35 Whelen??

[Ray P]

Happy Labor Day to everyone. Any input on this cal. ? I bought a used Clymer reamer for this caliber for a project rifle down the road. Barrel length??
Thanks for any replys
Later
Ray P

[Rick in Oregon]

Lots of input here Ray.....let me get back to you after the weekend. My partner hunted elk with one for years, and I did all the loading. I've got elk stories!

[Sagebrush Burns]

A fine caliber for large game. 22" is plenty of barrel. Mine is an Ackley Improved and sends 250 grain Hornadays down range at 2675 fps chronograph velocity. Kills elk nicely.

[Critter]

The Whelen is basically a .35-06 (.358), that was developed by Col. Townsend Whelen in the early 1920s.

Reportedly capable of taking any game on the north american continent.

[thetrio]

I have one and I love it.

Great accuracy for me and plenty of horsepower for any North American game.

I normally shoot 225 grain bullets... Sierras for light game and Nosler partitions for the big stuff.

I can't for the life of me get Barnes bullets to work with any accuracy but those would be the bullets I would choose if my rifle would shoot them.

[Rick in Oregon]

Ray....My good friend here hunted with a .35 Whelen for a number of years using my handload of the 250gr Nosler Partition over 53.0gr of IMR-4320 for right at 2,500 fps. This is a walloping load for elk, and has taken more than a few nice bulls.

To give you an idea of the power factor, consider this: One November morning I was up high in the black timber just east of home with an elk about 100 yards in front of me that I could hear, but could not see. We played cat and mouse for three hours, with me steadily moving him towards a drainage where my buddy was hidden in the bottom in some second growth firs.

Anyway, the bull went down the hill in front of me from about 60 yards....all I saw was a brief moment of rump patch. About two minutes later....BOOOOOOM!, then another. I hiked down through the pole thicket to where a nice 5x5 bull lay dead with a brutal 1.5" entrance wound on his spine.

My partner shot the bull with the .35 (M700 Classic/Lupy 1.5-5X) as he came down the hill from about 75 yards. The bull hunched up, dropped his rear end and was dragging himself about when he was shot in the neck the second time. It appeard a 5" fir pole was in the way of the first shot, and the 250 grain Partition partially expanded (or fully, dunno) deflected a bit and hit the bull in the spine, shattering it immediately. The second shot put him down for good. The hole in the tree was large enough to fit an adult mans thumb.

When we looked at the tree, it had a huge piece blown out right in the center where the bullet hit/exited, but it still had enough power to slay a large bull elk 35 yards from the tree......considerable power. This an overlooked, excellent large animal caliber, and from what we can tell, a true 400 yard game cartridge. Load yours up Ray, and go hunting!

[Guy M]

Rick, the .375 load I used on my bear hunt earlier this month is barely more than that .35 Whelen load your buddy used.

My .375 H&H had a 260 gr Nosler at 2620 fps - only a little more bullet, and only a little faster. Very nice to shoot from the Number One and very effective at 300 yards.

Ray P - If I was building a .35 Whelen, I'd be real tempted by something in the 21 - 23" range... Have a .30-06 with a 21" barrel, and it's real handy for hunting. I cut it down from 26" a few years ago.

[Rick in Oregon]

Guy: Right you are.....my motto: "Big Bullets for Big Animals!"

Alot of guys I know that hunt with both .35 Whelen's and .338-06's have shortened their 26" and 24" barrels down to what we now call "black timber barrel lengh", meaning about 21" to 22" seems about right in the thick stuff (notice no magnums?). My M70 .338-06 Ackley is still 24" though; just cant hack the thought of cutting that one (I keep fantisizing about that possible 400 yard cross-canyon shot someday ).

Not for thick stuff, but I just had Cooper cut my new M21 204 Ruger MTV down from 26" to 24". To me, it just looks and handles much better. I'm still getting over 4,000 fps with the 32's, so I'm not really sweating any velocity loss from that one. Sometimes shorter barrels are just ........'handier'.

[Guy M]

As long as we're discussing shorter hunting rifles, here's an interesting comparison. The Browning BLR has a fairly short 20" barrel, yet the Ruger Number One with a 24" barrel is about the same length, or even a tad shorter... All that length reduction because there's no action to cycle rounds through. Makes for a very compact package. My .375 is about the same size as my .308 hunting rifle, and just as handy!

[Rick in Oregon]

Guy: Good comparison. I made the same 'discovery' back in the early 70's between my Browning M78 .30-06 with a 26" barrel, alongside my pet M70 .270 Win with a 24" tube. The Browning single shot was much shorter (3"), much handier, and really got some impressive velocity with the 150's.

One of my pet sub caliber varmint rifles in my Ruger No.3 in .17 Ackley Hornet. This little puppy is the same length as my 10-22's with its 22" Pac-Nor barrel, but reaches out past 350 yards for Skippy and his pals. Holding it muzzle down by the pistol grip, the muzzle is still about 8" from the ground. We're talkin' handy here.



Seems we both have a passion for single shot falling blocks, and maybe also short(er) rifles for tight places.

[Valar]

I to just acquired a 35 whelen chamber reamer, also a 257 Roberts. Noslers load handbook used a 24 inch Lilja in 1 in 12 twist. This may not be a handy length in elk country? I would be hesitant to go shorter than 22 inch, but thats me being skidish. I have a mauser 98 action that needs a barrel, debating on the whelen or the 257 roberts? This will be my first rebarrel job so i am starting with a cheapo adams and bennet barrel, unless i can find a deal on a better quality barrel? Keep us posted on your build!

[Arizona Hunter]

Several years ago I read an article by my favorite outdoor writer Finn Aagaard about the 35 Whelen and I have been captivated by it ever since. Although I have never owned one, I sure would like a 35 whelen with a Mauser type action and 22" barrel and a Boyd Classic stock in forest Camo.http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/PhotoDeta ... de=600-647.

[Valar]

I finally ordered a cheapo adams and Bennet 35 Whellen Barrel for my Mauser 98 action. I have Reamer and headspace gauges , barrel vise and action wrench. I am ready to go, this will be my first re barrel job. I wil let ya know how it goes!

[ethanehunt]

I have a 35 Whelen built by Hill Country Rifle. I put a Swarovski Z6 1.7 X 10 with an illuminated reticle on it and shoot 250 Grain North Forks loaded by Superior Ammunition. I took this rig to Africa and it was a really good setup for all plains game up to Eland out to 400 yards. I like it so much that I now shoot it in Texas on deer and hogs and the practical results are decisive and hard to argue with. This is a moderate recoiling, highly accurate and absolutely devastating combination on game. The 35 Whelen cartridge is so good it is surprising that more hunters are not familiar with it. After shooting it for a short period of time I really just fell in love with it. The real life results of this big, heavy, slow moving bullet with a relatively large amount of frontal cross section are just devastating. I have complete confidence in this round and would take it anywhere for anything short of the largest bears and dangerous game in africa (Buffalo, etc.). Like many who know this cartridge, I absolutely love the 35 Whelen and plan to keep it forever. For those who have questions, the 35 Whelen is a lot like an Apple MacIntosh computer, ask anyone who owns one and they all same the same thing - its really great! The 35 Whelen is a really great choice and I highly recommend it!

[Valar]

Ethane, Glad to here. working on the project now. I save such task to keep me busy in the winter monthes when I am laid off. I picked up a box of Hornady Superformance 35 Whelen loads. I cant wait to try it out. I will post results asap but am also busy with chasin yotes! Time flys.