Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska .35 Whelen Rifle Question

Agreed. It's been brutal in El Paso - up to 105-107 last week. I hate it.

Damn, thats where you are at? Only 8 hours away from me. LOL.

Its a bit warm out there for sure!

Humidity is killing us here lately.

You in El Paso?

Yep. Completing my masters in geology at UTEP.

I'm just 45 minutes North of where you are.

Cool. We should get together and blast stuff... When it cools down.

"When it cools down" Yup about October or so!

Yep, and only 11 hours from Dallas, my hometown. I much prefer the weather in Dallas, the dry heat here is absolutely brutal - it's like an oven set to broil. At least we get rain in Dallas, which I miss dearly.

I realize I'm late to the party, but if I could toss in this idea . . .
http://www.realguns.com/articles/596.htm

Very handy and plenty of authority. You can find good deals on them in the $600-700 range.

Sounds like the perfect Alaskan rifle.
For Minnesota I will stick with the 225 gr Nosler Partition at 2,700 fps.
Moose, black bear, and deer beware.

Looks like a good option. I would like to stay under .375, but I will consider it.

Holy crap! Bring a come-a-long!

Just in case you are still dragging your feet on the reloading issue, there is a really nice looking RCBS Jr press in the classifieds here on this site for cheap. Get it, you won't regret it.

High Noon,
A man with your education and income should be able to have several rifles.
If you reload your own ammunition the rifle instantly becomes very versatile.
For example I bought a 375 H&H magnum for my son so that he could come bear hunting with me.
Now I use it for deer with either a Sierra 200 gr.
or a 220 gr Hornady @ 2,200 fps.
Very dramatic killer on deer.
But with 270 grain bullets at 2,700 fps it is a lot better suited for African big five. My advice is to think less about rifles and more about reloading.
A Handloaded 220 gr. NOSLER in a 30-06 would be big enough for what you need in Alaska IMO.
A 35 Whelen with 250 grain bullets at 2,400 fps is nothing to sneeze at either.
You have a very versatile rifle once you get away from factory loads.
A 225 gr Partition @ 2,700 fps is "flatter shooting" than most people can utilize.
whelennut

An RCBS Junior was my first press. I loaded a zillion rounds on it before I stumbled into a near give away Rockchucker at a yard sale.

Great press. Wouldn't be afraid of it a bit.

Good to know. I’ll check it out.

wheelnut: Thanks. The income will come later, when I can find a decent position, which is no easy feat these days with the collapse of the energy industry, etc. but I understand your point. I agree that reloading should be at or near the top of the list and to that end, I have been reading up on the subject. Reloading will definitely be part of the equation. Regarding both the rifle and reloading, I have plenty of time to find the right rifle and equipment, but I’ll have to limit my purchases while I am completing my thesis. I can tell you that I’m real tired of being a poor grad student. Most of my funds are directed to supporting my young daughter at this point.

I started with the big one and sold it before moving to AK. Bought a Jr after I moved up and haven't used anything else for nearly a decade now. Great little press.

Holy crap, a grad student with a child. That would make me nervous as hell.

Best of luck on that!!! Can't imagine married, with child bills and grad school bills and no job all at the same time. Scary.

Actually, it's a lot worse than that. I'm an older grad student (47) and divorced. My Federal Student Loans and my work at the University as a Research Assistant are all I can rely upon. Which is why I need to finish my thesis and get my fargin' degree and get to work! When I started grad school in geology, West Texas Intermediate was nearly $130.00/barrel and the outlook was great. Then oil dropped to around $28.00/barrel and that rosy outlook evaporated. I'm not at all optimistic that my offer of employment will still be there when I graduate, hence my "when I can find a decent position" comment. I know a few people who had offers from oil companies that have been rescinded.