If I load a 35 rem w/ 158 gr hornady xtp's in marlin 336, would it be considered a hunting or plinking round? If anyone has tried this, how well did the bullet group? I don't want to try anything out of the ordinary or push the limits of the bullet.

Depends on how fast you push the bullet. Each box of XTPs come with a slip of paper that give the velocity parameters for best performance with the XTP. With the .35 Remington you can exceed those parameters. I can assure you that at 2200 fps the 158 XTP out of a .35 Remington is a varmint bullet. They turn rabbits into 'bits. a bit of 'em goes here and a 'bit of 'em goes there! Guess it depends on what your "hunting" as to whether they were a "hunting bullet at that velocity. I would not use them on deer at that velocity. Accuracy was very good but I was shooting them out of a 26" barrel on a M91 Mauser.

Larry Gibson

I wanted to hunt deer with the round but I know that I was borderline in what I was expecting the bullet to do. I just wanted to hear what others had experinced.

The Nosler manual recommends their 180 grain Petition handgun bullet can be used on deer...2K+ fps may stress a Hornady a little too much.

Bob

Its a nice varmit round. The 158grain will not hold together on deer.