I have a .35 Remington barrel in Armor Alloy, which has been factory tweaked to work in my blued Contender. It's given me no trouble and I used it to take a deer years ago. I bought it long ago with plans to immediately send it to JD Jones for re-chambering to 358 JDJ. Well, that never happened. Such is life.

Now, the factory cartridge just doesn't light my fire since I imagine it won't do too much more than my 357 Max and 30-30 barrels, so I still want that hand cannon. I blame nostalgia and all you guys

I'm concerned about recoil though. I've had numerous surgeries and developed carpal tunnel since those early days. I've never been recoil shy, but I am more careful now. It's been years since I've fired the .35 Rem. barrel, but I don't recall it being intolerable, though it did buck and roar.

So my question for you big .35 shooters is, how much more recoil than the Remington do they generate? I know it's subjective, but I appreciate all opinions. Next is, which big .35 should I look at? The JDJ is classic and well known, but Bellm really pushes the benefits of his cartridge. Is there much of a difference between the two as far as ballistics or reloading?

While I would love to hunt truly "big" game some day, it'll more likely be used for deer and hogs on rare occasion. I certainly don't need to do a conversion, but it'd be nice to scratch that itch I've had for over 15 years! What do you guys think? Thanks!

I have been shooting Two 358JDJ rechambered 14 inch Contender barrels since 1980. I say get it done. You can load it heavy or light. For deer sized game a moderate load with a 220 Speer flat point is a real hammer. You could go with lighter bullets if you prefer. Check out my many 358JDJ posts.

These lighter loads are similar to the 35 Rem. A scoped 14 inch is not bad in recoil. If you are shooting from a rest you can wear a glove and hold your off hand on top of the scope.

When you order your SSK barrel in 358 JDJ just explain to them about your concerns, they'll probably advise getting a Super Arrestor Brake...big ports...big recoil reduction...it will be NO PROBLEM

First....a 358jdj would be awesome imo.
I have and hunted with a super 14 35rem converted to use a rimmed case. It has taken quite a few deer out to 200yrds. The 180gr hornady at 2180fps is quite a hammer on deer. I think it outclasses those you mention by just a little bit. Kind of like comparing a 308 to 30-06, or 30-06 to 300 mag. .....sorta😉

That previously mentioned load is about as much recoil as i want to handle. Yes, i could survive more for a bit maybe, but ive had my hand problems as well. That is simply not fun.
I cant say ive not had the same rechamber thoughts. I think it would be great. But.....i also dont think id shoot it at levels much above the 35rem. Single shot loads are a bit more powerful than lever action loads mostly listed for the remington.

If you do it, please report!

I appreciate the responses from everyone. Billa, I've read quite a bit of your stuff and you're partially to blame for reigniting this flame

The ballistics of the JDJ look great. The Bellm is less known and almost looks like .35 Rem. ballistics. Is this correct? Bellm seems to insinuate the .358 JDJ is too much for the Contender and touts the low cost of using standard 358 Win. dies in loading his round. I like that the JDJ can be loaded from mild to wild, just in case I got chance to hunt something larger than deer and hogs. As I have bad tinnitus, I'm also averse to brakes, but I hunt with muffs, so a brake maybe in order. You can't have it all I guess.

I have been shooting the same 2 Contender frames since 1981 and they are still tight. 358JDJ cases are easy to make and last a long time. You buy the dies once in a lifetime. About the cost of 3 boxes of factory ammo. I am sure the Bellm is a fine round too But you can match it?s performance with lower chamber pressure in the JDJ and you have more on the top end with heavy bullets if you need it. I do not have a brake but if recoil is a concern I guess I would port it. I suggest getting it first and trying it before you do a brake. Mailing a barrel is cheap.
Don?t blame me for your woes. Handgunning is probably saving you from a worse pastime. Golf, bowling, or who knows what, LOL...

I have an un braked 35 Rem 14 in, and a 14 Magna ported 358 JDJ and the 358 is a whole nother step up from the 35 Rem. It is a fine shooting barrel with 180 gr. Speer fp's or 200 gr. Rem soft points but you have to put in your time learning it. Pachmayer grips are on all my Contenders and are well worth the money.Wear an elbow pad when doing bench work.If you hold it down and make it come straight back [narrow shooting window] it is HARD on old wrists.I am not a fan of Magna Porting as I feel a good brake is a lot more efficient [my barrel was already ported when I got it].The 180 and 200 gr both work well for me on deer.It is a fine cartridge for game if you put in the time to master it.

Kyode, I appreciate the info on your rimmed .35 as well. It does offer a nice bump up beyond factory .35 Rem. Ballistics. I think that is closer to the Bellm cartridge and is probably an ideal contender round for most game. I've got some thinking to do. I need to dust off my old Dillon press and get to work.

I have not shot 180s but I think a well designed 180 grain bullet would be fine for deer sized game out of any of the mentioned cartridges. Good luck with your selection.

My 358-JDJ began life as a TC in 35 Rem Super 14 with the factory muzzle tamer 1995. That was short lived as I had JD rechamber it and add his Tsob base.
It has thumped several Hoosier whitetails over the years with authority. All were taken with a 180 grain Hawk .025 flat point drive by 50.5 grains of VV N133, this load averages 2300fs.
Ease of obtaining 444 brass should not be an issue with Starline now offering it in 250 count packs, I?ve been using it with no issues.
Forming cases are rather easy, I set the sizing die for a crush fit on an empty case. Once the die is set its size, load and shoot.
Accuracy is excellent, I don?t recall recoil being an issue. It like most all with an added brake is loud, I use muffs on the bench and in the field.
Good luck