Marlin 336 in .250 Savage

[Chuck from arkansaw]

I have been on a kick to see what can be done to optimize the Marlin .336 action, and have been looking at various sites and asking about what others have done.  One of the best conversions I have read about is re-barreling the 336 to .250 Savage.  I would like a light, fast handling carbine in a cartridge suitable for deer and varmints out to 250 yards.  The .250 would be ideal.  The conversion is a simple re-barrel job, and the taper and length of the cartridge are just about right to function well in a lever action.  I hand load, so I could develop the loads that seemed to work best, but even a factory round should not present a pressure problem.  Has anyone on this board seen such a conversion?  Another good candidate would be a 6.5 MS.  The case is longer, but I would be interested in the lighter bullets so OAL would not be a problem.  It is a great little round and would be suitable for varmints and deer.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Doesn't the .250 use pointy bullets??------don't know---just asking

[Leftoverdj]

I've shot a Marlin 336 rebarrelled to .25-35 Improved for a good many years. Gets you to about the same place as the .250-3000.

Were I to build a .250-3000 on a 336 action, I would start out with a .35 Remington. With the more common .30-30, one of the .25-35 Improveds is the way to go. You are going to need to stick with the lower range of .250-3000 data anyway. Much of the available data was worked up in bolt action rifles and is too hot for even my Savage 99 which is a good bit stronger than the Marlin. Problem is not so much action strength as extraction weakness.

You can use spitzers if you are willing to settle for a two shooter. I am fortunate enough to have squirreled away several hundred of the now obsolete Remington 100 grain RN.  Last time I looked, 117 grain RNs were available from Remington and Hornady.  I also have a big batch of Rem. 86 grain RN intended for the .25-20. Haven't gotten around to trying them. Kinda doubt they will even hold together to get to the target if they are launched at 2800-2900 fps.

If you go through with this, make sure you get a 1-10 or 1-9 twist barrel. I have a 1-12 and it will just barely stablize the 117 grain RNs which are the only readily available suitable bullets and it will only do that with a whaking charge of AA-3100.

[Chuck from arkansaw]

Leftoverdj
You covered a lot of issues I investigated thinking about this project.  The .35 Rem bolt face is a given.  It is almost perfect for the .250 cartridge. You are right about the 117 gr. rn bullets also.  What I really want is a good varmint cartridge that can double as a deer rifle.  The 87 gr. bullets should hit 3,000 fps. with no trouble, and should turn a coyote inside out.  On another board it was suggested that I look into a spiral mag. tube like on a Remington 141.  That would make this a real all around gun.  I was thinking about stamping the barrel .250 Marlin.

[Lloyd Smale]

just for a thought consider doing it in 250 ackerly improved that way with the bigger case you could get a little more velocity with less pressure.

[Enforcer]

I think its a great idea and has been done many times.EL-John-O from Marlin Talk just posted an article on one he did many years ago on the 336 site.

Let me touch on a couple points though.2.52 is COL of 250 Savage and SAAMI pressure is 45,000cup.COL for 336 action is 2.56.And factory pressure for the 307Win,356Win and 375Win is 52,000cup.So you are OK on both counts with the 250Sav in a Marlin M336.

As far as the Savage M99.It is far stronger than the Marlin.It will handle a COL of 2.825 and will handle 60,000psi+ and giggle.I have a M99EG in 250Savage and load it as hot as it can be loaded,without a hiccup.I load 60gr at 3670fps,87grs at 3200fps,100grs at 2850fps and 117grs at 2700fps.

[Leftoverdj]

Leftoverdj
What I really want is a good varmint cartridge that can double as a deer rifle.quote]

Odd that you should mention that. My 336 is a custom varminter. Very heavy straight taper barrel, half mag., lefthand rollover monte carlo cheekpiece, wide flat bottomed forend. There being a very limited market for such I bought it off a used rack for about the amount a new factory 336 was going for and got the dies thrown in. As I got it, it was also very tight necked, so much so that after case necks had been turned enough to work, case life was about three shots before the necks split. I reamed the neck to something more sensible and have beed shooting it happily ever since.

I doubt the spiral mag is workable unless you can somehow come up with one off of one of the old Remingtons, but a two shooter is plenty in varminter mode and the 117 grainer RNs at 2600 fps are splendid deer killers.

A note for the fellow who chimed in about the Savage 99 action strength--

Strength ain't so much the question as extraction. The Savage don't have the camming primary extraction of the bolt guns. My Savage solidly stuck cases a full two to three grains before the Ruger 77 gave any hint of heavy bolt lift.

The Ruger had a slightly oversized chamber and cases that had been fired in it would forever after stick, even with very moderate loads, in the Savage. One of them had to go and the Ruger went, sweet shooter and 200th Year Model it was. I ain't ever regretted it (much). The Savage 99 is the best woods deer gun ever built.

[Enforcer]

A message for all on the power of the mighty M99(even extraction).I gave you the facts on the M99.It will and does handle a COL of 2.825.It will and does handle 60,000psi without fail.The 250Sav is rated at 45,000cup.You do the math.

I have a 416/284 McPherson built on a Savage M99R rifle.It will shoot and does shoot (500rds so far) 300grs at 2500fps-4162fpe and 350grs at 2400fps-4470fpe out of custom 26in barrel at 60,000psi,per Mic Mcpherson's numbers.It has never shown any hint of problem with extraction,and of course neither has my little 250 Savage in M99EG.I also shoot a M99DL in 284Win with 160gr sierra SPBT at 2850fps,without a hitch.That is at 60,000psi also.I also load my M99A in 375win to the exact numbers that are called for the Ruger #3,without fail.Just my opinion,based on facts that i have experienced after owning over a 100 M99s over the years(and handloading for them for 15yrs).I own 15 M99s right now.

[marlinman93]

By the way, the .30-30 and the .35 rem are nearly the same rim size, so which gun you start with isn't a problem. Marlin uses the same bolt face on both models.  I'd go for the 336 in .30-30 because they're more plentiful and cheaper to find.

[Leftoverdj]

By the way, the .30-30 and the .35 rem are nearly the same rim size, so which gun you start with isn't a problem. Marlin uses the same bolt face on both models.  I'd go for the 336 in .30-30 because they're more plentiful and cheaper to find.

Marlin may use use the same bolt face, not having a .35 Remington on hand I have no way to check.

But a .045 difference ain't "nearly the same".

[Enforcer]

Just to shed some light on the SAVAGE M99!

Jack O'Conner wrote about the Savage M99.The Savage M99 is a lever action made for HIGH PRESSURE CARTRIDGES(60,000psi+)and spitzer(pointed)bullets.It uses a spool type magazine similar to the Mannlicher-Schoenauer.The action is a very strong one,as it uses a massive breechbolt which wedges into a super strong receiver,hence has NO GIVE!

Frank Barnes wrote about the Savage M99,when speaking about using the M99 for really high pressured wildcats,usally done in bolts.This conversion may be done with the Savage M99 also.As the M99 may have the most foolproof and trustworthy action and magazine of any gun EVER BUILT!

NUFF SAID