Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 35 Whelen testing

I have a pre-64 70 parts rifle with an after market barrel and parts from different early model 70’s and an ugly stock, it wears a Weaver 2 1/2 post scope.
I decided to try to work with 225 grain bullets and this is the results so far.

Using the same load of TAC, Hornady brass, 9 1/2 primers.

225 grain Sierra - several groups ~ 1 MOA or less
225 Nosler Ballistic Tip one group less than 1/2 MOA
225 Nosler Partition one group almost 4 MOA

I found this strange as usually, my testing, partitions are one of the most accurate bullets.

Anyone use 225 grain ballistic tips on game?

I have to ask, is Nosler making the 225 gr. Ballistic Tip again or do you just have a supply on hand? AFAIK, they've been discontinued for quite a while. They do make the Accubond though in 225 gr. weight. I haven't tried those in my .35 Whelen yet as I got excellent results with the 225 gr. TSX over 60.4 gr. Re15. If you try it drop back about three grains and work up. I get .50 to .80" three shot groups with that load so saw no reason to look any further.

That surprises me as I've always gotten good accuracy from Nosler Partition in every cartridge I've tried them in.
Paul B.

I imagine I had those bullets a while. I’ve had a 350RM since the early 70’s or late 60’s IDK. I ended up being satisfied with 250 grain bullets in my 350
I’ll try RE 15

A couple different problems I see is you are using the "same load of TAC", according to your post. Keep in mind you are going to have to work up a load. You can't expect the same charge weight to work the same for every bullet, even though they are the same weight. The next thing wrong is you are basing your findings on 1 group for each bullet (ballistic tip and partition). You have no empirical evidence, as there has been no load work up done and 1 group of each does not tell you anything. Do yourself a favor and try RL15, but work up a load properly this time. If your rifle is worth anything, it will shoot a partition into 1 moa (for 5 shots) with proper load work up, components and procedures..

A couple different problems I see is you are using the "same load of TAC", according to your post. Keep in mind you are going to have to work up a load. You can't expect the same charge weight to work the same for every bullet, even though they are the same weight. The next thing wrong is you are basing your findings on 1 group for each bullet (ballistic tip and partition). You have no empirical evidence, as there has been no load work up done and 1 group of each does not tell you anything. Do yourself a favor and try RL15, but work up a load properly this time. If your rifle is worth anything, it will shoot a partition into 1 moa (for 5 shots) with proper load work up, components and procedures..[/quote

Thank you captain obvious.

I’ve shot several deer with the discontinued 225 B/tips. Worked great.

One of the heaviest deer I’ve shot was 234#. It was a head on shot at about 125 yds. On its way to the buck, the bullet hit a 1 1/2” limb that I didn’t see in the waning light. It then hit the throat patch and traveled lengthwise down the spine, destroying 4 or 5 vertebra. Of course he dropped right there. He was blind in one eye and the game biologist said he was 7 or 8 years old. This was at a club that ran dogs religiously, two or three hunts a day, so that buck had found a way to avoid them. That afternoon I was hunting in a climbing stand watching a creek crossing and the dog hunt was about 2 miles away on the other end of the lease. It turned out that a guy walking to his stand about 1/4 mile away spooked the buck toward me.

Another buck of 225# a week or so later was hit broadside at 75 yds. He stumbled about 5 yds. That B/tip just missed the onside shoulder but broke the opposite shoulder on way out.

I still have some of those bullets but have have also had really good luck with the 225 Accubond, 225 and 250 Partitions the 250 Speer. I always try H4895 first and that has worked in a 700 Classic, a 700 Custom shop rifle and a Special Edition Stainless, fluted CDL.

I’ve had some buds accuse me of shooting pre-expanded bullets. 😊

I have been shooting a Randall Redman rebored .35 Whelen based on a pre'64 M/70 for more than 25 yrs. now, best 225gr. bullet I found after extensive range testing was the Sierra Game King. Best powder as far as accuracy is in my experience IMR 4064. I have taken two whitetail bucks with this load. After shoulder surgery I started loading 200gr. bullets, based on information from Ken Waters' Pet Loads my most accurate load was with a Hornady Inter-lok 200gr. RN bullet over IMR 3031. This combination often producing 3 shot cloverleaf groups @ 100yds., shot a whitetail buck with this load a couple years ago. The recovered bullet was perfectly mushroomed and retained 66% of its original weight.

I forgot to mention 200 gr Accubonds and 200 Hornady

I have never used them, but I believe I would use them on anything I'd use an Accubond for myself.

I suspect that the Whelen really doesn’t need premium bullets. I’ve used 250 grain Interlocks and 250 grain Hot Cores in my 350RM for years. Granted if I were to be shooting something like a big Brown or something dangerous in Africa I’d pay the extra cents for premium.

If you have a decent supply of those 225 BTs I can’t see much else doing any better till you get into the bonded/Partitioned heavyweights.

+1 on the Whelen not needing premium bullets, in the 25+ years that I have been whitetail hunting with my rifle 225gr. Sierra Game Kings and 200gr. Hornady Inter-lok RN have performed well on target and on game.

Don't forget about Speer's fine 220gr Flat Point. Loaded over IMR 4064 it makes a dandy deer round. Granted it doesn't have the range the spitzers provide, but it will lay any deer low that's within 200 yds.

These days a guy has to make do with what he’s got.
I have some 225 Nosler Partitions and ballistic tips but less than a box each. The last of the Sierra 225 boat tails are loaded and that’s less than 20 after all my shooting. I have pretty much all the Hornady has to offer though.

Tag
Bugger

Sierra says they only run the 225gr once every three years. Speer discontinued the 220gr FP but Fury Bullets located in Michigan has started making a 220gr FP that looks just like the Speer. Another option.