Howdy fellas, I have a Remington CDL in 35 Whelen with a 1:16 twist and was wondering how heavy of bullets it will stabilize. Thanks in advance for your help.

G'day CXL

using the Greenhill formula,your rifle's twist rate is good for projectiles from 225g (1.043in), up to 310g (1.443in)running between 1800-2500fps.(Woodleigh projectiles).

My Rem classic in 35 Whelan would not shoot the 250 gr. RCBS cast bullets worth a darn. It did shoot the RCBS 200 gr. cast bullets extremely well.

A mate's Whelen keyholes the 310gr Woodleigh at 200m. Upto and including the 250gr should be okay unless they're particularly long or pushed along really slowly.
Cheers...
Con

Most builders would use a faster twist in that caliber.

Since you already have it the thing to do is to get a box of 250 grain spire points and just see for yourself. Then you'll know and have a few good bullets to boot.

CXL get some 225 grain XXX shocks from barnes and some RL-15. You probably won't need anything else after that. These bullets and that rifle go together, you'll probably be moa or under. My rifle loves this combo and some more on this site do too. I'm in the process of load developement with 250 gr. Hornady's but hunting season is here and I already have the best load for my purposes(the barnes). Good luck and enjoy.

My 7600 35 Whelen also shoots the 225 tripleshocks very well. And it only has a 21.5" barrel.

My 35 Whelen CDL handles 250s just fine. I have no need for anything heavier in this bore size.

All
When I built my Whelen I called Nosler for their opinion.. The Bullet Rep. told me they tested rate of twist and found 1:14 was best for their bullets.. He was right.. 225 and 250 shoot very well in My rifle..
AK

I think if you were building a 35 whelen from th scratch, you may want to start with a 1:12 barrel and you will be assured that you can use the heaviest of the bullets available. Eland, oryx, wildebeest, hartebeest and zebra have all fallen readily to this cartridge for me. It is not exciting or flashy, it just plan works.

But you have a 1:16 twist and it is what it is. So, like raybass says, get some 225 gr Barnes TSX, they will do everything you can do with this cartridge. I shoot 250 grain Speers frequently in my CDL and they shoot very well. I have shot 275 gr Hornandys and 300 grain Barne Os and they did not keyhole at 100 yards. I have not shot them at a longer range.

If you are reloading for the cartridge, Reloader 15 seems to be the best of the bunch, but IMR 4064,IMR 4320, and Varget are good performers as well.

You have a nice rifle, do not underscope (is this a word?) it. It is easily a 300 yard cartridge.

Good shooting

Well, this is my not very humble opinion, but as far as I an concerned, both Remington and Ruger had their heads up their collective asses when they decided to use a 1 in 16" twist.
I have three rifles chambered to the Whelen, A Remington 700 Classic, a Ruger 77 with the 1 in 16" twist and a custom Mauser I picked up at an estate sale which has a 1 in 14" twist. All the rifles will shoot acceptable goups, but they should have come with a 1 in 12" twist. There was an article sometime in the 1970s by C.E. "Ed" Harris in an American Rifleman on the .35 Whelen. In the article, It was stated that Howe and Whelen intended for the rifle to shot bullets from 250 gr. to 300 gr., and the fact that 200 gr. bullets also shot well was just good fortune.
If I decide to put together another .35 Whelen, it will have the 1 in 12" twist.
Paul B.

Paul B

You totally have Remington and Ruger Humbly pegged on this one.

As for powders in the Whelen at 225 gr. the Vht N140 is very hard to top. See Sierra Edition V.

But if all else fails and it won't stabilize the bullet of your choice just rebarrel in 1 in 12 you won't be sorry.

This is an example why our gun manufactures are not making money and going out of business. Do you know of one that offers multiple twist rates in any caliber.

Seems like Ruger learned something, as their 350 rem mags are 1-12 twist, and they shoot great!

To the original post, you'll probably have to limit yourself to 225's, though nothing wrong with that. A good 225 @ 2700 is IMHO the best way to run with a 35. If you want to shoot 250's, try hornadies 250 rn. It's a bit shorter than the spitzers so should stabalize fine. It's proven to be an exceptionally accurate bullet as well.

Enjoy your rifle, it will shoot great. I have a Rem. 700 classic and it loves 225gr TSX bullets and IMR 4064 powder, I used this combo to take 8 animals this past June in South Africa, my PH was very impressed with the rifle.

Craven

quote:

Originally posted by Paul H:
Seems like Ruger learned something, as their 350 rem mags are 1-12 twist, and they shoot great!

To the original post, you'll probably have to limit yourself to 225's, though nothing wrong with that. A good 225 @ 2700 is IMHO the best way to run with a 35. If you want to shoot 250's, try hornadies 250 rn. It's a bit shorter than the spitzers so should stabalize fine. It's proven to be an exceptionally accurate bullet as well.

I think most of the time the 1 in 16" twist should handle even the 250 gr. Spitzers. It certainly would not break the bank in trying a box. Both of mine have done fairly well so far with 250 gr. bullets, but then mine go a bit faster than factory loads.
I guess the point has to be this. Is a half inch rifle really necessary when using a cartridge like the .35 Whelen or are we looking at an ego trip? My top velocity loads robably run in about 1.25" average with 250 gr. bullets from the Ruger. That ought to be more than accurate enough for elk out to at least 270-300 yards. I mean, we ain't shooting prairie dogs here. Would I be happier if the rifle gave tighter groups? Sure would, but they are not necessary, and that's the point. I feel that I'm being realistic about the accuracy when you consider the usual type game such a rifle is being used for.
The 250 gr. bullet shoot decently in my rifles, even though they have an improper, IMHO twist.
If I can't hit a deer or elk in the right place with a 1.25" rifle, I doubt I'd be able to do it with a half inch gun. I'm more intersted in meat than ego trips.
No flames intended here. I've been playing with one .35 Whelen or another for almost 8 or 9 years now.
Paul B.