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35 Whelen, A great round being forgotten.

sanpedroranch

sanpedroranch

Gunny Sergeant
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Apr 1, 2018
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Have spoken to a few people in the last year about the cartridge not knowing what I was talking about. Yesterday I spoke to a guy my age, I’m 35, a few stalls down while doing a load work up. I mentioned I love the 35 Whelen. He had never heard of it either. I have my grandpas 35 Whelen built off a oberndorf 98 with a screwbean stock and a shilen #4. Thing is older than me I believe and shoots lights out. It’s a fantastic round that seems to have fallen to the wayside unfortunately. Do y’all think rounds like the Whelen will ever make a comeback?
 
That is a great round another one I’m surprised didn’t pick up steam and really shocks me that basically the biggest slug you can get for it is a 220 grain is the 8mm rem mag... if they made 260 280 grain slugs for that cartridge I would own one.
 
Still factory ammo available for it. I think the real enthusiast’s are likely hand-loading it in custom guns anyway. When I was pondering my bear/large game rifle I considered it strongly, but eventually went 338-06. Way more bullet selection.
 
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I know in Louisiana the 35 Whelen can be used during primitive rifle season. Perhaps it’s the same in other states as well? For that reason alone it’s got a chance of at least surviving.
 
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I have a Rem 7400 with DBM chambered in 35 Whelen. I reload for it. 200gr FTX seem to shoot the best out of it. I've loaded some of the 250gr Interlock PSP's, but they do too much damage to the whitetails around here...
 
Here in Louisiana, it can be used in primitive hunting season in a single shot style. Local gun shop that I work part time at probably sold 200 of them last deer season. Barnes makes a pretty good load for it along with Hornady.
 
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Crews said:
I know in Louisiana the 35 Whelen can be used during primitive rifle season. Perhaps it’s the same in other states as well? For that reason alone it’s got a chance of at least surviving.
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In LA and MS both. The name of the season was changed from muzzleloader to primitive and hardly anyone shoots black powder any longer. For a while after the change Thompson-Center made 35 Whelen barrels for Encore platform and they sold like crazy.
 
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I have been using the 35 Whelen since 96. Have had a few over the years. Bear and deer don't stand a chance. Built a custom on a Sako L61R action w 20 inch spiral fluted barrel 20 years ago before i ever seen a spiral barrel. Had high hopes of a Maine moose tag that i finally gave up on.
 
Supersubes said:
Still factory ammo available for it. I think the real enthusiast’s are likely hand-loading it in custom guns anyway. When I was pondering my bear/large game rifle I considered it strongly, but eventually went 338-06. Way more bullet selection.
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Bullet selection Is definitely better.
35 Whelen will always be an old classic like 7-30 Waters.
 
Edds said:
I have a new 35 Whelen barreled action and 300 pieces of new brass. It is a Surgeon 1086 action and a 23 inch Krieger #4 barrel. If I ever make up my mind what stock I want, I'll finish it.
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Pm me if you want to sell that barreled action.
 
.35 Whelen is a good hunting round. A couple of things against it. Compared to most cartridges recoil is very high.

All North American game with the possible exception of Brown and Polar bear is just as dead when shot with much smaller, flatter shooting and lower recoiling rifles.

When going for larger game most move up to .375 H&H or .416 Rigby.
 
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beretta_man11 said:
I love my TC 35w. The HSM 325sgk shoots accurately enough, what's crazy is the single digit SD of that ammo... I'm getting consistent hits at 600 with mine.
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Damn and I thought my old fed premium trophy bonded bear claws were good. Grandpa had 7 boxes all same lot and they shoot an honest 1/2 moa. 600 yds! Wow, I would have never thought stretching the 35 Whelen that far. It does thump my shoulder though. When I get around to a bear hunt it’s what I’m taking. I have used it out to 300 yds on nilgai with great success.
 
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Dad has a UL Mk V in 338-06 it’s a sweet gun. Doesn’t have a brake and is very uncomfortable to shoot for fun. That caliber is pretty nifty, I wish it would have been backed by someone other than A-Square, I think had big green did what they did with the 6.5-08 it would have had a chance.
 
I have coveted the 35 Whelen, and gave up when my Brother acquired a Marlin 336 35 Rem. It was his (New England Black Bear) bear gun.

Great rifle, relatively respectable caliber; but it still never filled my void where a great 35 caliber was concerned.

Greg
 
My dad bought a Rem 700 Classic when it was was offered in 35Whelen. That rifle has accounted for quite a few game animals.
I love the sound of it....it is so distinctive. When I hear him shoot from the other side of the farm there's no doubt if it was him or one of the neighbors, haha.
It's been used hard as a brush gun, and with that big bore it's actually pretty light weight.

I've never carried it in the woods, but it's got a lot of sentimental value to me, besides being a bang-flop hammer of Thor!
 
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sanpedroranch said:
Damn and I thought my old fed premium trophy bonded bear claws were good. Grandpa had 7 boxes all same lot and they shoot an honest 1/2 moa. 600 yds! Wow, I would have never thought stretching the 35 Whelen that far. It does thump my shoulder though. When I get around to a bear hunt it’s what I’m taking. I have used it out to 300 yds on nilgai with great success.
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I bored out an APA little B brake for it, I refuse to shoot a 35w without a brake. It kicks somewhere close to my tikka 308 now
 
Fed 225 Trophy Bonded Bear Claw was a great high power factory load. Also loaded a bunch of Nosler 225 BT and Accubonds.
 
20200415_141453.jpg

35 Whelen on a Mauser action. Bottom
 
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I haven't forgotten my last one, especially the day I sighted it in while wearing a t-shirt!
 
Edds said:
I have a new 35 Whelen barreled action and 300 pieces of new brass. It is a Surgeon 1086 action and a 23 inch Krieger #4 barrel. If I ever make up my mind what stock I want, I'll finish it.
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Did you ever finish this?
 
One of my Uncles had one built on a rebarreled Mauser...another had one in a Handi rifle. They both shwacked several deer with those rigs.
 
We own two. A Ruger 77 MK II rebarreled and a CVA, legal here in Louisiana for Primitive. (As mentioned earlier, in single shot rifles with exposed hammers) Both are shooters.

Until the 350 legend came out, about all you could find that was legal for primitive was a CVA in Whelen. Still perhaps the most popular round in Louisiana for primitive.

53C3C612-B87F-4EBC-A20A-F189F89A8176.jpeg
 
35 Whelen is a great round . I have a 1917 in 35 Whelen that I use for whitetail field hunting that I also shoot from bench quite a bit . Loads are are as easy to tune as the 30-06 .
 
My Whelen is an All-Weather Ruger Hawkeye, 1:16" twist, 22" bbl. It won't win any beauty pageants. But I really appreciate the all-weather properties of the set up. I also like the integral scope rings. I have a VX-II 3x9 Leupold on there, which I've been wanting to upgrade for a few years.
 
Butterburger said:
..........I have a VX-II 3x9 Leupold on there, which I've been wanting to upgrade for a few years.
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The ol' reliable VX-II.......I have the same on my 1st centerfire, a M700 .243. Installed it in 1991, and it's never changed zero since. Not sure how that happens, but it's always 1.5" high at 100yds :)
 
I've looked at .35 and even .375 bores on occasion... and just been really disappointed by the bullet selection. I realize it's a cycle... low demand, low R&D, low selection, low demand... but... le sigh...
 
DJL2 said:
I've looked at .35 and even .375 bores on occasion... and just been really disappointed by the bullet selection. I realize it's a cycle... low demand, low R&D, low selection, low demand... but... le sigh...
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I'm curious what kind of bullet you want for a 35 that is not available.
 
The Whelen certainly has it's place and a pretty good following in the North East.
I'd say 80% of the hunting I do has been on Maryland's eastern shore in marsh, thickets, & dense woods. 50 yards is about it & the bullet is going to have to clear it's own path.

When hunting those conditions, in rifle counties, I take the 35 Whelen. Factory Rem 250gr PSP has been the ticket for the thickets. 35 gives zero fucks about mowing through some sticker vines or twigs. White tail & Sika aren't hard to kill, but the bullet has to make it there & those bastards run straight for the swamp or the nastiest rats nest of sticker vines they can find when wounded. For me the Whelen has a perfect record of bang flop everytime. Never had a deer land more than 10 feet from where it was hit.

For the same reasons stated above albeit a little less brush clearing ability I built a 350 Legend to use in shotgun/straight wall counties. I didn't think about it till this thread popped up, but 350L is about the ballistic equal to a 35 Rem, but from a small frame AR.

IMG_5852.jpg

Nosler does runs of Whelen ammo from time to time.
IMG_5853.jpg
 
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Edds said:
I'm curious what kind of bullet you want for a 35 that is not available.
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Well, let's start with Hornady... my choices are 200 grain FTX (which... meh?) or three flavors of Interlock. Now, I like Hornady, but I don't like the Interlock or the Interbond especially much. I wouldn't call them outright bad, but my preference is overwhelmingly for the SST if we're going old school or the ELD-X. If anything, the .375 choices are worse if you're not looking for a solid, but that 250 grain CX should at least be screaming out of the .375 Ruger... haven't seen any reports on CX performance though.

Sierra offers two choices that I see... a 225 grain soft point might be compelling if they didn't handicap it with a "heavy, double-tapered jacket." I'll pass on the 200 grain soft point... not gonna soak up the recoil of a .35 Whelen or Norma to pitch something with the aerodynamics of a brick at my target. I'd sooner take a 200 grain Partition in .308 and call it a day. I don't know what happened to the Gameking, doesn't seem to be in the catalog anymore... it would be preferable to either of the aforementioned.

Berger... Bueller? Bueller?

On the bright side, Nosler makes two flavors of Partition, and that's a classic! The downside is that they're made by Nosler... and $2 a pop for the projo alone is rough. They also produced a 225 grain Ballistic Tip that I no longer see in the catalog. Candidly, it's not that I can't afford Nosler projos, but I simply refuse to buy them on principle. The fucking audacity to charge what they charge, across the board, tells me they have a strong fan base... and I have no interest in paying for the privilege of joining it.
 
DJL2 said:
Well, let's start with Hornady... my choices are 200 grain FTX (which... meh?) or three flavors of Interlock. Now, I like Hornady, but I don't like the Interlock or the Interbond especially much. I wouldn't call them outright bad, but my preference is overwhelmingly for the SST if we're going old school or the ELD-X. If anything, the .375 choices are worse if you're not looking for a solid, but that 250 grain CX should at least be screaming out of the .375 Ruger... haven't seen any reports on CX performance though.

Sierra offers two choices that I see... a 225 grain soft point might be compelling if they didn't handicap it with a "heavy, double-tapered jacket." I'll pass on the 200 grain soft point... not gonna soak up the recoil of a .35 Whelen or Norma to pitch something with the aerodynamics of a brick at my target. I'd sooner take a 200 grain Partition in .308 and call it a day. I don't know what happened to the Gameking, doesn't seem to be in the catalog anymore... it would be preferable to either of the aforementioned.

Berger... Bueller? Bueller?

On the bright side, Nosler makes two flavors of Partition, and that's a classic! The downside is that they're made by Nosler... and $2 a pop for the projo alone is rough. They also produced a 225 grain Ballistic Tip that I no longer see in the catalog. Candidly, it's not that I can't afford Nosler projos, but I simply refuse to buy them on principle. The fucking audacity to charge what they charge, across the board, tells me they have a strong fan base... and I have no interest in paying for the privilege of joining it.
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You made a list of available bullets. I was wanting to know what your perfect 35 Whelen bullet, that isn't available, would look like.
 
Last edited:
Edds said:
You made a list of available bullets. I was wanting to know what your perfect 35 Whelen bullet, that isn't available, would look like.
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Oh... damn... might not be smart enough for this game... let me put the glue stick down and try again...

For GP use, I'd want a 225 grain that comes in with a G1 around .425 and reliably sheds weight down to 1800 fps or lower. Not expands, mind you, but actually sheds weight... no more than 75% retained at 1800 fps, no less than 50% retained at 2600 fps. That would provide really well rounded, emphatic performance from muzzle to around 350 yds or so.
 
When I started my 35 Whelen build, I did a lot of internet research for 35 caliber bullets, you just described a Nosler 225 gr Partition. There is also an available copper bullet that fits your desires almost perfectly.

hammerbullets.com

.358 Cal-220g Power Hammer (formerly hammer hunter) - Hammer Bullets

Recommended twist rate is 1-15" or faster Bullet length is 1.32" Bullet weight is 222g Recommended use: Big game hunting G7-BC= .204 estimated
hammerbullets.com hammerbullets.com
 
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I'm generally not a copper guy, but I suppose I'd at least consider them in a medium bore. Worth consideration as I keep "low key" looking for a way to indulge my completely irrational desire for waaaaay more gun than I need for any game animal I've ever seen/hunted ;-).
 
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