The factory Whelen case and the Ackley Improved case are exactly the same length, and are made from the 30-06 case, which is exactly the same length. The overall length for the Whelen is the maximum case length listed for SAAMI specifications for the Whelen and the 30-06 parent case. If the casing is longer, trim it using one of the trimming tools provided by Lee, Lyman, Redding or RCBS. You want all your casings below the maximum length, and its best to trim all of them to a uniform length. Accuracy will be improved and the case mouths will be squared. Try the Speer 250gr. bullet and RL 15 for a really effective elk and bear load. The Lee reloading manual lists the max load as 59.5 grains for this bullet with a muzzle Velocity of 2550fps. I get around 2650 in my Remington CDL. The Ackley Improved version of the 35 Whelen has around a 100fps edge over my regular one, and it has a much longer case life. I had an 8mm-06 Ackley Improved that pushed the 185gr bullet to 2875fps without any trouble at all. This is inside the lower edge of the .300 Win Mag range for that bullet weight, but the real advantage was case life.