Hey guys,
Is there any factory rifle made in 35 whelen? I've tried everywhere but can't seem to locate one. I'd rebarrel, but unfortunately I'm a bit pressed for time these days.
Andy

Ruger made a special run for Davidson's a couple of years ago in one of the synthetic "boat paddle" stocks. A while back there were a couple NIB on Gunbroker.com. There is no current production in the Whelen that I am aware of.

There was a thread over on HA some time ago about problems folks had with these. I seem to recall that the fix was more problem than having a rebarrel done would be.

[ 05-19-2003, 15:40: Message edited by: Borealis Bob ]

Just find a second hand 30/06 and have it re-barrelled to 35 whelen. There is of course the rem pump made in 35 whelen.

Or go one better cz 550 and buy a cz 550 in 9.3x62 I think you get slighlty better performance than the 35 whelen with similar weight bullets.

[ 05-19-2003, 16:25: Message edited by: PC ]

I just aquired one in brand new condition, just bought dies and bullets, bedded it and all, I have a friend who is left handed that has a right handed one that said he would part with. It`s a Remington BDL.

I just saw a Rem M700 in 35 Whelen for sale in my local gun shop. However, that shop always seems to be a bit pricey.

I agree with whoever suggested that you purchase a new CZ550 in 9.3x62.

What is your motivation in getting the 35 Whelen? Do you have a particular hunt coming up that you need it for? Ballistically, I think you would be better off with the 9.3x62.

Tim

I bought a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen new back in 1993. It has been a great rifle since day one. I get 1.25" groups at 100 yards and the rifle has not shifted zero since it was sighted 1.5" high at 100 yards. I use 250 grain factory round nose bullets. It has floored the black bears and deer I have shot with it. You can still get new rifles in 35 whelen from both the Remington and Winchester custom shops.....but they will cost you big bucks. The rebarrel option may be your best bet.

Tim, What does your friend want for his whelen and what kind of condition is it in?

Shumba, No particular reason for the Whelen other than the fact that a few of my friends have them and they always seemed like a neat idea. I'm aware that I could get a new 9.3, but I have several thousand pieces of 30-06 brass and figured this might be a good option.
Andy

Well, yes, those '06 cases would do just fine as Whelens but they'd do even better as 9.3's! Unless one is trying to come up with the Perfect Vintage American Pair, I frankly think that the day of the .35 is now dead. Once it was a great alternative for larger game but with the 9.3x62 becoming readily available I cannot come up with a reason for having one. Heck, I'd even rebore Ironbuck's 7600 for it. Damn fine caliber, that, what?

[ 05-20-2003, 06:58: Message edited by: Oldsarge ]

The 35 Whelen is a great cartridge. If you are pressed for time and cannot find a Whelen would you be interested in a 338-06? I have the dies & brass also. I'm also in Pennsylvania. Just a thought!!

If you can find a decent 760 in 30/06, send it to Gander Mountain and they will do the conversion for you to .35 Whelen for a modest price.

You'ld have a great pointing, quick rifle in a great caliber.

I used to work for gander mountain. They won't be seeing a dime of my money.

Tim, 338-06 would be interesting as well. Send pics and asking price. I have a few guys offering whelens, so I guess we'll have to see.
Andy

Forgot to ask, what part of PA?

[ 05-20-2003, 09:24: Message edited by: CZ 550 ]

CZ 550,

These guys do have a Remington M700 in 35 Whelen in their rack right now. I don't know if it is new or used as I didn't take a really good look at it. I just saw the tag because the fact that it was a 35 Whelen caught my eye.

This shop is never the low cost provider, but it may be worth giving them a call just to see.

Fowler Gun Room
358 S Tustin Street
Orange, California 92866

Phone: (714) 771-3730

Good luck!

Tim

The 9.3 may be the easier route than the Whelen at some point(for an American shooter ) , but I don't believe it's there yet . The plentiful 06 cases go to Whelen with one pass thru the sizing die , no fireforming , no fuss and no muss .

Most shops will have some .35 caliber bullets on the shelf . Not so with 9.3 s , maybe someday .

With the 225 gr boat-tails and 250 gr spitzers , I also think the Whelen is flatter shooting ,thus slightly more versitile , again , for American hunting .......

[ 05-20-2003, 16:55: Message edited by: sdgunslinger ]

Fowler's has moved to Orange? Interesting, I thought that they just retired and secretly stole away. No, they didn't specialize in deals but I always found them a reliable source of quality things.

CZ 550;
The desire for .35 Whelan rifles seems to wax and
wane every few years just like certain other
cartidges. If your patient Im sure you will encounter a 700 Classic eventually, I have never
seen a Ruger but I would rather a Remington. In
your area the Remington slide action rifles seem
to be everywhere (270,06, etc.) so Im sure you
have a good chance of finding one in .35 Whelan.
Check out GUNSAMERICA and GUNLIST every now and
then and Im sure you will find something. There
is a custom .35 Whelan built by Dick Allen on
GUNSAMERICA but the price is $1995 and may have
sold already. Good luck

I usually refrain from the pointless bickering comparing this cartridge to that, but this time I'm going to stand in support of the 35 Whelen. If I had to choose between the 35 Whelen and the 9.3x62, I would choose the Whelen for American hunting due to it's national heritage and ammo availability. I currently own rifles in both calibers. The 9.3 is just not that popular in the US yet. The single loading available in the best-stocked store in my area is Norma 232 grainers, and they cost over $50 per box of 20! Not on my budget!

Yes, the 9.3 has a slight edge over the Whelen in performance numbers, but I emphasize SLIGHT. To my understanding, it's analogous to the difference between a 270 and a 280.

I bought my first Whelen when I became disillusioned with the 270. The 270 left me wanting better terminal performance. The Whelen provided it, in spades! I have since moderated to the great 30-06 for deer hunting, but I will never be without a 35 Whelen. My current one is an original Ruger M77.

So, CZ 550, there are a few factory Whelens out there if you look enough. As usual, handloading will provide the best performance. My hunting load shoots a 250 grain bullet at an advertised 2550 fps (no, I haven't chronographed it yet). What elk, moose, or bear cannot be killed well with that?

Live well

That is exactly why I want one.
Andy

My .35 Whelen AI chronographed 225g Gameking at 2800. 26" Douglas barrel and a 1917 Enfield. I love it. Personally I got the best deal on it as it was a gift from my stepfather, you can find them sometimes already built for a good price. Just watch a few of the gun sights for a month and I am sure something will pop up.

Red

....I also cast a vote for the .35 Whelen... I built one on an 09 Argentine mauser, and a cheapie Adams and Bennet barrel. It shoots really consistent 1 1/2" groups at 100yds with 225gr Gamekings at 2700fps, and about the same with the Speer 250gr bullet at about 2450fps. Somewhat surprisingly, the most accurate load I've shot to date has been the 150gr (yep, that stubby little bullet) at about 3150fps... the first three shots into .452" until my twitching and jerking trigger finger opened it up to about 1.3"
It's a good cartridge.. if you want an edge in performance, go with the .338 or .375... I think the Whelen fills the gap between the 06 and the magnums just perfectly.

Picking between the 338-06, the 35 Whelen and the 9.3x62 is like picking between the 270, 280 and 30-06. They all do just about the same job for just about the same money. The real differences are logistical. 338-06 and 9.3x62 ammo is out there, but it's scarce and expensive and will probably stay that way until Remchester starts making money on the short magnums.

35 Whelen factory ammo is pretty common, but it's 50-75 fps slower than Remington claims, and about 200 fps under what a sane handloader can do with it. Anything for which a 35 Whelen is suitable would fall to a factory 250 at 2,300 fps, but the Federal 225 Trophy Bonded load at 2,600 fps is probably more versatile.

My Ruger M-77 MkII Limited Edition in 35 Whelen misfired repeatedly. My riflemaker said headspace was OK and recommended an extra-strength firing pin spring and a trigger job. I think I paid $60 for all this, I had the rifle back in a week, and the misfires stopped. On the other hand, some folks sent their rifles to Ruger, where they AND their rifles were messed with for several months, and results were mixed.

With a 4x scope, my Ruger shot 250 gr. bullets into about 1.25 MOA at 2,550 fps with less-than-max loads. It also grouped better as velocity went up. I liked it because it was a factory CRF 35 Whelen, but I couldn't get the sights set up like I wanted. I sold it to a shop in Seattle, where it sits today. If you want contact info and load notes, let me know.

Both of my 338-06's were custom with 24" barrels. I got the same performance (2,550/250/roughly 1 MOA) in both of them as I got in the 35 Whelen. It duplicates the 318 Rimless Nitro Express and the 333 Jeffrey, and needs no further defense.

The 9.3 matches the others with 250 gr. bullets, so if you want a 250, there's no reason to pick it over them. It's edge is the range of good mass-produced bullets from 270-320 grs. You can make 9.3 brass from 30-06 cases, and it's worth the (slight) extra hassle.

Ultimately, the CZ 550 may be the best reason to consider the 9.3x62. It has a five-shot magazine; a Remington or Ruger 35 Whelen holds four. It's a true heavy-duty rifle with well-executed custom touches: double crossbolts, adjustable set trigger, integral scope mount system, Decelerator recoil pad. It's priced like a Remington or a Ruger, but is far more rifle for the dollar.

Did I clear things up? I didn't think so... Hope this helps anyway, Okie John.

I have an offer for a whelen. The price seems fair and its a custom mauser. God I love this site, it solves all of a gun nut's porblems
Andy

I bought a 30-06 in Rem 7600 and had Rem rebarrel it to 35 Whel. for just a little over $200.00, last year.

I'd rather have the 9.3 Sisk than the 9.3x62.

Alaska bush man,
That may be an idea as well. I could just buy a 700 in 30-06 and send it out to be barreled.

There is a gunshop in South Dakota with a Ruger
77MKII in .35 Whelan for $540 605-343-8481

I have a 700 bdl 35 whelen for sale!!It will find a new home for $500.00 plus ffl shipping fees..It is in great shape and shoots like a dream.. Tim in tn was the person that turned me on to this site.I am a lefty.the remington is right handed.Email me for more in formation at bravoz1@juno.com..Thanks..

I bought a Ruger in 35 Whelen 18 months or so ago off of gunfinder.net and had about 20% misfires with factory ammo. Just a dent in the primer. I had heard that a chamber on the upper end of tolerances, factory ammo on the small side of tolerances, and the marginal shoulder to headspace on combined to make it unreliable. Ruger changed the firing pin spring and checked the headspace (OK per Ruger) and had it back to me within one week (no kidding). After that, no more misfires. Added a Timney trigger myself. Took a nice Maine black bear last September with 250 gr Partition. I am very pleased with it.
I have heard that if you ever send a rifle to Ruger for work, they will "fix" any trigger work you have done to get that 8 pound Ruger pull back!!!

okie john -- I have a Remington 700 BDL .35 Whelen -- the magazine holds five rounds -- just like my other Remingtons, Rugers and Winchesters chambered for standard cartridges. If there were some reason to, I can put five rounds in the magazine, start the bolt over the full mag, and drop a round in the chamber to make it a "six shooter". Not sure why I would, but I could.