Has the 350 rem mag gone the way of the doh doh bird?

My partner just built a new .350RM on a SAUM action.#3 Krieger ss barrel finished at 22',in a Borden Rimrock stock.It's stupid accurate with 200gr.TSXs,and with all the new high quality .35 bullets available all you need is a can of TAC and you're off to the races.He did add a Wyatt box magazine so he can load out a bit further as did I when I had my 6.5 Rem Mag built.The performance of some of these older cartridges is much enhanced by the new bullets and powders available to us.My 6.5 Rem Mag puts 120 BTs into 1/4" at 3260fps with no pressure signs.It's pretty much the same as a 24" '264Win Mag in a short action.Works for me.When I had the chance I scooped 300 of.350RM brass for him and the same for my 6.5RM.Should be good to go for a while.Both rifles were built by Bill Leeper. Cheers,Mur.
 
I liked the 358 Winchester but after buying my short action 350 Rem Mag I sold it. I found the extra 150fps of the Remington round really helped with bullet expansion at longish ranges.
True, but the advantage of a short action 350Rem over a long action 35Whelen in minimal at best.
 
...I'll have to revise my earlier comment about 250's underperforming in the .350 RM, seems like that is not correct.
In the same model rifle as the OP's - a Model 673 - owned by a good friend and fellow CGNer, 250 Grand Slams routinely chronyed at 2700. Needed the right powder and careful working up - but a safe load was developed at that level which was very accurate - 225 partitions and sierras at over 2800 also. These would be a max loads.

In my 18 1/2" barrel M600 2480MV for 250s is the norm for my hunting loads - 225s out at 2630MV. Pressures are relatively sedate.

Important to note a healthy freebore usually exists in Remington M600, M660 and M673 throat with many bullet shapes used - check your throating as it may differ.

I feel I have a pretty good grasp on what the 350RemMag will do (load for five at last count) and it handles 250s pretty well IMO - if one develops loads using the best powder(s) and techniques. People needlessly freak out about the bullet base extending below the neck and also sometimes an ogive that slightly inserts past the case mouth. There are work arounds - so no biggy. However loooong design 225/250gr bullets (copper/tipped/boattail etc.) are not suitable given the usual mag COAL restraints noted already.

However the shooting public as a whole couldn't care less any more about the original short mag - the 350RemMag. It's now a dodo bird of sorts by that reckoning I suppose - pretty much. But it's big game usefulness lives on just the same IMO. So, like Takujualuk, I keep a few 350RM specimens around and alive - for my own hunting use and enjoyment.
 
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This is the Leeper built .350 that Mur is talking about.
The .35's in general are dead, with niche purveyors of the lonely and effective harboring care and consideration for them.
I have liked the .350 since I was 18, and read a story, and the time I have spent with this gun has told me that its easy to feed and is very accurate.

250's at 2550, 225's at 2800 and 200's at 3000fps are all reasonably obtainable with TAC and a 22" barrel. It's not a dodo anymore than the .358 Win or even the Whelen for that matter and won't be for a long time. 3500ft\lbs of energy in a 7.25lb scoped and loaded setup is a hunting setup for all of NA.

And this thread sucks without pics, so I'll add:

 
Pics are good.

The 358Norma is better than all those mentioned thus far. Bevan King built this one for me but it now lives with a young guy I work with.

;)That helps explain how and/or why I've recently become the proud owner of two, photos of which I've posted previously.



The top one, my first. A model 1651 Husqvarna:D and the one below, my most recent acquisition, a long sot after model 68DL Schultz & Larsen:D:D.

The Husky has a Leupold Vari-X II, 3x9 and the Schultz, a Leupold Vari-X II, 2x7.
 
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I must agree with John Peterson, the 358 NM is the best with managable recoil, actually very nice to shoot in an 9LB gun like my BRNO ZKK 602. It seem to like Hornady plain jane 250gr round nose and IMR4320, clover leafs at 100 yards with the factory 100 yrd leaf! I think if anyone else came out with the 350 Magnum it would have done alot better, seems Remington can f@*K up the easiest things, hard to believ they still make ammunition? The should not put there name after any cartridge as it has an 80% chance of failure or becoming obsolete.
Another reason the 350 Rem Mag has not caught on even when reintroduced a few years ago, is the gun was still awkward, not heavy enough, sights were awfull, and came in one flavour? I personally love the calibre as it is a short mag 35 Whelan!
The 35 bore seems to be the odd man out, just like the 8mm's magnums, but there is a loyal following, ussually handloaders, who can have a ball, making there guns shoot awsome heavy bullets for moose, bear,elk, and then load them for plinking in the summer, with pistol bullets.
I have quite a collection of 35's and are still looking to add more! Now we just need Seirra to make a 200 and 220gr Match King target bullet, then I would be estatic, yeha!!!

Cheers Dale Z!
 
Can't say for sure why the .338 magnums beat out the .350s. I wish it was the other way around. Nowadays people would point to superior ballistic coefficient of the sleeker .338 bullets but I think the history has more to do with the rifle offerings of the times.
 
Can't say for sure why the .338 magnums beat out the .350s. I wish it was the other way around. Nowadays people would point to superior ballistic coefficient of the sleeker .338 bullets but I think the history has more to do with the rifle offerings of the times.

Good point and I think you've hit the nail on the head. My interest in a 350 came with wanting to get the big three co-operative efforts between Norma and Schultz & Larsen, that specific 35 being the 358 Norma Magnum. I did have a 338 WM and as with a number of other firearms over the years,:( it was one I parted with and shortly after kicked myself for doing so. It was a Sako Mannilcher style carbine. While I had it, two shots, two Moose, both 'bang flops'. However, there was one very tough Ruff Grouse I tried to pick the head off of. :redface:One 250gr pulled a few feathers and to the best of my knowledge, it's still flying. Oh, and with that shot, my hunting partner hollered, "Get a bigger gun"!! Again, it's one I shouldn't have parted with but having the 'hots' for something else and short of cash, it went up for adoption. The only photo I have of it is on the front of my quad on its last Moose trip.

 
As far as new rifles for it, extinct. There are however many rifles still around, and most are in good condition. I bought a 700 classic in 350 RM about a year ago. The latest offerings came with a faster twist, like 1:12. I believe Rugers were 1:14. Original twist was 1:16. The Remington's have a 2.800" magazine, that's it, not any longer. The Ruger magazine is longer, probably just under 3.00" as I've seen OAL listed at 2.96" app.

What this means is that not all 350's are the same. Some are intended for heavier bullets, some for lighter ones, 250gr vs 200gr. My 700 Classic has a 1:16 twist and a 2.800 magazine, I settled on a load with 200's. I use a Hornady FTX and get good accuracy @ 2800 fps. I've used CFE 223 and Varget. Realistically, it is best suited for whitetail loaded this way. My rifle is 42" long and light enough to carry and almost heavy enough to tame the recoil somewhat. Interestingly it is the same length as my 336 in 35 Remington. I load the same bullet in it, at about 2000fps.

35 (and 9mm) cal. rifles are odd ducks, have a following but never been that popular. As far as readily available ammunition the Whelen and 35 Rem are it. The 35 Whelen has some of the same issues as the 350, available in both slow and fast twist. With a 16 twist it is best with 200gr bullets, with 12 twist 250's are best. The 350 Rigby was bested by the 375 H&H, although there was nothing wrong with the 350 Rigby. Starting at 35, rifles have the advantage of caliber, it seems to be the point at which the diameter of the bullet starts to become an advantage. There are lots of articles and such on the 35's, they serve a purpose.

I consider my 350 with 200's an express loading, a light for caliber bullet at "higher" velocity. IMO, the Ruger is the ideal platform for the 350, with it's longer magazine, faster twist, and 3 position safety.

My 336, 35 Rem is my bushwhacker. The 200 RN Core-Lokt is a good load, but hard to find on the shelves here, so I load the 200 FTX, they are just as accurate.
 
I think the .350 Mag is perhaps the finest Black Bear cartridge ever built. My brother also is of the opinion that it would make a lovely warthog rifle.
In NA, any cartridge over .338 (and perhaps over .30) is destined to be a poor seller, as far as simple numbers go. Most of the hunters in the US never hunt anything larger than a Whitetail, and you don't need the recoil of the medium bores to shoot a 150lb deer in South Carolina.
 
The trouble with the 350Rem is that the 358Win works better in a short action and the 35Whelen works better in a long action.

smart fella this cub character........:)

I have reamers for both and have built a few of each.....went with the Whelen on the last one.

I do have a 350 reamer and a 35 cal Benchmark tube sitting here though........anyone have a WSM action kicking around and feel the need for a 350 Mag?
 
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It certainly isn't dead in my house, I have 2 and #1 son has one and #2 son has a 358 Win. I have a Mod 7 KS with a 1.5 X 5 Leupold on it, from years ago and it is the killingest gun I've ever used on black bears, it gets dragged out every spring and things die. The second one I picked up is a Mod 7 MS and is a gorgeous little full stock, I think black bears may fall to it this spring coming.
My load for my KS is a 225 AB that I clip the plastic tip off, it works amazingly well and shoots 3 shots righ around 1" @100 maybe a little more. I have attained more than 4 ft of penetration with this load on a blackie at point blank range.......insta-dead.
I have a real love affair going on with this gun and cartridge combo, can't see myself ever parting with it.
 
I have a real love affair going on with this gun and cartridge combo...

c-fbmi - same here -got two M7KS/350s to play with - top one is set up with a second hole drilled and tapped in the rear bridge for the two piece steel weaver bases. It has also worn the 1.5x5 Leupold glass in the past. The 350RM is not dead in my world either.

CustomKS_twins_350RM.jpg


I do have a 350 reamer and a 35 cal Benchmark tube sitting here though........anyone have a WSM action kicking around and feel the need for a 350 Mag?
Shameless plug - I have a WSM rifle for sale now on EE that would be a perfect donor gun - also good for a 350WSM chamber too (I have the reamer for that) which almost equals the 358Norma in a short action - http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/958949-Winchester-M70-325WSM-625-plus-shipping
 
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