Well, I've got a very nice tansition-era model 70 action that I am going to turn into a 35 Whelen, it is currently a 270.

I'm looking for barrel, sights, and stock ideas. I want it to be 8.5ish pounds scoped with a 1.5-5x Leupold in QR rings and bases. So the stock should be a compromise so that both can work.

I shouldn't need any rail work, but perhaps all you'all could verify that.

I haven't yet decided how much I am willing to put into this project, but I'm thinking it should be a nice one, given the action.

Anyway, your thoughts and recommendations would be most appreciated. TIA.

9.3
In the process of a simular project. Taking a Browning 1885
in 30/06. Will have the barrel rebored to 35 Whelen.

I had a (new) Mod 70 action made into a .35 Whelen. I went for a 25" barrel with a 1:12 twist so that it stabilizes the 250 grain bullets real well, and I now have my new primary hunting rifle. I also went with the removable mounts so that I can switch loads and immediately install a scope zeroed for it. I used that set-up in South Africa recently. I had rn solids loaded down for the wee antelope (a hole in, a hole out, and the taxidermist didn't need his magician's kit to make a full body mount of a klipspringer), and regular rn soft points for everything else.

Everybody that I've talked to who has the 22" barrel wishes they'd gone for some other caliber.

Go with the leupold M8 2.5x compact, you'll save a couple $'s over the variable, and it is a superb scope for a 35. I'm also partial to the 4a reticle.

I'll have to e-mail some pics of my 350 Rigby, previously a 35 whelen AI. It's on a mauser 98 action, but will give some ideas of stock and scope. I still need to checker the stock, and fit iron sights.

I find a 24" 1-14 barrel works well, and if you even remotely considering shooting cast bullets, methinks the 1-14 twist is better then the 1-12. It'll even stabalize a 280 gr cast @ ~2000 fps, and does fine with 250's @ 2500.

I don't recall what the contour of my barrel is, but it wouldn't hurt in the least going with the next lighter contour. I do like the way the barrel balances though.

Last Friday I picked up my 35 Whelen from Jim Cloward of Lake Stevens, WA. I�ve put only 11 rounds through it so I can�t say anything meaningful about its performance, but here is how I got to this point:

I hunt in western Washington. The terrain is steep, brush is thick and shots are short once you climb to where the game is. (My average on the last 15 animals was 65 yards; the two farthest were 120 and 150.) Foul weather, thick cover and Northern latitude mean the light is usually dim during hunting season. Also, I hunt near the ocean, and the odds of rain are at least 50/50. For me, this adds up to light, scoped weather-resistant bolt actions.

Last summer I bought a used pre-64 M-70 Featherweight in 308 that Cloward had tuned and bedded into a Pacific Research (now Borden Rimrock) stock. He designed the stock and his favorite rifle is the M-70, and the two make a gorgeous pair. After 500 rounds in two months, this rifle replaced the Living National Treasure 30-06 Mauser as my favorite rifle. For sights, it has a matte-finish Leupold M-8 4x with a 4a reticle in Weavers and the stock Winchester open rear sight with an Ashley post front sight. With a Latigo sling and five rounds it weights just under 8 lbs. It is VERY accurate.

I built the Whelen to be its twin. My only complaint about the 308 is that it�s a bit light in the muzzle, so I got a 23� barrel on the Whelen. That makes it a bit heavier. (Factory Whelens use a 1:16 twist, which is fine for lighter bullets. Because I plan to use only 250-gr. or heavier bullets, my Whelen has either 1:12 or 1:14.) Despite liking light rifles, I am a weenie about recoil. The 11 rounds I fired from the Whelen had 250-gr bullets, and reinforced quite firmly the idea that were I to do this rifle over I would not go one ounce lighter.

The Whelen has the same scope as the 308, but with a duplex reticle that I�ll change to a 4a as time and money permit. I�ve shot ghost-rings since I was a kid and I have shot game in a downpour with one, so I ordered a bead front sight and the NECG rear sight that fits Weaver bases for the Whelen. Sadly, this is no ghost-ring � the aperture is tiny � so I�ll swap it for an Ashley soon. I�ve found that the Pacific Research/Borden Rimrock stock works with iron or glass sights, but your irons better be pretty tall or you won�t be able to see them. The Brockman pop-up peep sight that takes Talley rings looks pretty slick and may work for your intended application. I have not tried it.

The Leupold 2.5x scope Paul H. recommended is rugged and light, but I could not see partly-hidden targets past about 150 yards with the one I had. Though I usually hunt the thick stuff, I sometimes hunt in Texas, so I have 4x scopes on both rifles. I prefer fixed power scopes, but the low-power Leupold variables are nice, too.

My Whelen cost about $1,600 plus the donor action and scope. Your action should not need any rail work, though you may want to have it trued and have the lugs lapped. Post back if you have questions. Hope this helps, Okie John.

Definitely second the recommendation for a longer bbl. Not sure how you plan to use your new toy, but every bit of barrel you can stand will be used by that case. If you're not going to be scurrying through the brambles, and are tall enough to handle a 26" bbl, your chronograph will definitely notice the difference. Even 24" will put you ahead - what? - 50 fps over a 22"?

I also had a Ruger M-77 Mk II in 35 Whelen. Its 22" barrel did 2,550 fps with a 250-gr. Partition or Hornady and a sub-max charge of RL-15. It also did about 1 MOA with a 4x scope. You would get a bit more punch from a longer barrel but I can't say I see the point. This load has a BC and velocity much like the 308 load military snipers use, so it's not just a short-range number. The best way to pump up a 35 Whelen is a 300-gr bullet, and if you're hunting game big enough for that, you should be close enough that 50 or even 100 fps won't matter. The whole point of a 35 Whelen is that it's light, hard-hitting, and compact. A 20" barrel would probably be fine. Loud, maybe, but fine. Hope this helps, Okie John.

The recommendations towards a longer barrel are understandible, but each inch adds weight and makes your weight goal more difficult. Mine shoots 250 gr. loads just fine with a 22" barrel with 14" twist.

I didn't want the extra weight and length to interfere with hunting in the thick stuff. In my application a few FPS less is not going to make that much difference. If I was shooting for game far enough out that I needed to squeeze every bit out of trajectory I would select another rifle/cartridge for the job.

i haVE A 35 WHELEN IN 700 CLASSIC(22") & 700KS (24")..WITH THE SAME LOAD THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FPS..IN THE FIELD(WOODS & SWAMP) I FIND A 26" BARREL TO BE INCONVIENT WHERE I HUNT BUT MAYBE IT WOULD WORK IN THE PLAINS

If you have any desire to play with the heavyweight bullets , get a 1 in 12 twist . I think barrel length is a personal choice , with from 22 to 24 inch being the most practical . Maybe 23 inch would be perfect ? Contour , a #4 is about right for a .35 bore in my view .

Don't know if your magazine lenght is long enough , but I would look at throating it out so a 250 gr Nosler could be seated to about 3.4 OAL or so . A long throated Whelen will let you equal the AI and still use the standard case dies , etc.

Thanks guys. I was thinking a #3 Shilen or Pac-nor at 23". I've got a longer barreled 338-06 and some shorter barreled 9.3x62s, so I thought I'd split the different. I've had 22", 22.5", 24", and 26" barreled Whelens and I think 23" will be a nice compromise between weight, OAL, and velocity.

Right now, the two biggest decisions are twist and stock. I would like to be able to shoot up to 300s, so perhaps the 12" would be prudent. All the 9.3s I've had made have had 12" twists, and it is very popular in the 375 as well, both of which handle bullets of a similar SD and construction as the Whelen. Hmmm....

I am REALLY having trouble picking a stock. I can't even decide between wood and synthetic. While I am a sucker for a nice piece of walnut, I have had wood stocks crack and break on me before. While I prefer the feel of wood, a nice McMillan stock gives me better piece of mind in tough terrain, on horseback, and/or in rainy, swampy hunting conditions. HELP!

sd, you must be a mind reader...



Some of the Whelen's I've had in the past were #4 (shilen) contours. While they help tame the recoil, they are a bit heavy for my current weight goal. I have settled on #3 Shilen or Pac-nor (both of which are a bit stouter mid-barrel than a #3 Hart or Douglas) for non-magnum 338s and 35s, I jump to a #4 for a 9.3x62, and to a #5 for a 375. I will probably go with the #3 pac-nor as it is a tiny bit stouter than the #3 Shilen, and all pac-nors I have used have been very accurate - more consistent than my (CM) Shilens.



Thanks for your thoughts.

As a former 35 Whelen owner and present 9.3 x 62 owner, I would offer the following comments:

1. The 9.3 x 62 was invented in 1906, with the Whelen coming along sometime in the 1920's. The Whelen offers 10% less powder capacity than the 9.3 x 62, and falls short of the 9.3 in bullet weight. Therefore the Whelen is mere re-invention of the 9.3 in an inferior form.

2. 30-06 Mauser and Win. Model 54 actions can be converted to 9.3 x 62 with NO RAIL OR RAMP WORK. I suspect the same is true of a 1947 Model 70 but I do not know that to be a fact.

3. If you want more bang for your buck, the 9.3 x 62 is the way to go. If you want something that has greater resale value in a local market, the 35 Whelen may be better.

This morning I just purchased a 358 diameter 26 inch #4 contour Montana Rifleman Barrel with a 11 dgree crown for 180.00 minus shipping. I plan on having a 358 Norma Mag made. The 35 Whelen Imp. I'm having made has a 24 inch tube on it I forgot the twist but I think it is a 1-14, The Whelen Imp is being built on a mauser and it should be finished soon and the 358 N.M is being built on a P-14.

I'm buiding a 35 Whelen on a 1948 Model 70 as well (sn 92,XXX)

I have all the bits, some assembly required.

Using a 3-1/2 contour 22" stainless King barrel 1-12

Sights are off a Steyr Model M, big square notch and a square brass front.

For a stock I am using a laminated Winchester M70 Wintuff stock (post-64 from numrich arms $75). after the monkeying around and bodywork I'll paint the camo-laminate with epoxy. This stock is a little heavy in laminate, but fits me well, and with slight drop it works for iron sights and scope.

I've thought about going with the talley/brockman rear sight, but irons are a backup only, rather than an alternate sighting system for me.

Scope is a B&L 1.5-6, probably in weaver rings and steel bases, receiver is already drilled to 8x40 screws.

With the relatively heavy laminated stock which is 2lbs-8oz (!!), the rifle will be around 8lbs-10oz scoped and loaded (I think)

I agree that one shouldn't so hastily choose a shorter barrel. I was planning to cut my whelen to 22", but all I had to do was heft it once, and feel how well it balanced to know that there is nothing wrong with a 24" tube. I've also never found the longer barrel to really tangle me up, certainly nothing that a 22" barrel would cure.

I haven't however heard of folks with 22" barrels having problems getting ~2500 fps with 250 gr bullets, in custom rifles, those with the Rem 700 factory guns seem to have problems though.

I got 2700fps with a 225 grain out of my whelen AI with 26" tube, and pressure was getting up there, I am going to back down, what is this load you guys are using to get 2500fps with a 250g pill?

I like the 26" barrel, and although my 458 is being done with 22" tube I usually like the 24's handling and balance. I am never as hampered by rifle size/length as I am by my 250lbs. trying to move around. (I'm only 5'1"! Kidding, 6').

Before I would build a 9.3 though I would just buy the CZ mannlicher version, what a sweet deal that is.

Red

What OAL?

OAL is a good question, I think mine was throated short, I might have that corrected if it becomes a problem.

Mine is on an Enfield and I have thought about having it taken out to 358 Norma. :-) That would go nicely with my 308 Norma on the Springfield.

Red

Long barrels are for me and I hunt some really thick stuff in the African Jesse..Brush can hit a long or short barrel, it depends on where the brush is when you shoot!

I like a 26" tube as I can shoot decidedidly better off hand with a long barrel..I think short barrel justification is in the head of the user, but thats a choice, so pick what you like not what someone else tries to justify, including myself....

But if one likes a short tube and you can get 2500 FPS with a 22" tube and a 250 gr. bullet, that should surfice for about anything that I know of.

Here's a 40 year old 24" M1917 Enfield with Weaver V7A that I have never had a problem with being too long. It weighs 10 pounds, which reduces the recoil to 7mm Mag levels.

[image]http://www.handloads.com/gallery/file.asp?ID=497[/image]

Well, the image doesn't seem to work, but the location is right. C&P if you want to see it.

Red, the load I used was 59.0 grs of RL-15. Alliant lists 59.5 as the max. One strange thing about 35 Whelen data is that bullet makers' data is milder, in some cases a lot milder, than powder makers' data.

On another note, does anyone know if Remington discontinued the 250-gr. RN load for the 35 Whelen?

Thanks in advance, Okie John.