More than 30 yrs. ago I had Randall Redman rebore a pre'64 M/70 to .35 Whelen, it has been my go to rifle for whitetail ever since. When I got the rifle back from Redman I did extensive range testing of most bullet/powder selections popular at the time. I found that Sierra 225gr. Game Kings over IMR 4064 gave the best accuracy, that was my hunting load for many years. Fast forward a bit and I had rotator cuff surgery on my shooting shoulder, in search of a milder load I consulted Ken Water's Pet Loads. Ken spoke highly of a load consisting of a 200gr. Hornady Inter-lok RN and IMR 3031 powder. My first trip to the range with that load proved Water's findings as to accuracy of the load to be valid. The first group with that load produced a 3 shot cloverleaf @ 100yds., I'd found my new whitetail load. The first whitetail I harvested with this load was a raking shot @ 100yds., the bullet entered just ahead of the last two ribs and traversed the body coming to rest just under the skin of the far shoulder. It was perfectly mushroomed and retained 66% of it original weight. When field dressed the contents of the chest cavity looked as if they'd been put in a blender. Somehow the buck managed a 40yd. run before piling up with his antlers tangled in a fence.
