The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Speer 180 gr. Flat Point in .35 Whelen..............Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Anyone using the Speer 180 gr. Flat Point in .35 Whelen for whitetail deer? Your experiences and load suggestions sought. | ||
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I would call speer and ask them if the bullet was designed for 2750+ fps muzzle velocity. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Wish I knew. Has to be a fast one. | |||
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My late dad made a swagging tool to put a spitzer meplat on that Speer 180 gr 358 bullet. They shot ok out of my 358W's. Seemed to perform like the flat pt. on game. | |||
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Speer has data on this bullet in the Whelen. The fastest load is almost 3200 with Alliant Power Pro Varmint, no mention of barrel length or twist. It's on their website, lots of loads & powders. No personal experience with the 180, the lightest bullet I've used is the Hornady 200 spire point. It was OK, but I've pretty much moved to the 225 Sierra for general usage. "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind..." Hosea 8:7 | |||
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The 180 were and are designed for 35 Rem velocity Im told by speer...The one deer I shot with my 35 Rem. and the 180 gr. bullet was a disaster in that it exploded,killed the deer and ruined both shoulders and half a backstrap..I was not impressed..Another attempt at making a silk purse out of a sows ear, can't be done. The 35s need heavier bullets, and they work with heavy bullets, I was never impressed with 200 gr. bullets, and "preferred" the 225 and 250s in the Whelen and the 35 Rem. although Ive talked to some who swear by the 200 gr. corelokts in the 35 Rem..That said the 180s Im referring to were round nose come to think of it. The 170 FP is the bullet that exploded on deer, in a 30-06, it was a 30-30 bullet.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Just my .02, but the bullet my Whelen does best with and that includes on white tails is the 225 grain Barnes "X" Flat Base. If or when I run out of those I will have to see how the rifle like the 225 grain Triple Shoks. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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I have a little experience with the Speer bullets mentioned. I shoot some of the 180 gr bullets in my 35 Rem. Yes they are quite soft. I choose not to put the bullet right on a deers shoulder but try for just behind the shoulder to get them in the lungs.I've had no issues.The 200 gr Hornady RN also works well. My experience with the 220 gr Speer has mostly been in my old 9x57 mauser. The 220 is soft as well and I wouldn't recommend it at full throttle 35 Whelan speeds but it works wonderfully at 9x57 velocity. Again shoot for the lungs. I have also found the Speer bullets to be very accurate. The 180 is the most most accurate in my 35 Rem and the 220 Speer is the hands down accuracy champ in my 9x57. | |||
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The only bullet I use in my Whelen AI is the 250 gr. For deer, the Hornady spitzer (superbly accurate with Varget), and for bigger stuff, the Nosler Partition. Game from 150 to 1,000 lbs have all been one-shot kills. | |||
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I see no point in todays hunters wanting to use short fat bullets in large calibers, If I want a 180 gr. bullet I will use a 30-06 or perhaps a 300 magnum, and use the 225 in the 35 Rem and 358 Win, the whelen, and even the 338 Win or 338-06..The lightest bullet I would consider in a 35 Rem is the 200 gr.RN bullet. You loose too much penetration and Sectional Density with short stubby bullets with perhaps the exception of the monolithic bullets and even then Im not so sure as I have seen them fail to penetrate completely on broadside shots whereas longer heaier bullet will give exit holes that I demand, and since its a up for argument with some I will say its just my personal opinnion and to each his own. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I agree Ray; you want to use a 180 grain bullet, use a .308 or .30-06. | |||
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Ive used the 180gr Barnes TTSX in my .358win with great success and would also do so in my 35 Whelen with no reservations on performance in just about anything i would want to shoot with it. As for the Speer, yeah its made for the 35rem so i wouldnt even use it in the .358win let alone the 35 whelen... | |||
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I think one can go lighter with a monolithic bullet, no argument there, but then were comparing apples to oranges, not bullet weight to bullet weight in cup and core bullets. I would compare a 150 gr. TSX to a 180 gr. cup and core like a Rem corelokt for instance.. My only reason for not using Barnes monolithics is I had 3 big failures with them early on, and one a year ago..it seems to me they pinch that small hollow point flat on entry and fail to expand..I have been informed they newer ones do not do that, but Ive seen those results on AR a couple of times..Anyway Im not very forgiven on bullet failures, I don't have to be, Im happy with Noslers, Woodleighs, GSC and a few others. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I shot my biggest deer with a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen using the 180 grain X. Dropped him right there on the side of a steep Kentucky hill. True to my luck, it then rolled down the hill and stopped in a knee deep creek. Was not fun getting it up the hill. Field dressed it weighed 218 pounds on the cow scale at the barn. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Speer 180 gr. Flat Point in .35 Whelen..............
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