I went out to try the Federal 225-grain loading in my 35 Whelen today. Chambered a round and started to extract before firing. Bolt was stuck. With a lot of hand pressure extracted the brass, leaving the bullet in the barrel. Bullet popped out with a cleaning rod. Obviously, I have a short throat in my gun, plus the bullet was seated further out in the Federal load than in the 200-250-grain Remington loads I usually shoot.

Question: Can I expect such a tight fit of the bullet to affect pressure and accuracy? Is it important enough to have my chamber throated or is it okay to fire this ammo as is?

Personally I like a long throated rifle so that I can seat bullets out as far as possible, I even modify magazines in the rear portion sometimes...

I would not want a rifle that basically had no throat such as yours..It should at least be enough to handle all factory ammo...but you would get a lot more performance if you could seat a 250 gr. or 300 gr. Woodleigh out as far as possible.

I have found when shooting short bullets in long throated rifles, that I still get excellent accuracy...Most Brno 21s and 22s allow seating a 175 gr. bullet half way to the cannalure and yet every one I have owned shot the 130 gr. Speer very well indeed...

You would be rolling the dice....pressure goes up significantly. Combine that with hot weather and your gun could go boom at the wrong end. Not to mention the fact that you will have the same experience in the field, powder spilled through your action and bullet stuck in the bbl with no cleaning rod in sight while the biggest trophy of your life looks at you from 40 yards away..

#1, is the rifle safe to shoot with other ammo?

becuase the federals obviously aren't going to work for you.

NO, zero free bore is NOT okay on a hunting rifle.

it will drive pressure up, which could be a serious safety issue

it COULD have a dude round, and in the "heat of battle" you pull the bolt, yanking the dude out, and it leaves the bulet in the barrel.. so a best your animal got away, at worst, well, save your family the expense of flying the body back.


jeffe