Why Aren't The 35's More Popular?
- Thread starter Coolhand_Luke
- Start date
I have a 35-08 now and some time soon i am going to get me built a 35-06 ! 
RJ
RJ
I had a H&R Handi swap barrel set in .25/06, 30/06 and .35 Whelen... should never have sold it... it was a really useful set and fun to shoot... In a compact takedown case, it could travel anywhere, and be used on just about any game.
Whelen B I absolutely love your website www.35cal.com. It was actually your website that really got me intrigued with the 35's. I built a 35 Whelen off a Savage 111 action a couple of years back. I used a Stainless Semi bull Shilen barrel and the things shoots 200grain Hornady FTX bullets with IMR 3031 at .25 inch 3 shoot groups at 100 yards. I use 225gr Barnes TSX as my main hunting load over IMR 4064. These groups spread to .5 inch. Hornady Superformance 200gr loads shoot to .75 inch in this rifle. I took my cow elk at about 230 yards with this load this past fall. The TSX smashed through a rib on the entry side and punched a larger hole through a rib on the other side. The big cow elk (dressed 285) made it about 10 yards. I just love the 35's. In fact I have also picked up a Rem 7600 Synthetic Carbine in 35 Whelen from a fellow nutter. It was NIB and such a beauty. I have about 20 rounds down it now but have now put on Weaver see-through rings and will need to site in the scope again and the iron sites. The beauty of the Whelen is that the recoil is really manageable. I have shot over 40 250grain Whelen loads (in the same sitting) with no problems. I put a limbsaver recoil pad on it which has helped a lot too.
As far as bullet selection with the 35s, I really have not found it to be a huge problem. With all the online reloading resources , you can always find what you need. And with such a good bullet in the Barnes 225gr TSX, not much else is needed for the Whelen. Ultimately I would love to add a 350 Rem Mag in a 600/660/673 to add to my 35s. I missed one on the EE last Fall when I didn't jump on the gun.
As far as bullet selection with the 35s, I really have not found it to be a huge problem. With all the online reloading resources , you can always find what you need. And with such a good bullet in the Barnes 225gr TSX, not much else is needed for the Whelen. Ultimately I would love to add a 350 Rem Mag in a 600/660/673 to add to my 35s. I missed one on the EE last Fall when I didn't jump on the gun.
I have shot deer, moose and coyotes with my 1971 Rem 700 35 Whelan. I have never had to fire a second shot. The last moose was a 600 lb bull standing head-on at about 150 yds with his head down. A 200 gr Rem factory pill delivered between his ears into the hump dropped him in his tracks. I also have a Rem 673 in 350 Rem Mag; the most efficient of the magnum cartridges. Substantially less recoil than the Rem 600. Deadly accurate as well with 200 gr handloads. 7mm and .358 are my two favorite calibers. I bought a new Rem 600 back in the late 70s from SIR. Brutal beast to shoot. I fired three rounds at the range and sold it.
Efficiency is a hard thing to qunatify when it comes to firearms. Here is snippet from an article that looked at it....
QUOTE:
Spring 2005 Rifleshooter Magazine declares 35 Whelen the most efficient!
An article in March/April 2005 Rifleshooter Magazine entitled Cartridge Efficiency, written by George W. Calef, proposes - "Forget about the highest power and velocity : which rounds produce the most with the powder they burn?"
"I put my money on the 7mm-08, the .284 Winchester, or the .308 Win., with the thought in the back of my mind that, just possibly, the wonderful little .250 Savage would beat them all. Boy was I astonished when the numbers started rolling in - suprised on several counts in fact - and I suspect you will be too.
To keep you from holding your breath any longer, the winner is the .35 Whelen. This venerable cartridge (a long time wildcat designed way back in 1930 in honor of Col. Townsend Whelen and finally legitimized in 1995 [note - error of fact - should read 1988] by Remington) delivers more kinetic energy and a higher L [Wooter's lethality index] factor per grain of powder burned than any other cartridge.
In Ackley's improved version it is even better, becoming the only cartridge on the list capable of generating more than 50 ft-lbs of energy and a L factor exceeding 5.00 at 200 yards for each grain of powder loaded. End Quote
Sorry, I was not able to find the whole article but I'm sure someone will. The point is, I know that when a 225gr, .358 cal slug hits an animal at 2600-2700fps (in the right spot, lol) the animal is not moving far. BTW, I think the 35 Whelen AI is totally unnecessary as the total powder charge increase is negligable. For more on the AI cartidges pick up this months copy of Handloader Mag.... real interesting read...
And when a 270 gr from a 9.3X62 hits at the same velocity they don't move far either.
Both are very fine big game cartridges!
Ted
close to be a new signature ....
This rifle weighs quite a bit less than the old 600 and I don't find it at all obnoxious to shoot..........and my loads are smokin'...........For those who are unfamiliar with this rifle, it is a Remington model 7 KS in 350 Rem Mag.
