Considering widely-available bullets in a non-super-magnum cartridge, I'm finding that the .366" (9.3mm) and .375" have a pretty significant advantage over the .358" bullets. Though there are boutique makers that can close that gap.
Not sure what kind of deer you're dealing with in Iowa, but I'm pretty sure the 35 Whelen doesn't give up much to the larger bores.
I've got a 22" Remington 700 Classic in 35 Whelen. With the latest data from Speer (
https://www.speer.com/reloading/rifle-data.html) I've gotten a 225-grain Sierra Game King just under 2,700 fps. I originally set this rifle up with a 4x scope, but then I made a couple of 1.5 MOA groups with that load and the 4x scope at 200 yards. I see it as an honest 400-yard proposition, even without a fancy barrel or bullets, so I replaced the 4x Leupold with a 3-10 Nightforce SHV. I haven't shot it for groups with the Nightforce yet.
I'm leaving 100-150 fps on the table but this rifle and load are so accurate that I'm not going to mess with them. The 1:16 twist is all wrong on paper, but targets don't lie.
Okie John
