I have shot the 35 Whelen, the 338-06, and the 9.3x62 a lot over the years and they all served me well..I like to discuss calibers and my head is made up, Im prejudice, hard headed, and opinionated, I know that, and it will not change at this point in my life and will only get worse as I age..

The 9.3x62 is by far the best of 3 good rounds!

Just got the email from Midway! My Green Mountain barrel is on the way! Already cast a bunch of bullets and have some sorted, powder coated, sized and gas checked. This is gonna be fun!

Hair oil?? I just shot milsurp 30-06s thru my first 35 Whelen, and let the bullet rattle out the barrel, it worked then and still works today.

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Originally posted by Les Staley:
Just got the email from Midway! My Green Mountain barrel is on the way! Already cast a bunch of bullets and have some sorted, powder coated, sized and gas checked. This is gonna be fun!

I think youre going to be impressed by that GM barrel..

I finished my .35 Whelen project a few weeks ago.. took the rifle to the range and shot roughly 1 MOA groups with both 200gr Hornady Superformance and 200gr Federal Fusion...

Im guessing once I brew up some hand loads I will have no problem getting sub MOA out of it..

I like the .35 GM barrel so much I went and ordered another GM barrel.. I just received an F14 contour GM barrel for a small ring action in 7x57 in the mail yesterday.. I had thought I was going to build my next rifle with a shilen barrel.. but after shooting the GM on the .35 whelen, I honestly dont see any reason to spend the extra money.. Im betting this little 7x57 GM barrel will shoot tighter groups than I can create once I get it properly mounted..

Well Naki, how many of the old African hunters reloaded their .350?
I would say 99.9% of the game shot in the old days was with the standard load, soft or solid, 225 grn bullet at 26oo fps. The same as a 35 whelen.
If you want to max load each, the .350 has the advantage, but I'm talking about how it was originaly used, and worked.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Hair oil?? I just shot milsurp 30-06s thru my first 35 Whelen, and let the bullet rattle out the barrel, it worked then and still works today.

I have fired cartridges lubricated with RCBS water soluble lube, Imperial sizing wax, Johnson Paste Wax, Hornady One shot, Lee sizing lube, Lubriplate AA130, Lubriplate 105, rifle grease, axle grease, 10W-30 oil, pull wax, Mink shoe oil, Vaseline, hair gels. Unlike industrial/automotive oils and greases, hair gels don't have nasty additives and wash off easily. Industrial/automotive products are not intended for contact with skin, if you really look at them. Hair gels are combinations of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) and lanolin. Hair gels are semi hard, easy to apply. I do believe that heavily greased bullets do reduce jacket fouling. After firing, my cases are perfectly fireformed to the chamber and stress free. Absolutely no sidewall stretch at all. I also detect sticky bolt lift earlier in developing loads. When I get home, I size the cases as they came out of the chamber so these hair gels are quite lubricative.

The rounds shoot fine, especially after bedding the rifle and free floating the barrel.







This load shot great in 35 F weather, but, in 50 F weather, sticky bolt lift and case head flow into the extractor groove. I have dismantled all the rounds I loaded, and will be testing IMR 4064 and maybe cutting this load by two grains.



I think this load is more accurate than the group shows. Shot enough ten shot groups with a 220, 225, or 250 grain bullets, and you develop a flinch. I have in fact increased the powder charge by one grain and plan to shoot some more.



This one, I was very happy with, but, I have not re tested in warmer weather. Might be a bit hot, based on the 225 experience.



I tested a number of powders in very cold weather, so cold the chronograph would not function. I had ignition problems with a ball powder (AA2520) such as hang fires. The extruded powders performed better, that is IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 than AA2520. At that time, because IMR 3031 ignited and fired well in cold weather, I think it has real potential in hunting situations. I don't know if this cartridge prefers faster powders, but I have a feeling it does.

The recoil on this rifle is such, I don't see how anyone does not develop a bad case of the flinch. On the bench, the recoil of the rifle is such, the scope will hit my eye glasses. I am not shooting sub MOA groups. The more rounds downrange, the large the groups become.

If you're flinching try putting something behind the recoil pad to to reduce recoil at the range. I use a piece of 1/2 inch thick closed cell foam sleeping pad doubled up but a PAST pad on your shoulder or a sand bag works too. No reason to develop bad habits during range sessions.

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On the bench, the recoil of the rifle is such, the scope will hit my eye glasses. I am not shooting sub MOA groups. The more rounds downrange, the large the groups become.

1. You may be trying to get too much cheek-weld, and leaning into the shot. Try a more-erect, stiff-necked head at the point away where you begin to lose full-picture. If you shoot from a bench, keep any smaller-picture centered.
2. Try the Nikon Inline 3-9 (blackpowder scope). You won't break it and it has 5-inch eye relief at the high setting. The glass is clear and the price should be around $200 US total. I've got them on several rifles, including a 500 that unleashes 7000ft-pounds, as well as a 416, a couple 338WM's and a 270. Couldn't ask for more, unless an illuminated dot.

Lee Reloading makes a good nontoxic water based case lube.

I do not want to get into a conflict.

Just reading Taylor's African rifle & cartridges. A lot of info on the construction of old, traditional bullets. Paying particular attention to Rigby bullets & the 350 cal.

American 35 cal bullets are not the same as 350 Rigby bullets.

American 150gr RN in 270 cal do not perform like similar 6.5 cal bullets from same manufacturers.
I have used the 160 gr 6.5 bullets on deer. Lots of info in the web on the 160gr RN bullet in 264 cal & how devastating it has been for 100+ years on moose, polar bear, lion and much more.

It is the bullet that kills & not the cartridge.

The 35 Whelan is a very good elk / moose / PG cartridge. That is fantastic praise.

The 9.3X62 has 100+ years of proven performance in Africa on PG & DG with appropriate bullets.

Again - reading Taylor and others on the 404 Jeffery versus the 10.75X68 - the real difference was bullet design. A 10.75X68 loaded with the right design bullet (NOT the RWS 347gr) is very effective on DG.

An African poacher in the 1920s was going around in a bicycle with .22 rim fire and killing elephants by shooting them at close range in the "arm pit".

That should put things in perspective and stop this pointless pissing match.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
Well Naki, how many of the old African hunters reloaded their .350?
I would say 99.9% of the game shot in the old days was with the standard load, soft or solid, 225 grn bullet at 26oo fps. The same as a 35 whelen.
If you want to max load each, the .350 has the advantage, but I'm talking about how it was originaly used, and worked.

quote:

1. You may be trying to get too much cheek-weld, and leaning into the shot. Try a more-erect, stiff-necked head at the point away where you begin to lose full-picture. If you shoot from a bench, keep any smaller-picture centered.

Don't doubt it. After decades of being a sling shooter, pushing the butt hard into the shoulder and pressing my face to the stock for a good stock weld, well, old habits are hard to break.

quote:

2. Try the Nikon Inline 3-9 (blackpowder scope). You won't break it and it has 5-inch eye relief at the high setting. The glass is clear and the price should be around $200 US total. I've got them on several rifles, including a 500 that unleashes 7000ft-pounds, as well as a 416, a couple 338WM's and a 270. Couldn't ask for more, unless an illuminated dot.

I will have to look at that. The 44 mm scope on the rifle was just a cheapie I bought on sale. It is as far forward as I can move the thing.

One aggravation is that commercial rifles are made for shooters shorter and not as wide in the beam as I. The Remington rifle has a 13 1/2" pull, I prefer something over 14". My small bore rifles generally are around 14 1/4 to 14 1/2" About the same for my prone centerfire.

I did wear a Past recoil shield. I have the standard and the magnum. The magnum felt awkward. Still, shooting 200's, 220's, 250's out of an 9 lb rifle for extended periods of time hurt.