I read an article where a gunsmith took an older Marlin Model 336 in 35 remington and converted it to a 358 winchester. But i think he only shot light loads with 158 grain bullets. Can this be done to the Marlin to use standard 358 win hunting loads ( say 200 grain rn at 2400- 2500 fps) or is the pressure in the 358 just to high for the Marlin action?

seen it done.. but, then again, i've seen a 440 chrysler in a VW...

it would be out of pressure specs, and cheaper faster better to sell the 35 rem and get a 356 marling 336 bigbore
jeffe

If ,indeed, you have a .35 Rem. IMHO you shoul keep it the way it is. It is totally adequate for most North American big game under 150 yds. In a strong bolt action you would be able to extend its ability both in energy level and range. Don't sell it. Enjoy it, and when and if you can afford it treat yourself to a new rifle. roger

I do have a 35 remington in a marlin 336sc made in 1962 and i have no plans on selling or converting it, the 35 rem is one of my back up deer rifles . I had just read this article and was wondering how many have done this conversion, as i thought the marlin was not strong enough to handle the pressures of the 358 winchester unless loaded down quite a bit.

First, the twist rate is different so you won't be able to shoot heavy bullets in the 358 win in the converted rifle as they won't stabilize.
Second is the 358 win is too long and it's a rimless cartridge where the 336 was designed for a rimmed case.
If you want a more powerful 35, contact Reagan
Nonneman. He does excellent work in converting 336 in 35 Rem. to 356 Winchester which is just a tick less powerful than the 358 win. You'll still have the twist problem so you're limited to 225 gr. bullets or less
Go to the Marlin shooters website. They can steer you in the right direction for this project.
Regards,
sbsmith

quote:

Originally posted by sbsmith:
... Second is the 358 win is too long and it's a rimless cartridge where the 336 was designed for a rimmed case.

Just a minor point here, but the .35 Remington is a rimless case and Marlin has chambered the 336 in .35 Remington for years.
see: http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/centerfire/336C.aspx



Regardless, I don't like the idea of rechambering a Marlin 336 to .358 Winchester. IMHO, the 336 just isn't designed for the pressures that the .358 Win develops with factory loads or full power handloads.

Case drawing from Steve's Pages at http://stevespages.com/page8d.htm

-Bob F.

Geez, another brain cramp. You're absolutely right, the 35 Rem is a rimless case as is the 358 win. I remember having this conversation about two years ago before I had Mr. Nonneman convert my 336/35 Rem to 356 Win. It's not only about the pressure of the 358 win because the 356 win is only about 2,000 CUP less. If memory serves correctly, the loaded 358 Win can cause feeding problems because of it's length.
As I said earlier, the Marlin Owners website can be a great source of information regarding this conversion. The general consensus is "no"
Regards,
sbsmith

quote:

Originally posted by sbsmith:
Geez, another brain cramp. ...

That happens to me more and more as I get older!!!

IMHO, it's a real shame that the .356 Winchester didn't catch on better. I've never owned one but I always thought it was an excellent cartridge for a lever action rifle. (I do own a .35 Whelen in a Rem Model 700 CDL.)

Cheesr!
-Bob F.

quote:

Originally posted by BFaucett:

IMHO, it's a real shame that the .356 Winchester didn't catch on better. I've never owned one but I always thought it was an excellent cartridge for a lever action rifle. (I do own a .35 Whelen in a Rem Model 700 CDL.)
Cheesr! -Bob F.

The analysis of this comment is why the .356 didn't catch on. Even for those that thought it an excellent cartridge few want to pay the price for a lever action chambered for it. It really didn't bring anything new to the table.

If it were a Mod.71 in .348 there would at least be a short period of popularity; again short period. roger

I believe if you check around Paco kelly did an article about shooting .308 Winchester in guns chambered for the .356 and they worked just fine.

As to having a .35 Remington converted to .356/.358 from what I have read it is a fairly common conversion. To me it is too bad that the new Marlin XLR series of rifles was not chambered in .356 Winchester...

Bob

Jesse Ocumpaugh out in Oregon will rebore a standard marlin 336 in 30-30 to .356, 38-55 or .375 winchester. since he is reboring the existing barrel you can get the twist you desire. I had him do a 30-30 to .375 and it shoots great.

Here's a link with Jesse's contact info:

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=217

Weagle

quote:

Originally posted by weagle:
Jesse Ocumpaugh out in Oregon will rebore a standard marlin 336 in 30-30 to .356, 38-55 or .375 winchester. since he is reboring the existing barrel you can get the twist you desire. I had him do a 30-30 to .375 and it shoots great.

Here's a link with Jesse's contact info:

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=217

Weagle

.38/55 would be nice........

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
seen it done.. but, then again, i've seen a 440 chrysler in a VW...

it would be out of pressure specs, and cheaper faster better to sell the 35 rem and get a 356 marling 336 bigbore
jeffe

There is no difference in strength of the various marlin 336 rifles provided you use one new enough to have been factory drilled for scope mounts.



THE issue with "simply buy a 336ER in 356Win"
is that a 336ER is a COLLECTORS ITEM and priced accordingly.
That and the 336ER is chambered for the rimmed 356Win rather than the rimless 358.

The brass for rimmed 356Win is somewhat harder to find and more expensive when you do...

to do it you need not only to rechamber the 35Rem barrel but REPLACE the bolt with a bolt from a 30-30 Marlin (Gun parts Corp)

And yes, the 35Rem uses a 1:16" twist, and though some will claim it won't properly stabilize the 250gr RN bullets (Moot point alert! you can't use spitzers in a tubular magazine anyway), but at this point I need to point out that the 350RemMag also uses a 1:16" twist rate...

250gr Spitzers really need a minimum of 1:14" for best results, but again spitzers CANNOT be used in the Marlin's tubular magazine, so the point is moot. it's moot yet again, because
the 250's are just too damn long for the limited confines of the 336's feed system.


The marlin WAS chambered in the rimmed 356win
and I know of several people who have been shooting rechambered marlins (both 35's converted to 358 and 30-30's rechambered to 307Win) and nobody's blown one up yet.

This question is really better suited to discussion in Lever Rifles, gunsmithing Or on the MArlinowners.com forums

And while the concensus on marlin owners forums is "no" you have to understand there is a certain "purist" mindset along with some "collectoritis".

IF I had a supply of 356win brass and a 35rem that showed real signs of use I'd do it without a second thought, but not for the 300fps gain with 200gr bullets just to use the brass I had... then again If I had a supply of Virgin 356 brass I could probably trade it 1 for 1
for factory 35rem ammunition

DO remember that the SAAMI pressure limit of the 35Rem is based on the possibility that someone might put a round loaded hotter than SAAMI spec into an original Remington Model 8 semi-auto or a Pump action model 14, NOT the strength of the 336 action.

Remember that the 336 MArlin is safe for 40,000-43,000CUP for the handloaded 45-70 cartridge
when a significant portion of the receiver has been machined away to allow the 45-70 cartridge
to fit....

So by comparison a 356Win or 358Win is hardly even in the same league

BTW, many of the guys on the Marlin Owners forums would recoil in horror if you admitted to SHOOTING a 356Win Chambered 336ER.

I told someone I wanted a 336LTS (a 16" Barrel straight grip stock 30-30) as a "truck gun" and someone nearly had a stroke, bcause they were only produced in relatively small quantities


AllanD