35 whelen

jk123

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Im wondering if anyone has any experience reloading this caliber, especially using 357 handgun bullets. I am seriously considering getting a whelen as a moose rifle. Some smaller bullet lighter loads would be allot of fun for chickens, rabbits, etc. I have looked at some data in the sierra book and the nosler has a little as well. I havent found much for reduced loads in either. Some good info on the internet but its kinda random. Id like to hear what has been found to work well for reloading in this caliber, especially using the handgun bullets.
 
In one of my first whelens I used hornady 160 silhouette bullets and 158 grain jacketed--shot really well. Later whelens I use 200 or 250 grain cast gas check bullets--use the 250's on mule deer from time to time.

It is fairly easy to work up accurate redused loads but make sure you start with reliable data. I no longer have my pistol bullet data but I think it came out of an older speer loading manual.

Have fun,
 
I shot cast out of a 350 Rem. It did it's best with 250gr (358318 I think) and 43 gr of 4320. It had and unpleasant habit of fouling the throat with any powder faster than 4198.
Grouch
 
Im wondering if anyone has any experience reloading this caliber, especially using 357 handgun bullets. I am seriously considering getting a whelen as a moose rifle. Some smaller bullet lighter loads would be allot of fun for chickens, rabbits, etc. I have looked at some data in the sierra book and the nosler has a little as well. I havent found much for reduced loads in either. Some good info on the internet but its kinda random. Id like to hear what has been found to work well for reloading in this caliber, especially using the handgun bullets.

From the Speer Number 11 Manual...350 Rem Magnum....4064 starts at 54.0 gr...3031 starts at 50.0...Re7 starts at 51.0 with a 158 gr jacketed bullet

358 Winchester...H322 starts at 48.0gr...4064 starts at 48 gr...re7 starts at 44 gr...158 gr jacketed bullet

This should give you an idea of what powders to use and a rough starting point to work up a load...
 
Thanks for all the replies, I think one of my buddies has the recent speer manual. Ill see if i can take a look at it. Until then I think I have enough to get started. I wonder how much different the point of impact will be between the full charge rifle loads from the light pistol loads?
 
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I've never reloaded with the pistol bullets but had tremendous success with 60 Grains of RL-15 and 225 Gr. Barnes X Triple Shocks on bear, moose and deer.
 
I just picked up some hornady 158gr hollow point XTPs, I think Im going to load them with 48gr of varget. I based it off the data in the sierra book, should be about 2100fps according to the book. What kind of COAL have you guys went with? According to the sierra book the recomended COAL for the 158gr jhp puts it right on the cannulure, looks pretty short, should I go a bit longer? I guess Ill start there and see......
 
Just a little addition to the TrailBoss: http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Trail%20Boss%20Reduced%20Loads%20R&P.pdf
This is pretty much what the internet does now for powderpuff loads, for any firearm. I've not done it myself, so I can't comment on how well it works.

When you want to go to full power loads, pick something 225gr. Sierras, TSX, Partitions, whatever. I have a BDL Custom Deluxe in Whelen, and anyone I've talked to who has the same rifle pretty much unanimously agree on the 225gr pills. They just shoot really good all day long.

My load is 56grs of IMR4064 under a 225gr TSX started by Fed210s leaving the barrel around 2700fps and coming in under an inch at 100m. FWIW though, factory 200gr Cor-Lokts tend to shoot extremely well out of it, and did a number on moose and deer before I started reloading.

Good luck.
 
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