anyone have any expeerience with the 225 gr sierra gameking in a 35 whelen on elk size animals??

Not the Sierra but the last elk I shot was with my .35 Whelen and the 225 gr. TSX was mighty impressive. When the bullet hit, it was like somthing jerked the legs right out from under that elk. I used 60.4 gr. of RL15, Remington brass and Winchester WLR primer for 2710 FPS from my rifle's 2" barrel. I'll be using hat same combo on my elk hunt this coming December.
I see no reason that the Sierra wouldn't work just fine though as I've probably used more Sierras than anything else in a long career of hunting and shooting. The only reason I used the TSX in that hunt is they were loaded for a hunt where all copper bullets were needed nd I figured why not? Do work up to that load level though as it's way over any book I've seen. All I will say is it is safe in my rifle.
Paul B.

Butch, Bailey is engraving an Ed Lapour 35 Whelen I bought on these forums. The manuals vary greatly on the Whelen. My hardbound Nosler manual lists loads for the 225g Par some 250 fps lower/slower than the current Nosler manual online. The online manual shows 59.5 g of RL15 getting over 2750 w/ the 225 AB. Mine will be some time b/4 I get it to Kobe to stock but I would appreciate what you come up with. I bought 225 Sierras to work up loads and ABs for hunting. Good luck w/ yours.

this particular rifle is actually a 35 whelen AI. i've usually shot 250 gr NP's in it, but premium bullet prices seem to be going nuts. i can buy 200 of the sierra's for about the same as 50 premiums. At whelen velocities cup and core sullets should do just fine, but i've had previous poor luck with sierras on game, and no experience with their game kings.

Two years ago I shot a 90 lb. doe with the 225 Sierra at 2700 fps. It was in a 350 Rem Mag., but I shoot it at the same velocity out of my 35 Whelen. The doe was 20 yds., broadside. At the shot she dropped, kicked a little, then got up and staggered off about 20 feet. The bullet hit just behind the shoulder. It did not exit. The autopsy showed no marks on the off side ribs. The bullet exploded, took a left turn and disintigrated the stomach and intestines. Stomach contents were found under the skin up as far as the neck. As I was skinning her, I examined the hole in the rib cage. I thought maybe she was not as broadside as I first thought. But no, the hole was almost perfectly round, indicating a straight on shot.

I have read of others using them on thicker animals, but I am relegating them to practice. Maybe 2400 fps would work better, but I am not taking the chance on an animal.

I have no experience with the bullet other than on paper (which it has always done well) but I have read quite a number of reports of mixed performance qith the Sierra. Some with the bullet not opening, some with it coming apart. Not sure what to believe. I too use the 225 gr TSX in mine but for not a whole lot more money I would lean toward the 225 gr Nosler Accubond.

If you want to stay with cup and core bullets then I would recommend the 250 Hornady spitzer. The extra weight and the Interlock jacket will stand you in better than the Sierra will. I get 2650 fps in the 24" barrel of my Whelen AI using Alliant's Power Pro 2000-MR powder.

I shoot a lot of the Sierra's in my 35 AI under RL15. Not that you need a TSX or a Accubond for an elk, BUT me I would check to see if you can get the AB's to shoot well.

I tried them at first in mine (IRC 1/14 twist) and had accuracy issues. Found that my stock (McMillina) was just barely touching the barrel throwing it off. I havent had a chance to try them agasin since the fix.

I also found mine likes to be at the higher end of the loading for best accuracy.

The 250 Hornady is a great bullet in spitzer or RN form for Elk sized game. I prefer the RN.
dmw

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
anyone have any expeerience with the 225 gr sierra gameking in a 35 whelen on elk size animals??

well not that bullet but I can attest that the 225 partition sure works well!!!

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
this particular rifle is actually a 35 whelen AI. i've usually shot 250 gr NP's in it, but premium bullet prices seem to be going nuts. i can buy 200 of the sierra's for about the same as 50 premiums. At whelen velocities cup and core sullets should do just fine, but i've had previous poor luck with sierras on game , and no experience with their game kings.

Say the word and I'll mail you some 225 partitions.....you sent me some 6.5 X 55 brass and I owe you something for that anyway!

I have been using 225 grain Barnes "X" flat base out of my Whelen since 1998 and have been well pleased with the performance. Don't see why the Game Kings would not do just as good.

"Whoa Nelly" on that one Crazy Horse. That Barnes X FB bullet quite a bit different critter on Big Game. It does hit like the hammer of Thor even on Whitetail but like all the Barnes X family, it's the gift that keeps on giving all the way through whatever. I can't imagine the very good Sierra game king being that tough, not that it won't kill elk. That Barnes 225 X will kill them from about any angle you can hit the vitals. On elk, the choice of angle margin of error is a nice thing. Elk seem to want to run away from folks hunting them. The old Barnes manual, the one with 65K pressures or so, listed that bullet at 2800 FPS and I duplicated that speed in my Whelen with the Barnes loads of AA-2015 but retired the old girl now to just cast loads.
I still have a box or two of those bullets but doubt I ever load them.
Best regards,
dmw

I just killed my third elk with the 225gr gameking loaded to 2560fps last weekend. No complaints. The first two were complete pass through chest cavity. This last one wasn't my best shooting (hit further back that wanted on a quartering away shot)but made it to the boiler room and did the job. I've also killed numerous mulies with the same load. I can't argue with what others have had happen, but am very surprised of reports of the bullet blowing up on deer sized game.