.35 Whelen...any fans?

Living in Mississippi, the 35 Whelen, in a single shot break action, exposed hammer (T/C Pro Encore) is classified as a Primative Weapon and gets a much longer deer season. Nosler Accubonds shoot great (225gr @2800fps) and Hornady Light Magnum kick a 200 gr Interbond out at 2850fps. I prefer the lighter recoil of the Hornady and I am getting about 3/4" groups at 100 yds - good enough for Stimey.
Barrel is off the shelf T/C, stainless 28" factory ported. I Love This Gun, put my trusty '06 in the closet for this season.
Anyone have a recommendation if it would be better to just buy a bolt action 7mm/08 or get another barrel for the T/C frame?
 
Well, this thread deserves a revival. After all my mule deer season opens October 1 and elk begins October 15. That gives me time to limber up my 1988 Remington 700 Classic.

I bought it six or seven years ago. In the meantime it has accounted for antelope, whitetail and mule deer, elk and one mountain lion. In the last few years I have gone through Marlin 444 phase and a 6.5X55 SE phase (also a Rem. 700 classic).

I am thinking this is the year to go back to the Whelen for all species. A Whelen trifecta would be nice: antelope, mule deer, elk. I managed that last year with the Swede.

My Whelen wears an older, "El Paso" Weaver K2.5 scope in Redfield mounts with an auxilliary, flip-up peep sight on the back of the scope base. Maybe I will take off the scope and just use the peep sight for elk.

So many choices, so little time!
 
What's the twist rate on the Whelen? I have a 35X300 Winchester Magnum, one of the last built by Ackley, with a 1-10" twist. It loves the old, now out of production, 275 grain Barnes bullets but doesn't seem to care for the lighter stuff too much.
 
Snowbandit said:
What's the twist rate on the Whelen? I have a 35X300 Winchester Magnum, one of the last built by Ackley, with a 1-10" twist. It loves the old, now out of production, 275 grain Barnes bullets but doesn't seem to care for the lighter stuff too much.
Click to expand...

The factory Ruger and Remington rifles are 1:16's and shoot everything fine up to 250 grs and start having problems when you go much bigger. If I built a custom it would likely be a 1:12.
 
Flyfisher said:
Living in Mississippi, the 35 Whelen, in a single shot break action, exposed hammer (T/C Pro Encore) is classified as a Primative Weapon and gets a much longer deer season. Nosler Accubonds shoot great (225gr @2800fps) and Hornady Light Magnum kick a 200 gr Interbond out at 2850fps. I prefer the lighter recoil of the Hornady and I am getting about 3/4" groups at 100 yds - good enough for Stimey.
Barrel is off the shelf T/C, stainless 28" factory ported. I Love This Gun, put my trusty '06 in the closet for this season.
Anyone have a recommendation if it would be better to just buy a bolt action 7mm/08 or get another barrel for the T/C frame?
Click to expand...

Flyfisher,

I also have a TC Encore in 35 Whelen. I bought the barrel on GunBroker from a guy in Mississippi! He had it for the same reason you have yours - the primitive hunting season.

I love my TC 35 Whelen. I believe the barrel is 26 inches long. Part of the reason I went with the TC was to get other barrels for it in other calibers. It keeps the wife happy too!

I will see if I can post some of the loads I have worked up for it. 180 and 200 grain bullets are very nice to shoot -- not a lot of recoil. My daughters enjoy shooting the Whelen with those light loads. But being a light rifle it will kick when you shoot loads with authority!

TC makes the barrel in a 1:14 twist rate. It seems to like everything I have shot through it from 180 up to 250 grain bullets.

I topped mine with a Leupold VariX III 1.5 - 5.
 
My # 1 favorite. Just shot my bosses custom Mauser in 35 Whelen today. As a lefty, I think I am going to have to go the custom route to get what I want. I would love it if Ruger would make its international in the COL Townsend Whelen's famous cartridge. TD
 
.35 Whelan is a great cartridge. It's amazing what the .30-06 can do when necked up. I've got a .25-06 Ruger #1 that I would like to change to .338-06 but Speer doesn't make their 275 gr. bullet any more, so the .35 Whelan looks better all the time.

I have one of those limited Classics, too, but in .257 Roberts. Maybe that's the gun I ought to rebarrel, but it's the only unfired gun in my possession. I bought two of them and sold one to a friend who has killed probably 30 or 40 deer with his. He even took it to Africa.
 
I built a 35 Whelen on a beater 30/06 Savage 110 with an Adams and Bennett barrel. At 100 yards off the bench it puts 3 rounds in one hole with Remington factory 220 gr. ammo. I shot a 7 point 165 lb whitetail in the heart last fall with a Savage 30/30. The bullet didn't exit and I had to track it 75 yards. This year I don't think I'll have that problem.
 
...Savage 30/30. The bullet didn't exit and I had to track it 75 yards. This year I don't think I'll have that problem.
Click to expand...

You won't!

375630575.jpg
 
Double Tap Ammunition has a load for the Whelen with a 310 gr Woodleigh Weldcore. Talk about sectional density, almost as much as the old .333 Jeffery.
 
I'm a .338-06 fan......a heavy for caliber .33 or .35 inch slug at a moderate velocity...is seldom a mistake for large game.

FN in MT
 
I'm a big fan of the 35 Whelen though I have never had one, never shot one, maybe never even seen one. I have been a fan since I was a kid. I'm going to get one some day, probably a Savage in 30-06 and get a 35 Whelen barrel.
 
Just bought a rem. 750 woodsmaster in 35 whelen. All I got to say is AWESOME! Brought to range with 30-06 BLR that I've had 9 years and out shot the blr at 100 yrds.For everyone saying BAR is better B.S. I bought the 750 online at Don's Hobby guns for $489 the BAR is no less than $1,000 and there is no way it is more accurate let alone easier to shoot. This 35 kicks like a .243 for real.
 
Tinker Dave, go to the ER Shaw website. They'll make you a custom 35 Whelen for under $850. With a barrel length up to 26 inches, sporter or varmint weight, and a Savage lefthand action. I shoot a .35 Whelen for deer, elk, and anything else large. It hammers deer with the Sierra bullet in 225gr. It loves this Gameking, and the Speer 250gr Hot core. Both go 1" or tighter at 100yds. The Sierra just lays a deer down. I have never recovered a bullet from the Whelen in a deer. They ALWAYS exit. The Sierra makes a silver dollar to baseball size exit wound through the hide out to 385 yds, too. It creates the kind of sucking chestwound that puts an animal on the ground in its tracks. I am retired Army, and have shot deer on Ft. Riley with it out to 300 yards and as close as 30 yds. On private land north of fort Riley, I have used it on beanfields out to 450yds. It is capable of shooting as flat as a 30-06 and delivers about 1000ftlbs more energy at the muzzle. It drops deer with the Sierra 225 grain Boattail so fast that if there are more than one, you will probably get a second one while they are trying to figure out what just happened to the first one. I have killed as many as three deer at the same time during the Kansas doe season in Area 8 in January. I did use a Shepherd P2 Scope with bullet drop and rangefinding system built in, and shot them at 285yds, 325yds and 386 yards lazed, so they didn't react to the sound of the shot. I have so far killed about 35 deer (mostly does) since I bought the rifle from Cabela's in 2005. I killed the last three on Jan. 6, 2012, north of Milford Lake, and haven't had the chance to hunt there since then, since I'm currently in Afghanistan. Enjoy the Whelen. Its a great caliber.
 
Even though this is an ANCIENT thread...here you go:

The .35 Whelen is nice, but I prefer the .350 Remington Magnum...gives ~50 fps over the Whelen in a short action.

I have a Remington 673 Guide Rifle...knocks elk down!
Rem673_zpsb0f267b4.jpg

2012Elk.jpg
 
It does in the lighter bullets (200gr.), but the Whelen has the edge with 225gr and 250gr bullets, due to throat length and the ability to seat bullets out farther. But if you really want to slam something from a 30-06 parent case, check out the Hawk and Hawk-Scovill cartridges. They take the '06 and move the shoulder forward, keeping the same taper/shoulder angle and get about 10% more capacity. It makes the .358 skate along at about the .375 H&H's class. You fireform brass about the same way you do a Brown-Whelen. TopHat used to make model 1895 leveraction rifles for these wildcats. The .375 Hawk is a good dangerous game rifle. In a leveraction that will shoot Spitzer bullets, it should be awesome. However, I'm pretty happy with 250gr. Speers at 2675fps and 3950 ftlbs or so. That's what my Speers chronograph at with RL 15. I get back from Afghanistan this Fall, and intend to use this load on elk in Colorado.
 
My elk load here in New Mexico is a 225 Grain partition over W748. It chronographs at a bit above 2700 fps from a 22" barrel in a short action, quick handling rifle. However, I've never needed more than one shot. And you are right about OAL...but I'll take the short action.
 
.35 Whelen 225gr.

I'm getting around 2725fps with Sierra 225gr boattails. I load RL 15, and I'm not conservative in my handload for this bullet. It shows less pressure sign than a factory .30-06 in 180gr. I shoot it from a 24" Remington CDL. I've never recovered a bullet so far, and I've killed about 35 Kansas whitetail with it at ranges from 20yds to 400yds. People who think the Whelen is a brush cartridge or the .350 Mag is either just haven't used them, and don't load for them. I don't use Alliant's new load though. It is ultra-conservative, and I think it is lawyer driven due to the number of old pre-WWII rifles out there. My 250gr. (Speer bullet) load Chronos at about 2675fps from this rifle, and I set the bullet out to max length. I have a long throat in this rifle, so that helps. It doesn't effect the accuracy of the Sierra bullet though. The Sierra goes well inside an inch, and the Speer is right on an inch at 100yds. The speer load shows exactly the same pressure signs as a fired factory 30-06 casing used to launch 180gr. bullets at 2700fps nominal. I even miked the head and body to see how much deformation they had. Primer is moderately flattened. Bolt is easy to manipulate. Bullet literally shoots through trees and telephone posts. What more do you want? Barrel twist for this rifle is 1 in 16. I'm thinking about getting a rifle from E.R. Shaw in a 1 in 14 twist heavy fluted sporter with a 26in. barrel chambered for Ackley Improved .35 Whelen. Not for the horsepower, but for the case life, which is improved due to less backthrust on the cartridge. Nice Cow Elk. I'm going after one this fall with the Whelen.
 
Last edited:
greenejc said:
Nice Cow Elk. I'm going after one this fall with the Whelen.
Click to expand...

The .35 bores never seem to have gotten much notice or respect. Ah well.

The cow was shot at 55 yards with a 225 Partition noted above...bullet entered just in front of the point of the left shoulder, exited 8 inches lower just behind right front leg. She literally acted as if a rug had been pulled out from all 4 feet...dropped where she stood and didn't twitch. THOSE are results.
 
I just love the .35 Whelen ctg !!! It's practical nostalgia in action. Remington also produced limited runs of this caliber in their Model's 750 & it's slide action cousin. The only ctg I like this much is the .358 Winchester, which is the little brother of the Whelen. In fact, my all time favorite north woods gun is my Savage Model 99-A in .358 Win. I hope you enjoy your new 700, & don't be shy to search around for different loads for it. IIRC, at present, only Remington, Federal, Buffalo Bore & possibly Hornandy are the only "big" producers of .35 Whelen ammo. Very nice find indeed !!

dpast32
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Anyone loading for the .35 Whelen? Small hog taken with it in pictures
2
Replies
39
Views
20K
greenejc
G

Latest posts

Back
Top