My pet 35 Whelen loads........shot everything from gophers to buffalo here in Montana for the past 18 yrs. They are more than adequate for deer which I lost count of harvesting.(I get 6 doe tags every year over the counter/surplus.) along with my buck tag. The Whelen is an awesome round and.... SHOT PLACEMENT/PRACTICE WITH YOUR RIFLE makes a difference if it's gonna be a bang/flop.
I have a tricked out 721 with a 24" douglas barrel w/ a 1/10 twist. My 2 loads shoot the same POI w/o adjusting my 6x Leupy scope. I don't mess w/ 200g bullets. The following loads work safely in my rifle so work up at your own risk.
1. 250g Hornady RN, 58.1g BLC-2, WLR primer, Remmy brass, C.O.L. 3.270". Velocity @ 2490. This is my go to elk load. I can cloverleaf 3 shots and this load combo is super accurate in my rifle. I took a nice 6x6 bull this year at 70 yds in the lodgepole timber high in the boiler and it was a bang/flop. I also took a fat mulie doe at 30 yds in the head the following day. Ya, I shoot critters in the head not to waste meat if they are in close. Got a family to feed and had trimming bloodshot....
2. 250g. Nosler partition,53.2g IMR4320,CCI BR2 large primer, Remmy brass. C.O.L. 3.295". Velocity runs @ 2520.Hole in and a hole out. Groups in my gun run @ 3/4" inch freehand. This load will kill anything in America. I built this load for culling buffalo when they had a ranch near where I lived. The load would penetrate their head everytime when I shot em' under their horn. The hornady load had the same effect but wouldn't fully penetrate sometimes. Buffs shot in the shoulder w/ this load would hit the ground 90% of the time. I only had 4 never drop immediately and they never made it over 50 yds before they keeled over. Head shots are the way to go on buffs unless one wants to save the skull.