Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 35 Whelen

For me, that's the deciding point for the 9.3x62 vs. 35 Whelen argument.

Plinking with the Whelen pistol bullet loads is a blast.

gssixgun,
1) I agree with the others - it sounds like you just want a 35 Whelen (because based on your battery you certainly don't need one.) And that is 100% fine. A 35 Whelen AI was the second custom rifle I ever built and I have had mine for 30 years and love it.
2) I have two JES rebores, both 1903 Springfields. One is a 338-06 and the other a 9.3x62. The 9.3 drives nails - the 338-06 has been problematic. I'm interested in why you are choosing the rebore as your primary option instead of looking for a rifle that is already a 35 Whelen. If it were me and I wanted a 35 Whelen, I would begin by looking for a good 35 Whelen.
3) Brakes - I've never owned one but I don't care one way or the other. If you like them, get one, as the loads I mention below will flat get your attention if you have an un-braked 7.5 pound rifle...like mine.
4) The 225 TSX at 2600 FPS - you are selling the Whelen WAY short. The 250 Nosler Partition will easily do 2650 to 2700 with PP 2000-MR or CFE-223. The 225 TSX will easily do 2800FPS with 2000-MR. The 200 TTSX will approach 3000 FPS at about max pressure with PP Varmint. I killed a nice bull in 2019 with the 225 TSX and recovered it under the off-side skin (my only ever recovered X bullet) after it broke both shoulders and dropped the bull on the spot. It weighed exactly 225.0 grains - doesn't get much better than that.

Enjoy your search and your hunting!
Rex

If you have the itch, get it. Life’s too short! I buy rifles every year that will do the same but always seem to be reaching for the Whelen. A lot has to be said for the rifle it’s chambered in as well. Good luck with your decision

I bought my 700 Classic used a year after it came out. Seems the previous owner didn’t like the recoil with 250 gr loads. I traded a lousy shooting .338 WM for it. It never liked 200 gr Remington loads but settled down to bughole accuracy after about 50 rounds down the bore. The sweet spot for it has been Federal 225 gr TBBC and 225 gr Partition hand loads. It kills things junkyard dead. I haven’t used it much the past 10 years but it’s going elk and bear hunting this year. My .30-06 gets the least amount of play time it seems. Happy Trails

Wam, you still able to get the tbbc? My second whelen loved em too, it was a bdl I bought 25 years ago or so

my bother had jes redo his 308 into 358 win it just flat shoots good, also had him fix a feeding problem and it wasn't even his work, only charged me for return shipping! i stand by him and his work!

Jud,
I sort of quit hunting much with it around 2009 when the Weatherby Bug bit me. I must have shot it a bunch because I have a ton of nickel plated Fed cases. I still have a few boxes of Federal blue/gold box TBBC stuck back in the safe. I have been loading Partitions over CFE223 lately. Federal still shows them in the catalog but if you click on them it indicates discontinued. My 700 is in a beater pos BDL stock that I bought from a guy in Wenatchee years ago. Grip cap missing, epoxy bedded, deep gouges, Limbsaver pad, Leupold 3-9x40 gloss duplex converted to CDS. Metal still looks good, bottom metal pretty beat. Shoots very well, kills even better. 😎

Correction: 2 boxes red box Fed Premium and a partial box in my hunting kit. Mice (or rat) has been feeding a 7600.... going under double lock now.

I have a beautifully restocked 1903 Springfield with Redfield receiver sight I keep the slide in trapdoor buttplate and a Jaeger QD side mount - was an '06 since I bought the original gun for $85 bucks in '76 until I went down the road to Krieger for a 22" .35 Whelen barrel. Good accuracy out to 400 yds. Recoil very tolerable in a very carryable package. Kills elk - My goal is an alaskan bear.

I was in the same boat with the 338wm, & I totally agree.

35Whelen & or 9.3x62

I am a huge booster of the 35 Whelen.

In NA I have taken Elk & Moose with it.

In Africa, I have taken Leopard, Kafue Lechwe, Sable, Sitatunga, Warthog, Chobe Bushbuck, Lichtenstein Hartebeest, and Oribi with the 35 Whelen.

It's a great cartridge. I own many rifles in this cartridge, but my two favorite are my Dakota Classic Deluxe (for Africa) and my Ruger SS/Syn Hawkeye (for NA). Both rifles have 1:12 twist barrels, so I can shoot 225-310 gr. bullets with no problems.

My wife shoots 225 gr. TBBCs in hers and has taken a couple of Elk with her Ruger Hawkeye. I shoot 250 NP and 280 gr. SAF in mine. We reserve this cartridge for Elk & Moose in NA and use smaller rounds for Deer & Pronghorns. In Africa, I have simply used it for my light rifle along with my 404 Jeffery for my big bore.

The 35 Whelen is a joy to shoot being very mild in recoil. I also use a 338 WM for both rolls above, but I seem to have gravitated to the 35 Whelen lately, probably due to several reasons like: less recoil, same killing power, shorter & smaller contour barrels, lighter rifle, bigger hole in game.

The Colonel gave the hunting world a wonderful gift a century ago.

Having said all of the above, I have never used my 9.3x62 in NA, but have used it in Africa. It is the equal of the Whelen, or slightly better, due to a larger caliber and easy to find ammo in Africa which is definitely not the case for the Whelen. Bullet weights are almost identical.

I had two .35 Whelen rifles at one time. I fell on a little bit of hard times back in 2012 and again in 2015, and sold both Whelen rifles a M700 and 1903 custom. I offered up one of my .338-06 rifles but you Campfire members were only interested in my Whelen rifles. I had hoped to be able to keep the 1903 custom, but it didn't work out.

While I loved my Whelen rifles to be honest I think the bullets we have today allow smaller rifles to overcome any advantages the Whelen had. I don't think it makes the Whelen less useful, especially for those who rarely hunt and shoot over 400 yards. I'm not saying the Whelen isn't capable of going farther distances either, just that it starts losing out to other smaller cartridges as the range gets longer.

I'll own another Whelen someday, but right now I still have a .338-06 to play with.

I have never seen a box of 9.3x62 in the boonies of the US

And if we're talking the boonies, you probably won't see 35 Whelen either...

I recently purchased a 1885 Highwall in 30-06 and sent it to JES Rebore to rebore to 35 Whelen. I went with a 5 groove in a 10 twist.
Can't say enough good about the rebore, shoots under 1/2 MOA for 3 with 180 grain or 225 grain the only weights that I've tried thus far

I’m having a 1-10 Krieger out on an older Ruger tanger 35 Whelen right now. Can’t wait to get it home.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I am enjoying mine

Oh I’m thinking I will JWP... Never seen extra twist hurt a thing. My 1-10 9.3 shoots amazing as well.

Agree💯, that's why I went with a 10 twist.
I believe faster twist also improves terminal performance as well

Same here, we’re running on the same track there. I’ve seen enough difference between 8 twist 30 calibers and 10 twist 30 calibers using the same Bullets to like the extra RPMs.

My 375 is a 10 is well and would’ve gone 8 or 9 if JES could’ve done it.