Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 35 Whelen, 310 Woodleigh, 16" Twist

Abner,
I'd personally be happier with a 225gr Nosler Partition or 225gr Woodleigh PP and would take any shot offered with confidence on any soft skinned game. The 225gr Sierra will kill like lightening when placed correctly ... but its softer than I like for something the size of elk, especially on a poor angle where some raking depth is required. Broadside ... no problem.
Cheers...
Con

I use the 9.3x62 with a 320 gr. Woodleigh on buffalo in my 26 inch barrel and it really works well...I have been told in the shorter barrels it isn't quite as effective..I get an easy 2400 FPS with RL-15 and thats cooking. Kills the big bulls quite readily.

All I can add is when I was having my 35 whelen ackley built, which was subsequently re-chambered to a 350 Rigby, I e-mailed Woodleigh to see if the 1-14" would stabalize their 310 gr bullet. There response was, we can't say, but they did say that the 1-16" is too slow, and the 1-12" is just right.

I never tested the 310 woodleighs so I dunno if 1-14 was sufficient or not.

If I had a 1-16" twist whelen, I'd load the 225 tsx and never look back.

In a recent email correspondence Mike McNett at DoubleTap he tells me that a 1-14" twist will stabilize their 310 Woodleigh loads. Has anyone tried the 275 gr. A-Squared .358's? It would seem to be a way to get a bit more umph than the 250 gr. loads in a barrel with a slower twist than the 1-14". A 275 gr. bullet was the standard load in the 350 G&H Magnum. The problem is that the A-Squared guys want more than $2 a bullet.

I killed a 5X5 bull elk last Sunday with my 35 Whelen built on a pre-64 Winchester M70 action. I was shooting a 250 gr. Hornady Interlock clocked at 2600 fps. One shot at about 50 yards in the timber and he was down and dead. I found the remains of the bullet (weighing 129 gr.) under the hide on the far side. He was on the move angling toward me and the shot went in the chest just in front of the right shoulder and I found the bullet just behind the left.

Mule Deer,
I have to correct myself, my 9.3x62 barrel is probably a 1x14..Lothar Walther only makes one twist for the 9.3 and I was thinking 1x16 but I think its 1x14..sorry, my bad....

While I'm correcting myself I have to tell you that I quoted you a muzzle velocity of 2700 Plus with a 250 gr. BX when in fact that was a 230 gr. GS Customs bullet. That is a hell and destruction bullet btw..

Age and memory loss ain't all that uncommon...

Actually about $1.20 including shipping, but who's counting. Then again, how many of 'em are you ever going to shoot?
Pete
http://www.grafs.com/product/272249

I would have no problem hunting cape buffalo with a 35 Whelan Imp. with a 1x14 twist that shot those 310 woodleighs at 2300 to 2400 FPS and I would expect it could do that????. I would want a 26 inch tubed light weight rifle..That should be a dandy.

I bounce back and fourth between my .338 and my 9.3x62..I wish one of you guys would buy one or the other!

Or hell maybe I should just sell them both and use my .375 H&H English rifle, now thats starting to make more since.

I think those are "A-frames" not the "A-squared" as previously mentioned. Those 280 A-Frames do look awesome. Someday I'll buy some to try.
------
310 Woodleighs in my 700 classic/35Whelen 16" twist gave me the following with some initial loads I cobbled up;
- chrony readings at 10'
50/ReL 15 - 2078fps
51/ReL 15 - 2110fps
52/ReL 15 - 2157, 2170, 2166 fps,

-with a firm Lee factory crimp
- 3.390" COAL with approx .085" jump to lands, WLR
- feeds slick!
- accuracy yet to be tested (may or may not not stabise well - especially past 100yds)

Here is a 35 Whelen cutaway with that bullet seated to the canelure at a COAL of only 3.280"

Whelen B,
In a similar rifle ... it was only at 200 yards that some slight tipping became evident.
Cheers...
Con

I would have thought you could get at least 2300 FPS with the 310 Woodleigh since I get almost 2400 FPS with a 320gr. in my 9.3x62 long tubed gun..Try H414...just a guess, don't know..

I think a 310 35 cal. at 2100 would be pushing your luck for cape buffalo, much like using a 45-70 is...Its easy for some to say it will kill them and it will, but I betcha they have never seen a buffalo at 10 or 15 feet coming their way with his eyes bloodshot and the size of tennis balls. As much as I have used the 9.3x62 and my old 375 H&H and even lighter calibers its probably more of a stunt for the most part, I still prefer the .416 or 404 and a 458 Lott doesn't hurt my feelings.

But like I said if you could kick it up to about 2300 FPS it should work 95% of the time, and you always have a PH to back up the failures I suppose.

I have read articles stating that a bullet being barely stabilized in flight will tumble almost immediately upon impact, have also read that an over stabilized bullet will tumble on impact at very close range. Even if the 310 grainer doesn't keyhole on paper could penetration be a problem?

86thecat,
I don't think so inasmuch as Woodleigh has tested that bullet extensively in all the 35 calibers...

I know my 9.3x62 with the 320 gr. bullets will punch through a buffalo 85% of the time or come to rest on the off side skin..It shoots all bullets from 250 to 320 gr. very accurately..It is a 1x14 twist and I am sure that is what Woodleigh worked with. I have been told that in short barreled guns it will not expand properly but I get conflicting reports on this..in my 26 inch tube it works great, but the 9.3x62 dotes on long tubes.

If you went to a 350 gr. or heavier bullet in the Whelen then your scenario would become a problem at some point..

Those are just a few initial loads I tested and not at max. I'm thinking like you that 2300 is doable. Woodleigh states on the box, "recommended impact velocity of 1800-2200fps". I wonder what might happen if impact was much over that. I make 2420MV in my 350WSM with them.

I must try them someday in my 35Whelen AckImp. It's VZ 24 Mauser 98 with a 24" light sporter barrel of unknown pedigree (twist 14"). Can seat bullets to 3.400. Should be good for those bullets.

Would anyone venture a guess on what kind of velocity could be obtained from a 24" .358 Norma Magnum with the 310 grain bullets...

Bob

A few years back, Geoff at Woodleigh Bulletts sent me two 358 Norma Magnum loads using N202 for 2297 and N204 for 2493 with their 310grRN.

Don't own a rifle in that chambering yet myself. It's a very good one.

Whelen B,

I was wondering if you had the opportunity to punch any paper yet with the 310 Woodleighs in your �700 classic/35Whelen 16" twist�.

My Whelen has a 26�bbl 1-16 twist. When I used to hunt with it alot, I primarily used the Serria 225gr SBT GK @ 2,590fps. The combination accounted for a lot of whitetail�s and the bullet never failed me once.

In the Lyman 47th New Edition, Reloading Handbook pp.326-326 there is info. for the#358009 cast bullet (280grs, #2Alloy). The book lists a few loads with that bullet over 2,100fps. It also state�s that IMR 4198 should give accurate results with that bullet. The barrel length Lyman used to test was 24� and the twist was 1-16� .

Harpy

I always figued a 300 gr. in the 9.3 would be a good all around weight, only Swift makes a 300 gr. as far as I can tell..

I have not shot the 35 Whelan since I started using the 9.3x62 and I was not aware that Nosler made a 250 gr. bullet for it. I knew they made a 225 gr. and its a good bullet..A 250 Nosler should take care of about anything short of an elephant, Rhino or Hippo...

No - accuracy yet to be tested in my 700classic/35 Whelen - just in my 350WSM so far which has a faster 12" twist and which gives good hunting accuracy - http://35cal.com/images/IMG_0141.jpg

I have done 2500fps years ago with my Remmy Whelen and 250 grn Hornady bullet. Now I don't see why one could not get close to or even turn 2300fps with a 300 plus grain bullet. It would be great on elk in the dark timber or anything else like big bears up close.

My 350 Rem mag with 16 twist will stabalize 300 grain Barnes Originals on targets and game. I was getting very close to 2300 fps in a 20" barrel without pushing pressure.