Just bought a 35 Whelen custom on an FN mauser action.....very nice bit of wood in a classic pattern etc for AUS$600 ie US$325 (a bargain)

Anyway it came with dies and some loaded rounds, including a box of Rem factory 200gn corelokts.

Any suggestions on a good hard hitting load, the animals of choice are the australia deer species Sambar and Red, both bigger than you whitetail...I think sambar are like your elk.

I can get H4831SC, and H4350 equivalents, Varget and some Alliant and Vihtavouri powders (although both at very high costs)

Thanks in advance

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Regards
Craig Huxley
Brisbane Australia

Varget is near perfect for the cartridge . RL 15 may just be a hair better , depending on the rifle . The 250 gr Speer or Hornaday work well , with the Hornaday being somewhat tougher . 225 gr Sierra boatails would be OK in open country . Woodliegh makes .35 cal. bullets , should be easy for you to try out some of them ?

OZHUNTER,

I've been getting 2,525 fps with 58.5 grains of RL 15 in REm. Brass. This is in a 22" barrel. I worked up to it from about 10% below but I'm sure you realize that . This is with the 250 grain Nosler Partition. I used it on elk last fall and I'm taking it on a moose hunt this fall. Groups are under 1". Three inches high a 100 Yds. and you are around 10" low at 300 yards. Makes it good for no hold over on the larger game out to 250.
Regards,
Rich Elliott

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Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris

Varget is the cat's meow. I use 55 gr. under the 250 gr. Speer. The only powders that might be better are RL and Ramshot Big Game, and then not enough so you'd notice. HTH, Dutch.

Thanks guys.

Varget will be the one for me as I have it already. I was hoping for 4350 as I use it in quantity but heck, its only a tin or two of powder.

Looking forward to seeing how it goes.

IMR 4350 will work with the heavier bullets , it's just not as suitable as something a bit faster . I tried it in my rifle with 250 gr bullets . 61 gr , which is about all you can get in the case , only got me 2400 fps . It could work better in a rifle with a shorter throat or tighter chamber . An old article in Handloader lists 61 gr getting 2570 fps with 250 s .

I started using 3031 with 250s and liked it but have recently switched to Varget. Performance is actually about the same.
Because the Whelen operates at velocities at which they work real well I use Hornady 250s exclusively and am happy with them. I have never even tried lighter bullets. Regards, Bill.

I have tried IMR4895, AA2015BR, Varget,AA2495BR, RL-15 and H414 in my Whelen. I have stayed with 250 gr bullets, like Hornady, Speer GS, Speer, Barnes X and Nosler.

I always seam to go right back to RL-15, best performance and accuracy.My favorite loads are using the Hornady and Speer GS @ 2560 fps with a 22" barrel.

That's my 2 cents worth.

BD

My load is EXACTLY Mr. Elliott's load with the 250 gr Partition in an original older Ruger M77 with a 22' barrel. Velocity is just under 2500 fps, three shot average accuracy is around 1 1/4". Biggest critter to date is a very large bull nilgai in South Texas at 170 yards. Many say they are a tough beast. Mine folded immediately at the shot that was a bit high behind the shoulder. The bullet passed through, it is now my one and only Whelen load.

Excellent Load in my 35 Whelen Pump

IMR 4320 @ 56.0
250 SPEER SPTZ
FED 210 Match
Fed Cases

Extremely Accurate Load Good Vel 2500 FPS, I have shot numerous bear and moose with this load.

AK Bush Man,

I assume yours is a Rem M7600. Do handloads tend to run a little hot in yours? Mine must have a tight chamber; flattens primers even with starting loads and civvy brass...

steve, mine is a 7600, and it has no problems, even when neck sizing after max book loads. Do you see any other pressure signs (loose primer pockets, etc?). Just wondering if the headspace might be a little long. FWIW, Dutch.

Powder makers publish hotter 35 Whelen data than bullet makers. I used a 1/2 gr. under Alliant's max with a 250 Partition and both Hornady 250's. I don't have my notes here but I recall 2,550 fps from a 22" 1:16 twist Ruger barrel, 1 MOA, and no high pressure signs. IMR 4320 burned too fast and IMR 4350 burned too slow for best velocity, but both hit 2,400 fps easily. IMR 4064 was almost as good as RL-15. I didn't try Varget or H4895, but if RL-15 didn't work, they were next. Had I kept that rifle, I would have settled on a 250 Hornady RN over RL-15. Hope this helps, Okie John.

I shoot H4831SC in my custom Win model 70 with a 24" barrel. The bullet I shoot and it is very accurate and reasonably priced is a 250g FPGC made by Western Bullet Co. in Missoula,MT. With 59g H4831SC and a CCI BR2 large primer and Rem brass i'm shooting 1" groups with a velocity @2180 fps. I've shot a mule deer doe with this one and a shitload of gophers. It's a good penetrater/plinker. I'd use this on elk but I prefer the NP 250g powered by IMR 4320 at 52.3g at 2560 fps. Another powder/load I use is BLC-2 at 58.1g and a 250g Hornady RN at 2570 fps. with 3/4" groups. R15 at 57g with the 250g Speer is an accurate load as well in my rifle. My Douglass barrel twist is 1 in 12 in case someone cares. As you can see there's a lot of powders and opinions out there that work quite well for this cartridge.

No other signs Dutch except some brightening at the ejector cut. I didn't mike the heads, but obvious high pressure and yet averaging 50fps below published. Headspace OK by no-go guage.

X-bullets with .050 clearance never got past starting loads, had to pull them.

Maybe a tight bore, but doesn't seem likely on a production run.

Steve, sounds like a rough bore allright. Not much to be done about that, othere than selling it and buying another, I suppose. FWIW, Dutch.

For shame, Dutch. A rifle that light, handy and accurate? Never. I'll lap it, blast it and blue it. If it's 1.5 MOA it's an elk rifle.

If you have access to it, you might try H335. I load 53 gr behind either the Speer 250 gr Grand Slam or 250 gr Speer spitzer, depending on characteristics of the game I'm hunting. MV is about 2550, and accuracy out of my Remington 700 is around MOA. Both bullets shoot to the same point of aim, as well.

Steve, LOL! Just ment trading it for another of the same model! But, you're right, 1.5moa is fine. That's about what mine does with a 1x3 scope. As a matter of fact, I haven't even tried to make it shoot better than that. I don't use it for ground squirrels! Dutch.