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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,966
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,966 |
Have shot moose and black bear with my 2 Whelens one a 7600 Rem and the other a LH Ruger MK 2 35 Whelen IMP. Both kill well on what I have seen. 2 holes 250 gr Speer at 2480 to 2600 FPS, seems to whack moose well. Takes out lungs on black bear as well!
kk alaska
Alaska 7 months of winter then 5 months of tourists
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644 Likes: 1 |
I got a good deal from a pard that was never going to use his 7600. It's going to find its way to Nathan at HBC for a slight barrel chop and synthetic furniture. It will make it to AK some day.....
George
George, That's cool. You're in good hands with Nate. Have him coat the thing and put an over-sized safety on it too.
WWP53D
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,063
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2007
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Well, based on my vast experience with the Whelen, one cow elk and lots of paper all I can say is based on that one cow elk, I was very much impressed. FWIW, my load was 60.4 gr. of RL15, Remington case and standard Winchester primer and the Barnes TSX 225 gr. bullet. Elk went down instantly on a raking shot at 150 yards. The bullet entered on the left side just behind the short ribs and exited between the neck and right shoulder. At impact the elk just dropped on the spot. Mighty impressive I would have to say. I'll find out if history will repeat itslf on my upcoming co elk hunt in December. There's a lot of love for the Whelen over on Nosler's forum. http://www.noslerreloading.com/phpBB2/index.phpThere are even comments on it's effectiveness out as far as 400 yards which surprised me. I have mine figured out to 250 and possibly 300 yards but I never thought 400 could be a serious consideration. Might have to see what I can do about that. Seems like the most popular bullets over there at the Partition and Accubond for the Whelen. I would like to use a 200 gr. bullet for my upcoming der hunt but the stat of Arizona is requesting hunters doing their hunts in the Kaibab and Arizona Strip to "voluntarily use monometal bullets like the TSX. Guess if I went with the 200 gr. Hornady that I wanted to use, then that would make me a bad guy or some such. I already did use a TSX up there about 6 years ago when I got a tag for the area. Cost me the only decent size deer I saw on the whole trip. I had the Whelen with me and if I'd shot that der, the bullets would have passed through and taken out at least two or three of the does standing behind him. Game & Fish frowns on such happenings. Paul B. PJGunner, I also used the Whelen on elk with the same load basically. 60 grs of RE-15, WLR primer and 225 TSX's. 1 raghorn elk at 300 - 310ish yds, at the shot he lunged and plowed dirt. Great cartridge IMHO
JOC was right. The 270 Winchester on a Model 70 is a great combination as is the 30/06 and 375 H&H
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,325
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,325 |
I have killed about 15 elk, a couple moose and a few whitetails with my Whelens. I think it is about ideal as an elk cartridge for my hunting when loaded with 250 gr bullets at 2500 fps. Quick kills and good penetration, even through heavy bones. But using those same bullets on deer has been disappointing. One buck shot a little too far back through the diaphragm and liver with a 250 Speer GS was one of the longest tracking jobs I can remember. In my experience, the same shot with a .243 would have resulted in a much quicker kill. I also had a long and blood free tracking job on a buck shot through both lungs at about 15 yd broadside with a 225 sierra. The bullet didn't open up at all by the looks of things. I think a 200 grain rn might be a good deer bullet in the whelen, but I use my whelen primarily for elk or moose hunts and won't handicap my elk or moose rifle with a light "deer" bullet. So based on my experience, the Whelen is a great elk round, but may be "unsuitable" for deer if heavy & stout bullets are used.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,063
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,063 |
Try some 250 gr RN Hornadys on deer, only a sample of one but my nephew dumped his deer last year with one. One shot drop. Load is actually a little slow but it works. He loves that ole classic.
JOC was right. The 270 Winchester on a Model 70 is a great combination as is the 30/06 and 375 H&H
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,325
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,325 |
Thanks for that suggestion raybass. I did shoot two elk with the 250 Hornady RN last year and by appearances the bullets opened quickly and did penetrate all the way to the far side of the elk too. Might be a good choice for a mixed bag hunt or even a deer only hunt.
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 234
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 234 |
It's good to see folks using that classic old cartridge... It thumps game hard.
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 186
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 186 |
Thanks for all of the post on this subject.........alot of good reads! Alot of knowledge out there.
Onelost.
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 20,840
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 20,840 |
I bought a Whelen after I got permission to hunt bear in Eastern NC..... Had to test it out on deer and so far I'm 10 for 10 bang flops..... No bear test results to report yet.....
The Whelen also pretty much turns woodchucks inside out when loaded with pistol bullets and it is fun with cast bullets too.....
Please don't feed the trolls!
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 663
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2009
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I leave tomorrow to go hunting and I've got both ends covered. Taking a Whelen with 225 NBTs going 2680 and a 264WM shooting 140gr NBTs at 3140. Not sure which I'll be carrying Sat morning, I just grab the one that feels right that day.
An armed member in a country is a citizen, an unarmed member is a subject.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,342
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,342 |
Seems to me that the bigger variable in todays world might be your choice of an appropriate bullet rather than your choice of caliber. I consider the Whelen to be remarkably versatile and effective for any N American game. BUT...you can improve your odds for succes by choosing a bullet appropriate for your target. With the amzing menu of projectiles offered today, this should apply to any caliber. I occasionally read of guys using pistol bullets for varmints out their Whelens. I wonder how the 180 gr Partition might work for light skinned game?
Imagine your grave on a windy winter night. You've been dead for 70 years. It's been 50 since a visitor last paused at your tombstone..... Now explain why you're in a pissy mood today.
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,928
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,928 |
I've used the .350 Rem mag and it's the same thing as the Whelen. They are great for deer if you go with a 200 grain soft point and nothing heavier.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,760
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,760 |
Seems to me that the bigger variable in todays world might be your choice of an appropriate bullet rather than your choice of caliber. I consider the Whelen to be remarkably versatile and effective for any N American game. BUT...you can improve your odds for succes by choosing a bullet appropriate for your target. With the amzing menu of projectiles offered today, this should apply to any caliber. I occasionally read of guys using pistol bullets for varmints out their Whelens. I wonder how the 180 gr Partition might work for light skinned game? True. The nice thing about a round like the Whelen is, most anything 250 will rely less on bonded/partitioned/mono...etc... You've got solid performance from plain jane bullets. With a smaller caliber, bullet performance may vary to a great degree depending on the bullet structure/build. None of that was said to downplay using a quality bullet, but larger caliber rounds moving at non-warp speeds cover a lot of sins in regard to performance of regular bullets.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,698
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
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I have only killed a few (dozen) deer with my 700 Classic in 35 Whelen but I have never had to shoot one twice. One hundred bullets could last for generations. I used to play around with different bullets and came to the conclusion that deer can't tell much difference from a well placed shot with any bullet out there. The last 11 point buck I shot was in the brush about 20 yds away. The 250 gr Speer put him down so fast it was like the Hammer of Thor. I will leave the .223's for prairie dogs. I am sure they work on deer but how they could kill faster or better than instantly is beyond me. Where I hunt the pressure from other hunters causes the deer to move mostly at dawn and dusk. I like to find my deer right away, not after somebody else is gutting it. whelennut
I like to do my hunting BEFORE I pull the trigger! There is only one kind of dead, but there are many different kinds of wounded.
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,703
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,703 |
I have a M700 Classic with Vari-X II 2.5-8x36mm scope that has accounted for 17 WT and a 250 lb Black Bear. The first 4 bucks were taken with the factory 200 gr SPSCL bullet back in '88 and '89. In '90 I started using the then new 225 gr PT at 2650 fps and killed quite a few more deer. I only had to blood trail 2-3 deer and they were short and heavy. The rest dropped in their tracks. JD338
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 |
I have only killed a few (dozen) deer with my 700 Classic in 35 Whelen but I have never had to shoot one twice. One hundred bullets could last for generations. I used to play around with different bullets and came to the conclusion that deer can't tell much difference from a well placed shot with any bullet out there. The last 11 point buck I shot was in the brush about 20 yds away. The 250 gr Speer put him down so fast it was like the Hammer of Thor. I will leave the .223's for prairie dogs. I am sure they work on deer but how they could kill faster or better than instantly is beyond me. Where I hunt the pressure from other hunters causes the deer to move mostly at dawn and dusk. I like to find my deer right away, not after somebody else is gutting it. whelennut Compelling
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,408
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,408 |
i have one of the ultra rare rem 7600 factory carbines in whelen. it is my favorite deer gun. professional trigger job, bushnell 3200 2-7x32 and it is sweet. i use 200 grain rem factory loads and it devastates deer and shoots into 1 hole at deer ranges.
My diploma is a DD214
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21,810
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 21,810 |
Tell me some stories?
Got one in a CDL model 700.........and one in a 7600.
Too much for whitetails? Stories? OK, here's mine. When I was a kid in the 1940's, I had an uncle who owned a large Buick dealership in northern NJ. Each year he'd take 4 weeks off an go elk hinting in Wyoming (this was in the 1920's, '30's and '40's and he took a train each way). He had a gun cabinet with 6 Griffin and Howe Model 70 rifles in various calibers plus several Colt Single Actions! The 35 Whelen was my favorite due to the wood grain in the stock. He promised me that one day, I could have my pick of one of the rifles. On his death, my family traveled to NJ for the funeral and I saw that the cabinet was empty; the contents going to his kids (as it should be). I was heart broken. About three years ago, I bought a Remington Model 700 in 35 Whelen and am happy. Scary accurate!
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 21,955
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 21,955 |
One can alter the 35 Whelen into a "shock" round, without speed....
I've seen it kill lung shot hogs quicker than a 224 and 243 rifles with BT's, simply by using cast flat softnosed bullets at a sedate 2,500 fps....
What bullets do really matters, almost like field points and broadheads to an archer....
It reminds me of guys bitching about their .223's when all they ever use is 55gr. ball.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 223
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 223 |
Like NH K9 I bought both a 7600 carbine in 35 rem and a 7600 rifle in 35 Whelen in '03 or '04 can't remenber.
I shot one buck, one coyote and one bear with the whelen.
All were shot in the neck/ head so it would not matter what I used.
But I find the 35 rem kills much harder than one would think.
I am using my AR this year to shoot a deer.
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