Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 35 Whelen Load data

Anyone care to share some tried and true 35 Whelen load data? I have IMR-4895 and RL-15 (which seems to be the recommended powders for the 35) along with many others. My hope is to shoot the 200gr Accubonds although I do have some Hornady 200gr flextips and 180gr TTSX’s I will probably try. Thanks in advance!

Randall

I have mentioned it before in other threads but for the 200 gr Accubond and 200 gr TTSX IMR 8208 has been the best for me, check Nosler for their data. I would think it would be great for the 180 gr TTSX as well. Varget was good too for me and I would definitely try the powders you have now since they are in the perfect burn rate for the round.

I have been reloading for a .35 Whelen for nearly 30 years, most of that time my go to load has been a 225gr. Sierra Game King or Nosler Ballistic Tip with IMR 4064. Accuracy with this load was very good and I have taken several whitetails with it. Last season I found a Ken Waters load that used a Hornady Inter-lock 200gr. RN bullet and IMR 3031 that gave outstanding accuracy, 3 hot cloverleaf groups at 100 yds.. I used it to take a KY whitetail, bullet performed flawlessly it was perfectly mushroomed and weighed 122gr.. I have used RL-15 and Varget too and found neither to give better performance than IMR 3031 and IMR 4064. If you read Ken Waters articles in his Pet Loads book his findings are similar to mine, he lists IMR 3031, IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 as powders he found gave the best performance in his load development. Hope this info is helpful to you, the Whelen is a great vintage cartridge and it has served me well. If you have any interest in shooting cast bullet loads for off season practice 15gr. of Unique with cast bullets from 200-225gr. gives great performance and is economical too.

Tag

As gunwizard mentions, Ken Waters old articles are a great source of classic loads. The latest Speer manual is worth a look, it avail online.
Many great things about the Whelen.
I have owned 3 and all were anything but finicky about shooting a wide variety of bullet/ powder combos.
You do not have to push the Whelen anywhere near max for it to be superbly effective on game. I give accuracy far more priority than I do velocity.
Due to the Whelens modest velocities, cup and core bullets perform very well. However, due to catching some deals at SPS, I've been able to acquire a bunch of Partitions at c&c prices, so have been using them for many years with complete satisfaction. Overkill is just right.
Happily, one of my sons and a son in law have taken up the Whelen, so the rifles are getting out every fall.
I shot a lot of whitetails with 55 gr of 3031 under a 200 gr Hornady. Very effective package.
I then moved to Varget under 250 bullets. NO slouch either. Cleanly took a wide variety of big game, without any failures.
Most recently, I worked up a load of power pro 2000MR under 250 gr Partitions that produced better accuracy than I have ever experienced, so this is my current go to load.
Last, developed a load of 8208 under Hornady 250 gr roundnose bullets that are pretty accurate. I've never hunted with RN bullets, something that's on my bucket list.

I like 250 grain Hornady and 250 grain Speer SP. My favorite powder is H4895. But I will be trying TAC.

This past fall's whitetail was the first I've taken with a RN bullet in the .35, on a quartering shot at 100 yds. the bullet entered just ahead of the last two ribs and passed diagonally thru the buck's chest coming to rest just under the hide on the point of the far shoulder. I have never seen the kind of damage to a deer's lungs like that Hornady 200gr. RN bullet produced, the lungs were liquified when the chest cavity was opened they literally poured out. My first buck a 254# Maine bruiser was also taken with a RN bullet albeit a Hornady 180gr. RN out of a .308 handload. BTW my 3031 load with the 200gr. in the Whelen is 54.0gr..

I've just ordered some Hornady 200gr. RN for both Whelen and .358 Win load development..... I've shot a bunch of deer with the Whelen with 225 Sierra TBBC and Partition bullets.... These days I only hunt where shots much past 200 yards would be extremely rare so it seems like a good time to test a RN bullet.

I managed to turn into an old guy and I hunt in the Blue Ridge Mountains.... if a deer can run up and over a ridgetop it becomes a "find help" situation..... I'm in favor of any advantage to produce a "bang flop" drop game where it is easy to get to outcome.

I too am becoming a member of the old guys club as I turn 70 later this year, while a bang flop is always nice the deer I've shot with 200 gr. RN and 225 gr. Sierra Game King have only managed to go 30-40 yds. while leaving a blood trail that Ray Charles could follow.

I'm "only" 63 but have a screwed up back and go out of my way to avoid lifting or pulling on heavy stuff. A game cart works OK on level ground but up hill requires a tow rope from the truck....


I bought my Whelen several years ago when I had a place to bear hunt in Eastern NC.... the bears get big and the cover is thick. I never had a bear show up but I enjoyed the heck out of "field testing" Whelen loads on deer. I lost count of how many bang flop deer I harvested with it. A few years ago I got an unexpected shot at a fast walking rutting buck. I aimed center of chest rather than my usual shoulder shot. He ran maybe 150 yards jumped a fence and didn't fall until he was within 20 feet of a 45 degree drop off that would have taken a crane to pull him out of....


I'll try the Hornady 200 grain and probably the 180 TTSX in pursuit of an updated deer load. I have been in a competition with an older friend for years for the "trophy shot".... the perfect score would be shooting a deer uphill from a forest road way... and having the game roll down into the back of the truck... I'm not expecting either of us to pull that off but we do compare how close we get our trucks to fallen game.

I shot a mulie buck in Colorado that was standing on a hillside hit him behind the ear with a 275gr. Speer RN out of my .338 Magnum. He rolled down the hill stopping right in the middle of the ATV trail, buddies came along and didn't even have to dismount I just tied the drag rope to the back of the four wheeler and we slid him out on the snow covered ground.

For a while I played with the 250 gr. round nose and spitzer type bullets in the .35 Whelen. Got decent results with H335 based on data in an article by Paco Kelly. I got a chance to hunt the Kaibab Plateau and the state put out a request that hunters voluntarily use all copper bullets. I worked up to 2710 FPS using Re15 and the 225 gr. TSX bullet. Groups run in the .50 to .75" range if I do my part. I only saw one decent deer and if I'd shot him that TSX would have passed through and taken out a few of the does he was with. I later did an elk hunt in New Mexico and got a one shot kill on a cow elk that dropped like right now, bang flop DRT. Since then I've shot six more elk, three DRTs and the three that required a finisher that were totally unable to move from the spot where they were shot. I've never bothered to look for another load since going to that one. It's 60.4 gr. Re15, Remington brass, Winchester WLR primer and the 225 gr. barnes TSX. Be advised that the same load which shows no pressure in my custom Mauser will lock up the bolt on my Remington M700 Classic. Start at least two grains lower and work up.
Paul B.

I've never tried any of the 200 grain bullets in my 35 Whelen. My go to load is 56 grains of 4320 under a 250 grain Partition. The same loads shoots very well with every 250 grain bullet I've tried; Hornady RN and SP, Speer 250 SP and the Partition.

I had back surgery last year which has allowed me to get around better than I have in a long time. One of the adaptations I have tried is hunting from a AMOK hammock which will adjust to a sitting chair position

https://www.amokequipment.com/products/draumr-hammock

I prefer to hunt with family and friends but wanted to take a 4th deer late last season. I can be warm and comfortable for long periods of time in my AMOK so I was pleased to be able to watch my 4th deer for probably 15 minutes as he worked his way down from thick cover into a valley bottom where I felt confidant I'd be able to get the truck close for recovery. I managed to drag him back to just inside the garage where the game hoist is set up. Using the hoist with a large plastic tub below I was able to gut and skin the deer solo..... without setting my back off into having a fit.... which at this stage of life counts as a very successful "trophy hunt"


I have a full box of 225 TSX bullets that I have yet to try . During my "bear load" development phase I got cloverleaf sized groups using max loads of Reloader 15 and 225 TBBC bullets. Several years ago I had a solid rest and 2 deer that just kept standing lined up side by side. I decided to take the shot and found the TBBC just under the skin of the 2nd deer looking like an advertising photo mushroom.

My Midway order showed up yesterday and I'm ready to experiment with 180 TTSX, 200 Hornady RN, 220 Speer and I'm waiting on a Nosler Pro Shop order that includes some 200 Accubond bullets to show up as well. If it ever stops raining here I'll report back on the results.

2ndwind,
Found your story encouraging. You said a lot in a short space.
Seems that some of the most memorable hunts were often associated with difficulties of some sort. If I parked at the top of the hill, sure as heck the buck would run to the bottom of the hill before expiring. Then, age and/ health tosses a curve at us.

Secondly, I found your story inspirational in that folks with hunting in their soul seem to improvise and tolerate a lot of "inconvenience" to continue to get out there. While I cannot claim to be particularly religious, I never appreciate the Big Guys creations more than when I am out in the woods or wilderness.

Finally, also have found that, somehow, deer season brings the opportunity to quality time with family and to hook back up with old friends.

2nd wind, good luck with your continued load development and testing I believe you'll like the results with the Hornady 200 RN. I found some Ken Waters data for this bullet last season, loaded over 54.0 gr. of IMR 3031 it produced 3 shot cloverleaf groups out of my rifle. I harvested a nice KY whitetail with this load, the bullet expanded perfectly and weighed 122gr. when recovered.

No one posted a good source of load data, so I thought I'd add this, so you can see if it can assist
you with load data desired....Steve's Pages are load data compiled and cataloged from a lot of published sources....Steve Riccardelli has passed but family members keep his site running...

data for the 35 Whelen...

http://stevespages.com/358_2.html

Steve's Pages was initially kept alive after Steve R. passed by a fellow in Arizona who coincidentally took up knife making, with the family's blessings. That was four or five years ago, IIRC. I'm not sure the same guy is still maintaining it, but I'd assume that's the case.

My opinion is that Re15 is just too slow-burning for a 200-grain bullet. I use 225 ABs and getting 59.5 or 60.0 grains into the case is about the best I can do without resorting to extra effort, and that's why I believe this. I'd go with something that burns a bit quicker. YMMV.

I'm not sure I agree that Re-15 is too slow for 200's (because I've good luck with it and 200 NABs), but I do know that Re-12 works great in a 35 Whelen up to 225 grains. Glad I bought the last two lbs. a dealer had after Alliant discontinued it.

First off thanks to everyone for the input and info. I went to the range today with 2 boxes of factory ammo and some handloads using RL-15 and IMR-4895. I’m going to try to post some pics here so you guys can see the results.