I don't have experience with this cartridge but I am looking at one.

I'd like thoughts and opinions.

If it bleeds red, the .35 is your huckelberry. Spend some time with it, and you should have no problems out to 500 or whatever your comfort ranges are. Handloading will be a plus for ya...

...if you like long actions, nuttin better. A friend has a 7600 and uses 225 partitions...all but one deer has dropped in place and the one that ran only made it 40 yards...

So what do you plan to wrap around the cartridge?

Bob

I've got a #1 and a NEF. Love them both so well I'll have a bolt gun in that caliber ASAP. Trying to decide whether to go Rem 700 or barrel a Mauser. Shot everything from cast 180s to 250gr jacketed. Will try the Hornady stuff soon..

Remington 700 CDL

Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen one in anything other than Ruger M77 or Remington 700.

Thanks for the replies.

The gun comes with a set of dies and I'd like to try the Barnes Tipped TSX in 200 a 225 grain.

225 gr Gamekings.....Sharp knife.....hot grill.....salt.....pepper.....garlic.....baked tater.....glass or two of red

I had my Tikka .270 rebored to 35 Whelen, shot Barnes TSX 225 gr. into .7" groups with the first load I tried!

Kinda put a crimp into my long drawn out load work

When I think "35 Whelen", I think "moose".

Truly, one of the classic American cartridges ever developed. A lot more versatile than most folks believe, IMO. 180 to 310 grain bullets will give you useable velocities, depending on the application.

Got a chuckle out of GN308's post, as I too love 225 SGKs!

Here's my story on Townsend's invention. About ten years ago, I helped a relative build a 338-06AI. We never seriously discussed him doing a 35 Whelen. After he passed and I inherited that rifle, I wanted to put a Mauser action to use, so I built a 35 Whelen AI. And, boy am I glad I did. An extremely versatile rifle, and one that is a tackdriver with those 225 Sierras. I pretty much exclusively use those over Reloder 15. Terrific combo.

I have been shooting handloads through mine since I bought it.
Whenever Remington came out with it in the 700 Classic?
I had never really liked the Remington 700 but the cartridge fascinated me. A lot of the instructors at the Colorado School of Trades Gunsmithing school talked about what a great elk rifle it was.
One of them came to visit me on the farm where there were many woodchucks in the cow pasture. His rifle was a Springfield with a rebored barrel IIRC. He loaded up some Hornady pistol bullets to 2400 fps and made woodchucks into puree. Talk about versatility, everything from elk to woodchucks!
When I got mine I chronographed it and found out that I could make the Nosler Partition move out at 2681 fps. Which is about what the factory loads a 180 gr. in the 30-06.
That is very efficient if you ask me.
I can't imagine any animal that would need more than one well placed shot with the 225 gr Nosler at that speed.
I honestly feel like you can't go wrong unless you are an ardent antelope hunter.
whelennut

IME, 225 partitions, RL-15, then the knife, salt, pepper, etc.
Both my 35's are minute of Mouse to Moose, and trajectory is pretty much like the 180 "06" out to around 200 yds, then it starts to drop off a little quicker at 300yds. Its an easy cartridge to load. Recoil is a bit heavier than an 06" but doesn't beat the snot out of most folks. I took a dandy Canadian moose the year before last with this cartridge in a 700 "classic".
IIRC they came out in '88. In fact I like the cartrige so well I bought a CDL in it and had factory iron sights installed on it and dropped it into a synthetic stock. It's noticeably lighter than the "classic" even with the 2" longer barrel but, it balances well. I haven't weighed either of them and frankly it doesn't really matter to me. They both wear Leupold VX-3 1.5 to 5's which I have found to be almost an ideal scope on these rifles in the timber to open clear cuts where I hunt.

Great cartridge for big critters. If you are primarily hunting deer there are a WHOLE bunch of other better cartridges.


I'd rather hunt deer with a 243 than I would a Whelen.

Moose and 45-70....

You mean, like this one?








You mean, like this one?





This rifle loves 250 grain Interlocks over RL-15. I got very little expansion on the moose at 222 yards, but it sure dropped him. My hunch is that 225's would do me just as well, flying faster & flatter. It's just so hard to try working up another load when the 250's make this my most accurate rifle.

A Whelen is easy to become smitten with, but I'd agree that I'd rather shoot a smaller cartridge if my quarry were deer-sized or smaller.

FC

+1

Awesome cartridge......

What are you waiting for?

Have a Whelen in a tang safety Ruger M77 and reload it with IMR4320 for Speer and Hornady spitzer 250 grain bullets. Application - Moose, Black bear and Elk.

Good luck with your Whelen

The Whelen makes for a dandy deer rifle too. Those big bullets don't blow pieces of the deer all over, and I actually get LESS bloodshot meat with a Whelen 200gr bullet than a 30-06 with 150s or 165s.

The 35 Whelen makes an effective varmint rifle as well!
I didn't see any deer but I saw some coyotes!
I like it because I can use the same rifle for deer, bear, caribou, elk, without changing loads. The Helen Keller bloodtrail is a good thing too.
whelennut

I agree....

I had one put together about eight years ago with Africa in mind. It worked well, even on 1800 lb. eland. More than I need for hogs, etc., but it sure is rewarding to see it put the smack on stuff.

I did not receive my notice that hell has frozen over, cant say I ever thought they would agree on anything.

I love my Whelen, 250 Hornadys for almost everything but Im glad to see the TTSX now offered for it, need to work up a condor load.

Spent the first couple decades of my big game hunting career using a 270 and a brief affair with 6mm Rem. I have always admired the "classic" writers & cartridges, so bought my first Whelen when Rem introduced it in 1987 or 88. Since a 35 cal 250 gr bullet is so different, on paper, than a 130 gr 270 bullet, I expected to see a difference in the field,. I didn't. I was pretty happy to discover that the Whelen, produced a high percentage of "270 kills" ie DRT.
While I prefer Partitions in the 270, I have found the plain ole Hornady 250 grain to be absolutely, totally, completely adequate with the Whelen's more modest velocities. If you happen to be a fan of the 200 or 225 gr bullets, well, they get the job done just about as well. Which is to say....very well.
I could not disagree more with the statement that there are lots of better cartridges for deer.

While I'm not a fan of the .30-'06, I do love its many offspring.

To my way of thinking, a gent equipped with a .35 Whelen and a .25-'06 is about as well-equipped as one can be for shooting all manner of game, big and small, near and far.

Big thump with manageable recoil out of the .35, and a flat-shooting death ray with hardly any recoil in the quarter bore.

Best of all worlds.

You would have to be a fool to hunt with a 35 Whelen! Too old, inept,and has a rainbow trajectory. No good no how!

That's all I have to say about the 35 Whelen!

The lack of a shoulder to headspace on is the biggest concern. A rather problematic cartridge.

Same here.

You have to be kidding? Or inexperienced with the cartridge.

I'm guessing INexperience. Trying to be nice.

they suck..... that's why i only have two of them...

Once again, all the feedback is appreciated.

For clarification, the applications I'm considering are elk and black bear with a possible Africa hunt in the future.

Honestly, I don't "need" the rifle, but it's seems to be a very versatile cartridge with a neat history, and when looking at medium bores, this one really seems to fit the bill.

I've looked at a .338 Lapua and a .340 Weatherby, but this board and opportunity have made me reconsider in the direction of a Whelen.

Also, based on previous posts, the Whelen sounds like a really good 300-500 yard gun. Is this correct or do I need to view it as a <300 yard rifle?

Now you get to hear from Swampy's brothers about the 300 yard limit...

The .30-06 is a really good 300-500 yard gun. It feeds, functions, and fires every time.

Jeez, you really are a dipstick.

BP...

I took my .35 Whelen to Africa in 2006, and shot a kudu, impala and gemsbok. As expected, they all fell over nicely. It's like a lot of other fine cartridges -- it will likely do far better than the shooter can perform, all things being equal.

As far as people who somehow think .35 Whelens face some issue with chambering -- that just demonstrates that some people don't know chit.

Dennis

I'm not sure you understand what we are talking about. And while the .06 is a fine offering, there are others I prefer to shoot beyond 300 yards.

Plus, I have enough guns in 30-06 so buying another would be grossly uninteresting compared to a new chamber that I know little about in a medium bore.

For me, shooting is as much about learning new things in ballistics and accuracy as it is about actually killing something.

.30-03 and .30-06 have parented a few good cartridges. The .35 Whelen and the .338-06 both offer nothing over the parent. I understand exactly what you are talking about.

How do you determine on caliber alone that it feeds, functions and fires everytime? Are you assuming that no one has ever made a junk firearm that happened to be chambered in 30-06 ? Your posts get better each and every time.

On the other side of the pond we also use Whelen in Remington semi and pump or H&R single. I use it in my 7600carbine and my H&R single. Very efficient cartridge and very effective in driven hunt on big boars, stags and mooses. I had chance to use 30-06 when in Canada or hunting in other European country than France. May be it's only an impression but the 35Whelen seem to kill a little bit better than the 30-06 on big critters full of adrenaline. Remember it was created to offer performance close to the 375H&H in a standard and cheaper action than the british round. It's easy to handload for, even with its short shoulder and never had problem of headspace.
In factory load i prefer the Federal Trophy bonded. With handload the 225grs bullets seem to be best ratio betwen case volume/diameter/velocity/terminal balistic/trajectory. Even standard cup and core do well in it.
In France, Spain, Greece it has sterling reputation on boars and red deers taken while running in front of dogs. Never an easy game to put down when alarmed and on adrenaline.
About the 338Lapua you can't compare both, it's another category of cartridge. I know from experience, i own two Sako: one TRG-S and one TRG42.
Good reflexion and good choice.
Regards
Dom

Well, off to gunbroker, to look for a Ruger .35 Whelen, to match my Remington .35 Whelen. Thanks for the motivation, Swampy!

A few years back I was thinking of buying or building a .35 Whelen, but then I learned of the 9.3x62.
I now have a 9.3x62 CZ. Think of the 9.3x62 as 35 Whelen with heavier bullets.

Yet legitimatised by Remington in 87, and chambered in the model 700 Classic in 1988.

And still a piss poor cartridge.

There I fixed it for you

I began using the 35 Whelen in 1988. My current Whelen is a Remington 700 CDL. I really like this grand old round. It is a business like cartridge that has never failed me.

I can't imagine an experienced hunter writing such a thing....

key word right there..........

I've always wanted a Whelen, just never found the right rifle at the right time. I just had a pard ask me if I was interested in his 7600. He bought it new and has yet to put more than 20 rounds through it, he never went deer hunting like he planned and likely never will.

As of tomorrow I'll likely have a Whelen to complement my little .35 Remington carbine.

Who knew it was such a schitty cartridge. I'll just have to muddle through it.

George

I'm fond of mine. You can argue about what's wrong with the Whelen and/or the '06...argue about what other round is better for deer...but the only thing I see wrong with any of them is if you let them sit in the safe. Get one and enjoy it...even if only on the occasional dink

When (and if) they go off, they can be accurate esp. if you have the Model 700.

I agree...

No, you simply can't imagine what it would be like to be an experienced hunter.

C'mon Swampy, get off the golf cart and try it sometime.

George

The Whelen is a novelty like the Ackley "Improved" cartridges. If you need something more powerful than the ought six, get a magnum.

I don't "need" anything more than a .260 (probably my .223 if I were so inclined) to kill deer, hogs, etc. I have a WSM in the safe regardless.

The Whelen has class.....

George

The problem with your shoulder is your headspace is on the empty side. No wonder people treat you with such contempt.

The magnums have something to headspace on. Get a .30-06 or a .270 and you'll be a happy camper.

Just likde the 7MM-08........AHHHHHHHHHH OK !!!

The whelen is a great cartridge. The CDL I had shot great and recoil was not bad at all.

To the OP: I think 300 yards is the max. for an effective range for the Whelen. I took successfully one shot at approximately that distance (zebra) but passed on several shots at critters beyond that. Just didn't feel comfortable with hold over at those ranges.

Swampman, at least you're predictable!
Having no experience with the cartridge yourself, you still have plenty to say.

I don't know the max range the Whelen is effective to but to my personal max of 250 yards it is impressive. I have a Ruger 77RS.
It isn't scoped as I prefer open sights.

I shoot Remington 200gr and 250gr plus Fed TBBC 225gr through it. All work quite satisfactorily for me!
I will not be without a 35 Whelen!

Built mine in the early 80' and have eliminated in the safe between the 250-3000 and the 35 Whelen, can't emagine any hunting situation that I don't have coverred. Rem 721 rebore with a Nikon 1.5x4.5 Monarch.

Erich

Had never heard of this round until last year when I purchased a Handi-rifle in this caliber to use deer hunting in the local primitive season (Gotta love MS hunting laws!) My rifle hated the only factory rounds I could find locally, 200gr core-lokts. Pie plate size patterns at 100yds. Found a local hand loader that had some 225's and it now patterns great for my hunting purposes. Didn't get an opportunity to fire at a live target this past season but hoping for better luck next year. I know several guys who have switched to using this round the entire season because of it's effectiveness. Can't wait to see if I can get one of those bang-flops that all my friends say are so common when they pull the trigger on theirs.

Hi Swampsman,

Even if i'm a poor "french frog" never had any headspace problem handloading for my Whelens nor my other friends even with their semi-auto 7400. Reading your post, i learnt that Townsend Whelen and Mr Howe were inexperienced people and that Remington is a dumb company, chambering such dangerous cartridge (headspace issue could be dangerous). But as i'm dumber than them i will follow on with my Whelens. Thank you for your advice...
Here two pictures of what i'm doing with the "Whelen [bleep]"
First one fox and two boars (driven hunt) with 225TB at 25 to 100m taken in about 30mn while running full speed...
Second a simple and ugly H&R with Aimpoint red dot sight (4moa dot)i use while leadind dogs and a 100m target shot on Millet plastic rest...



But i must agree, the older 9,3x62 is a little better with a bit more punch...And no headspace problem too...

Now you're learning.....stick around and I'll teach you more.....

Raybass, why the past tense? Were you talked out of it by some silver-tongued devil?

FC

Funny!

Something like that, sold off all my rifles and started over. Kinda regret selling the Whelen, it shot real good with evrything I tried in it. I was getting lighter rifles, I should have just put an edge on the 35.

.35 Whelen:



Looks like a shoulder slightly steeper than 17 degrees, with about 0.056" step-down.

Remarkably, that's about the same amount of shoulder and angle as the .358 Winchester:



And, more step-down (slightly less angle) than the .35Remington:



Never heard of them having headspace issues.

Of course, Col. Townsend Whelen was a complete hack and an illiterate when it came to firearms, cartridges, and hunting, so wtf could we expect from a round he designed...

Right?

I, personally, prefer the 9.3x62...



No headspacing problems there, and it works very well.

Of course, Otto Bock was a hack, too.... and the 9.3x62 lacks any record at all in service in the field.... in North America, Europe, or Africa....

I'm truly screwed....I'll have examples of all three in the safe by the end of the day. Well, at least two of them are Remingtons. I'll have to do something about that 99.

George

Just get the 9.3x62, and don't fret the others. You won't need to.

Besides, the 9.3 is just SO much cooler...

Can't do it, being a .358 slut....

Just for spite I'm gonna find me a Hawkeye in .350 Rem. Mag. for a donor and have me a .35wsm (or whatever they call it)....that's coooool.

I thought I was done buying rifles for a while.....

George

You can probably find a Winchester in one of the WSMs easier and faster, and a simple rebarrel by Pac-Nor has you with a .358WSM (aka ".35 Sambar").

Now, you could also do an Indiana Special (.35WSSM) on one of those WSSMs out there for a steal....

It is an unreliable round. Swampman is right. Please stay away!!!!

No, the 35 Whelen is big enough for antelope too.

The 35 Whelen is probably the best use of the '06 case available. I love the .30-06 but the Whelen is just that much better.

Ooh, tough call. I love my Whelen, but I love my .25-06, too.

With 250 grain bullets the .35 whelen is about the "perfect" moose and elk round in the Boreal forest region in my opinion. Some other rounds by be a little better for long range hunting, but I don't shoot at game over 300 yards away. I sneak closer. 250 grain bullets are too tough to open well on deer, but I don't use my .35 for deer any more. I have more appropriate rifles for that. But with 200 grain bullets the Whelen kills deer very well.

Like the .375 H&H you cream your pants over?

LOL.

Once you make the jump from the .30-06, the .375 H&H is probably the next logical step. The .35 Whelen never really made any sense, and it surely doesn't now.

You are pathetic......

Why hasn't it never really made any sense? and whose really pathetic if you can't provide a reasonable and sound response?

Swampy the 35 Whelen made a whole lot more sense with a lot less $$ back when it was developed than a 375HH did. It may not today but it did back then. Magnum Man

Funny how the 35 Whelen became such a popular wildcat. Obviously those who use and sing its praise weren't as stupid as you!

It offeres nothing over the .30-06 and it is infact inferior in many ways. It can't handle lighter bullets. It doesn't feed as well. It lacks enough shoulder to properly headspace and so failure to fires are somewhat common. The cartridge simply isn't reliable enough to be considered for DG.

Watching smokepole trying to enter into an adult conversation is kinda sad.

How doesn't it offer anything over the 06 and are the rest of your comments based on personal experience?

Swampy.....Pull the needle out of your arm

Where is the gospel for all your claims?

The Whelen is a heavy bullet cartridge.

Your dislike for the 35 Whelen tells me you have never owned one............so your reasoning is based on your own experiences?

Once again,,,You spout words without knowledge.

I have 2 Whelens. One on a 700 action, the other on a Vz24 action. Although I prefer the 700 for a few reasons, neither has ever given me a single problem. With THOUSANDS of rounds down both rifles, in cold, wet, hot, dry, dusty or dead calm conditions, both rifles have fed PERFECTLY, and gone BANG---EVERY time.

Of course, they're both bedded,,,,that must be it.


You truly are a pathalogical fool.

It doesn't kill any better than the .30-06 and yes....

Please Swampman can you explain me why Remington standardised such a pity of a cartridge, why they make some 700, 7400,750 and 7600 in 35 Whelen and always do.
Can you show me proof that it does feed worse than 30-06, kill no better?
Can you write on the fire that Townsend Whelen and Howe did'nt know what they were doing in the 20s ( for sure the 9,3x62 was there at that time but was german, not so good after 1st WW.
Do you ever used it on real big game?
Have you enough statistics to write what you write?

About weight of bullets you can go from 180 to 310 with big game bullets, does very well with cast and can use 357 revolver bullets for plinking, training or varminting. What would you like to add at this list.

Had some experience with the 7600, 7400, 750 and H&R in 35Whelen, i've shot or see lots of games being shot with it (driven hunts) and never, i said never, had or seen a guy had problem with it.

I think you need to open a bit your mind to other ideas and facts than your own.
Have a good WE on the fire. I'm going to the shooting range with a Savage....
Dom

My brother has been shooting the 35 Whelen, and the 338-06 for years, and loves them.

To make money....



I'm sorry....better luck next time....

Now thats a poke in tha eye.....

To the OP:

This thread encapsulates the best and the worst of the 'fire. You have seen the well-reasoned opinions of those with sufficient experience to compare and contrast the cartridge in question with others. And you have seen the delusional rantings of those with an agenda, no experience, or very limited experience, pervasive ignorance, and/or malignant Small Penis Syndrome.

As is commonly said around here, you have to sort among the two for yourself.

And if ever you'd like to actually shoot a Whelen, you hereby have a standing invitation to join me at the range, and form your own opinions.

Good Luck!

FC

It pretty much boils down to the fact that the .30-06 can't be improved upon by necking it up or down. Wouldn't own a Whelen because I have a two .30-06s. Why take steps backwards?

Nah, I'm not trying to enter an adult conversation, because with you it ain't one.

I just caught you in one of your many dumb-ass moments, which is like taking candy from a dumb-ass.

Talking out your ass about the Whelen not having a shoulder to headspace on, at the same time singing the praises of the .375 H&H.

You'd better send Webster's your photo. They need one to go next to the definition of "moron."

Saved for posterity.

Trying to save folks like yourself from themselves one day at a time.

Focus on closer to home.

So what exactly am I being saved from if I choose to shoot a .35 Whelen? I did not rebarrel to a Whelen to shoot light bullets (although they are rather explosive on squirrels), for me a light bullet for big game in the Whelen starts at 200grains. I readily accept that a 30-06 with something like the 165TSX will do a whole lot of stuff but a .35 Whelen with a 200TSX will do the same or better.

I think the .35 really shines when your using conventional cup and core bullets, start at 250gr anything at 2500fps and it works very well.

Swampy, You continue to claim that the 35 Whelen does not have enough shoulder to headspace on and yet the rest of us know that it does. Are you sure you aren't thinking of the .400 Whelen? It sounds like that is what you're talking about.

A few Whelen kills, lets see yours Swampass

Is that an 8 year-old in the second photo?

How'd you get it home without a golf cart, that thing must've gone 300 on the hoof?

Laffin'.

Steelhead, and others, only have good luck with the Whelen because they shoot game in the front shoulders, not the rear ones.

George

Wood stocked rifles...in large calibers...who IS this person pretending to be Steelhead????

I know, every board has them, just not every board tolerates them. It's hard to wade through the nonsense. Lack of knowledge and general idiocy is part and parcel to message boards, but to spam every thread certainly isn't beneficial.

I�ll add another Whelen kill to this photo album. I currently own four 30-06s and I have always felt that it was one of the very best cartridges ever invented. However, to suggest that a .25-06 or a .35 Whelen don�t offer shooters some nitch advantages over their parent case, is just goofy. CP.

If you 35 Whelen guys want to have some real fun, try the 35 Brown-Whelen! Now there's a thumper. Put mine up against a 338 Win. at 200 yard iron pigs (1" thick). 338 with 250 grain Nosler hit, rocked Mr. Pig, 35 B-W with 250 grain Speer hit Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig fall over dead! Lot's of fun. Chris

yds in vel energy momentum drift game weight

25 0.5 2450 3331 87.48 0.1 1378
50 2.1 2400 3197 85.71 0.2 1296
75 3.3 2351 3067 83.95 0.5 1218
100 4.2 2302 2942 82.22 0.9 1144
125 4.6 2254 2821 80.51 1.4 1074
150 4.6 2207 2703 78.82 2.1 1008
175 4.2 2160 2589 77.14 2.8 945
200 3.3 2113 2479 75.48 3.7 885
225 1.9 2067 2372 73.83 4.8 828
250 0.0 2022 2269 72.21 5.9 775
275 -2.4 1977 2170 70.62 7.3 725
300 -5.4 1933 2074 69.04 8.7 677
325 -9.0 1890 1982 67.48 10.4 633
350 -13.2 1847 1893 65.95 12.2 590
375 -18.0 1805 1808 64.45 14.1 551
400 -23.5 1763 1726 62.97 16.2 514


Here are the trajectory and energy figures for a 250gr Speer SP at 2500fps from MY 700 Classic. As is easily seen, the Whelen is fully capable out to 400yds on critters like elk and such. If anyone thinks the Whelen is a short ranged underpowered cartridge, they are mistaken.