Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Happy with my 35 Whelen Hawkeye!!

A couple of trips to the range and today I came up with this load for my stainless synthetic Hawkeye. 3 shots at 100 metres.

I have 3 Rugers and they all shoot really well!

Wow, that's exceptional accuracy for a hunting rifle! Sure the third shot didn't miss the target completely?

Its there!

Nice group.

We have a couple Whelens here and have had a few more in the past.

Your about 150 fps slow with that load. Our 225's run 2700+

Try Rel 15 or Varget

With that kind of accuracy, I'd be fine with 150 fps less velocity...if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Take accuracy every time over velocity!

Gotta love the .35 Whelen with the 225 gr. TSX. If you can find some Re15, start at about 57.0 gr. and see if you can reach 60.4 gr. That's max in my rifle with the 225 gr. TSX and 59.0 gr. of RE15 has showm much promise with the 225 gr. Nosler Partition and Accubond. That 59.0 gr. is max in the Nosler book BTW.
The TSX load does .50" to .75" while the partition is just a hair over 0ne inch and the Accubond is right at 1.25" but I've just started playing the the latter two bullets.
The TSX load shows no pressure in my custom Mauser but is a bit too hot for use in a Remington M700 Classic or my Ruger M77 RS. I'll have to mess around with those two a bit more. M77 RS. Seems like the more I play with the .35 Whelen, the more I ignore everything else.
Guy on another forum has this for his sig line. "Saving the world, one .35 Whelen at a time."
Paul B,

Accuracy is more rifle specific than bullet/powder/load specific.

Accuracy was never an issue with this load in any Whelen I've had.....Rel-15, up to 60 grs with the 225 Partition,Accubond,225TSX and the 225 Sierra. Velocity in a 24" barrel I had a while back was 2725-2740.....my son's 22-1/2" barrel still does 2700 with Rel15 or Varget.

Outstanding shooting! The accuracy vs. velocity thing is personal. Me, anything I'd hunt with a 35 Whelen wouldn't require that kind of accuracy. I'd take the 150 fps more as long as the accuracy wasn't over 1.25" groups. In the OP's rifle I doubt that would be the case.

That's outstanding. I can only hope to get that kind of accuracy out of my own Hawkeye. Is that a bone stock rifle? What kind of scope?

With my Whelen 60 grs of RL-15 I gives groups around .75" at hundred yards but only 2580 fps with 225 TSX's. I just switched to Varget and my initial group was 1" but it is now running 2660 fps. I am thinking of trying Big Game out in it, has anyone tried Big Game in a 35 Whelen?

Got myself a stainless synthetic Hawkeye in 35 Whelen a few years ago. One of the best rifle purchases I ever made. Replaced the LC6 with a SpecTech adjustable and that was the icing on the cake. I have what I consider the ideal thick timber elk rifle.

Love it !!!!!

250 grain factory core lokts shoot tight and kill

Awesome accuracy there. All the 35's i've loaded for have been easy to get to shoot. The last Whelen I had wouldn't break 2600 fps with 225 bullets. It was made into a Norma Mag for my son. Any more I really like the original Short MAGNUM, the 350 REM MAG. Mine does 2600+ with 225 Sierra's and RL 15 out of a 20" Barrel. Its an awesome elk rifle in the thick stuff.