won't be the most expensive mistake I ever made.

Yeah, especially since Marlins WERE factory chambered for the 375Win and 356Win and even 307Win at one point.
The arguements against it are moot, as Marlin disagrees with the armchair experts, by actually making model336 rifles in these three chamberings...

however the limited numbers made in these chamberings are rather prized by Marlin owners/collectors and prying one loose for a non rediculous price isn't a likely occourance....


And considering the fact that the 444marlin, 45-70 and 450Marlin all use the same receiver forging that has even more metal milled out of them the action breaking is something I'm not going to lose sleep over....


"Modern" 336 in this context is any "round bolt"
Marlin, but if you want to be cautious go with a round bolt marlin new enough to be "micro-grooved" and factory drilled for scope mounts.

I'd be nervous about doing that kind of modification to any "square bolt" Marlin, but my nervousness wouldn't be due to worrying about the rifle blowing up, but rather ruining a collectible rifle....

the Marlin 336 has ALWAYS been a stronger action than the '94, even the "reinforced" BigBore94 that was redesigned specifically for the 307/356/375Winchester cartridges.

So let's keep the discussion down to How it should be done rather than making up reasons why it might be unsafe, because it isn't.

And FWIW the chamber dimensions of the 35Rem and the 356/358Win aren't so great that I'd worry about strength issues, you are dealing with not quite 0.012" difference in case head diameter
measured at the top of the extractor groove.
( .4709" for the 356Win Vs .4592 for the 35Rem)
and 0.028" at the shoulder
(0.4540" for the 356Win Vs .4295 for the 35Rem)

We must take time out to remember that the Marlin is a FAR stronger rifle than the original rifles for which the 35Remington
was designed... and SAAMI specifies for the weakest potential rifle for which the round may be chambered.

a .356/358Win reamer WILL "clean up" a 35Rem chamber
and the differences ammount to 10thousanths here and 20thousanths there...

I believe it's a rechambering job that could easily be done by hand, and infact could best be done by hand without even removing the barrel from the receiver (a job that runs other risks anyway)

It's a job I'd cheerfully do by hand, though I would make a reamer guide to center the extension handle in the receiver to keep things straight... or atleast straighter than I could freehand....

AllanD

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
.......armchair experts......

Alan, I suppose it takes one to know one.

There are several outfits that specialize in this conversion.

Reagan Noneman is the most well know and has an excellent reputation:

http://www.leveractions.com/index.html

And this is a new one I ran across on GA. I don't know their reputation, but I plan to get some more scoop on them.

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976722469.htm

As long as you are not trying to shoot .350 mag level handloads a newer 336 marlin will work fine in .356 or .358.

Good shooting,
Weagle

quote:

as Marlin disagrees with the armchair experts, by actually making model336 rifles in these three chamberings...

At least the 358 Winchester which is the title of this thread

quote:

35 Remington to 358 Win

is not included as a rechambering by the folks mentioned in Weagles post.

quote:

http://www.leveractions.com/index.html

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976722469.htm

But Allen.....if the Marlin is totally worthy of the .358 win round then why would their engineers not know this?....it was produced in the 35 Remington and all that would be needed was a bit of rechambering and different barrels to make the gun available in .243, .260, 7-08, 308 win, 338-08 Federal, and .358 win. You mean they sat there all the time and let Savage produce their M-99 in those hot long range rounds and they didn't offer them too?.....and they knew about this all along?

Dr Duc, if you wish to proceed with rechambering your Marlin to .358 Win and can find someone to do it.....(apparantly Allen has volunteered) Please do so.

Please, after you have fired a box of .358 win factory loads let us know how it works.....This is great news as I'd love to have a Marlin lever gun in .260 Remington as a woods rifle. Once it's proven with your gun then all I need to do is machine a barrel for the LA rifle and go for it.

Well while yall are debating it's feisability, there are folks that have and continue to do both the .356 and 358 conversions without a single incidence of failure being reported that I am aware of. If yall know of a 336 marlin that came unhinged using either please let us know.

I'll have to check with a buddy that has one, but I think he told me factory .358 ammo feeds , fires and extracts fine in his .356 chambered gun. The headspace is of course the same and apparently the snap over extractor grabs the .358 rim just fine. You even use the same dies, just swap the shellholders.

Weagle

The reasson marlin and Winchester went with the rimmed rounds was to hopefully keep people from loading a tubular magazine full of pointy 308 rounds etc, something that is not a consideration with the rotary mag fed 99's

Weagle

quote:

Originally posted by weagle:
Well while yall are debating it's feisability, there are folks that have and continue to do both the .356 and 358 conversions without a single incidence of failure being reported that I am aware of. If yall know of a 336 marlin that came unhinged using either please let us know.

I'll have to check with a buddy that has one, but I think he told me factory .358 ammo feeds , fires and extracts fine in his .356 chambered gun. The headspace is of course the same and apparently the snap over extractor grabs the .358 rim just fine. You even use the same dies, just swap the shellholders.

Weagle

Please stick to the subject.....this thread is about rechambering a .35 Remington to a .358 Winchester. And the questions I asked of Allen are valid for anyone to answer.

And....yes...I totally agree with the pointed bullets although all of said rounds can be made with round nose bullets.

The .358 winchester is also loaded with pointed bullets as well.

While the .308 etc can be handloaded with round nosed bullets, most of the factory loadings are pointed bullets which is where the law suit avoidance plays in. The factory winchester .358 silvertips on the other hand are really roundnosed.

So Back to the original question. 35 rem to .358 win? yes it's an easy conversion and works well and there are people who can, have and will do it.

Weagle

I need to clarify a bit.....I happen to have a marlin lever gun in 35 Remington.....and love the gun dearly. I hardly use it anymore as most of my hunting is longer range than the .35 Remington likes to shoot.

Seriously.....this means I can rebarrel it to 7-08 and shoot the same bullet Winchester shoots in the 7MM Waters and use the handy little carbine for a lot more than the drives thru thick woods.

Now that's a sweet thought!!!!!

And there are a bunch of people who don't believe the "pointy bullet " theory either at least not for rimmed cartidges.
I know of at least one who tried to make one blow up with a good bit of accumen and zeal without ever causing a burp. In any case Hornaday is now making the pointy bullets for lever guns.
Dave Scovill has writen several pieces about it but I don't personally know him.
I appreciate all this discusion and information. It answered my questions and gave me points to ponder. Thanks again.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog: But Allen.....if the Marlin is totally worthy of the .358 win round then why would their engineers not know this?....it was produced in the 35 Remington and all that would be needed was a bit of rechambering and different barrels to make the gun available in .243, .260, 7-08, 308 win, 338-08 Federal, and .358 win. You mean they sat there all the time and let Savage produce their M-99 in those hot long range rounds and they didn't offer them too?.....and they knew about this all along?

vapodog
The 356Win for the purposes of this discussion Or any other discussion (unless someone wishes to point out AGAIN that you use a different shell holder when reloading the 356Win) some IS the 358Win, it just has a rim.

Marlin engineers OBVIOUSLY did know this as they DID make 356Win and 375Win 336's
But as I would expect you to already know... a tubular magazine precludes (atleast to prudent people) the use of the pointy "long range" bullets, so....

I find it curious that people regard the 358 as something "special", but in the same breath dismiss the essentially identical (and loaded to the same SAAMI pressure) 356Win with almost a yawn...

Or that you can ignore the fact that the 356 and 358 are (except for the rim) the same cartridge.

Does "358Win" roll off you tongue better when you say it to yourself than "356Win" does?


BOTH cartridges have the Same SAAMI 52,000CUP pressure standard.
and if your bullet choice tends to round nose bullets the difference is moot.
Or you could actually load a 225gr Barnes X bullet in the cartridge, then restrict yourself to loading the rifle "one up and one down"....

I recommended the rimmed variant because the shell stop will likely function more reliably with the larger diameter rimmed cartridge
(I'll bet that having two or more shells pop put would be annoying Which MIGHT BE why I suggested the rimmed version of the cartridge instead of the rimless 358Win.

you can modify the bolt face shell stop etc
but I'm thinking it's easier to simply swap in
the rimmed 30-30 parts (bolt-assembly and possibly magazine tube) than it is to modify the parts... I don't think for an instant that the people who say the extractor works with the rimless cases are wrong, I'd just prefer to
work with the rimmed cases.

The thicker case walls are just a bit of extra
safety margin and though winchester made that change for extra safety in their reinforced BigBore94, It can't hurt in the marlin which did not need reinforcement for those chamberings.

as for a 260Rem? I can see a lever rifle slinging 160gr RN slugs as being superior to a 25-35Win...(I never thought of a 117gr RN @2300fps as "exciting") though I think you'd find yourself downloading the 260Rem some as
IIRC as the SAAMI max pressure for the 260 is somewhat higher.... still you'd likely get 2400fps from that 160gr bullet out of a 22" barrel...

as for an ORIGINAL 356Win Marlin 336?
Rifles in those chamberings are essentially collector items.
they aren't currently made for the best reason of all... they didn't sell as well as the calibers that Marlin does currently chamber.

please note that winchester stopped selling them too... (But winchester has a history of that...)

the most common reason something isn't made is because there are insufficient people who want to buy it. which is why those (rimmed) win chamberings were discontinued.

Theoretically speaking and allowing for flatnose/roundnose bullets (which essentially defeat the purpose of many of the calibers you mention above) Marlin could probably chamber their 336Action for many of those calibers, if they thought for an instant that people would buy them...

So could you build yourself a 7mm-08 and load "waters" flat points in it? I can't see why not.

even 175gr Hornady round noses at 2500fps
would have more "reach out and touch"
than many typical lever rifle cartridges.

Frankly, I think Hornady and Marlin missed
a chance to re-introduce the 307/356/375 cartridges with those new soft tip bullets...

I've seen a few 35Rem's on the local used racks lately and the 35Rem has never interested me before, so I think I'll build one myself!

It certainly can't kick any worse than my 45-70 already does


AllanD

Allan,
You distilled my sentiments eloquently.
Even the 7-30 Waters,as good as it is , didn't sell. Winchester gave Ken Waters a commendation and then discontinued the caliber. People still tend to think "30-30,45-70, 300 Savage" when they think of lever gun. It's tradition.

Gentlemen, I just visited the Marlin website and the only chamberings of the model 336 are the 30-30 and the 35 Remington.

The 45-70 and 450 Marlin are listed under a (similar looking) different model. I don't know the difference as the only lever gun from Marlin I've owned is this 336 in 35 Rem.

If, as you say, the model 336 (and not a beefed up version) was chambered for such rounds as the 375 win and I agree it's a 52,000 CUP round then it's totally adequate for the .358 as well.

As I said earlier, this then opens the door for a whole lot of other possibilities and among them is Federal's new 338-08

I can see the 7 X 57 fitting in there possibly....and the 8 X 57 and even the 9.3 X 57

That old lever gun will never be the same again.

Interesting thread!!!!

The 336 is a shorter action than the 1895(45-70) but the 336 was chambered for the 375 Win back in the early 80's. It is still chambered for the 38-55 so the length is at least that long. The 1895 might indeed be long enough for a 9.3 x 57.

The .375 version was actually called a Model 375, but it was in fact a 336 action. I've owned a couple of them. Great caliber in the marlin.

Weagle

I wonder if Boomstick is reading this?.....

Can I join in the fun, too?

Yes, the .356 and .358 Win are identical except for the rim dimension. Yes, the .358 will chamber, shoot, and usually extract from the Model 94's chambered for .356, a practice that is apparently increasingly common as .356 ammunition becomes increasingly uncommon.

SAMMI pressure specs are indeed a bit lower for the .356 than the .358, but they are just as nonsensically lower for the .222 as opposed to the .223, and the .257 Roberts as opposed to the .26-06. So what? It is not the SAMMI specs that will blow a rifle, it is the pressure of what you actually shoot in the rifle. In this case, my assumption is that the shooter is a handloader, is building the rifle for his own use, and accepts whatever risk may be inherent in the undertaking.

Were I undertaking this conversion myself, I would likely be somewhat more conservative with my handloads than I might otherwise be if I were working with a modern turnbolt action. Otherwise, I would have no qualms about shooting a .358 Win in a 336 Marlin.

BTW: I have little experience with the Marlin action, but as a Savage owner/shooter, if a Savage 99 is adequate for a .243/.308, then the Marlin 336 is certainly up to the .358.

For myself, I have no great concern about the strength of the modern 336 actions vis-a-vis the .358 Winchester.

My concern is more the older metal of the barrel (on many of the potential elderly guns to be converted), and it's thickness when the .35 Remington is rechambered for a cartridge which is both fatter and longer.

That "longer" aspect would especially merit looking at. Don't want that relatively fat shoulder of the .358 chamber coming too close to the taper of the outside of the barrel from the barrel reinforce (SP?) toward the muzzle.

That thickness may be sufficient, but I'd sure want to check it out for myself before doing it.

As to how many people are doing it and surviving, I couldn't possibly care less. Lots of people drive without seat belts too, but not me. Spent a few years as a LEO & fireman hauling human and mechanical debris away from wrecks. Don't need to ADD to the risks...

Any conversion where you have to be careful which load you put in it (and perhaps not be able to use the commonly available data) could well be just an accident looking for a place to happen.

Anyway, am sure it is possible. Just am not yet sure I'd be the one shooting it.....

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Duc:
The 336 is a shorter action than the 1895(45-70) but the 336 was chambered for the 375 Win back in the early 80's. It is still chambered for the 38-55 so the length is at least that long. The 1895 might indeed be long enough for a 9.3 x 57.

Actually the 1895 and 444 are NOT "longer actions" atleast not the receiver.

The unforgiving bitch of reality determined the maximum COAL that the 444MArlin, 450Marlin and 45-70 are capable of handling and I believe it's shorter than any factory 9.3x57 ammo you'll find, seat deep and you'll likely get away with it, but I think you'll be limited to
?x51 cartridges....



The Marlin 1895 action is too short to accept the longer 458diameter bullets.
they'll fit in the magazine and they'll fit in the chamber the issue is getting them FROM the magazine to the chamber.the ORIGINAL C.1895 model 1895 was a longer action and was chambered in the longer 45-90 and I believe 50-110 cartridges.

The Model 336 is a third generation decendant
of the model of 1893, which after a minor redesign in 1936 breifly became the "model 1936"
then simply the Model 36 through which it retained the "square bolt" like the current production model 1894 carbines.
Then with the redesign to the model 336 (1949?) the square bolt was replaced with the current production round bolt.

a 9.3x57? if you can live with sticking to a maximum COAL of around 2.570"...
Any longer than that and you'll have issues making the trip from the magazine to the
chamber...

Frankly, I think it'd be easier to make your own unique "366Win"... or if you prefer
have some custom headstamped brass made up marked 9.3x51 or if you go rimmed 9.3x51R

Like I didn't say clearly before it's easier to simply shuffle exsisting parts around than it is to actually modify something, particularly when exsisting, carefully engineered parts are more likely to work on the first try....

And though others report no extraction problems with the rimless cases... with my luck it'll jam...

So for any of these permutations I'd be real inclined to use the rimmed version of the brass and an unmodified 30-30 bolt-assembly, magazine tube, follower and shell stop, I KNOW that'll extract reliably...

And no you won't find any listings for the 307/356/375win chambered Marlins because they weren't introduced until 89-90 and by 91-92ish they were gone... and by '94 considered ancient history.
so their demise is 16 or so years old...and they weren't made for very long anyway...
At the time dealers couldn't give them away.

I remember one 375 that laid around one of my favorite gunshops for years and when I finally realized how rare it was and went back it wasn't there.... (everyone in the world has half a dozen of these stories and they are all true

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
My concern is more the older metal of the barrel (on many of the potential elderly guns to be converted), and it's thickness when the .35 Remington is rechambered for a cartridge which is both fatter and longer.

as I wrote above the dimensions are only different by 0.011 at the case head just above the rim, 0.028" at the shoulder and the shoulder
and the shoulder neck junction moved forward 0.066" and the marlin lever rifles have a very shallow taper.

If you are worried about an "older" 35Rem M336
don't do it to an "older" 35Rem 336...
It's unlikely you are going to find an older one anyway...

If you are really paranoid (excuse me, "reasonably cautious") about it, simply do the conversion on a marlin 335 in 35Rem that's new enough to have a crossbolt safety, which incidentally the most recent change to the rifle... if it's got a C-B-S you are into the late 1980's atleast.


And to be honest, I wouldn't load it to the sky either... but I'm certain that any load in the Speer manual is completely safe.


And lastly before I'd actually build one myself I'd want to be certain of a supply of brass for it 250-300 pieces (what I'd consider a lifetime supply) of 356Win brass is going to be "fun" to collect....

AllanD

[

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
My concern is more the older metal of the barrel (on many of the potential elderly guns to be converted), and it's thickness when the .35 Remington is rechambered for a cartridge which is both fatter and longer.

as I wrote above the dimensions are only different by 0.011 at the case head just above the rim, 0.028" at the shoulder and the shoulder
and the shoulder neck junction moved forward 0.066" and the marlin lever rifles have a very shallow taper.

If you are worried about an "older" 35Rem M336
don't do it to an "older" 35Rem 336...
It's unlikely you are going to find an older one anyway...

If you are really paranoid (excuse me, "reasonably cautious") about it, simply do the conversion on a marlin 335 in 35Rem that's new enough to have a crossbolt safety, which incidentally the most recent change to the rifle... if it's got a C-B-S you are into the late 1980's atleast.


And to be honest, I wouldn't load it to the sky either... but I'm certain that any load in the Speer manual is completely safe.


And lastly before I'd actually build one myself I'd want to be certain of a supply of brass for it 250-300 pieces (what I'd consider a lifetime supply) of 356Win brass is going to be "fun" to collect....

AllanD[/QUOTE]



First off, I am not the one here considering doing it. I HAVE a .356 Winchester 94 AE and an older .35 Remington Marlin, and a .358 BLR, along with a number of others of similar ilk such as a Marlin .375 Win., .444, .45-70, etc.

I was simply suggesting what I would personally take a close look at. I would not do it for anyone else unless it was a complete re-barrel job. That way I wouldn't have to worry about barrel size/quality/condition. I just hope no-one gets some shade-tree gunsmith to do it for them on their older Marlin .336 which has already seen 50+ years of use and maybe abuse, as a result of an on-line thread..

There are lots of those old 336's around, BTW. My most recent, which I bought last year, is 49 years old, and I've seen any number of them for sale in local shops, on Guns America, etc.

Second, I believe the subject was/is converting a.35 Remington to .358, not .356, so I wouldn't worry about a source of brass. Must be umpty-million pieces of .308 brass out there which can be used to make .358 Win brass.

What anyone else wishes to do, and what they wish to do it with, is their apple to bite.

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
Second, I believe the subject was/is converting a.35 Remington to .358, not .356, so I wouldn't worry about a source of brass. Must be umpty-million pieces of .308 brass out there which can be used to make .358 Win brass.

Yes, but as I've said atleast four times now I'd like to do this specific conversion myself, but I'd prefer to use the rimmed brass as that eliminates the bolt face modifications and eliminates what is IMO a serious potential complication of extraction difficulties using the rimless 308/358Win brass.

Some people like a big extractor.
I understand that a big extractor isn't in the cards for this particular conversion so a big rim will have to do

To be honest what I really wanted when I first started playing with lever rifles was a Winchester 1895 in 35Whelen, but from the reintroduced Brownings comming on the market
in the early/mid 90's to the current production "winchester" labeled browning reproductions now at an over the counter price of $1000 the brownings are just too damned
expensive to buy one in 30-06 and immediatly start chopping it up...
By the time you'd be done you'd have a $2000 lever rifle, and that's just a bit much...
(even if the 1895 winchester will accept pointed bullets)

the possibility of being able to modify an inexpensive Marlin 336 in 35Rem to either the 358Win or it's rimmed twin (and according to Speer they are all loaded to the same 52,000CUP) it just too damned attractive to not investigate further...

BTW, I really doubt the outside barrel profile is actually different because on a marlin that would require a change in the forend and the barrel band and there is no such changes evident in the parts listings.

I have a friend who has a Marlin in 375, I'll have to visit him with my Caliper in hand...

AllanD

Ok from a post over on Marlin.com:


The differences according to Tim Looney at Marlin are as follows:

35 Remington caliber barrel: XXXXXXXXX 356 caliber barrel:

Bore: .3500 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Bore: .3515
Groove: .3570 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Groove: .3577
Grooves: 6 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Grooves: 6
Twist rate: 1 x 16 RH XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Twist rate: 1 x 12 RH


the OUTSIDE of the barrel is the same

I think it's POSSIBLE there may be some stabilization issues
with the 250gr bullets, but then again, mabey not....

I find it interesting that the barrels are slightly different internally considering that all ammunition is loaded with .358 diameter bullets....



AllanD

If the Marlin action will happily digest the 55Kpsi of a 375Win/307/356 ... then load your 35Rem ammunition to 55Kpsi. Is the 35Rem that far behind the 358Win to merit rechambering when operating at those pressure levels?
Cheers...
Con

again,
don't bother...

sell the 35, get a 356 or 375 win, and move on, save a ton of money.

for 570(-whatever you get for the 35) bucks, here's a 375 -
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976728123.htm



jeffe

but jeffeosso,
Its a winchester, and not the desired Marlin.

vapo...sorry i am late to the party...

what floats MY boat is the idea of a 411-358 win!!!

405 flat point bullets, 410 pistol bullets and 400 rifle bullets!

now THAT is a cool 356, 307, 375 win, 35 rem conversion

deer and pigs be gone gun

a mini 411 hawk!

AllenD said, "To be honest what I really wanted when I first started playing with lever rifles was a Winchester 1895 in 35Whelen, but from the reintroduced Brownings comming on the market
in the early/mid 90's to the current production "winchester" labeled browning reproductions now at an over the counter price of $1000 the brownings are just too damned
expensive to buy one in 30-06 and immediatly start chopping it up...
By the time you'd be done you'd have a $2000 lever rifle, and that's just a bit much...
(even if the 1895 winchester will accept pointed bullets)"

Allen. I found a Browning 1895 at a gun show for $700 and passed on another at $500 a month later. Probably should have bought it, but you lnow what they say about hindsight. Both were in 30-06. Probably the least expensive route if you find one would be to have it rebored to .35 Whelen. I've thought about doing that to mine for dark timber elk hunting. I almost hate to do it though as I really like the way it hangs for offhand shooting.
For those interesting in converting .35 Rem. marlins to .358/whatever, I think the URL is www.marlinowners.com. IIRC, there have been a few over there who have done the conversion. If that URL doesn't work, E-mail me and I'll pass a link on.
Paul B.

Vapodog,
I think, it was Layne Simpson that did a 7mm shooting times easterner. he rebarreled a marlin to .307 necked to 7mm imp AKA .7-08 imp. I dont remember the velocites ect, but might be just what your looking for.
As for loading a 35 rem to 55K, your brass life would be one shot per case I expect, section one and see how thin it is, you'll be surprised. When I want to load my 25/35 imp at top loads I use 375 win brass, which is WAY tougher then 25-35 brass.

Isn't the reason the lever guns are not chambered for higher intensity cartridges that they lack the camming force necessary for primary extraction??? I am sure that some of the actions can handle the pressure although there is probably some bolt flex because of the rear lockup, but it may be difficult to get the case out of the chamber. I think the ratio of extraction is something like 2 to 1 with a lever gun and 8 to 1 with a bolt action.