Acquired a 35 Whelen Remington 7400 autoloader as a possible big Bear stomper. Capable of firing 310gr RN SN Woodleighs at about 2300 fps muzzle speed. Fair accuracy only (3 moa) because the 1:16 twist 22" barrel isn't quite fast enough to properly stabilize that bullet.

Turns out it's a pretty good Moose and Elk stomper with 250gr Swift A-Frames at 2400 fps muzzle speed. Wouldn't hesitate to use it on big Bear.
Cycles reliably if kept clean and is surprisingly accurate. Quick follow up shots. Great for dispatching multiple targets in rapid succession.

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Originally posted by 4sixteen:
Acquired a 35 Whelen Remington 7400 autoloader as a possible big Bear stomper. Capable of firing 310gr RN SN Woodleighs at about 2300 fps muzzle speed. Fair accuracy only (3 moa) because the 1:16 twist 22" barrel isn't quite fast enough to properly stabilize that bullet.

Turns out it's a pretty good Moose and Elk stomper with 250gr Swift A-Frames at 2400 fps muzzle speed. Wouldn't hesitate to use it on big Bear.
Cycles reliably if kept clean and is surprisingly accurate. Quick follow up shots. Great for dispatching multiple targets in rapid succession.

I had a 7600 in 35 Whelen and let it get away, wish I had not sold it. Hits much harder than one thinks it would, especially with heavy bullets.

I never faced a charging bear, and at my age never will, the snow is too deep for my brand new 84 years....but I have survived 2.5 Cape Buffalo charges...In two of those cases I just pointed and shot and killed them..I think one should practice point shooting up to 25 yards if they intend to hunt DG..Its better than that silly red dot that doesn't always show up..

Lots of good posts here. Thanks to all.

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I think one should practice point shooting up to 25 yards if they intend to hunt DG.

That's some good advice. I think it doesn't get more basic than that.

I've done it, and recommend it too. For anyone who hasn't tried it, you may be surprised. I was. I'm talking about both eyes open, point and shoot, and try to center a pie plate.

Try it. Start at ten yards.

yes practice practice practice is the key.

Just practice offhand shooting because if you are halfway decent at that then your chances of ever having to defend yourself from a real, close range charge will be greatly reduced !

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Originally posted by 458Win:
Just practice offhand shooting because if you are halfway decent at that then your chances of ever having to defend yourself from a real, close range charge will be greatly reduced !

I am convinced that my early years of hunting ruffed grouse in heavy cover was a good primer for digging brown bears out of the alders.

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Originally posted by waterrat:

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Originally posted by 458Win:
Just practice offhand shooting because if you are halfway decent at that then your chances of ever having to defend yourself from a real, close range charge will be greatly reduced !

I am convinced that my early years of hunting ruffed grouse in heavy cover was a good primer for brown bearing in the alders.

For decades I have practice getting my cross hairs onto flushing grouse.

Easy if your rifle is set up properly.

Pulled the wrong trigger of my scoped combo-gun and head shot a flushing tom.

I can tell you a 173gr from a 7x57R has plenty knock down power for a 27lb tom.

quote:

Originally posted by 4sixteen:
Acquired a 35 Whelen Remington 7400 autoloader as a possible big Bear stomper. Capable of firing 310gr RN SN Woodleighs at about 2300 fps muzzle speed. Fair accuracy only (3 moa) because the 1:16 twist 22" barrel isn't quite fast enough to properly stabilize that bullet.

Turns out it's a pretty good Moose and Elk stomper with 250gr Swift A-Frames at 2400 fps muzzle speed. Wouldn't hesitate to use it on big Bear.
Cycles reliably if kept clean and is surprisingly accurate. Quick follow up shots. Great for dispatching multiple targets in rapid succession.

There's actually a lot of merit in a short, handy, portable, and quick-pointing semi-auto chambered for .35 Whelen - especially in the areas of this country where you want (or need) to be suitably 'loaded for bear.'

While the Remy 7400 might fill your bill as the platform, be advised that Shuff's Parkerizing also builds them. However, his builds are called 'Mini-Gs,' being 16.1" carbine-length Garands converted using your donor M1.

He uses a Criterion barrel, Wolff XP spring, and a Schuster adjustable M1 gas plug to regulate the gas system and protect the op rod & gas cylinder. He also modifies the internals of the receiver just enough to reliably hold, feed, and eject M1 clips (5- or 8-rd) loaded with heavy .35-cal bullets - 250gn or 300gns. He adds a Schuster M1 muzzle break, reamed out to .35-cal, to tame felt-recoil for quick follow-up shots ...

Another option to consider, FYI, if you're interested in a handy 35 Whelen autoloader.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ1WtDghxbg

A 35 Whelen Garand. How cool is that? Worthy of consideration. In standard form the reliable Garand battle rifle is way too heavy for me to pack around in the mountains all day. Been there done that. Shuff's Mini-G likely weighs a bit less with the shorter barrel.

My fairly handy and lightweight 35 Whelen 7400 is capable of firing at least two 4 round mags without getting bunged up with fouling and developing ejection issues. Hasn't let me down while hunting. It's reliable enough as a hunting rifle. And surprisingly accurate.

http://shuffsparkerizing.com/

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Originally posted by 4sixteen:
A 35 Whelen Garand. How cool is that? Worthy of consideration. In standard form the reliable Garand battle rifle is too heavy for me to pack around in the mountains all day. Tried that. Shuff's Mini-G likely weighs a bit less with the shorter barrel.

Yes, about 2-3lbs less. But that's IF you keep it iron-sights only.

Shuff does offer the option of adding an Ultimak forward picatinny mount for running a low-powered scout scope or a red dot optic, but that adds some weight back on.

You can also get a mount that permits traditional scoping of the Mini-G over the receiver (as in his video), but that too will add a bit of weight.

But the trade-off with an optic is better first-round hit probability in the bush. And the Mini-Gs are intended for short-range use - generally inside 200-yds, and as a true 'bush carbine,' maybe more often inside 100-yds. It's also the perfect weapon for deer-standing in densely wooded terrain. It's a concept similar to the thinking behind the old Remmy model 600 carbine in .350 Rem. Mag, except Shuff uses the M1's battle-proven semi-auto platform.

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My 35 Whelen 7400 is capable of firing at least two 4 round mags without getting bunged up with fouling and developing ejection issues. It's reliable enough as a hunting rifle.

Point of clarification: in the YouTube vid Shuff states that he's loading 'four rounds" of 35 Whelen cartridges. But that vid is from 2010 which was before he perfected his receiver modification that allows loading a full 8-rd M1 clip (or 5-rd 'hunting' clip) with the heavier .35W bullets.

Again, just FYI ...

A 35 Whelen sounds good to me. 400 Whelen in a semiauto sounds better. I Wonder if he would undertake that? Packy

Astronomers have known "forever" that red light affects their night vision less than any other color. Once the eye pupil has dilated to a maximum of 5 to 7mm under dark skies, they use red lights to find their way around the telescope and accessories. It works for amateurs as well. I always used deep red for finding the right eyepieces, etc, when I was doing a lot of observing of the night sky.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca