Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 35 whelen Expansion problem

I’ve shot the same factory load with no issues, I also reloaded some 250 gr Speer sp, the 250 made a pencil size entry and wound up in the rear leg just about to exit, this was a frontal shot that took out all internals. I went back with the Sierra 225 gamekings.

The Colonel's round was built around 250 gr bullets. Run a decent cnc or a NP at 2450 fps and the OP will discover it does today what it did way back which is to pile up dead critters.

i am in the process of have a 35 Whelen rebore out of a smaller caliber Ruger #1 ,a friend gave me 400 - 200 gr. S.P. Hornady bullets so i plan on using these bullets .any thoughts on this ? Pete53

I think they'll kill bucks Pete.

I use 8208 and the 200 TTSX in my bolt 35 Whelen for about 2900, but the Hornadys would work fine for deer in my opinion.

Good read on the 35 Whelen
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.35+Whelen.html

i did make copies thank you guys ,Pete53

Pete,

I've been loading the Whelen for my family member's in Mississippi for about 18 years. I can't load for each individual Encore, so my basic load has used the Hornady 200gr. SP over RL 15 for a velocity of approx. 2600 fps.

I know that 200gr. bullets can be loaded faster. Our experience has proven the Hornady loaded at that speed to be dependable and a hammer on deer. We've shot deer from about 20 yards to a range finder verified 319 yards. No deer hit has been lost and no bullet has been recovered.

The OP doesn’t mention anything about what the recovered bullets look like. If They didn’t exit, they should be there to recover. I’ve been in on around 100 whitetail kills with rounds from the .243 to the 35 Whelen. In my experience, only a hit in the brain or spine can assure that the deer falls at the shot. This is regardless of the cartridge used. The vast majority of chest hits resulted in short death sprints. I think that’s just deer being deer and don’t have a problem with it. Occasionally one just tips over, but I can’t say why.

Edited to add: My brother did shoot one at very close range the the Rem 200gr 35W factory load. It blew through, hitting the heart and lungs on the way through. The doe dropped quickly, but only after a quick 60 yard dash. The blood trail was immense. Just a deer being a deer.

This may be the most honest thing I've ever read on the 'fire.


Okie John

I have been killing deer with a Whelen for 25 years. I have been loading 225 grain Sierras for probably 10 years. The only one I ever caught went end to end in a nice buck and was a.perfect mushroom. Looked like a bullet commercial. 200 gn Hornady bullets didn't group well enough to hunt with in my trial.

Check out Hammer bullets.

DF

My ole pos 110 savage with er shaw barrel loves the 225 gamekings, sub moa groups at 100

i do really like Hammer bullets but i have about 1,000 35 caliber bullets now half of them i got free ,so for now i will see how well i can make these old bullets shoot . but i am thinking about Hammer bullets already too . thanks , Pete53

the rebored Ruger #1 35 Whelen is not back yet and when it gets back i will glass bed the back part of the forearm and rechannel the front part of the forearm and float the rest of the barrel , the new Burris scope showed up today 1-6 x 24 30 tube RT- 6 and medium 30mm rings too. i have been reading a lot about this fine cartridge seems most really like the 35 Whelen . anyone out there try Tac powder in this cartridge ,JB shows he has used it ?

Well, hard to beat that price. Good to have a good supply.

I like Hammer accuracy and terminal performance. They’re expensive, hunting, not plinking bullets.

DF

I've killed deer with 180 TSX, 220 Hammer Hunter, 225 Accubond and the 225 TSX
This year I'm using the 200 TTSX and the 200 Hornady and maybe the 250 InterloCk and Partition

I'm allowed 6 tags

All bullets have been pass throughs

I think the 200 TTSX is the best all-round bullet fot the 35 Whelen

For deer, I've just been using 200gr core lokts.

Same here 225gr SGK at 2650fps bang/flop with boring consistency.

When i get this Ruger #1 35 Whelen back i got some forearm work to do ,then mount 1-6 Burris on the rifle ,start reloading and sighting in. i do plan on taking it bear hunting over baits at 50 yards 1st. but doing rifle season in Minnesota we have a 2 week season i will take this rifle with but the 1st weekend is with 11YR. old Grandson Alex we will use a 257 Roberts Ruger #1 75 gr. Hammer bullets so it has less recoil tell he hopefully kills another deer . then after that either a 257 Weatherby mag. a few days and then the 35 Whelen if it does what i think it will do , both of these rifles are Ruger #1`s too. " if i ever have to trail a deer i use a BLR 30-06 now days ",Pete53

When I got a 35rem barrel for my contender I did a lot of reading on what bullets would be best to use in it. From what I read, the 200RN SP hornady is a bit odd in its design. The jacket is scivved around the mid section of the bullet. This was kind of a double bad idea. It proved too tough to expand at longer ranges(lower impact velocity) because the nose wasn’t weakened but at high speed impacts the bullet lost integrity because its mid section was too weak. Google 35 Remington bullet performance and you maybe able to find the article. I can’t recall ever shooting a deer with that bullet but the 200SP hornady puts deer down with authority out of my 358 99. I don’t think Speer still makes it but the 220 Speer FN would be a good bullet to try…from what I read. No first hand knowledge on that one.

TAC works in the 35 Whelen loaded to full pressure. Whether it’s your best powder in your rifle, you will have to test.