Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 35 Whelen handloading article

My new favorite Whelen load is Barnes 200 gr Tipped TSX over IMR 4064, the chrony reads around 2800 fps and my ballistic app shows 1844 fps and 1506 ft lbs at 500 yards! Whats not to like?

Great article that seems to empasize velocity and not so much accuracy results - at least in the tables given. As a long time user of the 35 Whelen it's nice to read about it every now and then in a major magazine. It usually gets the good press it deserves and this article is similar.

However IMO ReL 15 didn't get used to it's potential in that article - only pushing a 250 out at a high of 2344 with the top load 56gr load listed. With the same 250gr bullet one of the darling powders highlighted - H4895 - churned it out the door at 2574 (2592 with another 250) - using over published max loads. That's quite a difference in velocity. Many including myself do a lot better than 2344 with 250s and ReL15 without any excess pressure.

However I use H4895 in my top 35 Rem lever gun loads - and as others here have said above I overlooked H4895 for my 35 Whelens - but I intend to try it now thanks to Mr Pierce.

H 4895 hasn't worked in my gun but it could definitely work well in another.

I have used in the past Ball C 2 for the 225 and 250 bullets in my 24 inch barreled Whelen. I selected the Federal 210M primer for these loads. Accuracy sucked like minute of berm. My wife who was spotting for me said it looked like a horizontal mushroom cloud coming from in front of the muzzle. I pulled down the remaining rounds and reprimed with WLR primers and the groups shrank to 1 inch and no more muzzle flash. I would guess the 210M was not enough primer to overcome the retardant on the Ball powder.

I had erratic results from BLC(2) as well years ago and never tried it again maybe a different primer would have helped

Curious as to how you define excess pressure and how you are measuring that pressure? Using over published max loads is never a safe act.

The max loads for RL 15 were much higher and for some reason they were dropped quite a bit. I don't think anyone has ever had any problems with the original loads.

Those max loads were for the 250 gr Hornady RN that had very little bullet inside the case. Always wondered if that had anything to do with it.

Perhaps, the 250 Hornady RN probably has a short bearing surface too.

Just a note, I reloaded for the 35 whelen some years ago and had good loads with R15 and H4895. Handloader had an excellent article Oct '98 by Ken Waters with most of these loads published with results, likes and dislikes. If you can pull it up on Handloaders web it's a good read and info. I checked it out last night in my old mags stack.

could someone post a link to the article, or a scan of it? I have an online subscription but must have missed it. Only available online for 45 days

[/quote]
Curious as to how you define excess pressure and how you are measuring that pressure? Using over published max loads is never a safe act. [/quote]

While you make a good point, I have to disagree under certain circumstances. Several cartridges are deliberately ununder loads by the factories and in the loading manuals due to weak actions for the original cartridges or to be suitable in pump or autoloading rifles. The .35 Whelen is sadly one of those cartridges as Remington first brought the commercial version out for an autoloading rifle. The .280 Remington is another.
I did read Brian Pearce's article and was pleased to see his Re15/225 gr. TSX load was only a few grains less than the one I use in my custom Mauser. My velocity and his are almost exact duplicates. I can also attest that the load is one of the very best elk thumpers I've ever shot. Accuracy is superb. However, I also have to add that that same load is way too hot for my Remington M700 Classic so that old caveat to start low and work up is the rule here as well. My favorite powder for the .35 as you can guess is Re15 bt some load work I've done with the 250 gr. Hornady round nose and spire points along with the 250 gr. Speer Hot Core and H335, a load from a Paco Kelly article showed speeds in the 2500 plus range with all three bullets and good accuracy.
I also have to wonder if the factories afren't quietly downloading some cartridges, if not all? Ken Waters in his first Pet Load article on the .280 Rem. showed 29 and IIRC 40FPS from Remington 150 gr. Corelocts from a 26" Ruger #1. In his followup with the 7MM Rem. Exp. a supposedly heated up .280 Rem. with name change only about 50 FPS more from a 22" barrel. I have a .280 custom with 24" barrel and the best 150 gr. Rem. ammo will do is 2810 for .280 and about 20 FPS for that last remaining rounds of 7MM Exp. I had.
Just an OT thought that popped into my head while typing this.
I haven't had much time so far but I'll be trying the 225 gr. Nosler Accubonds and Partitions in the near future as well as looking for proper loads for my .280.
Paul B.

I have loaded 250 gr Speer and Hornady Sp with 59 gr Re-15 with no problems. 250 gr. NP started to show little signs of pressure. I backed off to 58gr. Re-15 with a Speer bullet and
my Rem and Ruger shoot great. My Douglas 1-12 shoots better with 56 gr Re-15. I have used these loads for years but the last I checked Alliant says a max load is 54 gr. I can only assume
they "lawyered up".

One cartridge that isn't downloaded is the Hornady SST Superformance 130 gr for the 270. As stated on the box and witnessed by the recoil, the velocity is 3200 fps. that's a bit more than the Winchester Power Point at a little over 3000 fps.

BTW-I searched for that article in the October 1998 edition of Handloader on the 35 Whelen and it was only available in CD but was sold out. If anyone has an extra copy of could copy the article I'd gladly pay for it.

I have 20 lbs of 3031 so i have used it for24 years.

I did try other powders just to get some more loads down but 20 lbs goes a long ways.