Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 35 Whelen Failure

I have had both a .338 WM and a .35 Whelen, the .338 WM with 275gr. Speer bullets over a generous load of IMR 4350 was definately a killer. Never lost an elk or mulie shot with that combination, it put them down for keeps with authority I might add. I sold the .338 a few years ago and sent a pre '64 M/70 to Randall Redman for rebore/rechamber in .35 Whelen, it is the most accurate rifle I own. I like the flexibility of having the option to shoot jacketed bullets from 180gr. to 250gr.,ditto for cast bullets and for small game or plinking .357 pistol bullets. I shot the Whelen yesterday with cast bullets, 210gr. over 15gr. of Unique. At 100yds. that load made nice tight groups about 1 1/2" and ws very easy on the gun and shooter. The .35 Whelen is kind of my nostalgia rifle, it is topped with a 2 1/2X Lyman Alaskan in a Griffin & Howe double lever mount.

old willys,

I am going to use the .250 Whelen myself on pronghorn this fall, and maybe even a deer or two. Another excellent wildcat based on the Colonel's .35!

I used the 35 Whelan and the 338-06 some years back, but when I tried my first .338 Win. and got 3005 FPS with a 210 Nosler and 2700 FPS with a 250 gr. Nosler and almost 2500 FPS with a 300 gr. Woodleigh in my 24 inch barrel, I just never quit the .338 Win. Not saying the other medium bores are not as good on game in the field from a practical point of view, just that I have come to believe the 338 Win is the best balanced meduim bore rifle ever..It has the sectional density for enormous penetration and it kills as well as my .375 H&H as far as I can tell..

To each his own and it really makes little difference one way or the other, but its my choice. My only challange is the 9.3x62, a round I really like, but when push comes to shove the 338 will put the 9.3x62 in the back seat IMO...

As to all the calibers discussed on this thread, I have found they ALL work well for thier intended purpose, and this discussion, like most of these "caliber discussions" have more to do with opinnion and emotion than fact. and I suspect if we shot a hundred animals with each of these calibers, and were honest with ourselves, we would still be as confused as we are now as to which one is best. and "thats the rest of the story!"

If the .338 kills as well as a .375 and the .300 mag with good bullets kills as well as a .338 and the .300 Whelen kills as well as the .300 mag, then the .300 Whelen must equal the .375.

Makes sense then that that is why it was never offered commercially. It would have made obsolete too many other cartridges.

The only failure of the 35 Whelen is that a lot of American hunters don't get the 35 calibers.
I have taken many WT deer and a nice Black Bear with my M700 Classic 35 Whelen. The first two years (1988 1989) I used the factory 200 gr PSPCL load to take 4 WT bucks. I switched to the 225 gr PT in 1990 and that is all I have used since. Always leaves a nice exit wound.
The 35 Whelen is a hammer and is close to the 338 Win Mag. That is why I went with the 338 RUM for a true long range thumper.

JD338

I've never used the 200 grain CoreLokt on game. What kind of performance did they give you, and why did you settle instead on the 225? Didn't the 200s leave an exit hole on deer?

Hey there Bulletbutt!

I used the 200-gn Hornady Interlock on 5-6 deer from a .358 (at Whelen speeds though) and it always exited. I'd think it'd be pretty similar to a Corelokt.

The reason *I* use 225's in my .358 is twofold. One, it's a more versatile load in that I have also hunted elk with it. Two, the BC on those .35 200-grainers is awful- like in the low .2's. Now getting hung up on BC is silly, usually, but in this case not so much because the 225 NP has a BC well over .4 and the result is, you can actually use it out to about 400 yards, which in my experience you cannot with the 200's. They move around way too much in the wind and shed velocity like crazy, too.

Mr. Barsness reports that the 225 NP is a medium-penetrator, not a deep penetrator. I don't know. They blow right through our little poodle deer like they weren't even there, that much I know! You could even say.. they "way overpenetrate"!

Jeff,
How do you get Whelen speeds from your .358 at safe pressures?

I bought a Ruger Hawkeye 35 Whelen earlier this year too and its the best move I've made in a long time. Would have hated to miss out on the chance to get one of those new in the box. I procrastinated on the Weatherby Ultralight in 338/06 and missed my chance.

Who would you recomend to rebarrel a m700Rem to .300 or .250 Whelen? Do they make a .27Whelen wildcat yet??

Thinking we need a Whelen photo.

Nice!
If there is ever an escaped circus tiger you are good to go! Here is a picture of my 35 Whelen Remington Classic and its big sister a Remington SPSDG in 375 H&H Magnum. I have overcome my fear of pushfeeds!
Remington came out with a 8mm Magnum back in the 80's, how many companies are building rifles for that?
One of the big problems with the 35 Whelen is that it is hard to justify owning any other rifles, once you have seen what the 35 Whelen is capable of!

Good cartridges keep on goin' and goin' and goin'.....

Look at the .30-06 now...none of the Johnny come latelys have unseated it from a most practical and deserved throne. Not the .308 or the .270....


Puttin' on my asbestos suit...

Yes there is a 27whelen wildcat, it is a great gun for ladies and young hunters, even though the rest of us know it will only kill squirrels and is unsuited for bug game.

One of the big problems with the 35 Whelen is that it is hard to justify owning any other rifles, once you have seen what the 35 Whelen is capable of!



You have it right, I bought a 9.3 to duplicate the whelen but in a Sako M-85

I happen to know a Whelen junky...



He is so much he built a 400:




As far as the chrony and powder goes, it replicates a 375 HH.

The Whelen rocks!

I prefer Steelhead's color scheme. At least if I set it down to take a leak, I'd be able to find it again.

A 300 Whelen, now that would be somthimg a Whelen necked down
to 30 caliber.

Good luck!