.35 Whelen bullet penetration & expansion test with pics

bcsteve

bcsteve

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
120   0   0
Location
BC
A little while back when I was having my .35 Whelen build I asked your opinion on which bullet to use for moose. After all the suggetions, today I did my own test.

Test media was wet newspaper.
Impact velocity: approx 2500fps for the 250gr and 2650fps for the 225gr.

Side by Side view of the exit hole after approximately 6" of penetration. The first one is Speer GS vs Barnes TSX. The second one is Honady IL vs Speer HC.
newspapertest1.jpg

newspapertest2-1.jpg


Hornady 250gr SP IL

Penetration: 17"
Expansion: 0.802, 0.793, 0.792....avrg: 0.803
Weight retention: 206.2, 206.0, 204.2....avrg: 205.1gr
35250grHornadyILsideviewjpg.jpg

35250grHornadyILtopviewjpg.jpg


Speer 250gr HC

Penetration: 18"
Expansion: 0.670, 0.796, .0774....avrg: 0.747
Weight retention: 173.8, 217.8, 209.5....avrg: 200.4
35250grSpeerHCsideviewjpg.jpg

35250grSpeerHCtopviewjpg.jpg


Speer 250gr GS

Penetration: 18"
Expansion: 0.656, 0.700...avrg: 0.678
Weight retention: 208.3, 212.8....avrg: 210.6
(one bullet got away)
35250grSpeerGSsideviewjpg.jpg

35250grSpeerGStopviewjpg.jpg


Barnes 225gr TSX

Penetration: 20"
Expansion: 0.737, 0.755, 0.686...avrg: 0.726
Weight retention: 225.1, 225.0, 224.9...avrg: 225.0
35225grTSXsideviewjpg.jpg

35225grTSXtopviewjpg.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks Steve for the great post and pics, I use the Hornady 250's in my Whelen and have had good performance and accuracy from them in my rifle, Im gonna give the 225 tsx's a try after reading this though.
:)
 
SuperCub said:
Good post!! :)

Looks like the premium bullets don't offer any great advantage over the Speer HC or the Hornady.



sc
Click to expand...


was just thinking the same thing, those Innerlocks preformed quite well! 3" less penitration then the X, and greater frontal area (on the mushroom).

excellent post.
 
I think the moose died 9 times. I suspect a Whelan velocities with those heavy bullets, it almost doesn't matter what you are shooting. The same test say in 30 calibre, 165 at 3000 + fps might have a different result.
 
And a note on the expansion, I measured at the widest possible part of the bullet, for the Speer or Hornady it sometime was just a sliver of jacket or lead that was at an odd angle. For the TSX it was always a solid copper petal. Yeah :redface: , I'm leaning towards the TSX;) . Just have to work up a load now.
 
Great Thread, thanks !
I think you've proven that a Moose well hit by pretty much any 35 Whelen bullet combo is dinner for sure:D
I do also like the weight retention of the Barnes though :cool:
 
Nicely done Steve! The Barnes seem to be a clear winner in both weight retention and expansion.
What range was the target from the muzzle? I am assuming the velocities that you quoted was muzzle velocity? I wonder how the test results would change at very long range (lower velocity) and very short range (higher velocity).
 
I wonder how the test results would change at very long range (lower velocity) and very short range (higher velocity
Click to expand...

I can't help with the lower velocity,but I do have a recovered 180gr tsx removed from an elk after it took out a section of the elks spine.It was launched at 3380fps out of my 300ultramag,the range was around 200 yards for an estimated impact velocity of 2900fps.The maximum expansion was .800" and the retained weight 160gr.Notice that even though the bullet smashed a lot of bone,all four petals remain intact.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/stubblejumper11/PA050015.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/stubblejumper11/PA050019.jpg
 
Last edited:
BIGREDD said:
I wonder how the test results would change at very long range (lower velocity) and very short range (higher velocity).
Click to expand...


Good job Steve
I have hunted with a 358 Norma mag for over 30 years,it has been my main rifle and has dropped a lot of moose.I used to try a diff bullet every year just to see how they performed on game,the bullet that i use now is the 250 Speer hot core.It works just as good as any other bullet out there and the price is right,you can go to the range and burn up a box of bullets and not break the bank.I have shot moose at 30 yards out to 250 yards and all the speers end up about the same,all weigh over 170 grains.Muzzel velocity on my Norma is 2850 fps.so when you can retain 170 grains of bullet weight on a 30 yard shot its pretty hard to knock the speer.I have not tried the Hornady's for a long time as the first ones i tried were not interlock and they did not hold together.35 is a great caliber I love mine.Steve you will really like yours when you see how it works on game.
 
Thanks fellas... my partner just asked me about the speer bullets for his new 750 in .35 Whelen.
Anybody heard if they are going to make an Accubond in .358?
 
My experience with the 250 Speer Hot-Core spitzer has been the same as River Rat's: 358 Win, 35 Whelen, 358 Norma mag; works in them all. :D

The only rifle I have ever seen them fail in is one of Bevan King's 35-404 Imp when driven at 3300 fps! :eek:

Ted
 
Last edited:
While I think that if you hit a moose int he vitals with just about any 225-250gr .35 caliber bullet, it is going to fall down....:)

Wet newsprint bears zero similarity to a moose shoulder joint. Wet newsprint is a fairly soft test medium, and while it works pretty good, it doens't tell you what will happen to your bullet when it is stressed, such as hitting heavy bone at close range.

The TSX, which opened perfectly, and retained 100% of it's weigth, and penetrated the deepest, clearly outperformed all the other bullets. The TSX started out 25 gr lighter than the other test bullets, and yet finishes the race 25gr heavier than all the other bullets.

The choice would be pretty clear to me, use the TSX for hunting, and you are ready to take on just about anything...;)
 
Gatehouse said:

The TSX, which opened perfectly, and retained 100% of it's weigth, and penetrated the deepest, clearly outperformed all the other bullets.
Click to expand...

By your definition of 'performance,' an FMJ or hard-cast solid would be the perfect bullet.
 
Hello,

I use the Hornady 250gr IL in my 35 Whelen and it has resulted in one shot kills on just over 20 Moose and Elk.
I have a bag full of Speer 250gr SP bullets waiting for me to work up a load for. So little time!
Good to see that the bullets I use have some structural integrity.
I have put Moose down with another brand of bullet and even though they were one shot kills the bullet was found to be broken up.
Did the bullet fail?
Well, the Moose died so I have to say that the bullet did its job.
In my opinion, bullet placement is the biggest factor.

Good Luck
John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom