by R.K. Campbell

I would like to report that Marlin has introduced a production 336 rifle in .358 Winchester caliber, but I cannot. On the other hand, an enterprising South Carolina gunsmith can give you what Marlin cannot.

Most of us are familiar with the Marlin 336 Model lever-action rifle. It is a handy rifle, with good balance, adequate accuracy for the type, and rugged construction. Most are very reliable in function. If there is a shortcoming of the rifle, it is range and power. The .30-30 Winchester is perfectly adequate inside 100 yards or so, but 150 yards is really a stretch for sure kills with this caliber and rifle combination.

There are many situations that get the best of the .30-30. Let's face it; some of us want more horsepower. Without reviving old arguments, many hunters cannot live with the .30-30's limitations. The move toward bolt-action rifles of greater power and accuracy began after World War II. But I am also seeing many hunters who appreciate a powerful, easy-handling, lever-action rifle. The .444 and the .45-70 are good cartridges, and often get the attention of many who might otherwise choose a 7mm Magnum.

Big Bore Cartridges
Big Bore cartridges increase the killing power and range of the leverage-action rifle, at the expense of size, weight, and increased recoil. In .30-30 size lever-action rifles, the .32 Special and the .35 Remington offer more wound potential but not greater range. The .444 Marlin and the .45-70 are wonderful calibers, but they require relatively long, heavy rifles. And, again, neither is really a long range cartridge due to the drop of the heavy bullets.

While I am a fan of the big .45-70, most shooters do not realize how much recoil the rifle produces with heavy loads. With standard factory loads, suitable for use even in ancient trapdoor Springfields, the Marlin 1895 pushes about like a 12-gauge shotgun. With Cor-Bon factory loads, intended for use only in the 1895, performance is greatly improved. But the rifle kicks more than any .300 or .338 Magnum I have ever shouldered!

Enter enterprising gunsmith Sammy Davis (from Dixie Shooter). Davis is a fan of the lever-action rifle and the .358 Winchester cartridge. While the .358 was once chambered in modern lever-actions such as the Winchester 88 and the Savage 99, it is no longer available as a production rifle. This is unfortunate, as the .358 is the one cartridge that gets the tired old lever-action off its knees in good order.

Broken Marlin
Davis knows the ins and outs of the lever-action, its strong points and weak points. A golden opportunity came when Davis came across a broken .35-caliber Marlin at a modest price. A hunter had taken a fall from a tree stand and wrecked the gun. Davis took a hard look at the rifle and at tools in his shop. The rifle was restored to original condition first, then the caliber was considered.

The rifle was chambered for the .35 Remington cartridge, so rechambering the rifle for the .358 Winchester was no problem. Barrel dimensions were fine, the Marlin .35 Remington having a nominal .358-inch bore. Davis removed the bolt from the rifle and rebored it-removing the barrel from the receiver was not necessary.

Adjustment of headspace demanded a number of assembly and disassembly drills in the first try, but in the end Davis had a powerful, versatile rifle. In several tests, the rifle proved even more feed reliable with the new cartridge. No modification of the magazine tube was necessary. Of course, the safety caution in using only flat-nose bullets that applies to all lever-action rifles, applies to this rifle.

Safe Conversion
Test firing was successful and the conversion proved safe and operable. The particular rifle used in this report is fitted with an optical sight. The scope illustrated is a Tasco. Tasco's future is uncertain, but it appears Bushnell will take up the line. In any case, in the future the scope of choice will be a 3x9 Bushnell. The rifle has not only performed well, but has given other shooters the incentive to have their .35-caliber rifles converted.

A look at the cartridge is beneficial in order to understand the worth of the conversion. In concept, the .358 Winchester is modeled on the same theme as the .35 Whelen. The Whelen is a .30-06 with the case mouth opened to .35-caliber. The .358 is a .308 Winchester opened up to .35-caliber.

The short .35 Remington is based on the .30- and .32-caliber Remington family, an early series of cartridges of which the .35 Remington is the lone commercial survivor. The .35 Remington cartridge is fine for short range work on deer-size game, but it is short in the shoulder and limited in powder capacity. The .358 Winchester is considerably superior on all counts.

.358 Not Widely Accepted
The .358 Winchester was introduced in 1955. The .358 has never enjoyed wide acceptance. The .358 and the guns that chambered it are fine hunting combinations but simply did not catch on. The .358 was chambered in the Savage 99 and the Winchester 88, admitably different style lever-actions than what most of us are used to.

When chronographing various loads with the aid of my Competition Electronics Chronograph, I found the .358 Winchester outclassed the .35 Remington by a wide margin. With certain loads, the .358 could best the .35 Whelen! The .358 Winchester is something of a wonder round, with very efficient powder burn.

With bullets under 200 grains, I have been able to equal .35 Whelen loads. When heavyweight bullets of 220 to 250 grains are used, the longer case of the Whelen does give the bigger cartridge an advantage. At the maximum, with heavy bullets, the .35 Whelen can outperform the .358 Winchester by about 200 feet-per-second (fps). On southern game most of us will use lighter weight bullets.

Consider the comparisons of velocity with various calibers from Hogdon's Manual #22 on the chart that accompanies this article.

Accomplished Hand-Loader
Davis is also an accomplished hand-loader. Among the parameters of the project were high velocity and light recoil. This took the path to pistol bullets. The .358, like the .35 Remington, will use the full range of bullets designed for the .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Most are fine varmint and coyote bullets in the rifle, but not always suited for deer-size game.

The 147-grain 9mm JHP has a dismal record in personal defense situations, with a tendency to overpenetrate and underexpand. I have found the Cullman, AL-produced 147-grain Zero bullet among the more accurate, with typical expansion properties. Davis loaded this bullet with over 50 grains of Reloder Seven for a whopping 2,900 fps. This combination has already taken several head of deer.

The bullet stays together and does not fragment but expands well. This is an unlikely combination, a rule beater if you will, that gives fine results. This load exhibits over double the velocity of even a .357 Magnum with the same weight bullet. The ballistics are squarely in 150-grain .30-06 territory, perhaps even better, and with more frontal area.

The final question must be, how does the gun shoot? It shoots like a dream. Recoil is more than the .30-30 but only by a margin. The chamber is very precise, and the gun is smooth in operation. It is more accurate than any .35 Remington I have used.

I was able to obtain a number of three-shot 1-inch groups off the bench, with the average a solid 1.4 inches-very good for a light, powerful lever-action rifle. In rapid off-hand fire, the .358 Marlin is simply a blur of motion. It might be called "shotgun quick." The bigger lever guns do hit harder but the .358 shoots flatter to long range. It is a better choice for deer-sized game past the 150-yard mark.

If you shop carefully it is not difficult to run across a used Marlin .35-caliber rifle in good condition. The rifle and Davis' conversion will cost less than a new Marlin Guide Gun and only a little more than a new .30-30 rifle. This is a relative bargain for such an efficient firearm. Dixie Shooter can refinish and otherwise upgrade the rifle at your suggestion.

This rifle is a winner, and a long time coming.

Top Velocity

Caliber	Barrel Length	Bullet Weight	Velocity
.35 Remington	20"	180 grains	2,290 fps
.358 Winchester	26"	180 grains	2,711 fps
.35 Whelen	24"	180 grains	2,375 fps
.35 Remington	20"	200 grains	2,069 fps
.358 Winchester	26"	200 grains	2,532 fps
.358 Winchester	26"	250 grains	2,374 fps
.35 Whelen	24"	250 grains	2,564 fps