I am currently looking for a 35 Whelen barrel and plan to shoot the 225 and 250gr bullets in it (have an 06 for lighter bullets). Whats the best twist for this bullet weight?? Shilen offers 1-14 and Douglas 1-12

Maybe this will help Twist Rate Courtesy of Shilen and benchrest.com

Remember, it is generally better to go too fast in twist rate than too slow.
-mike

According to Col. Whelen himself 1 in 12" was best back in the days when the 275gr and 300gr bullets were being used. If you are using 250gr bullets the 1 in 14 twist would be best.

Jason

Thanks for the info, especially the Shilen info, this will come in handy in the future. Now all I have to do is decide between finding a Ruger #1 to rebarrel or using the 1917 Eddystone (already sporterized by previous owner) I picked up last month to build my Whelen. Eddystone receiver is not tapped and still has the wings at rear sight (has S&K no-tap mount). But the eddystone has one very nice piece of walnut on it and has been blued. I had purchased a Persian Mauser for this project, but its in such good shape, just couldn't bring my self to hack it.

Currently, I have three rifles in .35 Whelen. The Ruger 77 and Remington 700 have a 1 in 16" twist. My custom Mauser has a 1 in 14" twist. As I only shoot 250 gr. bullets in the Whelen, stability appears to be OK, but the 1 in 14" is slightly more accurate, still not what I'm looking for. I now plan on building another Whelen with a 1 in 12" twist.
I'm of the opinion that the faster twist just might be a little better. I have friends who have 1 in 12" twist rates in their rifles and they are extremely pleased with them.
Paul B.

I find it very interesting that James Howe in his book "The Modern Gunsmith" 1934 lists the twist for the 35 Whelan as 1 in 16 with 6 groove rifling. He does not go into great detail regarding the bullet weight to be used but as stated above the 300 and 350 gr. bullets and larger would have been much more common then.
I recently purchased some 300 grain Hornady bullets for use with my Ruger 77- an older tang safety that really shoots 250 grain bullets well. I haven't tested them enough to know yet whether the barrel will handle the extra weight but I find it interesting to note the evolution of twist in this terrific caliber from the orignators design.
Frank

When starting my Whelen project some time back I asked the same questions. The concensus then ,around this and other boards, was that if one is to shoot a variety of bullet weights the 1-14" twist is perhaps the best all-around. My gunbuilder ( who has done quite a few Whelens ) also recommended this.

Not to hijack the thread, but what was the twist rate in the Ruger 35 Whelen?

I believe that my Ruger SE has a 1 in 14 twist. I am having my .350 Rem. mag put up with 1 in 12, and I am betting that the .200 gr. factory loads will still work just fine was this quicker twist. CP.

My tang safety Ruger 77 in .35 Whelen has a 1 in 16" twist.
Paul B.

I did a little more research through my Library and from Townsend Whelan's book "The Hunting Rifle", 1940 he goes into a little more detail about the development of the 35 Whelan by Howe following their collaboration on the 400 Whelan around 1922.

Whelan further states that the cartridge was "necked down to 35 caliber to use existing .35 caliber bullets of .200, .250, and .275 grains weight, the latter being a special bullet made by the Western Tool and Copper Works and since discontinued"

I remember Keith discussing this in one of his Gun Notes articles.

Whelan further states

"At it best it is loaded with one of the .250 grain soft point or open point bullets designed for the .35 Winchester cartridge. A moderate and sensible powder charge is 56 grains of duPont IMR 4064 powder which in a 24 inch barrel gives a muzzle velocity of approximately 2500 Fps"

Wow if that is moderate in a 24 inch barrel can you imagine loading one up hot.

Unfortunately I couldn't find anything on the barrel twist but Howe did state it was one in 16 obviously for the lighter bullets. And since he was cutting and developing his own dies as well it seems he could have made them any size he wanted.

Frank

Being highly prejudiced in such matters, I'd use a No. 1, naturally. But mine would be a .338/'06 or, better yet, a .338 Gibbs! however, there have been a few .35's using the Gibbs cartridge design configuration, and they are pretty effective too!

You are right about the 338 being a powerehouse today but the extra diameter of the .35 coupled with the fantastic bullets of today and the even better cartridge designs for the .35 make it a more dynamic choice IMO.
I used a 35 Gibbs for some time but with the longer Barnes style bullets the short neck doesn't always allow for the seating I would prefer.
I think I will stay with the Whelan and I know it does a permanent job on bear and deer. With the heavy bullets I would hope oneday to try it on Moose as well having read stories on AR of its success and other virtues.
Frank