.35 Whelen
- Thread starter troyski2
- Start date
as a dual purpose deer/moose gun, I could see its application. But for a pure deer rifle? I dont see any advantage it would have over a 308 or 30-06
that being said, it will kill deer very well
Remington makes 200 gr. & 250 gr. Cor Lokt loads. Federal used to make a Premium 225 gr. Bear Claw load, but I no longer see it on their site.
that being said, it will kill deer very well
Remington makes 200 gr. & 250 gr. Cor Lokt loads. Federal used to make a Premium 225 gr. Bear Claw load, but I no longer see it on their site.
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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- Orillia, Ontario
No problem finding 35 Whelen in most well-stocked gunshops. Don't hold your breath for finding any at Canucky Tire or Wally World. The factory 200's work O.K. for deer, the 250's allright for moose. Handloaded, much better.
Have a look at "Whelen's Northwoods" website ... Paco's assembled a lot of good info on 35 Whelens and other 35 bores. Approach his loads cautiously ... he likes 'em "HOT"
Have a look at "Whelen's Northwoods" website ... Paco's assembled a lot of good info on 35 Whelens and other 35 bores. Approach his loads cautiously ... he likes 'em "HOT"
The nice thing about the 35Whelen is that it allows you to use heavy bullets. If you're going to use the lighter bullets, 200 or less, stick with the 30 caliber as there isn't any advantage and the trajectory suffers because the energy accross the larger diameter bleeds off faster than a similar 30 cal bullet with similar BOC. The real advantage of heavy, large diameter bullets on deer is the mimimal meat loss. Be darn careful with what is directly behind that deer, because with premium and even Hornady spire points, that bullet isn't going to stop in that deer, even end to end, especially at ranges under 200yds. If you are going to the 35 Whelen because of its tremendous energy delivery, great. If you are doing it to take the place of an accurately placed bullet, forget it. It's a really good copromise for a magnum, and will do anything insde of 400 yds that most of the magnums will do, but there isn't anything that will take the place of lots of practice and knowing what your rifle will do at any given range, rain, snow or shine. bearhunter
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I have used a 308 and a 300 WM and now I use a 35 Whelen or 358 Win for dear hunting. My deer hunting is mostly confined to fairly heavy wood and at distance of less than 75 yds. My favorite caliber for this type of hunting is now the 358 Win in a very light rifle such as a Browning BLR 81 with a 20" barrel and going at around 6 1/2 lbs. 35 Whelen ammo is relatively expensive at around $35 dollars a box but for most hunters who shoot less that a box a year, this cost is insignificant. If you intend to eventually get into moose hunting, I would definitely look at the 35 Whelen as a combination deer/moose rifle.
The 308 will also do the job more than adequately but I believe not as well in most cases as the 35 Whelen or the 358 Win. I honestly believe that what is important here is that you feel that you have the best caliber for the situation and that your gun will not be a handicap in whatever type of hunting you do. Also, I would keep in mind that deer hunting and moose hunting are usually two completely different types of hunting and because of this, usually require different calibers.
And finally, make sure you are able to feel and handle any rifle you might want to buy before buying it.
Good luck!
Duke1
The 308 will also do the job more than adequately but I believe not as well in most cases as the 35 Whelen or the 358 Win. I honestly believe that what is important here is that you feel that you have the best caliber for the situation and that your gun will not be a handicap in whatever type of hunting you do. Also, I would keep in mind that deer hunting and moose hunting are usually two completely different types of hunting and because of this, usually require different calibers.
And finally, make sure you are able to feel and handle any rifle you might want to buy before buying it.
Good luck!
Duke1
............The brush busting antideflection characteristics of heavier cartridges so popularly advertised in grandpas day is a fallacy. Tests have proven everthing from a .222 through to a .45-70 deflect to some degree depending on conditions.
troyski2 said:
If you mean by wood penetration, the bullet staying on the right path when encountering small branches, etc, then the answer is yes but would it be significant?
You just have to assume an extreme situation where one would use a large cannon with the end result that it would take more than a little branch to deflect the bullet. On the other hand, if one were to use a 22 LR with enough velocity, the amount of energy required to deflect this bullet would be considerably less that the cannon. One could argue that the difference in the amount of energy required to deflect a 308, 30-07 or 35 Whelen bullet would not be enough to be overly concerned.
If we agree that the amount of energy that a bullet has while in flight will be the factor on how easily it will be to deflect it then all that we need to do is compare the different calibers. I'm listing some typical data on the 30-06 and the 35 Whelen to support my argument.
30-06
Bullet wt - 220 gr and recommended as a brush/wood load
Velocity - 2450 ft/sec
ME - 2940 ft-lb
35 Whelen
Bullet wt - 220 gr
Velocity - 2740 ft/sec
ME - 3667 ft-lb
This is a difference of approx 25% in energy in favour of the 35 Whelen.
The 358 is somewhat lower than the 35 Whelen but higher than the 30-06.
Duke1
PS. It should be emphasized that the 35 Whelen cartridge is an improved version of the 30-06 (you can use the 30-06 case for loading) and initialy introduced to hunt all North American big game. It only needs a standard action but has magnum caliber capability. Although not very popular for a number of years, it is seen more frequently in the last couple of years.
duke1 said:
best common sense cartridge selection advice I've seen in print in a long time....although out here in Alberta...we regularly hunt moose,elk and deer on the same walk in the woods....we tend to "overgun" an bit,rather than "undergun"...not to be confused with undershooting...or underhunting....
We hunt a lot in ares where it's possible to have a moose draw, general elk season is open for 3 pointers and larger and both WT and Mulie seasons are open...I've killed more deer with my 300 Winny while elk/moose hunting than I have with my "deer" rifles..last two years I carried a 35 Whelen....didn't get a shot.I don't recall passing factory loads over a chrony although I recall that they are quite whimpy. The availablity of factory ammo leaves a lot to be desired.
For me, handloading increases the performance level considerably in terms of power and accuracy and the level of satisfaction is high.
My 35 Whelen load gives me 2600 to 2650 fps(measured) from 60.0gr(0.5gr over max as per Alliant load info) of RL-15 behind a Hornady 250gr SP. That load in my Rem 7600 will shoot into .75" .
I have dropped Moose and Elk out past 400 yds(measured) on several occasions.
The 35 Whelen brass is cheap and easy to find and will feed reliably from any magazine designed for the 25-06, 270, 280, 30-06 and 338-06.
Good Luck
John
For me, handloading increases the performance level considerably in terms of power and accuracy and the level of satisfaction is high.
My 35 Whelen load gives me 2600 to 2650 fps(measured) from 60.0gr(0.5gr over max as per Alliant load info) of RL-15 behind a Hornady 250gr SP. That load in my Rem 7600 will shoot into .75" .
I have dropped Moose and Elk out past 400 yds(measured) on several occasions.
The 35 Whelen brass is cheap and easy to find and will feed reliably from any magazine designed for the 25-06, 270, 280, 30-06 and 338-06.
Good Luck
John
35 Whelen/350 Rem twins are great cartridges. I've used both on deer and moose and bear. Within 300 yds, they work very well. 250 gr bullets are my personal favourites, particularly the Speer (just seems to work better in my rifles in these calibers). I say go for it. - dan
The new 750 with the "Klingon" forend ( see pic here - http://35cal.com/rep.html#750 ) will really tame the felt recoil alot. My 7400/35Whelen sure does.
If you are hunting deer then the factory 200 core lokts should be more than enough. The Federal 225s and the Rem 250s use on bigger tougher game.
(By the way the Rem factory 250s are NOT "core lokt" as far as I've been able to determine)
If you are hunting deer then the factory 200 core lokts should be more than enough. The Federal 225s and the Rem 250s use on bigger tougher game.
(By the way the Rem factory 250s are NOT "core lokt" as far as I've been able to determine)
Win94 said:....i for one love the .35 whelen. Had one in a Remmy 7600 but it bugged the hell out of me as every time i touched one off, the action would open.
Yea, but that only happens when shooting off the bags on the bench.
I started off using Remington 200gr bullets for deer and Speer 250s for moose, but have dropped the 200s and just use the 250s only for hunting. I never did shoot anything with the 200s, but they sure are accurate in mine.
sc
My 7600/35Whelen action opens up EVERY time - even when shooting offhand with reasonable loads (250s@2400fps) - and often spits out brass. Shot it now with quite a few rounds offhand and from the bench. Either my shooting style is quite different or the guns vary on this behaviour from one another. Interesting.
Almost every 7600 in .35 Whelen that I know of opens a bit when it is fired. This occasionally happens with 30-06's as well.
When the trigger is released, the actions is free to cycle, and the recoil of the Whelen is higher than all of the other cartridges that this rifle is chambered in, so the bolt is opened a bit. This is nothing to be concerned about. I understand thet there is a pump shotgun that does this, and is advertised by the manufacturer as being a positive feature of the gun.
My 7600 opens about an inch when I shoot it from my shoulder, but when I fire it from the bags, it becomes an "auto-unloader", ejecting the casing when my body naturally recoils forward after being pushed back by the rifle's recoil.
When the trigger is released, the actions is free to cycle, and the recoil of the Whelen is higher than all of the other cartridges that this rifle is chambered in, so the bolt is opened a bit. This is nothing to be concerned about. I understand thet there is a pump shotgun that does this, and is advertised by the manufacturer as being a positive feature of the gun.
My 7600 opens about an inch when I shoot it from my shoulder, but when I fire it from the bags, it becomes an "auto-unloader", ejecting the casing when my body naturally recoils forward after being pushed back by the rifle's recoil.
Rick Teal said:
Off the bags, with a stiff 250gr handload, mine will eject the empty about 5' from the bench.
With a 200gr load, it just opens the action about 1/2 way.
I've had mine for about three years now and just now got a Declerator pad put on the stock. I never thought the recoil was all that bad, but hated having a plastic butt plate on the butt. Tends to slip and fall over with the hard plate.
sc
....i like the remmy 760. i killed my first buck with my grandfathers past down to me 760 in 06. I also got my biggest buck, 12 point non typical with it. I am by no means a 760 or 7600 hater but i just could not stomach the whelen's action opening after firing and sometimes ejecting a casing. To me it was signs of a rifle operating improperly and if Remington wanted their 760/7600 chambered in .35 Whelen, they should have done it right and proper operationaly speaking.
