The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Alaska Hunting Forum Whelen and 200 gr. for Grizzly?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
I am planning an Alaska interior grizzly hunt and have a question about bullets for my 35 Whelen. I've tried several types of 200, 225, and 250gr bullets, but my rifle shows a strong preference for 200 gr. Barnes TSX bullets. I originally wanted to use a heavier bullet for grizzly, but I'm wondering if I should just go with what my gun likes best. Should I keep searching for a heavier bullet that shoots well in my gun or is the 200 TSX heavy enough for grizzly? | ||
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| one of us |
I'm sure it would do just fine for interior griz. A 225 or 250 would work fine also. The whelen is a great old round. | |||
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| One of Us |
Thanks for the advice. The 200 sure looks like it should do the job. I'm normally used to loading 6.5 and 30 cal bullets and comparitively the 200 Barnes .358 bullet is one big hunk of metal. | |||
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| one of us |
I see no reason the 200 gr. monolithics wouldn't work..They will penetrate as well or perhaps better than a 250 gr. conventional bullet.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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........duckboat ,,. when ever you can , practice with your rifle from field positions and shooting in a short time frame ........ .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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Hi Duckboat Curious to the difference in groups between the 200's and say the 225's and 250's. Are looking at 3/4 inch groups compared to 1 1/4? I would personally go with the extra sectional density if the difference was small. Talk with your outfitter and see what he would expect for shot distances. Take care and good luck Dave | |||
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The difference in groups wasn't huge, but consistent. With the 250 Speer Hotcor, I am mostly getting 2.5" groups. On the 225 Partition and 225 Barnes, I am mostly getting 1.75" groups. On the 200 Barnes, I consistently get under 1" groups. I've tried a couple different powders and primers, but the 200 Barnes almost aways shoots under an inch. I don't have a outfitter selected yet, but from what I read I always thought 225 or 250 would be best with a Whelen. Heck, if I am going to be shooting 200's then I could have stuck with my old 30-06. But I guess the additional bullet diameter of the 35 caliber will help compared to 30 cal. I also found that when I'm shoting in field positions such as prone, the 200s are a whole lot more pleasant kicking than the 250s. It got me to thinking that maybe part of the reason the 200s shoot better is because subconsciously I know they kick less. | |||
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Duck boat, What powders did you try? I would test at least a 1/2 dozen powders before I gave up on the bullet you want to use. WHat is the twist in the tube? | |||
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I've tried IMR4064 and IMR3031 with R9 1/2 and cci200 primers. You're probably right that I should try another powder. I've have some AA2520 that I normally use for my .204 Ruger, but I see that Sierra and Speer have load data for that powder with the Whelen. I'll put some together and see how it shoots. I also have some IMR4350 that I'll try. | |||
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My Remington 700 has the 1-16" twist with a 24" barrel. It was a heck of a deal that I couldn't pass up for $459. I put on a Burris 2-7x Scope with Talley rings. | |||
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Before you give up on the 250gr or 225gr try out RL15. It is a phenomenal Whelen powder. | |||
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This is a common issue with the 35 Whelen and heavier bullets....the twist in stock rifles is too slow for the 250s to stabilize well. This discussion has been going on for some time here on this forun (I think you may find it on the Medium Bore forum). Ask your guide what is "optimal" and the normal ranges that you will be hunting at....use your best judgement. Good luck! Shrps74 | |||
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| new member |
I also would try Reloader 15. Had very good luck with this powder in both the Whelen and the 9.3x62. | |||
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Ducks, IMO, you have to try RL15 before you give up. I couldn't get groups much better than 1.5" with my Rem 673 in .350 RMag (aka, the Whelen Short). I switched over to RL15 and tried again. 250 gr. Speer HC's are grouping sub 1/2". Seriously. As in, two shots just touching at 100 yards. 250 gr. Speer Grand Slams are in the 3/4" range at 100 yards. RL15 - it absolutely changed the way my rifle groups. Final note: I'm getting 2500 fps with the 250 gr. bullets. That's some serious horsepower and I'd feel very comfortable with that kind of load against a big bear. oh, one more note: http://35cal.com/ You'll thank me later. Regards, Robert ****************************** H4350! It stays crunchy in milk longer! | |||
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Another vote for RL15, it's my go to powder for the Whelen along with either the 225 Sierra or Partition. Lou **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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I have 3 whelens, a Rem factory 1-16, a Douglas 1-12 and a A&B 1-14 and they all like 250 gr. Speers or Partitions with 56 gr. 4064 or 59 gr. R-15. My Rem. stabilizes the 250 gr. fine out to 200 yards which is probably farther than your guide would want you to shoot a grizzly. Whatever you choose good luck. | |||
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Thanks for the tips on RL-15. I went to the local sporting store and bought some. I gave it a try with the 225 Barnes and 250 Speer. The 225s still are giving me trouble but the 250 Speers now shoot well. | |||
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 Re-15 for sure. Works with the 225 TSX, 250 Grand Slams and Hornady SP 250's. 1-16 twist and 250's? So far it works for me. Straight shootin to ya | |||
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Ray that is a real good group with that bullet., What velocity are you getting ?? .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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Do not give up on the barnes bullets. The 225's are the most accurate bullets on my whelen BY FAR and you can never go wrong with almost 99% weight retention. I an using 61.5 gr of RL-15, fed 210 primer, 225gr TSX, and I seat .030" off the lands for my COAL (just what my rifle happens to like) and I am getting 2700 fps and just under 3/4"groups CONSISTENTLY. Just remember that the barnes bullets are really sensitive to seating depth so dont give up on the heavier of the two. start at .050 off the lands, work up your charge and once you find something that is remotely accurate play with your coal. I have had groups that were 1/4" with this load, but they are ALL under 3/4". I just wish someone would have given me this advice before I started with these bullets as they are not cheap to shoot. | |||
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Gumboot, They were moving pretty good. 58 grs- 2573 fps 58.5grs-2594 fps 59grs-2607 fps I ended up at 58.5 grs for a load, pretty much stopped there on playing with them since I heard Speer decided to drop them. I need to round up some more to stash back. Meanwhile I'll use TSX's since they also shoot good in my rifle. Straight shootin to ya | |||
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I would try several more powders behind the bullet you want to use before giving up on the bullet. You can probably make it shoot even better than 1.75 if you find which powder/bullet combo the gun likes. | |||
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| one of us |
I recently picked up a remington 750 carbine in 35 whelen. I picked up some 250gr Speer HC bullets and loaded them up with some varget at 2380fps, its a fairly mild load but you don't want to push the auto action too much. I recovered this bullet yesterday after it went thru a gallon water jug and about 12" of drift wood, the bullet was laing on the ground behind the log. It weighs 232gr, thats pretty good considering its just a "cheap" bullet.  | |||
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RL 15 or Varget seem to be THE powders in the 35 whelen and 350 rem mag. This is the first handload I tried through my ruger 350 rem mag.  But if the 200 is the bullet in your gun, no reason not to use it. So many bears have been consistantly taken by smaller bullets that you shouldn't worry about the whelen with 200's. It's effectively a partially expanded 300 magnum. Shot placement with a decent bullet first, middle and last with a decent bullet and the results are always good. __________________________________________________ The AR series of rounds, ridding the world of 7mm rem mags, one gun at a time. | |||
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I would not get too into accuracy as a primary concern...A bear kill area is several feet..I would be more concerned about bullet construction..Your idea of the 200 gr. TSX sounds like solid thinking to me... If you opt for the 250 gr. then you need to consider a super premium bullet...Woodleighs are a favorite of mine for the Whelan. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I disagree on the need for a "Super Premium" bullet. The Whelen muzzle velocity is not high enough to require that. A 250gr Hornady IL, Nosler Partition, Speer Hot-Cor etc..., any of those would hold together well at the 2500fps MV of the .35 Whelen. The 200gr Barnes TSX that buddy says his gun like would be an excellent choice IMHO. | |||
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