Whelen ballistics for these 2 loads...

thepitchedlink

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Hi guys, I've put together to loads for this hunting season for my whelen and I'd like to find some more info on them. I've got a 200g Hornady sp going 2730fps and a 250 sp going 2550. Can someone point me in the right direction to figure out bullet drop of each. Which one would you Whelen users chose? I'm going to be hunting mulies and whitetail. Looks like my elk hunt just fell apart but I'll be carrying a tag around my home area just incase. Both these seem to give about 2" groups at 100y, but the first two shots are more like 1/2", then the 3rd walks out...good enough for this season, this winter I'll bed and free float. thanks
 
I was told to use 200gr for deer only and 250gr for everything else so I said the hell with it and just use 250gr for everything!!! Mosewell use it to your advantage right? Dead on at 100yards the 200gr is 4.7" low and the 250gr is 5.7" low(thats with factory remington)
At 250yards it opens up to 9.9" and 11.8" respectively.

I think I'm gonna go with a 150 yard zero with the 250gr which only puts me down 8.6" at 250 yards. 3" is quite a difference at 250yards if you ask me!
 
Hey thanks Zimbu, that calculator is good. Well, the ballistics of the 2 seem to be so close out to 400y there appears to be no reason not to shoot the 250's. Not that I'm gonna shoot at 400y, hell not even 250 if it can be avoided, but I was wondering if I was giving up too much "drop" by always using the 250's, but it appears no. The 250 seems to carry 500 ft lbs more, but only drops 1 inch more at 200 and 300 yards. I'll try and confirm that tommorow with a bit of shooting...to bad my POI are quite different, the 200's hit 8 inches high compared to the 250's. thanks the the help fellas.
 
Using 250s for deer on up makes some sense in the 35 Whelen - especially when lesser weights don't print near to the 250s. Using just 250s simplifies things and the deer will fall if you point your rifle right and the meat should not be all blood shot either as has been pointed out by Rem338Win. The 35Whelen is at it's best with 250s IMO. You are right that it's trajectory is reasonable if launched fast enough and the 250s carry energy out there.

I'm not sure why the ballistic coef. of the 250HornadySP (.375) is given as so much less than the Speer 250HC (.446). Never noticed any significant drop differences in my experience out to 300yds. Maybe Speer is just optimistic. Both are good hunting bullets for the 35Whelen I've found. For close work - the Hornady 250RN can usually be driven a little faster safely in my testing and blows a bigger hole through critters - bears anyway - more shocking effect.

Wish U luck on your deerhunt.
 
I have found, however, that the wind drift MOA corrections do not match the corresponding wind drift values in inches at wind intensities other than 10 mph. OOPS!
There is spin aka gyroscopic drift, which is significant, but hard to factor in exactly, so most of the calculators don't bother.
 
I go in between and shoot 225gr TSX at 2700fps in my Whelen. Zero at 200yds, 8" low at 300yds and 24" low at 400yds.
 
Well I'll be damned, I shot a bunch of the 250's at 200y and theres a group of holes in the target right around 6" low!! The ballistics table said it should be 5.7" but I'll let that slide. Too bad a flyer opened it up to a 7" group...got her set up now at 2" high at 100, so about 4 low at 200. Come on deer season!! Thanks for all thee input guys.
 
Ah crap, man I'm getting tired of this "shortage " of reloading supplies. Of course I couldn't buy any more 250 hornnady sp's, found one box of speer hotcores. Can anyone who's used both tell me if they fly at all alike? I've got 8 loaded sp's, that should do the hunting season, but I wanted I fling some more at the range out to 300y and see how they go. thanks
 
spin drift

There is spin aka gyroscopic drift, which is significant, but hard to factor in exactly, so most of the calculators don't bother.

True. There is spin drift, but that cannot account for the windage correction discrepancies on Hornady's calculator.
Whether spin drift is significant or not is a matter of opinion. A military sniper taking a shot beyond 1500yds would probably take it into consideration, but to a hunter shooting at 300yd it would be completely insignificant.
 
If you switch to speers they may still group ok at your point of aim or they may not--try a few--in one of my whelens both makes of 250's and nosler 225's shot to the same point for hunting purposes. In two others the scope had to be adjusted to each bullet.

I use the 225 partition or either of the 250's for elk and moose--I have never bothered with the 200 grainers--if I use the whelen for deer I use 250 grain cast bullets.
 
Hia

I have only used 250's for hunting in my 358win's. Only deer so far mind you. Hot core's and GS. The 446+- BC on the Hot cores is optomistic in all of my three 358's. Still is a good damn bullet.
In my opinion, if a guy wants to use a 35 for what its worth, 225-250's are going to utilize its bore well.
 
Used to have one, I loaded 55 gr. of 4320 under a Nosler 225 gr. Partition.
Makes less than 2600 fps out of a 22 inch barrel but killed stuff really dead.
Also shot MOA if I did my part.
 
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