35 Remington Lever Action Marlin

[eagle rider]

Hey thanks guys.  We all have some great deer hunting memories I guess of parents and brothers and friends some long gone.  I never step into the deer woods without remembering some.  Some to this day still get a chucckle out of me like it was yesterday.  Deer camp is a special place that only hunters can appreciate.  That 03A3 Battle Rifle was his prize possession in his collection, which wasn't all that big.  I could never understand why he never really reached for that model 99 or the Vanguard 25-06 (which I feel in love with).  I guess to him it was like an old friend.  Who knows maybe it reminded him of Marine buddies that never made it off the beaches or out of the jungles.  I always meant to ask him why, but I never got the chance.  They were a rare bread, those old devil dogs, that rifle and his K-Bar were two things he never let out of his sight.  Its weird that the Greatest Generation is now all but gone.  I read somewhere that one of those guys meets his maker every 45 seconds.  I do believe they saved the world.  Anyways, that's way off topic.  We were talking about our hunting rifles......  I'm on desk duty this week so I'll be bouncing in and out a lot.  Maybe some of you guys will be writing in.   

[moosemike]

Yes indeed, the greatest generation is almost gone. My Grandfather died two months ago at age 86. He served from '43 to '45 on a battleship in the Navy. He was on Japan for the surrender.

[Larry]

i use a 444 marlin it works for me. I do have a 35Rem in a remington xp-100 hand gun I kill a deer with it the first year I had it 1 shot between the eyes at 40 yd's good thing it was a doe and not a big buck. The shot removed the whole top of the head. 

[eagle rider]

MooseMike, I'm sorry for your loss.  Was he a hunter too?

[eagle rider]

the trip' 4 is a beast!  I always feared too much meat damage going that big.  The 35 does just fine by my standards.  Its got a lot of foward mass and just seems to drop them without destroying a ton of quality cuts along the way.  I do like the 444 a lot.  When I was a kid I read a story in the American Hunter about a guy who hunted Nile River Crocs' with that 444 from canoes.  I was intrigued by the 444 ever since then. 

[covert]

the trip' 4 is a beast!  I always feared too much meat damage going that big. 

I've killed two bucks with a .450 Marlin and I was surprised how little damage there was.  They had nice, neat .458" diameter holes right through them.  If you wanted to you could eat right up to the hole on the one I shot in the neck! 

I think the big ol' heavy bullet is just moving slow enough that if it doesn't encounter a major bone it just shoves through without causing a bunch of bruised/bloodshot meat.

[eagle rider]

You might be right.  A 300 Wby Mag with a 150 gr bullet will make a mess of a deer.  Lots of bruised, bloody meat.  The exit wounds can be massive.  When I used to use a 25-06 out past 100 yards when the velocity would fall off a bit, the damage was all internal.  It would make soup out of the chest cavity with almost no damage to the meat whatsover.  The 35 Rem is slow and heavy, not as heavy as the 444 or the 450.  It doesn't produce nearly as much kientic enegry as the 300 Wby at those ultra high velocities.  I would imagine they are more explosive on impact. 

[G-Man]

I'll take the deer shot with a 45-70 over any deer shot with a high power rifle...way to much damage from a 300win mag. 45-70 nice 45 cal hole in and out..and deer usually drops in its tracks.

[Pygmy]

Let me jump on the bandwagon and heartily agree. A relatively heavy bullet at moderate velocity is a great killer and is much easier on the eatin' meat than lighter , more explosive projectiles at higher velocity.

My medium bore rifle is a 9.3 x 62, which is similar to a .35 Whelen, except with a slightly bigger bullet.  My pet load features a 250 grain Barnes X bullet at about 2500 FPS muzzle velocity. It hits hard and penetrates like crazy. Every head of game that I have shot with it has gone straight down. Typically it produces half dollar sized exit holes, and very little bloodshot meat , much less than my .280 with 140 grain bullets at 3000 FPS...

[WNYBuckHunter]

Any time I have hunted in rifle country, my 30-30 Marlin has been with me. Its a great little gun to carry, and Ill be adding a scope to it eventually. I just dont get to use it often enough.

[eagle rider]

Yeah the speed demon rounds do take a toll.  Even with the 30-06, I load it down to around 2600 FPS (and could prob go lower). 

[Pygmy]

I'm sure you're right, eagle rider...

A poster on one of the forums that I used to frequent was a very savvy reloader who lives in Ontario (Canada) and does all of his hunting for deer and moose in areas where a 100 yard shot is nearly impossible and most shots are under 50 yards...

He always  claimed that heavy for caliber bullets at moderate velocities worked best.. He shot a 30-06 and loaded 180 grain bullets to around 2400 FPS, and used  bullets that expanded readily, like Nosler ballistic tips and Sierra gamekings.. He maintained that a relatively heavy bullet at a moderate velocity penetrated farther and wrecked less meat than the high velocity loads. He was shooting game in close cover, often from less than ideal angles, like a shot at  the southern end of a northbound moose.. A lot of times in the thick stuff, you either take whatever shot is offered you, or you don't shoot. Some folks may argue that a shot at a less than ideal angle is unethical, but in the real world of hunting, sometimes things pan out that way.

Once again...The right tool for the job..

High velocities and corresponding flat trajectories have thier place. I have shot my fair share of game at ranges from 300 to 400 yards, and at long range the high velocity loadings make hitting your target much easier. But for much of the hunting that many of us do, at woods ranges, they aren't necessary, and at times they are counterproductive.

[Moosemaple]

I agree the 336 Marlin is a great weapon, I have one in 30-30 and 444-marlin I use the 444 for bear in Canada.

[eagle rider]

I took my bear with the 35 rem at 50 yards,..... no problem.  He was 250 on the paw.  I think mid velocity with heavy weight bullets designed to rapidly expand are great inside 100 yds.  A little lighter at reduced velocity gives a bit better trajectory if the shots eek out a bit longer.  Its probably terrain dependent.  We hunt hill hardwoods, plenty of in close opportunities and plenty out to 200 yards.

[moosemike]

MooseMike, I'm sorry for your loss.  Was he a hunter too?

Thank you. He had quit hunting some years ago.

[eagle rider]

This holidy in particular is hard for me because guys like our fathers were among the truest of patriots.  Another good one passed this year, my uncle and god father, a USN Submarine Vet from the Korean War.  He was also a NYPD 9th Pct cop.  Lou Gherrig's Disease got him!  He was a big time duck hunter on the south shore. 

[Pygmy]

Yeah, Eagle, I know what you mean...

My Dad ( who was my hero) served on a tin can in the Pacific from 1943-1945 ( USS Cony DD-503).  His GQ station was on a twin 40 MM mount, as gun captain.  His ship saw lots of action.. At one time he never set foot on dry land for 6 months...Took on stores at sea, refueled at sea, took on ammo at sea.. They endured many Japanese air attacks ( and took some casualties from bomb hits)  several sub attacks and supported several amphibious landings, including the one at Leyte Gulf... Another WWII vet , who was sort of my FISHING mentor, and taught me how to ice fish, tie flies and bucktail jigs, stream fish for trout, etc. served on a sub in the Pacific ( SSN Pargo) which sunk around 20 Japanese ships..His boat was running on the surface in the Sea of Japan and heard the detonation from the Hiroshima bomb...

They are both gone now and I think of them and miss them every day...

[hunter]

The greatest generation indeed. My Dad was in the army and was part of D Day, my uncle was a lifer in the navy and commanded subs in the Pacific and my other uncle was in the Coast Guard as an aviator. He was shot down three times and survived to fight again each time. All gone. RIP all you heroes from the greatest generation.

Now for Marlins, I love them. .35 was my first rifle. Now have a 30-30 and a .41 mag lever. Think I'm taking the .41 to SC for deer hunt in Sept. I have an aperture sight on this gun but think I'll put a low power scope for low light and old eyes.

[eagle rider]

Pygmy & Hunter!  I hear both of you.  Like I said this hoiliday is a tough one because we miss guys like them so much,  RIP!!!  Hunter I use a 2-7x 32mm with a low rings on my 35.  I don't think I've ever taken the scope past 2x.  I've awesome in the brush.  The 41 will do you good in SC.  Where are you going in SC?  I hunted there twice.  I love it down there.

[hunter]

Eagle, I'm gonna be in Myrtle Beach for two weeks so I'm looking at my options in reasonable drive time. So far I found Low Country Outfitters. They have half day hunts for $75 per hunt. I figure this will be my best option so I can spend part of the day with my family and stay in the room I'm already paying for. I plan on hunting the first wek of Sept which will be bucks only and in velvet according to the outfitter. I'm gonna do afternoon hunts.

[eagle rider]

Excellent many years back we hunted the Bostick Plantation two years in a row.  Its awesome deer hunting down there.  I would love to do it again.  I shot two yonger bucks a doe and three hogs the first year.  The second year a big buck a doe and three hogs.  Its awesome long range hunting too.  all three bucks were last light at 200 plus yards.  I used a 300 Wby Mk V.  Good optics were a must!!!!  We were there in late October both years.  It was awesoem hunting, great acomodations and great food.  I have to see if I can still find the pics and post them.

[hunter]

If those are the ranges maybe I'll take my Savage 300 win mag. When I spoke to the outfitter I thought it was 100 yds or less over a food plot but if I might have 200 yd potential I'll def take the bigger gun. Thanks for the info, I'll still be talking with the guide so I'll know what to expect. See if you can find your pics I'm sure we'd all love to see them. BTW how hard was bringing back the meat? Did you have them butcher and ship or just drive it home in a cooler or coolers?

[eagle rider]

That would be a good choice.  We were hunting box stands across agricultural fields.  Mostly soybean.  It was a great time.  I will fish out the pics.  We paid to have teh meat butchered and packed there. 

[pawle76]

This is a topic near and dear to my heart ! Great rifle ! My Dad got me one as my first hunting rifle and I absolutely love the thing. My Dad, his Dad, friends, Uncles all use it. They all love it. It's definitely killed the most deer in our camp. Like you guys I have a .30-06 (model 70 Win.) that I'll use if I think I need some more range,but when I'm poppin' that brush or the weather is nasty you can bet that .35 Marlin will be along. I would like to suggest to you guys if you haven't already, start using Hornady Leverevolution Ammo. These bullets are unbelievable !!! They are the first pointed bullets that can be used in a lever action and what a difference they make. Some Marlins might have trouble cycling these bullets through if yours does just contact Marlin and send it to them and they'll fix the problem for free. It's well worth it trust me !My Fathers older .35 had no trouble but mine did so I sent it to Marlin and it works great now with the new ammo.

[eagle rider]

Its great ammo, I agree. I hit a big spike in the neck with a 200 gr 35 Rem Leverevolution last season at 50 yards in really heavy cover. The entrance wound was about the size of a marble. The exit wound the size of a golf ball.