.35 Remington for Grouse??

[Eutectic]

Many years ago when Remington came out with the Model 600 they quickly added the .35 Remington to the chamberings. I had to have one! I was quick as the serial number is only four digits! I killed a LOT of deer with that old gun in the 60's and 70's and it was accurate with handloads! (under an inch at 100 yards with what it likes! This with jacketed... Funny..... I haven't shot cast in it much? Paper patch many years back. Been thinking about a big muley buck this year. Where I'm thinking about is wolf country as well..... And Blue Grouse.. I've got an RCBS 200gr mold everyone says shoots. I haven't cast a bullet in it! I've also got that 6 cavity Lee .38 mold for the 125 grain we just talked about too. I haven't cast with it either! Need to quit plowing snow and cast! But I remembered some 125gr .358 bullets I had. They were Oregon Trail from when they first went into business! They shot really good in my K-38 I remembered. Humm? I'll work with them to see what happens. They were sized .358" and the old wax lube almost fell off them it was so brittle! I re-lubed them with 4Q 3.2 and loaded 10 with 3.5grs of TiteWad. They were subsonic and grouped about 1" at my 40 yard pistol target. The last three went into 1 1/2" on a clean 70 yard target. Not to impressive...
Those bullets were the best quality casting I have seen from commercial cast back then to this day..... So I pondered instead of giving up on them.

To be honest I have never been too impressed with all this 'transonic' blather... I guess because I have shot so much so well with loads going through the sound barrier on the way to what I was shooting at So I loaded five with 4.7grs of TiteWad..... Now these 'cracked' on their way to my 40 yard target! And they were in a 'bughole'.!! So I loaded more...... I had a clean aiming point at 85 yards 4 were in 5/8" and one opened it to 1 1/16". I had six rounds left... I went downstairs and seated those .005" deeper as they were closing kinda tight.... No targets!
This morning I went 70 yards through a foot of snow and stapled a clean target on my frame. The cold start was to the left side of my diamond. I shot 3 more and had a 7/16" group! (Cold start is highest) WOW! I thought.... I moved the scope..... right and down to put it a half inch low (grouse spot at 70 yds) I shot the last two I had then. Right where I wanted them to be........ and still on 7/16" centers! Yeah.... I know Lamar...... Too much lube! But they sure shoot!

Pete

 

[Will]

Good shooting Pete. Can’t wait to see you run some of those RCBS 35-200’s through it.

I had trouble getting my 35 rem marlin to shoot until Ian suggested using 748 win powder. After that I was able to get the groups small enough that I had confidence to hunt with it.

 

[fiver]

you can forgive some black holes when they are controlled.
and especially when the first shot is part of the group.


you know.
as I was reading that I almost expected you to say you rolled them in some BLL, cooked off JPW, or 45/45 lube over the 4Q's.
sometimes a real thin top coat of wax can help the flow slow up a bit.

 

[Uncle Grinch]

You appear to have a great combination... the 35 Rem and the Rem 600. Always liked the 600; had one in 222 Rem and 308 Win. Never did find one in 35 Rem. Great load you have there too! Good enough for head shots.

 

[Paul Gauthier]

I once nailed a grouse with an 8x57, I don't recommend it. I can only imagine that a 35 Rem will only leave less bird to pick up.

 

[fiver]

head shots only.
there is a spot where you can blow the breast down on the ground and move the rest of the bird all over the mountain but it is harder shot than the head.

 

[Paul Gauthier]

Needless to say I missed his/her head. Right across the top to the breast. There was still enough two in a spaghetti sauce, "with a nice chianti"

 

[Eutectic]

Hit the breast meat and you'll receive unmerciful chastising from my buddies!

We use 'craw' shots a lot..... Like a low neck shot..... Gives you about 1 1/2" of target. Maybe 75% of our shots are offhand. I'll shoot for the head if I can get a standing rest from a friendly tree or rock! Haven't hunted with one of those Schuetzen shooters like post here........ I would expect them to make 50 yard headshots!!

This load with the 125gr TC shaped pistol bullet at 1160fps shouldn't be too rough......... But stay out of the breast!

Pete

 

[fiver]

never mind them take one in to my wife and see what you get told.
we eat as many grouse as we can possibly get in a season, it is probably my first or second favorite game meat.
[debatable with Elk for number one]

 

[Rally Hess]

What kind of grouse are you shooting out there?

 

[Eutectic]

We see the most Blue Grouse. (Some are now trying to call them 'Dusky Grouse') Also a few Spruce Grouse. These are mountain grouse species that live mostly at 6000 to 8500 feet elevation around our part of the Rockies.

Pete

 

[Uncle Grinch]

While out in South Dakato pheasant hunting, we shot what our guide called “prairie chickens”. Are these similar to grouse? Don’t see these in Georgia that I’m aware of.

 

[fiver]

prairie chickens are a grouse also.
we have the ruffed, blue, and forest in the mountains.
the sage and sharptail down lower on the flat's.
the ones in SD would probably be the sage grouse [they are known as prairie chickens] more than likely they weigh about 2-3 lbs, the sharp tail are bigger birds in the 6-7 lbs or so area.

the ruffed grouse are the ones I see the most, then the forest and finally the blue grouse.
the ruffed grouse are maybe 2 lbs, the blues maybe 3, and the forest will go 4-5.
I hate Blue grouse they are the jerks of the grouse world by far.
the forest are really wary and will run then take off flying, land and run some more like a wild pheasant.
or just take right off and fly 50' up in a pine tree scoot around the other side follow a branch out and jump to another one close by.

 

[Eutectic]

Our Ruffed Grouse are at lower elevation, usually by a creek, and difficult with a rifle as they will move or fly quicker. Good hunting with an open choke shotgun. We see Blues the most..... probably 80% of what we see. Speaking of seeing...... They probably camouflage the best of any of God's creatures! See one on the move keep your eyes on him! If he stops even a seasoned eye at seeing them may not see him again until he moves!

Pete

 

[fiver]

I remember looking for one I could hear purring just above me on the trail one day.
I thought it was a young turkey at first.
but I circled and circled a 20' patch of wind blow looking and looking for that bird.
he was sitting in a 4-5 yo pine tree watching me walk around him the whole time, as soon as he seen that I spotted him he was gone.
I'm a fair rifle shot but a 30-30 at a bird on the wing through that stuff isn't even worth the effort.
he didn't even really fly all that hard, more a jump and leisurely sail about 30' away from the area.