Who knows why but I just can't get it out of my head that I really don't need a 35 Remington bolt action.

I am a bolt guy and have read about the older Model 54s and early Model 70s were available for a time in 35 Remington and 30/30. Well since I can't find one of these and if I did would not pay the guy what he probably want for it claiming it is spendy as it is so rare..... the other route is just make one.

So as I have several Stainless Ruger shortactions that could be rebarreled, I was debating about this.

Any feeding problems that I should be aware of?

I figure a Ruger in 35 Remington and then in 30 Remington are just what I need in my gun cabinet to just be different. I down load so much of my hunting ammo anyway since our Oregon black tail are no bigger than an antelope anyway.

Appreciate any input from some of you gunsmithing experts on line here. Thanks in advance.
Cheers and good shooting
seafire

I'm assuming that you're talking about using a "standard" .470" bolt face action. The .35 Remington has about a .460" head, as I recall, so I don't know if you'd have any issues with getting the extractor to hold; probably would work okay.

The same question exists with the feed rails -- would they be narrow enough to properly retain the slightly skinnier cartridge? This should be easy to determine: Just fill the magizine with .35 Remingtons and see how they fit. If the rails hold them properly, the feeding should be no problem. But since most .35 ammo uses RN bullets, be sure that the feed ramp is nice and smooth with no abrupt edge to catch the blunt noses.

An alternative would be to use an M77 action made for the 7.62x39 which would have a .440" bolt face that could be opened up. I would think that its magazine rails would adapt just fine to the .35 Rem.

Use a Ruger 77that is already in 223, since it is already long enough for a 308.

Then open the bolt face and extractor and then make a new magazine box and machine the feed rails to the proper dims, will have to make a new follower also.

Jim Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

J Wisner has the right approach for a finely done conversion. I would just cycle some 35 Remingto ammo through the intended Ruger 77 and see if the magazine box/rails are close enough to the right dimension to feed the 35 Rem. You can see if the extractor grips the groove enough. An alternative is to just chamber it for 358 Winchester. You can always load it slightly milder to shoot with 35 Remington velocities.

I think you are on the right trail for a blacktail wacker. The milder rounds would work well. I have shot them with 357 Magnum rifles and 357 Remington Maximum rifles. As with any round, if it is properly placed it will stop a blacktail deer. I have personally seen a government hunter wack plenty of blacktails with a .22 magnum to the temple area.

I hunt blacktails with a Ruger 77 factory chambered in 7.62x39 which is not much different than a 30 Remington.
Works well with a lot less meat damage than a 308 Win.

I like the 223 Idea. I was looking at that to do a 30 Remington or a 25 Remington.

The 35 Remington is just a little bigger at the base so I figured a regular 243 sized head ( .473 vs .460) would work fine. I know that a 6.5 x 55 head is a little larger than the 243, but the same bolt size will fit both. A Marine Corp trained gunsmith told me that it will fit, as he re did a Model 70 in 30/06 into a 6.5 x 55 for me.

Guess I am just getting hung up on those older cartridges that have faded away, in a fit of nostalgia. Guess that is my version of getting bitten by a bug other than magnumitius.

Would rather have a Model 54 in 35 Remington and 30/30 tho. And a couple of Model 30 Remingtons in 25 and 30, and 32 Remington. Even tho I can load 30/06s down to the 30 Remington and 30/30 levels, It is just the nostalgia of having one of the older cartridges.

I have a 1893 Marlin in 25/20 that I would not trade for a million bucks. Nor would I trade off my 1917 Enfield with the original 1918 barrel, or my 1898 Krag with an original barrel, or several of my 1930 and 1920 Vintage Mausers and CZs with original barrels.

I'd rather have a Model 721 stamped 30/06 Government on it, than a brandnew David Miller 300 Weatherby anyday.

Give me something with history to it anyday, over some new wizbang trendy supershort Magnum. Of course if I could buy a new 1950 Chevy pickup, I'd probably be driving one of those, instead of a new 2005 Chevy, so that lets you know where my head is at.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire

Seafire,
I did a 35 Rem on a 1910 Mexican mauser and I know it is a different animal but the only problem was I had to massage the feedrails and follower to get it to feed with the big 200 gr. roundnose bullets, fed the 150 gr. bullets like grease through the proverbial goose. The 200 grainers would hang up on the rear edge of the chamber and not the feedramp, bolt face was fine and the extractor held the 35 case just fine. Good luck with your project.

Steve E.......

Steve,

Thanks for the info! "displaced by the Air Force to Hawaii"? Thanks for serving your country, but there are a lot worse places to get displaced too.

My Dad was an Air Force officer and was stationed in Hawaii in 1971 and retired in 1974 as on O/6. My folks did not return to the mainland to live until 1998!

Cheers
seafire