Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska .35 Whelen Rifle Question

I am an older (47) geology graduate student who has an opportunity to take a position in AK upon graduation and I am interested in getting a .35 Whelen for brown bear, moose, and caribou. I lived in AK for almost a year back in the early 90s and I am excited about the possibility of returning. Bear defense would likely be handled by a JM stamped Marlin .45-70, if I can ever find one for a decent price, but the Whelen would likely accompany me in the field until a suitable Marlin could be found (either that or a Ruger Blackhawk in .454 Casull, depending on the amount of gear I would have to carry).

I have seen several Mauser-based, custom .35 Whelens for sale on the gun auction sites, which range in price and quality from $300.00 to nearly 10K, but I am considering either a Montana AVR/SS $1,333.00 (stainless barreled action w/ walnut stock) or a Montana V2 for $1,458.00 (stainless barreled action w/ carbon/kevlar stock). The AVR is also available in carbon steel for a bit less. I prefer the walnut stock; however, the Montana V2 includes Marbles iron sights, which is desirable for me since I plan to mount a Leupold VX-6 1-6x24 with Q/D rings and use the irons for defense & the scope for hunting. I could also get a stainless Montana V2 barreled action and drop it into an Accurate Innovations stock, since I really dislike synthetic stocks, but I’m not sure it would be worth the expense. I just prefer walnut for its warmth and classic style.

Several years ago I read that Montana Rifle Co. rifles had spotty reliability, but I imagine they have resolved any issues; although, I cannot confirm this.

I do not currently reload, but I would like to one day, if I can ever find a reloading mentor, but Midway has several .35 Whelen ammo offerings, which would cover anything I needed.

I also briefly considered a CZ 550 carbine in 9.3x62, but I much prefer the Whelen.

I should also mention that I am a CRF guy - no push-feeds for me & I'm not trying to start an argument on the merits of either action.

So my question is, would I be better off with a Montana or trying to find a Mauser-based .35 Whelen? My concern with a used Mauser-based rifle is that I would like to avoid the possibility of additional gunsmithing on some of these rifles.

High_Noon

I'd say since you don't reload, forget about the 35 Whelen. Factory ammo is not common and I would not want to rely on ordering ammo off the internet. I'd say for the non handloader, 30-06, 300 win mag, 338 win mag and 375 H&H are the best choices for Alaska in terms of terminal performance and over the counter ammo.

And I say this as a big fan of 35's having had a 35 whelen, 350 Rigby and now a 350 rem mag. But I've always fed them handloads.

a CZ in 9.3x62 will do more than the 35W and has a large selection of factory ammo

it's a mauser action, reasonably priced and reliable.

put a simple high qualty 4x scope on it and you can handle anything (including bears)

available all over

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/23223

The 454 handgun is big, heavy and hard to shoot. a S&W 329 44 mag with reasonable hard cast loads and cushioned grips is light and easier to shoot. It won't be left behind as it does not weigh a ton.

458 Lott: Thanks for the reply, but I'm not particularly interested in a belted magnum and I am looking for something a bit more powerful/unusual than the '06. Local ammo availability is not really a concern for me. As a long time owner of a CZ 550 in 6.5x55, I simply found a factory loading that shot well from my rifle and then purchased a truck load of it. I've never had a problem with ammo and I would not rule out the Whelen due to lack of local ammo availability.

stlooiearch: I have seen quite a bit more ammo availability for the Whelen than I have for the 9.3x62, but again, once I found a load I liked, I would order a bunch of it. I am partial to the Nosler Partition and I have not seen a 9.3x62 with the Partition. Also, thanks for the link, I looked for, but was unable to find a 550 American in walnut -I was only able to find the synthetic stocked 550 carbine. What is your opinion of the synthetic stocked 550 carbine w/ 20.6" barrel vs. the 550 American/walnut w/ 23.6" barrel? I'll admit that 550 American/walnut is very tempting. I also think that the .35 Whelen and the 9.3x62 are so close ballistically, that any difference is largely academic. A .009 size difference is hardly anything to get excited about. & duly noted on the size/weight of the Ruger .454.

Used a 35 W IMP Remington 700 for many years. It was a 30-06 that was rebored by LaBounty in the late 70's and fitted with a Brown Precision stock. If you don't reload it's a caliber that gets eliminated but there are several other things that I would consider.
300's, 338, 375 all are generally heavier than non-magnum based rifles. I don't like to carry more than I have to.
Synthetic stocks, to me at least, are the thing for Alaska. In 1974 I used a walnut stocked 35W IMP on a Springfield action. 22LPI checkering, beautiful wood. After about two weeks hunting, living in a tent, rain, cold I decided that synthetic was the way to go. Wood stocks take a beating in that kind of weather.
Ended up with two Remington 700's in Brown Precision stocks, 30-06 and the 35W IMP.
Enjoy yourself.
Stainless is a good idea too, although I always carefully waxed everything, reassembled, checked zero and never had a problem with rust (except for volcanic dust).

Sorry to rain on your parade, but as others told you the Whelen is not a good choice for non-reloading Alaskans... you cannot reasonably order ammo from here as it cannot be shipped at reasonable cost. It must go ground and that is not an AK shipping option from the legal perspective.

A 30-06 will do everything the Whelen will... I still have an AI version and have shot quite a bunch of critters with them...

And the not uncommon risk you run of needing ammo in a remote town is complicated by not having common chambers...

Ruger offers their rifles in .35 Whelen. A friend bought one for brown bear and thumped a couple with it both hunting and DLP. He since sent it off to Hart for an AI version with a longer barrel.


In my experience a .30-06 with a good bullet will serve you well. It's my primary hunting rifle and I've shot shot a few browns with it both DLP and tagged. Even a couple wild beef cows on one of the nearby islands.

If you want to lower your cost some, I have a Ruger Hawkeye in 35 Whelen that is in excellent condition I would sell. Also have a good bit of ammo for it.

Haven't been to alaska, but am a 35W fan, I would think the montana would be a good choice but I was going to suggest the ruger as well. Can do some customizing with a different stock, etc if need be and tough guns. Not sure what the ammo situation is up there but if you lay in a supply you should be good until you start reloading.

I'll be a dissenting opinion here. I'd go with the 35 Whelen. You stated you can get a deal on ammo so stock up until you can get started reloading. The 35 Whelen is an awesome round for Alaska.

I got mine back from Labounty shortly after moving to Alaska and all my reloading gear was in storage as we were living in an apartment until we found a house and sold our home in Washington. I bought set of dies and a Lee hand press and started loading. It worked well and turned out excellent ammo.

You'll not regret the choice. I load one load, a 250 grain partition over 56 grains of 4320. You'll find H4895 and RL15 work well also.

Let the man buy/use what he wants. But I'll second SD and 458 on calibers.
I haven't fired my .338WM in 6 years... which I reload using shoulder headspace anyway. Better accuracy. I've been using a .260 and a 30-06 exclusively. If OP doesn't want a belted mag, but a bit more oomph than an '06, he might look at a .30 Short Mag. Don't know if they come in CRF, tho.

Store ammo is likely more easily come by than either the .35 Whelen or the 9.3.

But to each his own.

I am also going to agree to disagree with many of my Alaskan brethen. There are stacks of various factory loadings of 35 Whelen in five Sportsman's Warehouse stores(Juneau, Anchorage, Soldotna, Wasilla and Fairbanks). Alaska Ammo and Frontier Outfitters also sells it in Fairbanks. 35 Whelen is an awesome Alaskan caliber. Believe it or not. It is harder to get 338 Win mag in factory because a bunch of polar bear hunters from the slope come down and buy it up. I really like 338 Win Mag in Nosler factory with 250 grain accubond. It sounds like the OP knows his stuff and will not be handicapped with it. 9.3X63 would be hard to find. But they do have it at Alaska Ammo.

They make excellent 30/06 ammo and bullets these days. It can do a lot and always has done a lot. However, 35 Whelen is an excellent choice when you expect to hunt a lot by yourself. Never know when a grizzly or brown bear gets a hair up its butt. Shot placement is everything but heavier grain bullets have more of an impact in knocking a bear down than lighter ones.

35 Whelen would be great. I doubt you'll need anything bigger. My favorite bullet in 35 caliber is 250 grain Hornady, if you need it a Nosler Partition would be better for bears perhaps.
A newer Model 70 Classic would be a good action to consider too.

Good advice.

One may see .35 Whelen at some of the stores every now and then, but that's it.

All of the documentation I've seen says a 220 gr 30-06 outperforms 35 Whelen. I've had one and a 338-06. Sold 'em both and would take a SS Winchester 70 or Ruger in 30-06. If you don't feel comfortable with 30-06 and heavy bullets don't waste time with anything less than 375 WM.

I'd have to agree with Kobuku; every time I've been to the Sportsman's Whorehouse in Fairbanks they've had .35 Whelen ammo. Last October both the Sentry Hardware stores in Fairbanks and North Pole had a few boxes.

There is no shortage of 9.3x62 ammunition

Either of these would handle anything Alaska has to offer

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/nor...;utm_term=ammo&utm_campaign=ammoseek

http://www.luckygunner.com/93x62-ma...p-hornady-dangerous-game-20#rid=AmmoSeek

Privi also makes inexpensive ammo for getting familiar with the rifle

https://www.outdoorlimited.com/Prvi-PPU-9-3x62mm-Ammunition-PP91-285-Grain-Soft-P-p/pp91.htm

as I recall reading, the 35 Whelen is not approved for hunting Buffs in Africa, the 9.3x62 is.

as for rifles:

gunsamerica has 3 bolt guns w/walnut, CZ, SAKO and Ruger

gunbroker has 1 carbine walnut

hinterland has 1 rifle walnut

As much as I like the 35Whelen (owned several with yet another project in the works), the 9.3 should not be discounted in this decision. It is a fine medium bore and will do everything a 35Whelen will do and a bit more plus be a lot easier to find in CRF.

If I had to have a CRF 35Whelen, I'd buy an old JC Higgin M50 FN-98 action and have it fitted with a stainless 35cal bbl with 1:12" twist.

Time to learn ow to reload. There is tonnes of info on the net and it's not that hard.

I'd go whelen

Get a woman for warmth.

I'd go stainless and plastic and I'd likely run a 30/06 but if you get a case or two of ammo the Whelen would certainly be fine.