After 30+ years trying to find a load with 250 Hornady RP-SP I finally have found what I have been looking for. I have been looking for a load that is close to 2000 fps that doesn't punish your shoulder with full loads. I have tried every possible powder to get the velocity with group size I have been determined the rifle would give me. Guess I'm just too much of a fanatic with the caliber.

Rifle is a Ruger 77 with a 24" Shilen barrel. I fired lapped the barrel with Veral Smith's lapping compound when I got the rifle back from the gunsmith.

Load is 43.8 gr IMR 4895
CCI 250 primer
1973 FPS
35 Whelen brass
Leupold 3.5 x 10

100 yard 3 shot group gave me .242 C to C

200 yard group this past week gave me what I think is astonishing .587 center center three shot group. Shot off bags.

Luckily I had another shooter next to me shooting same distance with a 6.5 PRC. We were both in disbelief how the Whelen shot. Him more than me. Lucked out and out shot him. Got to love shooting a hunting rifle that beats a tricked out rifle with 6.5 x 20 scope that day.

Sad part about this is my 35 Whelen out shoots my 308 Remington.

This rifle also shoots cast bullets very well. NEI 311 grain and a NOE 359009 that comes out at 281 grains.

I tried for a couple hours to load pictures of the target to no avail just gave up.

That is a a very nice sized group.

Now go out and repeat 4 or 5 times.

So who is going deer hunting the next time? The Whelen or the .308?

Why do we compare calibers? when both are going to get you the same results??Id chose the one that I shot and handled best off hand..In this case and for deer Id take the 308 as its lighter and handier as a rule and save my 35
whelen (in my case the 9,3x62) for elk and moose.