Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 35Whelen - what is your go-to bullet?

When I was doing load development work after receiving my Whelen back from rebore I tried 180gr. bullets though not Barnes, accuracy was not what I was looking for so I confined myself to 200gr. & 225gr. bullets. 200gr. RN Hornady Inter-lok and 225gr. Sierra Game Kings shoot great in my rifle. IMR 3031 with 200gr. & IMR 4064 with 225gr. are the powders that give the best accuracy for me.

I tried the various cup and core 250 gr. bullets and while accuracy was decent I got a chance to hunt the Kaibab up in Northern Arizona. They were asking hunters to voluntarily use copper bullets and would give free bullets to reloaders My late wife and I both drew tags so I got two boxes of the 225 gr. Barnes TSX. I worked with RL15 and got 2710 FPS with excellent accuracy with groups running around .50" to .75". Been using them ever since and never looked back. Used them on guided cull hunts for cow elk and six shots gave me six elk. Four were DRT and two needed finishing shots but I could walk right up to them to do it. It was like the Whelen just paralyzed the hell out of them. I may hunt der with whatever strikes my mood for the day but for elk it'sthe Whelen and 225 gr. TSX for me. It's been my lucky elk combo.
PJ

The 225 original X bullet leaving my 25.5” barrel at 2821 was the killing’est thing you ever saw. But; at your ranges I would be shooting a 250 Hornady RN at 2450-2600 and be very happy. In fact that is what I did myself when my supply of Barnes x’s expired.
F01

Not a 35W, but a 350RM (35W short and fat with a 20" barrel) for deer sized I've gone to the Hornady 200 SP at 2830.

For bigger game, it really is hard to beat the Nolser 225 partition, at a little over 2700FPS for trajectory and terminal performance. I'm somewhat handicapped with a 2.8" mag box, so the 225 Partition is about perfect. Now that the NPs are unobtanium I'm going to work up a load with the Barnes 200 TSX.

I use the 180 TTSX in my M600 with H4895. It is accurate and nearly 2900. Great handling rig as well.









I'd have no reservations using that same bullet in any of my Whelens. Right now, I am using 8208 and 200 TTSX in my Ruger 35 Whelen and 225 Sierras in the 7600's.

I've looked at these, even contacted Barnes for load data, just not sold on the 180s in all copper yet. Mostly because the much cheaper Hornady 200s are working well on deer & pigs and I'd like to go heavier for elk. I've got 75 225 NPs left, then I'm going to have to do "something" since Nolser doesn't seem to be inclined to make any. So maybe the 180 TTSX will get a try.

Two bullets for me:

200 gr TTSX @ 2,850 fps and 250 gr NPT @ 2,600 fps.

Never could get the 225 NAB to shoot in my 1:12 twist, try as I might.

225gr. TXS and Sierra GK out of my bolt gun. 200gr. Hornady SP out of my Encores for Miss. deer and pig hunting.

250gr Speer spitzer if your talking about Moose/Elk. For deer and black bear consider the Speer 220gr flat point. Don't hot rod it and it really is a great medium game bullet.

^^ this is my thought too but with Hammer bullets cause i have them ^^

Barnes 225 TSX. I've used it on caribou and moose so far and going for grizzly this fall. Although, my rifle shoots great with just about anything I put through it. Remington Classic in a McMillan Edge stock.

M77rs 225 gr npt.

240 trophy bonded bear claw. small stash of them

250 Gr Speer Hot Core or 250 Gr Nosler Partition about 2480 FPS works great usually 2 holes in an Alaskan Moose

Sierra 225 Gameking or Speer 220 grain is all I’ve ever shot out of a Whelen or 350 Rem Mag. Work great on elk, deer, and bear.

I shoot 200 grain accubonds out of my handi rifle . I haven’t killed a deer with them yet but they are very accurate.

Do any of you guys know what bullet Remington used or uses in their 250gr spitzers and 250gr roundnose? It’s the Remington factory load that’s marketed as the “Core-Lokt”.

Like some others, the .35 Whelen is very versatile, especially now with new powders and bullets. I have 2 loads for mine - a single shot - the 225 AB at 2840 fps and a 300gr Barnes Original at 2355 fps. They both hit in the same group at 100 yds without any adjustments to the scope. CFE 223 for the 225 AB and RL-17 for the 300gr Barnes. I load 3 -4 in the stock cartridge holder and one in the chamber. Depending where and what I'm hunting the one in the chamber fits the situation. If it's thick brush, it's the 300, if there's potential for a longer reach it's the 225. But if both kinds of terrain is possible the same day, its the 225 AB. The load for the 225 is close to max, but the load for the 300 is medium. In the stock cartridge holder, I load two of each.

The rifle is a Traditions Outfitter G3 with fluted SS barrel and action, cerakoted and muzzle brake (22" barrel). Very accurate. It has a 3 - 9 x 40 Vortex scope, and weighs about 7.75 lbs with scope and 4 cartridges. OL = 39".

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I should have added 250 grain hot cores shot very well in my 350.

It seems as soon as I have started with a new Whelen someone wants it. The current one I have has had the barrel cut back to 20.75” and threaded. I have not had time to work with it, though I have lots of jacketed and cast ready. I am planning on trying lots of bullets and loads with this Whelen - the rifle is suppressed.

One of the powders that worked very well in a 350 with 250 grain bullets was IMR 4320. Other powders included H4895, IMR4895 & TAC.

WW748 also shot well but I found the powder to be temperature sensitive with changing POI.

I have never shot the hot cores at animal in the 35’s.

They didn’t open well in 6mm. I tried hot cores in 30-06, & 280 - had no issues with tgem.

All the factory 250 gr round nose bullets in rp 35 Whelen ammo were hornadys. The 200 gr ptd corelokts were corelokts . Remington.made a 250 gr ptd corelokt for the 350 mag. Not sure they were ever loaded in 35 Whelen ammo though. Mb