I am just finishing one on a rebarreled Browning Model 95 lever action. It will be my rainy/snowy weather elk gun.

Dave

Kerry...
My rifle was a standard Ruger M77 MKII stainless / synth stock ( not the paddle version)in 270 Win.
It was simply rebarreled with a 22" Shilen SS barrel. It feeds flawlessy, the presision with the 225 Sierras are less than MOA if I do my part, and a touch wider with the 250 gr Woodleigh.
The trigger needs a bit polishing, but works ok. For my local hunting (max 250 yards ) the rifle is close to ideal !

quote:

Originally posted by Con:
Paul B,
Agree with the comment that the 35Whelen was designed for heavy game, a 375H&H alternative when rifles in the H&H chambering were rare and expensive. Its odd though that the ammunition / projectile / rifle manufacturers don't seem to see it that way. Hence we have 1:16" factory barrels and no 275gr (SD=.300) projectiles. In a 1:12" barrel and with a 275gr readily available the arguements between the 9.3x62 and 35Whelen advocates might finally end. Heaven forbid
Cheers...
Con

Con. I have a very nice Husqvarna FN style Mauser action that I think I will use to build my next .35 Whelen. I have 35 of the old Hornady 275 gr. bullets that they discontinued in 1976. The new rifle will have the proper 1 in 12" twist.
I also have two bullet molds that cast bullets in the 270-280 gr. range. I also have a 200 gr. and 250 gr. mold as well. The 200 hasn't shot worth squat, but the 250 shows somwe promise. I just haven't devoted much time on that project. I figure I just might get a decent load with one of the 270 gr. bullets at somewhere between 2000 and 2300 FPS. We'll just have to see.

Someone asked how the three rifles I have feed? So far, just fine. No problems at all.
Paul B.

northfork makes a fine 270 grain bullet

and swift makes a 280 grain A-Frame in .358 as well

I'm not sure how fast one can drive either of these but I'd think the magik 2,400'/sec should be achieveble.

These bullets give the old .35 Whelen a real different kind of look.

It puts it in the .375 H&H wannabe class.

quote:

Originally posted by Con:
Paul B,
Agree with the comment that the 35Whelen was designed for heavy game, a 375H&H alternative when rifles in the H&H chambering were rare and expensive. Its odd though that the ammunition / projectile / rifle manufacturers don't seem to see it that way. Hence we have 1:16" factory barrels and no 275gr (SD=.300) projectiles. In a 1:12" barrel and with a 275gr readily available the arguements between the 9.3x62 and 35Whelen advocates might finally end. Heaven forbid
Cheers...
Con

Exactly the point I'm making in the .35 Whelen story to be published in January Sport Afield. Hope you catch it.

The great thing about the Northforks is that they will expand ( and still penetrate well ) at velocities lower than other premium bullets.

I've loaded the 270 gr. relatively mildly in my Whelen with great results on large hogs.

Hawk bullets makes a 275gr .358 projectile, and they offer it with two different jacket thickness. They also make a 265gr spitzer, and a 300gr semi round nose.

interboat,
Any chance of getting a copy of your article once published? That magazine doesn't make it to Oz, or at least my parts.
Cheers...
Con

I love my whelen, I have a Remington classic topped with a 2.5 x 8 vari XIII, I used it to take a nice 180lb 8 point deer two weeks ago. I was using my 225gr Sierra game king loads, I shot the deer at fifty yards through heavy brush, No problem. I cant wait to use this rifle in Africa next year with 250gr Swift A-frames.
Long Live the 35 Whelen!!!
Craven

Con,

Sure, just email me your address.
email: interboat@aol.com

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
northfork makes a fine 270 grain bullet

and swift makes a 280 grain A-Frame in .358 as well

I'm not sure how fast one can drive either of these but I'd think the magik 2,400'/sec should be achieveble.

These bullets give the old .35 Whelen a real different kind of look.

It puts it in the .375 H&H wannabe class.

I think it's more in the 2300+ fps range with those bullets, unless one uses a loooong barrel. Considering 275 gr was a typical bullet weight for the early years of the whelen, it's always been in the same class as the 375.

The 35 whelen is a great round, always has been and always will be. It practical terms it's been eclipsed by the 338 win mag.

Hornady's first reloading manual shows a max velocity for their 275 gr. bullet of 2300 FPS with 3031, 4064, 4895, 4320, BL-C2, H-380, and a velocity of 2200 FPS with 4350.
Obviously, with the exception of BL-C2 and H-380, the powders were Du Pont's versions of the IMR powders. At that time, IMR-4895 anf H-4895 were considered interchangeable. Not so today.
Manual is circa 1967. Correspondence with Hornady says they have no plans of bring that bullet back on line. DAMMIT!
Paul B.

I have a Sauer 202. Got a barrel made for It by Schultz & Larsen Denmark this year. Haven't shot anything with it yet. But hoping to shoot wildbore with it next year. I have a barrel for the same gun in 30.06 and will be using 250 grain bullets in the 35 Whelen. training with lighter bullets.

Johannes

Well, I've had some success with my Ruger M77, tag safety, wood stock I've owned for a few years. It did very well in Africa on all plains game, especially eland.

It is a terrific elk caliber, I hunt the black timber north of Yellowstone Park where shots under 100 yards are the rule but it's nice to have a rifle that will do 300 when and if needed.

I had used 250 gr. Partitions exclucively for hunting for years and they worked perfectly, no big surprise there, but desided to try Speer 250 gr. Hot Cores this year. Nope, I'll never use them again. Very accurate, 3 in the same hole at 100 yds, but...

This year's bull took 3 shots to put down. First shot was a raking shot through the liver, probably killed the elk, he just didn't know it yet. Penitration was OK though no very impressive the bullet did not seem to drill straight on but rather veered off. Exit wound was not comparable to what I'd come to expect from Noslers.

Next shot, at under 50 yards hit the heavy lower section of the shoulder blade and failed to penitrate into the chest cavity. The bullet seemed to just fly appart as no large bits were located.

Last round, at about 25 yards, was into the chest from the front and other than a rib met no resistance and went through into the gut.

Yes, dead elk means the bullet didn't "fail" in the purest sence but having it desend extra yards further down into northface jungle didn't do anything for me either.

Love the rifle and the caliber, I'll just stick with 250 gr. Partitions from now on. I've had similar shots with Noslers on elk, plains game and deer that had much better outcomes. I honestly believe that if the first shot as described above would have been with Partition it would have punched on to the far shoulder and dropped the bull as he stood. On the second shot, well I've broken BOTH shoulders with Partition with similar placement.

My pet load is 59.5gr. of Reloader 15, Fed 210 primers and 250gr. Noslers. Either Rem. head stamp cases or reformed 06 seem to work just fine. Velocity is 2500 fps with single digit SD. Groups are under 1.5 inches. The action is bedded and has a nice fat recoil pad on the butt. I use a Burris 1x to 4x scope generally set at 2.5x.

HunterMT, I'd encourage you to try the 225 TSX... from what I've seen of the TSX so far I can't say enough good. The 225 TSX should out penetrate the 250 NP, shoot flatter and kick less. They are really a different bullet than the old X which I never could like.

I'll give Barnes another try with the TSX. The 250's in the first incarnation didn't do well with my 1 in 16 twist and the fouling was un-bloody believable. I did find the remains of the Speer today while cutting up the front shoulders, less than 100 grs and the jacket just flattened and off the core. I'll post up some photos etc. in the Big Game section after I get a bit more orgainized.

Paul B

The new rifle will have the proper 1 in 12" twist.

There is no need for a 1-12" twist even with 300gr bullet in cal. 0.358".

MV=2000 ft or a bit less.
Bullet length 1.400"
Wt 300gr
Twist 1-16"
SF= 1.66


Min MV= 977ft
Max bullet length 1.480- 1.50
Min twist 1-18.1

These are my calculations a SF (Stability Factor) of 1.30 will stabilise a bullet. A SF of 1.5 is more than adquate. A 16" twist will do all bullets in 35cal.

ZERMEL,
How do you come to your calculations? Greenhill formula predicts around a 1:13.5" is required for the 300gr. Would love to know the limitations of the Greenhill formula, particularly its "constant" if you can elaborate.
Cheers...
Con

Con.
The Greenhill formula with its 150 constant overstabilises a bullet. I do not use the the Greenhill formula. If you want to use the Greehill use a constant of about 180 or so and you will be a lot closer to the proper twist.

The Greenhill does not use velocity, which is an important factor in bullet stability.

I have a formula by Eric Williams that PS Shooting published several years ago embedded in a program. With which I can calculate any twist.
You need a bullet library to get bullet input. I have checked many published velocity data with factory twists and found the formula quite accurate. Almost all factory rifles have excess twist. People want to shoot all available bullets with one twist this is absurd. If you want to shoot 80gr bullets go for a 6mm not a 223


Too much twist will impair accuracy. As you can see above an 18" twist will stabilize a 300 gr 35 cal bullet but not too well I suppose????

Zermel,
Thanks. With a constant at 180, the 300gr Woodleigh requires a 1:16" according to the Greenhill formula and your calculations. Only thing left now is to put it to practice and see if it holds.
Cheers...
Con

Many years ago, a correction to the Greenhill equation, for velocity, was suggested in the Gun Digest. One must also adjust for the density of the bullet as well. I combined these corrections in a simple web page calculator. It predicts a twist something over 14" will stabilize most 300 gn .358. Even with the corrections, this equation tends to be conservative. I suspect 16" will indeed do.

Con, it should do O.K. I still regret selling my 35 whelen, but I had the chance of a Model 7 KS in 350 Rem Mag. I cannot tell the difference in the field, although the book says that the Whelen holds an edge over the 350RM with the heavier (225gr+) projectiles. I just use the 225gr Nosler Partition, and shoot deer. It seems to work.
But then so does my 9.3x62 with the 286gr Woodleighs PP.
To be honest, I really don't see a whole lot of difference between these rounds in the field.
ZERMEL If you want a 35 Whelen, go for it. you will never regret buying or building one. Components are easy to find, and you can make brass from 30-06. There are dozens of good reload recipes to choose from, and lots of good projectiles.
Let us know how you get on?

Cheers, Dave.
Non Illegitium Carborundum.

asdf,
Thanks for the link! That's pretty useful.
Sambar9.3,
Regarding the Rem Model 7KS, I ran into a Custom shop Mannlicher many many years ago at a gun-show and it was beautiful! Wish I had the $1000 on the day as did my father. One day I might build a little Mannlicher but in 358Win. Also... where do you get your 225gr NPs from, couldn't locate any on my ring around on Monday. My Barnes X 200gr have arrived though and I'll probably order dies early next week.
Cheers...
Con

G'day Con. Peter up at Wangaratta (alpine camping and fishing) gets them for me, either him or Claytons. Be Careful with the barnes, for some reason they can really ramp up the pressure in the 350RM, or are you loading for a Whelen? That case seems a whole lot more forgiving whem working up loads.

Cheers, Dave.

I'm not sure I would want a twist any slower than a 1 in 14" for a .35 Whelen. In fact, my next one will be 1 in 12". I have two factory rifles, a Ruger 77 and Remington 700 Classic, and frankly, I'm not too pleased with their 1 in 16" twist. Formulas notwithstanding, I'm happier witht he faster twist in the Whelen.

I've also noticed that while 200 gr. Remington factory laod are sometime available, the 250 gr. loads are almost impossible to find. When I try to get a gun shop to order me some, they say they can't get them, yet Remington's web site says they are still available. Sure makes me glad I reload my ammo.
Paul B.

Thanks Sambar9.3,
Tried Wang they had no Noslers in stock. I'll give Clayton a try today. Also thanks for the head up on the BarnesX. I picked them up to try in the 358Win, but the 350RemMag seems like a better choice for them.

PaulB,
Limited availability is one of my pet hates regarding Remington. They bring them out, then cut them down in a few years time ... 8mmRemMag / 35Whelen / 350RemMag / 416Rem have all suffered from that problem. Lucky we reload! But then Remington cut the projectiles out from under you too!
Cheers...
Con

does anyone have experience with nosler partitions in 225gr? My 700ks loves sierra 225's but they don't exit on a 180 pound deer.

Yes, but only in the 350RM, in a Model 7 KS. MV is around 2500fps (according to my Chrony) +/- 35fps. Exits on Fallow deer from any angle. The only Sambar I have shot with this combo was through both shoulders and exited.
But, There were fragments of lead and copper all through the chest cavity, which leads me to think that the frontal portion 'wiped off / broke up' on the way through, and perhaps only the base exited? As an experiment I fired one of the same batch of reloads into wet newspaper, and the recovered portion was just the base, plus a little lead, which weighed in at 147gr
It's omly a guess, but I think that the one in the Deer behaved in a similar fashion.
Either way, the Sambar dropped on the spot. Boned out wieght was 97kg of meat.

It's not much to go on but it's all I have to offer.
I think the Partitions do O.K. Not cheap though.
Good luck in your search!

Cheers, Dave.
Non Illegitium Carborundum