Im putting together a 35 Whelen AI as a birthday present for brother. At the time when I was ordering the barrel I thought the added capacity was a plus and the sharper shoulder area which is theoretically better for head spacing are all advantages to look forward to. All that changed now that I am looking at 200 reloading dies. So now my question is; do I bite the bullet and get the AI dies, or can I get by with a 35 cal neck sizer and seater die?

Done a lot of 35 Whelens and my opinion is that the AI version gains are not enough to offset the cost of the dies and hassle of making brass, (which is easy, just has to be done).
Do not for a second fall for the headspace myth.
I see now that you are already too deep and are going to be out another 200. No way out. Neck sizing is not for hunting rounds.

bite the bullet. it will be worth it in the long run. takes any doubt out of the operation in the future. I had to bite the bullet when I went 8mm-06 ai.

I had one built in 1999 and I'm glad to say dies were nothing like that pricy. I've been very pleased with accuracy, velocity and killing power. From a 22" barrel I get 2700 fps with 250 grain bullets and kill elk handily.

Being a wildcat, there is little guarantee that an off-the-shelf full length die for the .35 Whelen AI will match the chamber of your rifle. If it is too large in a dimension then it won't reduce the case enough for the chamber; conversely, if it is too small in a dimension then it will overwork your brass unnecessarily and make for a sloppy fit of the cartridge to the chamber. Instead of simply ordering a set of dies, spend whatever it takes to have a die custom cut to match your chamber.

Alternatively, if you have a good chamber reaming job and don't over-pressure your loads, neck sizing will work for several reloadings before ease of chambering is impeded by stretched brass.

bite the bullet - just make certain the print for your chamber matches your dies

Dies are adjustable. They have threads. While I am not a fan of the AI concept, especially for the 35 Whelen, that is where you are now. Check C-H 4d for dies. They appear to be a little less aggressive in their pricing. Regards, Bill

Call Ch4D and tell them who made your reamer; they know about these things; that is what I do anyway.

I sent in 3 fired cases to Redding and had a sizing die only made for my 35 Whelen AI

quote:

Neck sizing is not for hunting rounds.

I've been neck sizing my reloads for over 50 years. I don't screw a standard reloading die all the way down, judge depth by marks on the neck. They never gave a problem hunting. The only gun I had to full length size for was a 450 3 3/4" BPE, tight chamber.

Dave

Using a FL sizing die and only partially screwing it down is NOT neck sizing. Neck sizing is only done in a neck sizing die.
And you are lucky, or don't load for many calibers; I guarantee that won't work for every rifle/chamber/brass/die combo.
As for getting a custom die made, I have found that to be way too expensive. DK what Redding charges though.
Anyway as I said, CH4D makes it a practice to be compatible with various reamers; you have to tell them which one you used though.

I found a set of 35 whelen AI dies at a gunshow, so built a rifle. I have still not finished the darn thing.
Mine has a 26" barrel, but will push a 200 grn bullet out at 2900 fps.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Using a FL sizing die and only partially screwing it down is NOT neck sizing. Neck sizing is only done in a neck sizing die.
And you are lucky, or don't load for many calibers; I guarantee that won't work for every rifle/chamber/brass/die combo.
As for getting a custom die made, I have found that to be way too expensive. DK what Redding charges though.
Anyway as I said, CH4D makes it a practice to be compatible with various reamers; you have to tell them which one you used though.

CH4D shows four flavors of the 35 Whelen Improved, 24, 28, 40, and 40 degree shoulders.

Exactly why I said to tell them what reamer you used and they will know what to do, and sell you the correct dies.

Thanks guys! CH4d looks very reasonable in price, much better then the 220.00 redding set that google brought me to. I will be ordering a die set from them soon.

mine is an old hal hartley mauser which i like alot