Hello all,

I am new guy here to the forum, been reading topics for awhile. Thanks to the experienced forumee's who take the time to pass along their knowledge.

I selected the 9.3x62mm in cz550 lux for NA hunting and medium game in africa. The whelen was in the running with better bullet selection, brass, etc. but the "myth" of headspace bother me a bit.

From Barnes cartridge of the world:

9.3x62 - 17deg., 0.096" shoulder length, 0.058"
shoulder height.

From Haas guide to small ammunition:

35 whelen - 17deg30',0.102" shoulder length,
0.056 shoulder height

I understand that small differences at 56kpsi can be significant but is this enough or i should not be at all concerned about the 35whelen?

Either cartridge is great!! Back when the .35 Whelen was considerd a "Wildcat" some tried too
discredit it with false head space problems! They are both great deer / moose / bear cartridges!

Good Luck with your choice

[ 09-29-2002, 19:40: Message edited by: tsturm ]

Steve,
I think you are confuses with something when you mention "the "myth" of headspace".

Head space is a datum distance used to measure the rifle chamber between the face of the bolt and a datum surface (shoulder in this case). It is used to check the chamber and to ascertain if the rifle is safe to shoot in that respect. The Handloaders Manual of Cartridge Conversions by John Donnelly shows a different angel between the Whelen and the 9.3X62, 14.03 degrees vs 13.81 degrees. Also the distance to the shoulder from the rear of the case on the whelen is 1.976 while the 9.3 X 62 it is2.01. So if you are making some assumption the a head space gauge for one is the same it is not. There are gauges built by L. E. Wilson in Cashmere Washington (fortunately just up the road from me) that you can visually measure a cartridge to see if is within the range of the "go" to the "no go" head space gauge but I suspect you are thinking of something else. Just don't want you blowing yourself up.

[ 09-29-2002, 23:44: Message edited by: Customstox ]

thanks for the info. I guess i was thinking not of the actual headspace as mentioned, but of comments that the whelen shoulder was not "enough" ie too narrow, to stop the cartridge from moving pass the datum.

Chic---

Use that Donnally book to press flowers. It has at least one mistake per page.

Howell shows 17 deg 30 min on both.

Steve505--

The Whelen needs a fully formed shoulder to resist the impulse of the primer driving it forward.

I've shot a Whelen for 25 years (but not much) and believe 50% of the case stretch happens on the first fireforming shot. After that they don't get worked much.

The 375 Whelen has VERY short case life. Not enough shoulder.

35 Whelen headspace problems do exist, but they come from poorly-made rifles, not the cartridge. The myth of 35 Whelen headspace problems probably comes from several places.

First is the 35 Remington, whose shoulder is small but sufficient if you don't accidentally set it back in the sizing die. Before good loading dies and manuals, I think enough newbie handloaders had this problem that it tainted the 35 Whelen as well.

Second is the 400 Whelen, whose legitimate headspace problems even made Elmer Keith and Townsend Whelen give it up.

Third is history. The 35 Whelen came out in 1920 but was a non-standard wildcat until Remington picked it up in 1989. Between WWI and WWII, the people with M-54 or M-70 Winchesters or Oberndorf Mausers either did not convert them or had Sedgely or Griffin & Howe do the work. Those firms knew what they were doing and they built good rifles that still work just fine. On the other hand, far more 35 Whelen owners were local gun nuts with an extra WWI-vintage Mauser or '03 Springfield lying around. They either did the work themselves or had it done by a local smith, and they were definitely rolling the dice. It's likely that many of their rifles never headspaced properly. This is where the myth really gets its strength: rifles built on actions of questionable strength by unskilled gunsmiths. If you give those rifles to reloaders who didn't have modern powders, bullets or chronographs, but who did have books and articles quoting velocities that run with modern 338 Winchester Magnum loads, you can see where problems might have come up.

Get a 35 Whelen. You'll love it.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

I think much of the reputation of headspace problems for the 35 Whelen came about because it has the small shoulder and will have been used a great deal with "squib" loads.

Mike