Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska .35 Whelen Rifle Question

Whelen all the way. I have a 700 Classic and a Winchester Model 95 in .35 Whelen as well as a Remington 673 in .350 Remington Magnum. Also a Winchester Model 71 in .348. I love my 35's!

I will do all I can, which is say a prayer.

I do know a gal that works in a big oil company supposedly in ANC, PM me when you graduate, or close to and the particulars of your degree, I"ll forward to her and see if the company uses that degree or not and if any thing possible open...

Jeff

Jeff: Thanks very much. I will certainly contact you when the time comes. - Kevin

Another vote for the Whelen! Perhaps I’ll find a used, custom-built CRF carbine in .35W that’s similar to the CZ 550 Kevlar carbine and at a similar price. Now that would be ideal, but likely wishful thinking.

If you want to shoot a Montana Rifle Co. firearm,let me know and you can try mine out for schits and giggles.

It's a .338 RUM.

Spoke to Jes the other day about getting my stainless tikka T3 06 re bored to 35. Stainless is 25$ more. So 275 if not the basic 3 groove 1-14 twist.
What twist are you thinking of doing and why?

1:12 to better stabilize 250s & up, in .35W. The CZ 550 Kevlar Carbine in 9.3x62 has a 1:10 Edit: 1:14 twist rate, in contrast.

yup I want 1:12 as well. but I want 5 groove. everyone says 3 is fine but Im trying to learn what the differences are.
how many groove are you getting if re boring? or do you know much about that?
I can't seem to find much info on the 35 and what the difference is 3 vs 4 vs 5 groove.

High noon, I know you keep saying the CZ550 carbine 9.3x62mm has a 1 in 10 twist, but it has a 1 in 14" twist. Just like their CZ 550 Americans'. I can attest to how well they shoot 286gr. partitions, 285gr. Norma Oryx, 270gr. speers and a couple others. They know what they are doing in regards to twist rate and building barrels and rifles. Good luck with your endeavor..


CZ 550 carbine 9.3x62mm

Faster twists almost never hurt if available.

My rebore 338-06 JES did 5 groove win rifling. I"ve not many complaints, but to do next time I"d probably just go top of the line barrel instead.

I shot a lot of 3 groove in 223....

Shoot a 5 groove in 308....

Thats all the data I have. I"m a bit convinced of the odd grooves myself...

Well, I’m not an expert by any means, but any choice regarding the number of grooves is going to be somewhat of a compromise. I read a Practical Machinist thread which stated that the number of grooves does not affect stability and that there is little practical difference in accuracy; however, I also read (in the same thread) that different calibers in different rifles will sometimes favor a certain numbers of groves, but I am not certain how this manifests itself – possibly in accuracy. It seems as though ultra long range shooters favor 3 groove barrels, but I’m not sure why, though I can speculate that it’s likely accuracy.

Some believe that an odd number of lands and grooves is more accurate with an open based FMJ bullet. The theory being that the bullet is not squeezed as much between two lands, so less lead is pushed out of the base of the bullet affecting the accuracy. The number of grooves and depth of grooves can also affect drag, blow-by, and tendency to foul.

I read a post in another forum that stated: (paraphrased) The purpose of the rifling is to engage the bullet in order to prevent it from skidding down the barrel and in doing so it deforms the bullet so it fits the rifling tightly enough so that it cannot skid. The more the number of grooves is increased, the more the bullet is deformed as it travels down the barrel. So I think you want enough groves to grip the bullet tightly enough to prevent skidding, but not so much as to overly deform the bullet or cause excessive fouling or blow-by. I would think that 3 groves would be adequate and 5 bit much, but again, I am not an expert.

Basically, what it all boils down to is that this is all theoretical and I think that anyone who can give you a definitive answer, unless a true expert, is likely full of hogwash, but I could be wrong. I really do not know the answer to this question. My advice would be to contact you barrel maker and discuss the matter with him.

Perhaps someone with more experience will give us an explanation.

If i were a poor grad student I would buy the cheapest reliable 30.06 I could buy and a case of ammo and go kill everything that walks here. I would spend whatever money I had left and go hunting. Hunting here will cost you if you want consistently good hunting. It will most likely involve a plane or a boat. I know there are exceptions to that , but its a fair statement to say your choice of caliber from 06 and up shouldn't be your biggest concern regarding hunting here. There are much more important things to consider and plan.

bas: Thanks for the heads-up. The link you posted is where I got my 1:10 twist rate. I was looking at the .30-06 specifications and I did not realize that I needed to use the right scroll arrow to view the 9.3x62 specification. My apologies if I caused any confusion. The twist rate of the CZ 550 Kevlar Carbine in 9.3x62 is indeed 1:14, which I agree is adequate for both 250 grained pills and heavier.

Very true, but I do not plan to make a purchase or hunt (other than whitetails and feral hogs on a buddy's ranch here in W. TX) until I am employed and bringing in a good salary. I mentioned previously that the rifle under discussion here will be a graduation present to myself and I will not make the purchase until I can afford to do so and it's a financially responsible decision for me. I want to learn all I can now, so that when it comes time to purchase said rifle, I can do so with confidence in my decision. I also have a good buddy in AK that I grew up with and traveled to AK with in the early 90s, that ran his own guiding outfit for a number of years, I can be sure he would take me on a no-charge guided hunt, other than tags and incidentals.

Bingo my friend. Now here's how some of those heavies shot in my CZ 550 American 9.3x62mm:

Cool, sounds like you have it all dialed in. Best of luck in the future.

High Noon.... PM sent.

bsa: very impressive groupings in those photos!

BCJR: Thanks. Hopefully, my future in AK will come sooner, rather than later. I plan to work hard to make it happen as I've been trying to get back to AK since '91.

That would be great. Thanks. I'll contact you when the weather cools down a bit.

Thanks for the reply. That's the most sense I've heard after a month of asking.
Maybe I'll just do 3 groove 1-12.
I dont plan on shooting heavier than 250, but if I do, I can.
I know jes recommends 1-14, 3 groove