Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 35 Whelen

If a North American hunter were to eschew all others in favor of one 35 Whelen for his hunting, what would he lack? I'm thinking along the lines of the 375 H&H in Africa which some there use to the exclusion of everything else.

Your location says Pennsylvania. In my minds eye that congures moderate to heavy timber with occasional clear cut and power line right of ways to 250 yards or so. For the Whitetail, blackbear, and reintroduced elk in the state what you might be "giving up" in relation to other cartridges I don't think you'll miss. True long range cabability to 400 yards plus is the only thing I can think of but that's not really a requirement in PA. In his later years my dad used a slide action .35 Rem for hunting around Johnstown and did well with it. His primary rifle previous to that was a .300 Weatherby.

The 2 fellows that I know that live in S Africa, and are active hunters, both use 30-06's at home. Both gents often hunt 1000-2000 lb critters, eland apparently a favorite.
One of them is currently visiting, and wanted to hunt whitetails. He took a nice 8 point Sunday morning with one of my 35 Whelens. Its currently hanging in my back yard.
My 2 cents is that the 35 Whelen is remarkably effective in the field. And...at ranges that exceed most hunters shooting ability. It's mighty good medicine for anything walking on this continent.

Yeah guys that's what I was thinking. I mean, I look at my Whelen and think "why do I even need anything else"? And I'm going for Pronghorn next Fall and I've got more suitable choices but I can't help but think that the Whelen would be up to that task too.

You wouldn’t be wanting for anything. They sure are fun to shoot!

I have 2, a 21" barrel Mauser set to shoot 250gr RN and a Ruger Boat Paddle I shoot mild 225 spire point loads from. Both are Bang-Flop rifles on Pa Whitetsils. I was disappointed this year, my 8pt made it almost 50 feet after I hit him, furthest distance covered after a shot from a Whelen for me yet....

Indeed they are.

I have been whitetail hunting with a .35 Whelen for more than 25 yrs. now, have always used 225 gr. Sierra or Nosler bullets. This past season I found a Ken Waters load using a 200 gr. Hornady RN bullet, accuracy is outstanding 3 shot groups at 100 yds. can easily be covered with a quarter. This season's 7 pt. buck was a quartering shot at 100 yds. the fully mushroomed bullet passes diagonally thru the chest and was recovered just under the skin of the opposite shoulder. It weighed 122 gr., it had turned the lungs to soup literally poured them out of the chest cavity somehow the buck managed to go 40 yds. before crashing into a fence.

The Whelen is my absolute favorite rifle I own. It screams heavy timber Northeast hunting. However, 180 GR at 2900 fps is as flat or flatter shooting than a 30-06. I've never found myself wanting for anything more at hunting distances. I've never been out West hunting though. JMHO

Have you shot any game with a 180 gr. bullet @ 2900 fps? When considering 180 gr. bullets for whitetail I was advised that the bullet was designed for .35 Rem. velocities not to load it to anything higher.

Just build a .375 Whelen then you have the world covered.

I'm reminded of what Bryce Towsley once told me. I messaged him about Moose hunting and said I was deciding between a 35 Whelen and a 450 Marlin? He replied that a 35 Whelen was a sniper rifle compared to the 450 Marlin.

I could easily and happily use the 35W and not need anything else. It's at the top of my list, 2 doe this year to it's credit.

I have. Actually it was around 2860 fps from my 700 Classic. There were flecks of jacket all over, in the meat, inside the rib cage, around the exit wound. Probably a 6-8" circle. That said, the bullet did exit. Of course it was only a small (140-150 lb.) South AR deer. I switched to the 1st Gen Barnes X 200g and still have small supply of those left. I worked up a load for the 225g NBT and they grouped very well. When they discontinued those I stocked up.

I have a Remington 700 Classic with a Leupold M8 4x scope. Love the rifle, looks great and shoots great. I've used both factory Remington 200gr CoreLokts and handloads using the wonderful 220gr Speer flatpoint. The deer I've harvested with these loads all were one-shot kills. The Remington 200gr factory load has surprisingly low recoil; the 220 Speer,I definitely notice but not objectionable.

If you're talking about ALL of North America, then you're talking about flying via commercial airlines to hunt. I'd go with a 270, 308, or 30-06 just so I could get ammo at a big-box store when (not if) they lose my luggage.


Okie John

I love my Whelen

I would tend to think Whelen ammo wouldn't be hard to come by? Maybe in the Western states perhaps but it should certainly be a mainstay in Alaska.

Damn fine deer rifle too...

When you get off the plane, your ride to the game fields is waiting for you, and the airline can't find the bag with your ammo, that's when you see the big difference between 35 Whelen factory ammo and GOOD 35 Whelen factory ammo.

With a 270, 308, or 30-06, you can nearly always find something that works and works well, whether you're in the timber or need to reach out across a pasture or clear cut. Far fewer places stock 35 Whelen ammo, and then it's often just a few boxes of 250-grain Remington round-nose CoreLokts that clock 2,300 fps in most rifles and don't always shoot well in a 1:16 barrel, which is the most common factory twist. With that load, the claims of the 35 Whelen being a viable 400-yard deer gun get a lot harder to support.


Okie John