I notice there are always a few reasonably priced centergrip and reargrip XP's for sale on the web in 35 Remington and after doing a quick search on Google this morning I think I see why.

Some of the comments I found on the round were;

1. Glamorus as a slab of fatback.
2. Not much good past 100yds.
3. Less effective than the 30.30 because it's slower and heavier bullets expand less.
4. Not known for it's MOA accuracy.
5. Makes a fair 'short range' bear cartridge but that's about all.

I know there are a lot of more effecient rounds in a handgun but has anyone ever played with the round in a XP or 15" pistol barrel ?

Do the above comments pretty much sum up the round ?

I have a XP in .35 even though I do want to rechamber is ther is nothing wrong with the .35 REM. My gun will shoot 1/2" three shot 100 yd groups all day with almost anythaing you feed it. alot of groups are less. As fact the first group I shot with it, I thought I must have pulled becaus it was to good ,I thought. I did it agin ,three shots , one & a half holes. Factory REM amo. At 150 - 200 yds with 180 gr. ssp hornandys a dear is on the tabel, if you do your part. Better rounds & bullet outthere yes, but dont count out the .35Rem thanks CFP

Dennis, how goes everything in your part of the country? I traded a while back for a contender barrel in 35 Remington rimmed, parent case is 30-40 Krag but none the less the same cartridge. To be quite honest just started playing with this one and I am impressed in the accuracy department so far, at 200m. I am wondering if this round has been beaten into the dirt by the "rags" guru writers as the 30-30 was several years ago?

The one thing is it is probably not the most economical round in the 35's. I would base it around say like a 502 BB chevy, in a everyday driver . The fuel milage is not there but you have the extra HP when ever you want it!

BTW, the 200 M was not my first choice. When I got to the range there were no sighter targets out, except a few at 200 m. There is a 10-12" gong and a steel cat out there. After walking the bullet out there and getting my windage and elevation settings I proceeded to shot "minute of cat". That says somthing in my book .
Jeff

Jeff,

Things here in Okieland are about the same, just waiting for the match season to kick off.

It sounds like your 35. Rem. barrel is a pretty fair shooter, just curious what bullet and powder are you loading ? Any idea what the fps is ?

Ike,

I did quite a bit of experimenting with a Contender 14" 35 Rem before I had it rechambered to the prototype 358 Bellm.

Actually it is not a bad performer, but I wanted a little more horsepower because I wanted to use it for elk and it fit into the the plan to convert and evaluate with the Bellm Triad.

When the barrel was a 35 Rem, I tried 13 different powders and 4 different bullets in all combinations. I was getting so-so velocities until I got to H-322 powder and so-so accuracy as well. With a max load of 39.0 grains H-322 and the Hornady 200 grain FBSP bullet, #3510, I was able to see 1 inch to just over an inch 5-shot groups at 2112 f/s. Also I think part of the reason for the 1+ inch groups was that I was testing it with a 2.5 power scope. I did much better with an 8 power scope when testing the 358 Bellm after it was rechambered.

There is one thing to watch though. If you look in the Complete Reloading Manual for the Contender, you will find a Hodgdon load listed at 41 grains of H-322 and the 200 grain bullet. I am sure that is an error as I had sticky extractions at charges above 39.0 grains.

One other minor problem with the 35 Rem is that I got only about 5 reloads from new brass before I started getting head separations, and I was careful to avoid over-sizing.

Hope that helps

Don Shearer

The 35 Rem has a bad habit off missfireng in the Contender. I was also never happy with the damage it did on deer. When you start looking at the rounds that the XP can handle why settle for a 35 Rem. Lone Hunter

Dennis, I used some AA 2200 just because I had some data for it and need to fireform some cases.I don't recall the grains, but was just above a start load for it as the 2200 is pretty dirty on the low end. Oh the bullet was just some bulk 180 357's that I had laying around. FPS, have not a clue. One of the nice days I got away and played a little.

BTW, why not get one of the 35's in the xp and rechamber to a 7BR or somthing else?
Jeff

Ike I have had a .35 Remington ever since Thompson Center made one in the Contender. I have shot deer with it ever year since then. I shoot the 180-200 grain bullets and am tickled with the way it kills deer. I have killed deer OUT TO 200 yards(I WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE EXPANSION WITH THAT ROUND) bUT IT IS A DEER KILLER. I shoot mine at about 2350 (180 gr.) and if I do my part it kills. You have to reload to get decent performance and you have to watch and not set the shoulder back. If I was buying an xp it would be in .308 or .358 winchester

Jeff & Jess,

I wasn't really considering a .35 Rem. in a XP very hard right now, just kind of curious as to what others had been able to accomplish with the round.

With four centergrip XP's now, one in 300 Whisper, two in 7BR and one in 7 Intrl. / 7 IHMSA I'm not really looking for another one at the moment but I am considering rebarreling one of the 7BR's into something in a 6.5, maybe a .260 or 6.5x.284.

Jeff if you get the chance drive down and shoot some steel at Tri-City this season, I'll be holding matches on May 18th, June 22nd, July 20th, Aug. 17th and Sept. 21st.

Ike

I have shot silhouettes and other things with an XP in .35 Remington for years and never experienced misfires, hangfires, or wildfires. Loaded properly, it is a fine round for busting steel as well as deer and other game animals. It will outdo the .30-30 marginally due to the heavier bullets penetrating further into the animal.