Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .35 Whelan. I'm interested in hearing about yours....

I had one built on a Weatherby Vanguard action. Its best load is 225 grn Sierra Gamekings with 57.0 grns Re15. It has a Douglas barrel, 1:12" twist.

I read here where people consider Gamekings to be too soft for big game, but at Whelen velocities I think they're pretty good. Shot an elk cow last fall, the bullet exited and left a good, short blood trail.

I like it so much I got a Ruger Hawkeye in .35 Whelen before they stopped making it. Still trying to find the best load for it. 250 grn Hornadys and H4895 is showing promise. Several experienced people here have suggested 4320 for Whelens.

Heres Mine(well this pic isnt mine but its identical to it(cam is broke)....7600 Factory Carbine(only 250 made) 35 Whelen w/
VX-3 1.5-5x20mm...Hope ya dont mind Whelen B

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I have a 700 CDL in 35 whelen. I put it in an Bell and Carlson Alaskan II stock with a VX3 2.5x8x32. Shoots 225 accubonds 3/4" at 100 yds.

Bridgetowner, that is a really slick set-up.

Ya I really like it man...Points way nicer then the 22"bbl's....
And in the Whelen You Cant Go Wrong!!

59 grs of RE-15 and 225 gr TSX's for the load, 2.5-8X36 , talley lightweights and a pachmyer pad. Bedded and floated with a trigger job. Last time I shot that load at 200 yds they went into an inch. If you are going to stick to 250 gr bullets and under buy a CDL. If you may go heavier I would build one with a faster twist.

CLB-
This one's never met a bullet it didn't like but I haven't messed beyond 250's much ......(Remington KS)

Currently gets fed 225gr Accubombs. A 225gr NP (like you're suggesting) will make any moose on the face of the earth very, VERY sick.

Gentleman,

Very cool looking rifles thus far, Thanks for sharing all the information so far.

CLB

Skane, What do you have for a scope on that rifle? Sweet looking with the KS..

CLB

That's a good looking rifle. I'd also bed mine, trigger job etc. Pretty much always do. I think a 250 grainer would be top end for what I want to do. What does that weigh "all up"?

CLB

1.5x5 in that pict but it now wears a 1.75x6...not sure why either.

I found a Tikka T3 .70 win that was used but never fired, sent it to JES to be rebored to 35 Whelen then added a used Zeiss 3-9x40 from the campfire classifieds. Rustloeum camo paint for the stock.


Group on left is with 200 TSX'x (RL-15 57.5 gr runs around 2665 fps)

Group on right is with 225 TSX's (RL-15 60 gr runs around 2600 fps)



Just put it together this fall so it was my backup to my 300 wsm. in CO and TX hunts, next year it will be my primary.

I like the ideal of the 1.5-5x20mm for the Whelen, it looks good and my 3-9x40 stays at 3 or 4..

I could shoot bigger calibers, or smaller calibers, even harder hitting 35's than the Whelen....But, my 35 Whelen is my favorite hunting rig.

Ruger #1K1A, 22" Bbl, with a 1 in 12" rate of twist, and iron sights...for just in case I trash the little 2-7 Leupold Ultralight.

I never push it hard, and it never fails me.

A mild load of 53 grains of H-4895 under a 250 Partition crushes Moose, and 58 grains of the same juice under a 225 TSX takes care of everything else, and would do the same on Moose.



Sincerely,
Scott

I have a Ruger 77, open factory sights, 23 inch barrel. Now sits in a B&C stock I got here. In the next few months I will pillar bed the stock and add a Leupold 1.5-6 to it as my eyes are not what they once were. I have only shot Rem fac loads in it, 200 and 250 coreloks. Both tend to group around 1-1/2 which is fine with me. Am planning to load 225gr NPs for it. I have only used it to take a few deer so far but am quite confident it will handle elk, bear, moose when the time comes.

As a vote of confidence in the Whelen, I am seriously considering only hunting with my Ruger and selling my other rifles except my Marlin 1894 44 mag.

I have a 35 Whelen encore that is very accurate. Why the crack barrel 35 Whelen? It is legal for primitive weapon season in Mississippi, go figure. I am shooting 200 hornadys with Winchester 760. I have shot some groups that I would have considered mythical with this thing at 300 yards, had I not seen them. I took a decent little 9 point with it about a month ago at point blank range. I got a call from the processor that handles my wild game. He said that he had never seen more internal damage with less damage to meat than on this deer. There was not much left of the bullet, basically just a jacket and a little lead. Maybe 2900 fps is a little fast for the 200 gr hornady.
I can hit my 600 yard target with this thing, although the holes are not usually round unless it is very humid outside. How the heck does the state of MS consider a 35 whelen encore a primitive weapon? I have taken to calling primitive weapon season single shot season.

I shoot the 225 gr TSX at 2700 fps in my tweaked old Ruger RS. The combo works just fine.







This is an old pre-war JP Sauer Mauser that was shot out so rebored to 35 Whelen. I load this one gently with the 250 gr Hornady RN at 2350 fps. I have not shot it in years though.

nice ruger and sauer

I built a 35 whelen on a savage 110 action, midway a&b barrel, boyds jrs stock. It is wearing a vari-x III 3.5-10x40 and shoot really good. I really like the 250 gr speers, although the 200 gr sierras and 220 speers shoot good, too. It really puts a big hole in a deer.

Eddy, That would be good enough a reason for me too.

CLB