A few days ago, I bought a Remington Model 700 Classic in 35 Whelen. Date code tracks to August 1988, the first year of production for this combination of rifle and cartridge. I also snagged 100 pieces of Hornady brass and two boxes of 225-grain Sierra Game Kings.

I put it into an old factory synthetic stock and stuck an old 4x Leupold on it. All-up weight is just under 8 pounds.

A quick ladder test with TAC showed that 61.4 grains looked good, so I chronographed five shots on the MagnetoSpeed and got 2,689 fps average. I loaded a couple of dozen rounds with the GK about 0.10” into the case, planning to refine the OAL by seating them progressively deeper.

Recoil is kinda sharp so I flinched on the first group but the second was 0.788 MOA.

I’ve fired a total of 25 rounds to get this far, and I might be done with load development.

Seems like the 35 Whelen might be a pretty poor choice if you're looking for drama.


Okie John

Mine was one of the most accurate rifles I ever owner and shot groups at 200yds that were great. I shot a mule deer in Mt w/250 Speer @ 2500fps and the guide said he had never seen more damage to a deer. It did get your attention when you pulled the trigger. It was a Rem 700 Classic as well.

I have a Remington classic rechambered to Improved.... the cases look cooler not sure if there is any noticeable improvement though. That said it is now in a McMillian stock and has a Kippinger set trigger installed. Crazy accurate.

I got this put together when I had a location in Eastern NC to hunt bears in thick cover. Never got a shot at a bear but I have been "testing" it on deer for years now... last count was 10 for 10 bang flop kills.

I second the notion that with today's max loads, the Whelen can be about the limit of what I do for fun off the bench. Mine is an AI (which makes little difference) and I recently acquired a Whitworth .375 H&H, and decided to swap the 1.5-5 VX3 off of my Whelen onto the .375, and I replaced it with a 1.75-6 VX3, which of course I then had to sight in.
My go-to load for the Whelen is the 225 TSX over 70 grains of 2000-MR. To save some money I loaded up the Sierra 225 GK over 70/2000-MR for the sight-in loads. Sierra's published max for their 225 SGK is 71.6/2000-MR for 2900 FPS (pretty amazing!). My rifle was getting 2870-2880' with 70/2000-MR under the 225 SGK.
Well, my .375 weighs 9.5 pounds and the Whelen weighs 7.5 pounds. I can tell you a max load with the 300 partition in the .375 was noticeably more pleasant to shoot off the bench than the 225 SGK at 2880' in my lightweight Whelen! As someone once said - "it kills on both ends!"
Interestingly, in the same Sierra manual (the latest one) in which they show 2900 FPS with the 225 in the Whelen, the highest speed they published with any powder in the .338 WM with their .338 225 SGK is 2800 FPS.
I actually think the new loads published by Speer and Sierra with CFE 223 and PP 2000-MR make the Whelen pretty darn exciting! And the 200 TTSX at just under 3000 FPS is not to be yawned at either - I get that with PP Varmint.
But I get what you mean in the title of this thread - it's an easy round to get to shoot well, that's for sure.

Cheers,
Rex

I like mine boring using a 250 grain Speer pushed to a mild 2400 fps. Even more boring using the 250 grain Hornady RN. Still waiting for any complaints to be filed over my using easy shooting 35 Whelen loads. I also topped mine with a 4 power M8 Leupold. Boring in that it is always sighted in year after year. Mine is on an FN Mauser action.

Yeah, pretty much. That's why I recently barreled two actions to 35 Whelen. One with a shroter, lighter, 22" barrel, the other with a 26" tube.

I made the dumbest shot ever with a 35 Whelen.

Whilst calling, a smallish bull came out of a deep ditch full of alders right in front of me at very close range. I clocked him behind the ear with a 250gr Speer from a 7600. It knocked him flying right back down into that deep ditch full of alders. We had one tough time getting him out of there. If I'd let him walk ten feet the other way onto the woods road, we could have loaded him right onto a trailer right there, but no ..........

Right behind you, John. The 700 should ship any day now. Hoping to find mine as simple as yours.

Yep, kind of like the Nosler partition.

If you want boring in a Whelen, buy some 250gr Speers. They shot well in several 35cals I've owned over the years.

I shoot basically the same load out of my late 80's 700 classic, 61.5gr TAC under a 225 SGK. Mine was seated a little deeper and I think it shot a little better there. That is an easy bullet to tune and makes a big mushroom at least over 2000-2100 fps. The 250 Speer and partition are equally easy to get shooting. If you want drama try messing with the 225 accubond. They are more jump-sensitive.

You all are making me want one. I like the classics too

Just picked up a custom Mauser model 98 from a member here in .35 Whelen. Just annealed 50 cases to get started from my stash of 06 brass. Have some 225 ago and a few hundred 225 accubonds to start working up loads. Looking forward to trying it out and think it will be a good big game rifle. There is a lot of overlap in cartridges, and I’m trying to get down to a few rifles that I can go and do more hunting. The .35 and a .308 or 7mm/08 n in and a lot of sense.

My Whelen is a walnut stocked Ruger Hawkeye. It had the same hard thin rubber recoil pad as my Hawkeye Roberts' and recoil was sharp with 225gn loads. I do like Rugers but I wonder if anyone there fires their own guns? I replaced the stock with a HS Precision with a nice thick one inch pad. Much better. The .35 Whelen may not be that big a boomer but the recoil was enough to start splitting the stock behind the tang.

Yep. The Whelen will ring your chimes with modern loads.


Okie John

As you said, accurate, hard hitting rifles are super boring 😀

My 35 Whelen is an 1885 Highwall that started life as a 30/06. I sent it to Jess Rebore to have it rebored to 35 Whelen with his 5 groove in a 10 twist. With 68 grains of Power Pro Varmint behind a 180 TTSX I'm getting 3231 FPS. With the 250 grain Hornaday with 64 grains of CFE223 I'm chronographing 2745.FPS. Groups at 200 are .5 MOA or slightly less.
The Highwall has a 28" barrel. With Barnes 180 TTSX advertised at 2900 FPS I'm getting 2971 FPS. Hornaday 200 grain Superformance factory load advertised at 2910 FPS clocks at 3026 FPS.

Nothing wrong with "dull and boring" , I rather like the 35 Whelen's steady performance .
I have a 1989 Ruger M77RS 35 Whelen that I purchased new; the only thing I've done to it is have it bedded and have a Timney trigger installed .
I have never really pushed it with the newer powders available these days; it has been pretty successful w/ 225 gr. bullets @ 2600 and the 250 Gr. Speer at 2450 fps . I think before I go to warp drive with newer powders the thin, hard Ruger factory pad will need t o be replaced with something a little more forgiving .
The Whelen covers a lot of bases , everything from 158 gr. pistol bullets , 200 gr. cast bullets w/ 12 grains of Unique on up to 250 grain bullets ; not much you couldn't hunt with that range of bullets .
I don't shoot it much these days but I may have to take it deer hunting this year .

StarchedCover

There are bullets heavier than 250.grains available. Woodleigh has a 310 grain and the swift A-frames has a 280 grain available

jwp,
I know they make heavier 358 diameter bullets , I have some old 275 Grain Hornady RN bullets I may try just to see how they shoot .
It hasn't been a front burner project as my 9.3x62 covers the 286/320 grain range for me .
My Ruger is twisted 1 in 16 and haven't tried anything heavier that a 250 grain jacketed bullet yet .
Who knows, might build a 1 in 12 twist Whelen as a retirement project .

StarchedCover

I have had a .35 Whelen for some time. It is a K(* 1943 action with a 22" Douglas barrel, iron sights and a 2-7 Leupold. I put it in a Choate 98 stock to lighten it up. With scope, irons, a peep slide in the buttstock, sling, butt cuff and scope covers it weighs 8lbs 8oz. It has a Decelerator pad on it.

I long ago settled on a load of 60 gr of REL 15 with a 225 Sierra Game King, 225 gr NPT or 225 TBBC (which I am out of except in discontinued factory ammo). Nosler says 59.0 grains is max these days so don't use my load.

The longest distance I have used it at was 235 yards. I sight it 3.5 " high at 100 yards and it hits 7-8" low at 300 yards.

Reading about the attainable velocities with newer powders has me thinking I should do some more load development. Though when shooting it I am not sure I want much more recoil.

I am thinking I will aim for 2700-2750 fps with a 225.

A 250 gr'er at 2,700 fps in a Whelen seems pretty nice to me.

That's a fast load for a 338WM, and damn close to a 358 Norma Mag. ( 250 @ 2,780 fps.)

The new powders available are amazing!

I’m a Whelen fan…but not sure I’d describe 225s @2725fps out of a 7600 with no recoil pad as boring. I never feel recoil hunting, but developing the load and my once a year confirmation that it is still on are not something I look forward to. Yes, I need to have the stock shortened and a good recoil pad added….but the list of things I need to do is long:)

Had the new powders been available years ago, I’m not sure I’d have gone down the 338 route.

Game hunted with my .35 Whelen has exclusively been whitetail deer at ranges +/- 100yds. therefor I load only 200 and 225gr. bullets. Extensive range testing has found that for 200gr. bullets the Hornady Inter-lok RN over IMR 3031 gives best accuracy and 225gr. bullet the best performer is the Sierra Game King over IMR 4064. I tried several other powders with both bullet weights but those two produced the tightest groups and best performance on game.

+2

Mine is a Ruger 77 with a JES rebore. Mine has not been as boring as some of you are reporting.

Getting it to shoot the 225 SGK has been no problem. It has been the most consistently accurate bullet over several different powders and multiple velocity ranges. I have kinda settle on a somewhat sedate load of 65.6 gr of PP 2000-MR that gets me close to 2600 in my 21" Rifle. I had ran it hotter with good accuracy but as time goes on brass life is starting to mean more to me then having to raise my gun an extra inch or two at 300 yards.

Light pistol bullets and a reduced load with a 200g Sierra RN to match .35 Rem ballistics were also easy to get to shoot well and a ton of fun to boot.

The fly in the ointment has been with the other bullets I would like to shoot...namely the 225 TSX and the 250 Speer. Results have been very inconsistent. Some days the loads would group very well...other days I would get fliers. The Speer seems to be the better of the two and I have a warm load with MR2000 at 2630 that shoots "good enough" and averages about 1.5 MOA. Unfortunately that means sub MOA some days and closer to 2 MOA others. Plenty good for killing big game at reasonable ranges but hardly good enough to satisfy the OCD in me. I got a Hornady modified case for my COL gauge and was shocked to find that I can almost push the Speer bullet out of the case before I contact the lands. The 225 sierra does fall out due to the boat tail. Bullets seated to mag length have to jump roughly 1/2 mile. I am thinking all that freebore is not helping my accuracy situation and am debating having the rifle set back and rechambered to play nicer with the 250 Speer.

35 Whelens have long leads

I have been exchanging measurements via text with my 'smith and it sounds like his reamer should get the 250 Speer close to the lands near my max mag length. I will have him verify all that in his shop before we tear into anything.

Ruger No. 1A light sporter in 35 Whelen paired with some 225 Nosler Accubonds. One shot and done, you either walk directly to whatever you shot or follow a short blood trail that was painted with a 5 gallon bucket. From big bucks, black bears, and hogs I’ve never had to make a second shot.

I don't think Hornady makes .358 180 grain single shot pistol bullets any longer.... but if you have or can find some they make for the most "decisive" varmint load I've ever seen. Woodchuck at about 30 yards basically turned completely into red mist. The only think left intact was the head.

If I had been any closer some of that mist would have landed on me.

I may have to dust off my Ruger M77 35 Whelen if I continue to hunt where Grizzlies are found. It was my go-to rifle for Bear, Elk and Moose, but I found a 7x57 with the right bullets could do the job with less bark and thump.

My first 35 Whelen (poor man's magnum) was a 1903-A3 Springfield with a 24" Buhmiller barrel. Stith mount with a 2.5 K Weaver. Weighed almost 10 1/2 pounds all in. Bought it from Leo Roethe, estate sale in Fort Atkinson WI. I struggled with respectable accuracy in it until a combination of 54 grs IMR4320 and Hornady RN 250 grain @ 2480 fps. It bagged my best Idaho elk, Ontario moose and wild boar

.My present 35 Whelen is a tang safety Ruger M77, 22" barrel. It favors 52grs IMR4320 with 250 gr Hornady SP PT, chrony at 2460fps. 5 shot groups 1 1/4 -1 1/2 inches at 100 yards.

I also had a Rem 700 classic wearing a Leupold 4x that shot small groups with factory Rem Core Lok't in either 200 or 250 grain. As others have commented recoil was stout...especially with the 250 grain. I shot groups with this Rem 700 Classic in prone from time to time and would always end with nice shade of purple bruise. The recoil pad on the Classic was hard compared to a Decelerator.

I do miss that rifle though. The Ruger 1A in 35 Whelen looks great to me.

I too have a Rem classic and also a Tikka re-bored by JES to a 35 Whelen

225 gr Partitions with a load of RL-15

Nothing fancy, but always gets the job done

I have had a 700 CDL, currently have a 7600 35 Whelen and a Ruger 77 tang safety 35 Whelen. My current go to's for those are the 225 Sierra in the 7600 at nearly 2700 with H4895 and 8208 with the 200 TTSX at 2900 or the 220 Hammers at 2830'ish with PP2000. It's been a great cartridge for me from deer to elk to include a couple of bear. Nice thing is it doesn't need anything fancy and most stuff seems to shoot great.

How's the accuracy with the Hammers?

They're great so far John. No real seating sensitivities that I have seen and they seem to run a shade faster than a normal cup and core of the same weight.

Hello Roundoak: Interested in your story about the 35 Whelan with the Buhmiller barrel. Do you still have the beast? Was it a bull Barrel, untapered? Did it have sights? Wondering if it matched roughly with my .375 H&H...

I bought a 700 Classic 35 Whelen new in '88 and have owned one other one that came from the estate of a good friend's father. The only reason I don't have one now is I have a couple of 9.3x62's. They are kind of boring working up a load - my last one really liked 225 TSX's and either Varget or RL15.

Oh boy …

I wouldn’t anticipate a response Buhmiller.

Mine is a 1941 model 70 converted to left hand. I sent it to Cliff Labounty to be rebored to 35 Whelen. Loves any 250 grain bullet and 56 grains of 4320. I tried some old 275 grain Hornady RN. They shot okay but not as well as the 250s. One of them made one bull moose surrender.

Three caribou fell to 250 grain partitions. All one and done.

What Twist ?
I’d be inclined to use the traditional 16” on the shorter gun, and something more LR oriented on the 26” .
Or is the 22” Suppressor Oriented ?

Curious

i have not read every post on this site but i feel its a great cartridge the 35 Whelen , but now at age 69 with poor shoulders recoil is not fun anymore so i tend to shoot and reload much smaller cartridges for fun . for me shooting cartridges for accuracy if its bigger than a 6.5 Creedmoor i don`t enjoy it anymore . good luck,Pete53

My pet load in the .35 Whelen is the 225gr. Barnes TSX over a top load of RL15 for 2710 FPS. The rifle is a custom Mauser with 24" 1 in 14" twist barrel. The load has proven to be a great killer of elk but is too hot for my Remington M700 Classic and Ruger 77RS.

As to recoil isn't all that bad in the Mauser but has proven to be a bit snappy in the M700 and Ruger M77. Recoil pad on the m700 has turned hard s a rock and need to be replaced. The Ruger is on a Ramline stock as the factory stock was cracked and not repairable. It also has a somewhat oversized chamber. I use it for cast bullet loads. I picked up another sizing die for it as the headspacing is a bit more loose than the other two rifles.

I have to sort of agree with Pete53 in the recoil. I'm 84 and it ain't the fun it used to be. The Mauser is still tolerable for short sessions as it's about a pound heavier than the other two rifle with the M700 being the lightest of the three. On the fence on just what I may use if I can get an elk tag and have been playing with stiff loads in a 7x57 as a possible elk load. That .35 with the 225 gr. TSX just flat elk flat, DRT! I could also use a .270, 280 or 30-06 for elk. But first, I have to snag a tag.
PJ

You do realize you can shoot 0.357" pistol bullets @ 1,200 fps and circumvent that issue?

I'm fi'nda take the Whelen out for hogs in about a month, and will echo all the comments about easy load development. The pad on the 700 CDL works well, but slingin' 250 SP's is all I care for in the recoil department. This hunt will see me tossing 225 TSX's over Varget, and they're not all that much easier on my shoulder.

In its life with me, this rifle has obliterated a few hogs, and flattened a Flathead Valley Shiras Moose. I don't foresee myself needing more oomph for anything I'm planning to hunt.

FC

My 35 Whelen is a relatively svelte package – 225's is all I care to absorb on the backend.

I hear ya. The aforementioned 700 CDL goes 7#, 12 oz, all-up. It carries & points like a mountain rifle, but it sure rips 'n snorts when then trigger breaks.

FC

My 20” Whelen was a .270 that I bought used and sent to be rebored by JES. I put it into a B&C synthetic stock, replaced the firing pin and spring, added a Trigger Tech Primary and had the bolt spiral fluted and changed the bolt knob. It’s designed for sub 200 yard work and it’ll shoot 250-280gr cup & core or 225 monos.

My .338wm is setup for 200-225gr while I use the Whelen for the heavy’s. I’m sending two rifles to JES in the coming months one will become a 24” .338wm and the 1953 model 70 will become a 24” Whelen.

It’s been my experience that the “medium” bores are not finicky and typically shoot well.

I love the 35 Whelen. I own many.

So far, I’ve taken Elk (250 gr. NP) and Moose (280 gr. SAF) in America with my Ruger Hawkeye SS/syn. Whelen.

In Africa, I’ve used my Dakota Classic Deluxe 35 Whelen to take: Leopard, Sable, Sitatunga, Hartebeest, Lechwe, Bushbuck, Oribi, and Warthog, all with 250 gr. NPs.

I also use a 9.3x62 as much as the Whelen in Africa. Both have similar ballistics, and I love the way they both drop animals quickly. I took two Hippos, Kudu, Hyena and Warthog with my Ruger African 9.3x62 two years ago, using 300 gr. SAFs.

This year, I’m going to try my 9.3x66 (286 gr. NP & BBS) for the first time, mated with my 404 Jeffery (430 gr. NF) in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia. The ‘66 is an AHR custom, and the 404 is a Dakota Safari. The 404 will be for Buffalo, and the ‘66 for Cookson’s Wildebeest and the rest of any PG I decide to take.

Smaller calibers would work as well on the PG I hope to take, but one never knows what one will wander into in the Valley, so I prefer something a bit bigger when hunting even PG there, hence the BBS for the 9.3. Two years ago, I was hunting Croc on the river, when my PH and I walked into some Elephant. I don’t want a 30-06 in my hands in such cases. A 9.3 with solids is not the best medicine in these situations, and I wasn’t using my 404 on the Croc hunt, but I prefer the 9.3 over my 7mm. Bell wouldn’t have minded I don’t suppose, but I’m not Bell either!

My Ruger is just a tick over 7 1/2lbs in the High Tec. 220’s at 2800 is plenty for me.





I had a 700 CDL 35 Whelen for a lot of years. 250’s at 2600 were easier when I was young. Today, I use the 200 TTSX @ 2900 or the 220 Hammers at 2800.

I don’t feel left out leaving the 250’s behind anymore.

dull and boring until something gets hit by one....things happen pretty quick then

That's interesting – just a few short years ago in regards to recoil in an Alaska forum thread:

Fun thread fellas! I’m currently a 338-06 & 9.3x62 guy but who doesn’t need a gap filler like the Whelen. Love it.

well thanks for the reminder , maybe reread and try to understand i may still shoot some bigger cartridges in my rifles for hunting but i don`t make it a habit to bench shoot a whole lot with rifles with alot of recoil. does that make since that you can understand ? maybe some day you will man up and quit the B.S. ? you looked foolish or maybe a little boy shameful again . yes you do make it interesting making yourself look foolish in your posts. he haw good luck getting better,Pete53

I’m not the one that continually overdrives my headlights.
And I’m also not the only one that calls you on it.

Tis a damned shame you can’t even recall your own sausage talk. Pick a damned story and stick with it.

You want dull? 200 gr corelokts are soft on the shoulder and kill plenty well. Cheap too.....

If a guy actually “hunted”, it would be tough to top a whelen for a 1 gun killin rifle.



I could do lots of periods that would mean I’m real serious!!!…………………………………..

Pards be posting stuff.

Alwaysindoors be livin vicariously

You be suckin’ my cock if I ask . Your fat Washington ass don’t mean schidt here. Go back to trading slaps with Beaver. LMAO

Alwaysindoors, you suck a mean ass! Post up (1) pic you cowardly cuunt. Naw, your waaaaay to mucha a coward.👊🏻😘

What do you wanna picture of you fat kghunt? I’m sorry , PARD? Send your email if you wanna cock pic , you fugking puzzy.

Here is a picture you fat bitch

Your fat wife perhaps? She’s gonna be greatly disappointed when she finds out you’re cheating on her front butt. I am a puzzy, I just act tough via www 👊🏻

Well of course it is roundoak!! 😂

I’ll raise your welfare 3xl britches. Goodwill coat and knee high rubber boots!!! Haha

You poor stupid fuucking poser. You hardcore whitetail hunters are a rough bunch!!! Lmao

Well fuuck, the epic poaching/trespasser has a tag hangin!!! Lmfao

Beaver could stomp a mud hole in your squatty ass ten times outta ten.

Alwaysbitingpillows, she tried, but her 3rd hand info failed. The pm/gossip crew is for real though!!!


Lmao 😘

Maybe when you get your balls outta your mommies purse, you’ll post a pic, instead of being a wannabe cheerleading bitch??? Maybe? 😂

PS, they might actually sell britches that fit ya, and some real “boots “??? Haha

What a cuunt👊🏻

Only thing she’s stomping a hole in, is her 5th marriage, happy you gotta be a vicarious cheerleading cuunt, as you gotta hope others can do your “work”. What a miserable troll high school cuunt you are. I almost feel sorry for you. Do you got a big brother that’ll beat me up as well??? Haha

Fuuck you lady.🖕🏿😘

Agreed…. There’s always space

Good redirection to the original topic lol.

I've had two 35 Whelens. Sold them both -- and wish I hadn't. Have a 9.3x62 right now because the ammo is just so easy.

I have 9.3x62 and a few Whelens and still can't crush my want of a 338-06, even having a 338 Win as well! HA!

I toyed with the idea of a matching three rifle set in 25-06, 30-06, and 338-06, but never got it done. I've been trying to consolidate what has to be reloaded for and 338-06 certainly isn't gonna thrive on factory offerings.

I gave up trying. I might have a few trio's..

I have a Nosler Outfitter that I got from a close friend on the Fire and he had it shooting one hole with 225 Sierras. It pretty much does the same with 200 Core-Lokts factory ammo. I just bought a whole bunch of 200 grain Nosler Accubonds and hope they shoot as well.

My Ruger African (1st gen) in 9.3x62 shoots the 250 grain Nosler Accubonds really good also. Tough choice.

Can't have to many guns, just can't get enough tags, time and money to use them all. That is the real problem...mb

Absolutely agree!

Had a 338-06, 35 Whelen, now a 9.3x62. The 35 is a solid cartridge. I be making another 358 win.
S.

[quote=SKane] try to be a little more positive with your posts by starting today by saying to yourself its a wonderful day ,thank you Lord for another great day and i will try harder to be more positive with my posts. good luck and have a wonderful peaceful day God bless,Pete53

Uh oh... here we go again.....


Originally Posted by Judman
PS, if you think Trump is “good” you’re way stupider than I thought! Haha

Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit.

No one likes using & more than I here. But I have ZERO tolerance for false bravado & bullszchit artists - you check both of those boxes and have for a very long time.

And multiple folks here have entertained the idea of your being a sock-puppet so you aren't just on my radar.

Apparently, the 35 Whelen thread is no longer dull or boring.

Have 2 now load for 5 Speer 250 gr usually leaves 2 holes in moose, shot a black bear and blood looked like someone poured it out of a paint bucket, wife shot a big black bear with the Whelen rolled into glacial lake off a cliff and sunk we never saw the bear again lung shot. Seems to work! Kurt out!

Maybe a pic of your latest would get it back into track and divert less from the mighty ol Colonel!

Mine got a facelift last fall.




Old guise:

Nice! That one does not look dull and boring. Mine might be-started as early 700 ADL: used Brown from Chrlie Sisk;Classic factory Whelen barrel from someone else here (forget who just now) and rebarreled by our own Redneck. It shoots really well and though I may not need this much power, it worked fine on two bucks this Fall.

I have a 700 KS in 35 Whelen as well. I bought it a few years back from a close friend. His notes on the hand loads were just high and left. I’m pretty sure he’d not shot the rifle in years. Sure enough 1” high and 1” left. Quick adjustment and it easily shot 3/4” or better every single time. It’s pretty boring, but I’m those cases I like boring! Recoil is very manageable and I’m a small dude.

I’ve never shot a deer with it, as it’s more gun than I need. I need to kill one just because though

Yowsers, what a bear. That makeover looks very nice too Scott!

Great bear and the rifle looks great Scott! Love the Whelen. Still near the top of my favorites.

It's also not the 35 Whelen thread any more.


Okie John

The flexing on this place gets old.

Agree. Just take the shenanigans to the campfire forum. Don't need them here.

MGunns--cheap? Last box I bought was $65 plus tax! They do shoot good.

you still seem to be entertaining with your words of wisdom , please continue your humble knowledge

I must admit, this confuses me... why would any serious rifle nut buy overpriced store bough ammo... reload!!!!

I’m between loading areas. Waiting for the spray foam guy….


It sucks but it sucks even more to not shoot at all!

That’s my story.

Here’s mine. An early Ruger MKII with a custom 22” 1:14 barrel. Presently in a B&C stock sporting a fancy Krylon paint job. Accounted for one moose so far.

Fixing to be there pretty soon myself. Loading up about 100 rounds for bigger cartridges and 2-300 of each for 222 and 223.

I wished Browning would have made the BLR and BAR in 35 whelen. A Winchester 1895 in 35 whelen too.

The poor bear must have got between you and big buck.

I wish Ruger would chamber their guide rifle or Alaskan in the 35 Whelen. I was all set to have a re-bore done on a 30-06 guide rifle, now I am debating on leaving this one as is. Those darn rifle decisions.
I do think the 35 Whelen is a step-up. I may have to look for another donor rifle.

No 35 Whelen, but I have a Remington 673 in 350 Rem mag. Seems to be a short action version of the balliatics

This! The closest thing I see to this is the pricey Remington 7600's in .35 Whelen that pop up on GunBroker regularly.

If you've never seen it before, this blog post from a guy who found a rebored 30-06 Winchester 1895 on GunBroker in 2014 is an interesting read. I doubt you would find one today for $800 though:

https://762precision.com/2014/06/28/1895-browning-35-whelen-beautification-project/

Mississippi & Louisiana allow breech-loaded single-shots with an exposed hammer chambered for >= .35 caliber to be used during primitive season. So I wrote a letter to Winchester asking them to make an 1885 in .35 Whelen, .350 Legend,..., basically anything that started with .35*. They thanked me for my suggestion and promptly ignored my request but fortunately I wasn't holding my breath thinking they would actually do it. At the moment my Mississippi hunting is fairly short-ranged so I'm getting by with an 1885 in .44 Magnum.

Here's my 1895 in 35 Whelen. It's one of my rifles that's not going anywhere. Rebored by Labounty Precision long ago.

I'm a one-trick pony so had to diversify a bit.

I loaded a ton of 5.56 and some smaller stuff along with enough to hunt with last fall, but apparently I have a bigger shooting problem that I'd originally thought.

I used a 7600 35 Whelen while I was in Kodiak. It was pleasantly accurate. Not overly uncomfortable on the shoulder. I only killed one deer with it. With a 225 grain TBBC bullet, it penetrated through the near side shoulder, exited the opposite rear ham and demolished lungs along the way. I sold it when I left AK. I had no need for it down here on the Gulf Coast.

That certainly doesn't suck!

If having a need for a rifle is the reason for owning a rifle, then I’m doing it wrong.

I’m originally from south LA. I have two friends down there who both have a single-shot .35 Whelen CVA but that’s because of the primitive hunting requirements. It’s definitely overkill for the game they’ll encounter. A .350 Legend would probably be a more practical choice for that area.

They do (or did) offer BLR’s in .358. I had one. With modern powders a .358 does everything “legacy” .35 Whelen’s did, with the exception of 250+ grain bullets, where COAL will be the limiter.

I can get 2700 fps with 200’s out of my 20” bolt .358. That’s definitely in the realm of factory Whelen loadings. I throttle it back to around 2650 just because that’s my normal MO, but I never saw a single pressure sign at those speeds in either .358 I loaded for, the BLR or my M7. That’s using RL7.

They also used to offer the BLR in .325 WSM. Had one of those, too. That’s Whelen-esque.

The .358 is listed as still in production on 3 out of 4 models on the Browning website. The .325 is listed as “out of production”. Now how that translates into actual availability during these times is another question entirely. The .358’s available on GB are going for 100’s over MSRP. But for certain models & calibers of rifles that seems pretty common lately.

Yeah, used prices for anything desirable are nuts.

If anyone ever runs across a used pistol-grip BLR in .325 WSM with a matte finish on the wood and the best trigger they've ever felt on a BLR... buy it! That was mine. I dulled the finish with fine steel wool (came out great) and I found a guy (Neil Jones) who’d work on BLR triggers and he “fixed” it. It was a good rifle. Quite accurate with with everything I loaded for it. It did copper-foul like nothing else I’ve ever run.

I grew up shooting a Remington 7600 in 30/06 so the choice of my Whelen was easy enough. Besides I shoot left handed so my choices in a left-hand Whelen in a factory rifle were zero. As stated above we can use a 35 caliber or larger single shot rifle with an exposed hammer in our "primitive weapons" season in Louisiana so I also have a CVA single shot for that.

Does anyone have any experience with the Barnes 200gr TTSX and white tail deer? I've killed a fair amount of deer with a Marlin in 35 Remington and a BLR81 in 358Win. The Marlin sees nothing but hand loaded 200gr
Core-Lokts and the 358 has been used with 200gr Hornady RN, 220gr Speer FP Hot cores and 225gr Nosler Partitions. While I love round nose bullets the partitions have become the favored load...not that they're needed for white tails but they shoot good and will penetrate from any direction.

I feel like the Hornady RN are too soft to run at max speed in the Whelen or I would have already tried them on deer. I know the Barnes TTSX will out penetrate anything else but wonder if our smallish deer offer enough resistance for it expand without hitting bone. I've never used a Barnes bullet so I would like to hear real world experiences of the Whelen and the TTSX. Any expansion or should I shoot something softer?

I bagged a smaller buck this year with the Whelen loaded with the 200gr Barnes TTSX. It performed as expected. He piled up close to where he stood and was very easy to find in the taller grass of an uncut prairie. I find that the Barnes open up quickly and hang together for virtually zero weight loss. It's an excellent bullet and one of my favorites.