35 Whelen advice

[SJB358]

I've settled on 57.7 gr if Varget. The velocity is averaging 2680 fps with a SD of 11. I've also seated the bullets deeper. They are now sitting at 3.330". I'll see what tomorrow morning brings at the range.

I’d try bumping your charge a grain or two and see what develops. While 2680 is excellent speed you may see your groups tighten up a little as well. Your concentricity seems real decent as well.

 

[laylandad]

I've shot weights all the way up to 60.5 gr. It literally got worse and worse, like 6" groups at 100. Having already tried IMR 4895 and IMR 8208 along with Varget, I'm almost ready to change bullets.

 

[SJB358]

I've shot weights all the way up to 60.5 gr. It literally got worse and worse, like 6" groups at 100. Having already tried IMR 4895 and IMR 8208 along with Varget, I'm almost ready to change bullets.

Wow, that’s crazy the groups get that large. Is bedding, mounts and scope all solid?

Might be worth trying a Partition or maybe a TTSX and see what happens.

How far off the lands is the AccuBond right now?

 

[truck driver]

I found that Accubonds like some jump so maybe shortening them is the way to go.
If Scotty can't figure it out sell the rifle. o)

 

[truck driver]

When you think there is nothing wrong with the stock that might be the first place to look.
I had a Ruger 338 Win Mag that set me in a fit till I put it in carbon fiber stock with a full bedding block and it then came to life and would shoot nice little clover leaf groups.

 

[laylandad]

The mounts are tight, scope is good, and I will eventually skim bed the stock. The current stock has a full length aluminum block. The barrel is free floating and the action is torqued in at 55 in lbs. I can't get to the rifling without the AccuBond falling out of the case. It seems that some Remington 700s are "long" throated.

 

[truck driver]

The mounts are tight, scope is good, and I will eventually skim bed the stock. The current stock has a full length aluminum block. The barrel is free floating and the action is torqued in at 55 in lbs. I can't get to the rifling without the AccuBond falling out of the case. It seems that some Remington 700s are "long" throated.

Yeah they seem to be. The one I had was also I couldn't reach the lands on it either but it would shoot good with everything I loaded for it.
My 35 Ack Imp has a long throat and it thinks it's a bench rest rifle with 200 gr Accubonds.
I actually split a white tail deer in half with a 225 PT when it would only give me a Texas heart shoot and I took it.

 

[truck driver]

Here's my most accurate load in the M700 22" barrel 35 Whelen,
200gr AB Rem brass 54.0gr IMR 8208 XBR CCI 200 primer OAL 3.425" MV was 2670fps,
.344"X.149" 100yds off a bench rest. The action was in a factory stock that was glass & pillar bedded with a full floated barrel.
That was a 95% case fill in my cases. Pressure was running around 48228psi according to QL.

 

[SJB358]

The mounts are tight, scope is good, and I will eventually skim bed the stock. The current stock has a full length aluminum block. The barrel is free floating and the action is torqued in at 55 in lbs. I can't get to the rifling without the AccuBond falling out of the case. It seems that some Remington 700s are "long" throated.

Mines the same way, I wanna say 225 Accubonds are loaded out around 3.450” or so, maybe a little longer. The funny part with mine was I loaded 250 Partitions at 3.34” and it would hammer those into tiny little groups. On a whim I didn’t adjust the seating die and started the powder workup for 225 Accubonds and I never really had to adjust the seating depth.







I went back out with 60 grains and it seemed to work

 

[truck driver]

Here's the next big question.
Since the 35 Whelen has considerable recoil, as much as the 338 Win Mag or more, are you flinching?
The first time I shot my factory M700 with the hard factory recoil pad it hurt like h$ll and changed it immediately and I only shot it once before I put a new pad on it.

 

[laylandad]

Here's the next big question.
Since the 35 Whelen has considerable recoil, as much as the 338 Win Mag or more, are you flinching?
The first time I shot my factory M700 with the hard factory recoil pad it hurt like h$ll and changed it immediately and I only shot it once before I put a new pad on it.

Very good question...LOL! No flinching here. It has a nice recoil pad, I can still feel it but not as bad as when the original wood stock was on it.

I think with the help from you all, I have solved this issue. I seated the bullets deeper and it has tightened up significantly. It's consistently around 3/4" at 100 yds now. The SD is @ 7.2 on the magnetospeed. So not only did my groups shrink, my SD improved.

 

[SJB358]

Here's the next big question.
Since the 35 Whelen has considerable recoil, as much as the 338 Win Mag or more, are you flinching?
The first time I shot my factory M700 with the hard factory recoil pad it hurt like h$ll and changed it immediately and I only shot it once before I put a new pad on it.

Very good question...LOL! No flinching here. It has a nice recoil pad, I can still feel it but not as bad as when the original wood stock was on it.

I think with the help from you all, I have solved this issue. I seated the bullets deeper and it has tightened up significantly. It's consistently around 3/4" at 100 yds now. The SD is @ 7.2 on the magnetospeed. So not only did my groups shrink, my SD improved.

I believe you have a winner with that combo. While having a 35 Whelen over a 338 or 9.3 doesn’t make a ton of perfect sense with the BC being not quite as good as similar 338 and .366 bullets, it’s a hammer on large game and works like nothing else I’ve seen on plain old deer. Just plows a wide swath through me leaving great blood trails or the animal in their wake.

I can’t get enough of them actually. Got a 35 Newton about to get on the chopping block and I can’t wait to run it again.

 

[truck driver]

Glad to here you got it sorted out.