350 Rem Mag
Just picked up a Rem M700 Classic 350 Rem Mag rifle - 22 " Barrel with sights ! Anyone shooting a 350 Rem Mag on here ? if so what model rifle ? and whats your take on the Cartridge ? Any Game down with it ? RJ
Picked up a 700 Classic in 350 RM several years ago.
I did some load development, chrono and accuracy testing with various bullets, but never took it hunting.
My focus was on the then newly introduced FTX bullet, CFE 223 powder and Varget. I wasn't that excited to buy mine, a friend that was no longer hunting wanted me to buy it from him, and after having him grind me a few years, I bought it from him.
My main dislike for the caliber is it's recoil, ballistically it should be similar to a 30-06 shooting a 220 grain bullet, but from the bench I find it an obnoxious recoiling beast in comparison. Unfortunately the lack of factory ammunition has made this an obsolete caliber. Remington tried to resurrect the caliber a few years ago, and after the initial week of hype, actual production ceased due to lack of sales.
35 caliber rifles are meant to be big game rifles. I also own a 35 Remington, and in a 336, it's a handy gun, and when I'm in the wilderness, and I'm carrying my 35 Rem, I fear no evil. The 350 RM gives me the same feeling, but it's not as handy to carry.
Bullet selection is somewhat limited to what's available, and what will fit in the magazine. Ruger also made rifles in 350 RM, and the Ruger 77 has a longer magazine, which gives it a decided advantage with heavier bullets. Most reloading manuals use a Ruger for testing and the data reflects this. OAL is listed as 2.95" (app) for 250 grain bullets, and the Remington magazine is only 2.799" long. I usually set the OAL to 2.775", to ensure reliable feeding.
The main detractors of the 700 are it's lack of a three position safety, a short(ish) bolt handle and it's really short magazine. Remington, when they re-introduced the 350 RM followed the Ruger lead and increased the twist from 1:16 to 1:12. Once bullets get over 250 grains, the 1:16 twist gets a bit marginal for stabilization. In my experience, I never had any issues with the 1:16 twist, and for cast bullets, the slower twist is preferred.
https://aussiehunter.org/shooting/calibres/5690-2/350-remington-magnum/
WRT factory ammunition: I shot a few rounds of factory Remington and always found them accurate. With handloads, about a grain or two under max usually worked for me.
Nitro
RJ
RJ
