.35 Remington

I have a good buddy who is going to be gone for awhile and he asked me to keep his gun collection for him. He not only gave me permission to shoot them but made me promise to. He didn't want them just sitting in a safe.

I have been having a coyote problem of late. They know the dogs are inside the fence and they are getting braver and coming closer to the house. We have lost two kittens in the last couple of weeks and I imagine that is where they went.

So the last few nights I have been going out a little before dusk and walking the woods around the house trying to get a shot at them.
I didn't want to take an AR or my Fal and my MN has a scope mounted that would be in the way for a snap shot. My buddy has a Marlin lever action, model 336A in .35 Remington caliber. It has a windage and elevation adjustable peep sight. So that is what I have been carrying.

I have to say I am mighty impressed with this rifle, and caliber. I had never heard of the .35 before and had to look it up and do some research on it. Seems that it predated the 30-30 and is considered by many to be superior.

The marlin rifle is certainly not what I would consider a "pretty" rifle. It is all function. But it is well put together. I can snap it to my shoulder and it feels natural. It is light and easy to carry.

The .35 Rem is a hard hitting round that should take care of anything I might come across. Including some pretty big hogs that have been killed close to me. I really haven't had a chance to do a by-the-book, MOA type of testing with the rifle but I have shot it at a few improvised targets just to get a feel for it. And it has hit dead on to where I was aiming at. I was shooting dead limbs 2-3 inch diameter from an old tree out about 70-80 yds.

So far I haven't even got a sighting of the coyote's but their day is coming. I am going to go out every night until I get a shot at them. I am learning their patterns and where they are running at. Just a matter of time. I am confident that when I do see them that I can snap off a deadly shot with this rifle. And I am curious to see what kind of damage it will do to old Wile E.

So anyone else have or had a rifle in this caliber? Or this specific rifle?
BTW, I have seen the new models and they are nothing like this one. IIRC he said that his Dad gave it to him, probably sometime in the 60's.

 

Ive killed few Elk with one as a saddle rifle, they hit hard but range is limited, But if you can slip one of those rounds into the hide, they don't go far.

 

I've never hunted yotes. That said, a 35 should rip them a new one no matter where you hit them. The guys I used to know when I was in WY didn't try to walk them out, all baited and called. (Sheep were the reason to limit yotes in that nekka da woods.)

 

I have to admit that I am hunting them more for the fun of it than because they are a nuisance. They may have taken a couple of kittens but they haven't messed with the horses. I just want to scare them back away from the house. Also I have a healthy wild turkey population that runs my property and I don't want to see them decimated.
I guess I'm a purist. I don't like sitting in a tree stand, that's waiting to me not hunting. And baiting and calling just seems like cheating.
The thrill for me is taking them on their terms. Figuring out their movements and patterns and positioning myself where I can get the shot when they aren't expecting it.
I'll give a report when ( and if ) I get one. I think the .35 Rem is overkill for them but like Ghrit says it shouldn't matter where I hit it. It should take them out of commision.

 

Necessary culling (predator reduction and control) and the fun of hunting are two different things. Can't fault your approach. Will love to read the after action report, but pix after a hit with a 35 might be a bit gory --

 

Good article. It's similar to one I read in a gun rag. Seems the .35 is an overlooked gem. Might make a good survival rifle. Not a popular caliber so it should still be on the shelves when all the 30-30 is gone. But then again lots of people would have 30-30 to trade barter etc. 6 of one half dozen of another. I am going to look next time I'm at Wally World and see if they have it and how much.

 

Let me know what you want for them. I hate to shoot up all of his ammo that he left with the rifle. He only had one box of some handloaded 200 gr soft nose.

 

Hey no prob Sea. You were busy marchin in DC. Good to see you Phishi.
I bought that Marlin from my buddy. Now I'm tryin to talk myself into buying this Mauser 98 re-barreled to 35 Rem.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=140661078

 

No safety. I carry it with the hammer on half cock. Only safety it has. It is an older model. But I really like the Williams Foolproof Sight. Never had one before. It is a peep sight that is fast and accurate. I gave him $400 for it. No room for a scope with that sight. That's why I'm considering the Mauser with the Leupold scope. I plan on using the Marlin mainly for a brush gun. It will be good for hogs, cougers and the ocasional black bear that we have in parts of the state. I will probably get a saddle scabbard and take it on trail rides.

 

It would definitely be doomsday for Wile E. I never got a shot at one. They seem to have realized thier peril and moved on. But we have a lot of wild hogs moving into this area and I'd love to see what it would do to one of them.

Also we have a panther prowling our area. 3 people have seen it in the last few weeks. We call them panthers but the biologists say they are just a color mutation (solid black) in regular local cougers.

I don't know. They are very rare. The last one I know of was seen when I was 12 or so yrs old. I was with some locals who were out hunting it and we heard it screaming in the woods. Sounded just like a woman's screams. I never heard a couger make sounds like that.

I just bought a Ruger Redhawk in 45 LC for my sidearm. That and the Marlin should make a potent trail riding, hunting combo.