I will be the first to admit that I do not like, want, or tolerate recoil well. That being said, I recently traded for a Ruger in .358 and like it a lot. (Thanks to .358 who posts here for the trade)

My question is, how much more recoil does the 35 Whelan generate than the .358? I have a nice mauser 98 action just looking for a new makeover.

Thanks in advance for the responses.

I have a 7600 in .35 Whelen and it is not that bad. Up to 225 grain bullets it is no more than an 06, if not less. The 06 is sharper and the .35 more of a push. From there up it is still tollerable.

You can always reload down to .358 or .35 Rem. velocities as I used to for eastern whitetails.
For extended range sessions I use a set of ankle weights, one over the shoulder and one over the barrel. It realy helps cut the recoil down.

Larrys,
I think your better off with a Whelan, but why? if your recoil shy, these guns do come back...sounds like a good time to trade that 358 for a lighter gun that you'll enjoy shooting..

OR try a 35 Whelan with a muzzle brake, they do work exceptionally well and would make a 243 out of your Whelen or 358 recoil wise...I have used them on my 505's out of necessity, so could you. Noisy? yes, but use ear protection except when hunting, beats taking a licking and you can keep on ticking....

You can calculate recoil energy and velocity from internet sites. The factors are rifle weight, powder charge, bullet weight and velocity.

This is not the whole story however as the fit of the rifle, it's pad, muzzle blast etc also count a lot. Other things being equal between the cartridges there is not going to be much difference.

So keep the .358 Win as is and since a 35 Whelan may fit in the Mauser that's a good choice there.

I find that between cartridges that bullet weight and velocity make the biggest felt recoil difference. This is excluding the old steel butt plates which are a world of thier own.

I don't like muzzle brakes at all for normal rifles. Load the 180 gr bullet for almost all purposes except really big game and you will have the least recoil.

The closest comparison I can come up with is between my 30-06 and .35 Whelan on Remington 700 Classics. With 200 gr. factory loads, it's about the same as the 30-06. With the 250 gr. loads, it's a bit more, but not intolerable.
Remington factory 250 gr. loads are supposed to deliver 2400 FPS. The best I've chronographed from my three rifles in .35 Whelen is 2350 FPS and one rifle just barely makes 2310 FPS.
Recoil is a subjective thing. Stock fit, physical body features all play a part in the ability to handle recoil. You could start out with a handload that you're comfortable with, and gradually work up to a full power load.
FWIW, it is my carefully considered opinion that the .35 Whelean is not loaded to it's full potential because of early weak rifles that were chambered to the round when it first came out. Winchester 1895s, (I've seen three for sale in .35 Whelan.) have been converted as well as many 1903 Springfield rifles, some of which are of questionable strength. Also, Remington chambered their pump gun in the Whelan.
My other Whelans are a Ruger 77RS and a custom on an Oberndorf Mauser action.
That, along with four rifles in .358 and one in .35 Rem. kind of place me as a big time fan of 35 caliber.
Paul B.

Assume an 8 lb rifle.

358 200 gr @ 2500 fps = 19.0 ft/lbs of recoil
Whelen 200 gr @ 2675 fps = 22.6 ft/lbs of recoil

Assuming the whelen ends up as a slightly heavier rifle, you'll likely have a hard time differentiating between the two. The best cure for recoil training is to have a really big gun, then everything else seems mild in comparison.

Thanks a lot for the replies! I may just do that Whelen. Heck, if it is comparable to the '06, I have some 308 rifles that kick way harder than my '06 because of the things listed above like fit and metal pads.

Thanks again.

The guys have all said the right things to look for. Find the stock/rifle setup that is most comfortable for you, and have that duplicated on your new Whelen. Mine is a 35 Whelen AI on a 1917Rem. with a 26" Douglas barrel. Mine is definitely loaded to potential but is like mentioned above, more of a push than a jolt.

The LOP is short on it, it was cut for my stepfather, and the barrel puts the weight out front, but for some reason it is very comfortable for me. I have never had any problem with Recoil on it. My 06AI beats me up worse than the Whelen does. Great gun, can't go wrong with it.

Red

You know its funny everytime we talk recoil vs caliber. The worst kicking gun I have ever shot was a 5lb single shot 20 gauge (one of thoose fold-up backpack type) with 3" slugs. That thing whacked me in the jaw so hard everytime I pulled the trigger I would see stars!

Proper rifle weight, stock fit, and a good recoil pad are the most important factors, in my opinion, to reducing felt recoil.

With the 35 Whelen, bullets up 225 grain will feel similar to the 180 grain 30-06. Once you get into the heavier weights of 250 grain bullets and higher you will notice heavier recoil. At the range use the PAST reoil pad and ear muffs. You will like the way the 35 Whelen knocks down game.

BigBullet

I can offer some advice to make you happy with either caliber (I Hope!) Load some rounds with the 158gr pistol bullets to about 2000fps and you have a short range killer (whitetails, etc) that has about the same recoil as a 22 long rifle - in short, none! I have loaded a lot of these for family and friends that shoot the 35 Remington in Marlin lefver guns and they do work well! No where near what the caliber is capable of but adequate for deer, etc inside 100 yds and a pure pleasure to shoot.
Regards,

That was a great choice in a Ruger as it has a shorter LOP. Even the Rugers have cast parts, the rifles seem to shoot just fine. I have several Rugers in Mk II and the recoil on these boomers don't bother me at all. When I was learning to shoot 375 and up in my earlier years, I was getting killed everytime I pulled the trigger. The pain went straight to my rotator cuff and sometimes it would bring tears to my eyes and had to suck it up. Now that I am getting to be an old guy, I realized that none of these rifles (Winchester or Remington) fit me in the first place and to have the LOP changed would entail a trip to the gunsmith and wait for months where with the Ruger all I had to do was get ammo and shoot.

Again, thanks for the replies and posts. Trapper, I have thought of that idea as I have lots of 158 and 180 bullets for the 357 mag. I just need to go get some appropriate powder.

Unique works well - I have also used 2400 with excellent results. The pistol bullets work very well indeed when you push them up and beyond pistol velocities. Experiment until you find one that shoots well in the rifle you will use and don't try and over drive them.
I forgot to add that my son has killed several large hogs with this combo in a Marlin 336 and no problems.
Good luck!

[ 07-11-2003, 22:35: Message edited by: 'Trapper' ]

Paul, do you use any filler, or just the powder, primer and bullet?
Thanks

Not enough to be able to tell which was which, in rifles of equal weight and stock configuration!!

My .35 Whelen with 225 grs at about 2700 fps recoils(felt recoil) about the some as my .300 Win Mag with 180 grs at 3100 fps.

The .35 with 250 grs at 2600-2630 fps is a cut above. Probably similar to 200-220 grs in the .300 WM. I haven't shot the heavier bullets in the .300.

Both rifles are Mausers with similar stocks and both weigh just under 8 lbs ready to go.

Again, thanks very much to all!

I have 2 identical 700 Rem. Classics. One is .35 Whelen. I handload 250 Gr. Noslers to 2,525 fps. The other is a .30-06 and I handload 180 gr. Noslers to 2,725 fps. I honestly can't tell any difference when I switch from one to the other.
Rich Elliott

My 7mm Rem mag with 160's is a pussy cat compared to my 35 Whelen with 225's!

I have hunted with a 35 whelen built by Al Biesen for me for almost 25 years. I would not hunt with another caliber if I had my way. I recently downed a Sambar at over 300 yards with one shot. I shot Sika with one shot at 140 yards. I have never noticed the recoil of this rifle either on the range or off. But, I have to admit the rifle was built to fit me and had the best recoil pad put on that money could buy. Al Bisen says a recoil pad does not get rid of the recoil it only spreads out the recoil and prevents the sharp edges of the stock cutting into your shoulder. I don't know if is true or not but he has been building rifles for over 50 years. I have shot some poorly designed stocks and they were murder on the shoulder. Anyways good luck on what you decide.

Thanks again.