Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats .35 whelen handloads

@z1r: hmmm that's a good pointer. Should boost performance.

@EdM that's a beauty of a rifle. Moose with the whelen has been a dream of mine for many many years. Thanks for sharing. I don't have many bonus points so It'll be many years before I can start realistically hoping to draw a moose tag here in Utah. When I do I guarantee I'll take my whelen.
Looks like Td has some sweet rifles too. Ill have to post a pic or two of mine once I figure out how. I bought from a guy in alaska, it's kind of the old fashioned sourdough type rig with modern stock and handed front sight.

RE-15 is usually the ticket. I was using 60 grs of RE-15, WLR primer, Remington cases and 225 gr TSX's. My rifle had a long throat so work up slowly and watch for pressure signs. 250's shot real well to with the same components and a lower charge. I think 58.5 grs. Velocity with 225 TSX's was 2715 fps 15yds from the muzzle.

I run 250 HotCors or 250 Partitions over 59gr R-15. Rem 9 1/2 primers....

what kind of cartridge lengths you all use? my rifle has a hard time with cartridges less than 3.3" unless fireformed. ill get misfires if they are too short due to headspacing i think.. nosler customs were 3.316" and i never had issue with misfires on thise loads

[img]http://utahsportsmen.com/gallery/image.php?album_id=1&image_id=67[/img]

OAL is dictated by the individual chamber. My Whelen is always 3.5+ with my preferred bullets.

ok. i cant figure out how to post a pic

I'm at 3.210" for my current load. The OAL shouldn't impact headspace? Where the shoulder is at doesn't get influenced by seat depth, unless I'm missing something?

I'd like to try RL15, but it's pretty hard to get right now. I think once I bed up my rifle, I'll see some real tiny groups from it. Even so, it's giving me 1-1.5MOA out to 200 without being bedded, so I'm pretty stoked.

Once '15 is more available, though, I'm gonna have to try it. Too many people are too happy with it for me not to give it a shot. I'm really anxious, though, to bed up the rifle and see how it shoots afterward.

I don't know if you'll see any miracles with RL15 vs your 4320 Tom. Your probably getting very similar speeds and if your rifle tightens up with bedding, you'll never see enough difference to matter. I do like RL15, but 4320 looks darned good as well, especially if it shoots accurate.

In my Remington, I am around 3.450 with the 225 AB's and 3.34" with the 250 PT's and Speers. Both are the same die seating setting, so it makes it fairly easy to load both.

I may try 15 when it's easy to find again, just 'cuz.

I think the bedding work will bring the groups in a lot, though, and they are pretty decent as-is. The pic I posted looks like a pretty open group, but in reality, it's 1.25MOA at 200 yards. That's pretty decent. Swinging the 8" gong at 300 wasn't a problem at all.

I'm hoping to have a whitetail pose with the rifle here soon...

That'll be the ultimate test of the load/rifle.

The Whelen works...

BUT--

I dropped the hammer twice on that deer. First time I "shot" the primer dented but didn't light. I've NEVER had that happen before, ever. Lucky for me and unlucky for him, the doe he was chasing was more interesting than the faint noises he was hearing from behind him. He let me rack in a fresh round and clobber him. There was little dispute to the results. He fell like a sack of potatoes.

Seems like it's entirely adequate for SC deer!

The 35 Whelen is my favorite caliber. I have two right now. A LH Mauser and my factory Remington 7600. I have taken PILES of deer and a few bears with the 7600. It loves 54.5 grains of RL 15 and 250 gr. Hornady roundnose bullets.

I have an Ackley version with a 22" Adam & Bennett barrel (straight from Midway).


This is at 100 yards with Re-12



Two 3-shot groups with Re-15.... first at 100 yards and second at 200 yards

Wow, very good shooting Whelen! Nice.