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Posted: 12/29/2025 5:16:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: mech4matsnova][Edited]
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My elderly neighbor passed away about 45 days ago, was in his upper 80s(Tobacco farmer). His Granddaughter asked me to come by because she wants to give me some of his things because the family thinks I'll use it. Amongst many old/unusual farm things was almost 300 rounds of 35 Remington, still in the original boxes. Most of it is from the late 70s/80s. It was in a climate controlled safe, don't have any reason to believe it won't function. Its all 150/200g. I asked about purchasing the rifle that goes with it but was declined, I didn't press the issue. This is the pic she sent me of some of it: Attached File I've never heard of the cartridge but after some basic research it appears to be a slightly bigger heavier 30-30 and that its reasonably available new today. I appreciate old sporting guns and after some more research have settled on a Marlin 336. I intend to mount a Weaver K4 60B(fixed 4x) I already have and use it as a vintage style short range deer/black bear rifle. I dont know anything about these guns except that theyre either still being made or were until very recently. Id prefer a "vintage" gun from the 60s/70s/80s but would consider something newer based on information provided by the more knowledgeable. I think I want a C or CS with a 20" or 22" bbl. Want to have this type of setup:  What's the deal with the micro groove rifling? Are the older guns better than the newer ones? Should the Freedom Remlins be avoided? Anything specific I should look out for or avoid? I'm looking to spend ~$1k. Thanks for the input |
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They are fairly common in pawnshops, at least locally. Prices tend to be lower as current production ammo is hard to source unless you use the internet. Not a problem for you it seems.  Last time I reloaded some I was paying something like $1.50 each for new brass. It's an excellent short woods cartridge, you would be quite happy with one. |
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I deer hunt with a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington as well as a Remington Model 141 in .35 Rem. Both have receiver peep sights on them as most of my shots on game are 100 yards or less. Both take deer very effectively. Looking at the picture of the ammunition you receiving, I'll advise you to stick with the 200 grain bullets as that is what the .35 Remington was designed to use. I've never had any good experiences with the 150 grain bullets either on the range or in the hunting fields. Marlin's patented "Micro Groove" rifling works well with jacketed bullets. Look for any Marlins with the (JM) stamp on the barrel. These are pre "Remlin" guns. I've heard good things about Ruger's Marlin 336 re-issue but never fired one. Gary |
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I had a dude that wanted to get rid of one. I had no idea how old it was and did know anything about the cartridge at that moment, all I knew is that it was not a 30-30 so I wasn't even sure if it was an available cartridge. Offered the guy $100. So I took a look at the rifle and found that it basically appeared to be an unfired JM Marlin made in the early 80's. 35 is a decent cartridge, up to black bear. The micro groove rifling is best shot with jacketed ammo. Lead ammo will clog up the rifling pretty fast. 35 rem is not as common as 30-30. Doubt you will see it at walmart but it is not impossible to find either. LGS had a couple boxes of Feds on the shelf so I picked up one. Think I'm gonna hand the rifle over to my future SIL when the first grandkid arrives. Don't be scared of Remlins, just check the year of manufacturer to start. When Freedom bought Marlin they bought a company with worn out equipment and they made move to a new factory after acquisition. So for the first 2'ish years of Remlin, they were using up old stock to produce rifles and figuring out how to properly produce rifles on new equipment plus learning curve for new employees. After those initial years they started making nice rifles. If you come upon an initial rifle, check it out and check the stampings on the parts. Look at the rifling to see if it micro-groove. Open up the rifle and look a machining and check function. You may come across a decent functioning rifle that has a micro-groove Marlin barrel and rough maching but still functions and shoots just fine. |
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Send the ammunition to me. Ammo production broke loose the last two falls, and Hornady made cases, after a 10 or 12 year drought of no production. The new ammo was priced at about $55 per box. GunBroker ammo before that was about $7 to $8 per round before that Cases were a couple of bucks and hard to find, and needed to be checked for splits. The .35 Remington is popular in pockets, and rifles are common enough everywhere. |
Keep your powder dry, and watch your back trail.
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I'm watching my back trail.
| You will find .35 Rem with 200 grain bullets very effective inside 200 yards on deer and black bear. Avoid Remington made "Marlins" like the plague. You don't need their practice pieces and there are too many real Marlins available. Micro groove rifling works well with lead bullets that fit the bore and is no more prone to lead than any other rifling pattern. Good luck with your upcoming acquisition and enjo0y a real classic. |
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My first deer rifle. Parents got it for me used in the 80s. I normally shot 220 grain Remington ammo in it and it was fantastic in the hills of WV. That rifle dropped more deer than I can remember. My most memorable was a deer that dropped right where I shot it. Don't even take a step. When I field dressed it out I found the bullet, the jacket peeled back exactly as you would expect. The base of the bullet was still perfectly round and I was able to fit it back into the spent brass. I have it sitting on my work bench 35+ years later. |
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Originally Posted By John-in-austin: They are fairly common in pawnshops, at least locally. Prices tend to be lower as current production ammo is hard to source unless you use the internet. Not a problem for you it seems. Last time I reloaded some I was paying something like $1.50 each for new brass. It's an excellent short woods cartridge, you would be quite happy with one. This was a very popular upgrade over a .30-30 back in the day. Very popular caliber in NNY Adirondack and Catskills mountain hunting back in the day. |
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Thanks for the knowledge contributed in this thread, I hope to learn more and pass it along to the kids. Its very smooth cycling compared to my '94 Winchester(post '64, it survived Katrina). As promised, its used but in good+ condition. Bore is near mint(micro groove) MFG in 1971 Mount is a 63B holding up a Weaver K3-60B(fixed 3x fine crosshair[I still have good vision at 43 for now]) Attached File Attached File |
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Originally Posted By mech4matsnova: Thanks for the knowledge contributed in this thread, I hope to learn more and pass it along to the kids. Its very smooth cycling compared to my '94 Winchester(post '64, it survived Katrina). As promised, its used but in good+ condition. Bore is near mint(micro groove) MFG in 1971 Mount is a 63B holding up a Weaver K3-60B(fixed 3x fine crosshair[I still have good vision at 43 for now]) https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/349748/1000017206_jpg-3815479.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/349748/1000017207_jpg-3815480.JPG Nice These are good guns. |
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I post this once in a while. I was so impressed with accuracy of my 35 (I think it predated the micro groove intro) Nice light weight fast handling woods rifle. Attached File |
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“We’re surrounded. That simplifies the problem.” - Chesty Puller, USMC
Patriot
Q-Tard
“We’re surrounded. That simplifies the problem.” - Chesty Puller, USMC
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Nice rifle! I will say that fine crosshair will be very hard to pick up at dusk especially without the little dot some have. My K2.5 has the fine crosshair with a small dot and the glass is a bit age darkened. Works fine in broad daylight. It’s not on my 336 but is basically a spare floater scope. I’m not knocking the combo just giving you a heads up if what to expect. At one time the K2.5 lived on my Mossberg slug gun and handled it just fine. My ideal is a peep with a generous aperture. Plenty good for 150-200 yards. |
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