35 whelen guys help a bruther out

[OU812]

Im getting ready to buy my first 35 whelen. 24 inch Douglas barrel, McMillan Sako hunter stock, trigger set to 3 lbs, Talley rings. Comes with 225 accubonds, 225 ttsx bullets and rl15 powder. Am I set or need something else powder wise?

 

[truck driver]

That sounds like a good set up. There are lots of powders that will work well including Varget,IMR8208, CFE223 and the old stand byes like IMR4064.
A lot of guys here like RL15 in the Whelen it's sort of what the rifle likes best.
For starting out I don't think you can go wrong with it.

 

[OU812]

I'm liking the sounds of that, I like choices.

 

[Thebear_78]

Don’t overlook the cup/core style bullets. They work VERY well at the modest whelen velocities. I really liked the Speer 250gr SP @2400fps. Great performance and a nice mind load. The whelen is a great cartridge that you gain very little trying to hot rod. 200s at 2700, 225s at 2500, and 250s at 2400 are solid performers.


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[JD338]

Bill

Welcome to the club buddy.
I've got a 700 Classic 35 Whelen that I have loaded for since 1988. Great round with plenty of horse power and very accurate. You are going to love it.

JD338

 

[OU812]

Bill

Welcome to the club buddy.
I've got a 700 Classic 35 Whelen that I have loaded for since 1988. Great round with plenty of horse power and very accurate. You are going to love it.

JD338

Thanks Jim. I'm quite sure I'll like it, might regret not owning one sooner.

 

[OU812]

Don’t overlook the cup/core style bullets. They work VERY well at the modest whelen velocities. I really liked the Speer 250gr SP @2400fps. Great performance and a nice mind load. The whelen is a great cartridge that you gain very little trying to hot rod. 200s at 2700, 225s at 2500, and 250s at 2400 are solid performers.


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Thanks for the info. I believe there are some hornady interlocks as well, I always liked that bullet fo accuracy and performance.

 

[truck driver]

If we haven't convinced you into picking this rifle up just check out the Nosler reloading guide .
Plenty of load data and combinations of powder and bullets that will make it sing.
Plus the 24" barrel is about right to get the most out of the 35 Whelen cartridge.
I do prefer my Ackely version over the original because it gives me more flexibility and more velocity for longer shots.
Here's a picture of how mine will handle 225gr PT.
This powder charge is for my 35/AI and I do not recommend you try to duplicate it in a standard 35 Whelen.
I do have some info for the Standard that will be useful to you as does lots of others here.
Yeah we are big fans of the 35 Whelen .

 

[OU812]

If we haven't convinced you into picking this rifle up just check out the Nosler reloading guide .
Plenty of load data and combinations of powder and bullets that will make it sing.
Plus the 24" barrel is about right to get the most out of the 35 Whelen cartridge.
I do prefer my Ackely version over the original because it gives me more flexibility and more velocity for longer shots.
Here's a picture of how mine will handle 225gr PT.
This powder charge is for my 35/AI and I do not recommend you try to duplicate it in a standard 35 Whelen.
I do have some info for the Standard that will be useful to you as does lots of others here.
Yeah we are big fans of the 35 Whelen .

Excellent group. I should get the rifle today. Rumor has it that he has a very accurate load with 225 ab and rl15 but I do like to try new powders and bullets.

 

[truck driver]

If we haven't convinced you into picking this rifle up just check out the Nosler reloading guide .
Plenty of load data and combinations of powder and bullets that will make it sing.
Plus the 24" barrel is about right to get the most out of the 35 Whelen cartridge.
I do prefer my Ackely version over the original because it gives me more flexibility and more velocity for longer shots.
Here's a picture of how mine will handle 225gr PT.
This powder charge is for my 35/AI and I do not recommend you try to duplicate it in a standard 35 Whelen.
I do have some info for the Standard that will be useful to you as does lots of others here.
Yeah we are big fans of the 35 Whelen .

Excellent group. I should get the rifle today. Rumor has it that he has a very accurate load with 225 ab and rl15 but I do like to try new powders and bullets.

Thanks for the compliment.
I killed a white tail doe with that load where i had to take a Texas heart shot which isn't my favorite shot but was left with nothing else I could do except let her go.
The 225gr PT at 2800fps crushed the H bone like it was hit with a sledge hammer.
Very little blood shot meat and as the saying goes with a 35 Whelen you can eat right up to the bullet hole is true. >)
I do load mine up to 62Kpsi since mine is in a rebored M70 and not a converted military action.

 

[OU812]

A 225 @ 2800 is no joke to be certain. I'll be using this rifle for elk and have no doubts on it's performance.

 

[truck driver]

A 225 @ 2800 is no joke to be certain. I'll be using this rifle for elk and have no doubts on it's performance.

Sounds like a plan so post some pictures when you get her home so we can drool over them.

 

[OU812]

A 225 @ 2800 is no joke to be certain. I'll be using this rifle for elk and have no doubts on it's performance.

Sounds like a plan so post some pictures when you get her home so we can drool over them.

Will do.

 

[PJGunner]

My pet load for the .35 Whelen is 60.4 gr. of Re15 and the 225 gr. Barnes TSX bullet. It's accounted for six one shot kills on elk so far. I do caution that you work up to it though. It's fine in my custom Mauser but proved to be too hot for my Remington M700 Classic.
Accuracy was excellent with groups in the .50 to .80" range on average.
Another good load is one of Paco Kelly's, 53.0 gr. of H335 with a 250 gr. bullet. Velocity is 2550 FPS and groups run from one inch to 1.50 inches depending on which bullet. I shot the Hornady spire point, round nose and Speer spitzer from the Mauser and the Remington 700 Classic with good results. I'd hunt the load if my TSX load was not available.
Paul B.

 

[fishdog52]

Joy of the Whelen is that it doesn't require every last bit of fps to be a heck of a killer. I happily used 200 gr Interlocks for several years, but have since standardized on the 250 gr Partition over the last 10 years.
I had some trouble with RL15 so ended up using Varget for some time. Since I am not smart enough to leave things alone, I have moved on to Power Pro 2000MR for an upcoming moose hunt.
The Whelen has been a joy to load for, almost have to work hard to find loads they don't like.
Still have 2 of the 3 Whelens I've bought, all Remingtons.

 

[OU812]

Joy of the Whelen is that it doesn't require every last bit of fps to be a heck of a killer. I happily used 200 gr Interlocks for several years, but have since standardized on the 250 gr Partition over the last 10 years.
I had some trouble with RL15 so ended up using Varget for some time. Since I am not smart enough to leave things alone, I have moved on to Power Pro 2000MR for an upcoming moose hunt.
The Whelen has been a joy to load for, almost have to work hard to find loads they don't like.
Still have 2 of the 3 Whelens I've bought, all Remingtons.

How are you liking the Power Pro 2000MR? I read some good things about the powder.

 

[OU812]

My pet load for the .35 Whelen is 60.4 gr. of Re15 and the 225 gr. Barnes TSX bullet. It's accounted for six one shot kills on elk so far. I do caution that you work up to it though. It's fine in my custom Mauser but proved to be too hot for my Remington M700 Classic.
Accuracy was excellent with groups in the .50 to .80" range on average.
Another good load is one of Paco Kelly's, 53.0 gr. of H335 with a 250 gr. bullet. Velocity is 2550 FPS and groups run from one inch to 1.50 inches depending on which bullet. I shot the Hornady spire point, round nose and Speer spitzer from the Mauser and the Remington 700 Classic with good results. I'd hunt the load if my TSX load was not available.
Paul B.

Seems like these 35 whelens like to shoot well. Mine has a Carl Gustafson mauser action or so is inscribed on the side.

 

[fishdog52]

OU812,
The 2000MR caught my attention with the groups that it produced at 200 and 300 yards. They were just a little more consistant, and repeatable, than I experienced with other recipes.
In this particular rifle, I have long list of combinations that print really well at 100 yards. It's not til I reach out a little further that disparities in grouping emerge.
I ended up using 65.5 gr under the 250 gr Partition, Fed210 primer, at 3.34"OAL in a 700 CDL. This is a bit under Speer's max.
I have not shot these over my chronograph, but recoil & trajectory indicate that velocity is "up there." Guessing a solid 2500fps.
A grandson and I have fired approx a 100 of these, most at 200 yards. Hoping to test drive one on a NL moose in a few weeks.

 

[OU812]

OU812,
The 2000MR caught my attention with the groups that it produced at 200 and 300 yards. They were just a little more consistant, and repeatable, than I experienced with other recipes.
In this particular rifle, I have long list of combinations that print really well at 100 yards. It's not til I reach out a little further that disparities in grouping emerge.
I ended up using 65.5 gr under the 250 gr Partition, Fed210 primer, at 3.34"OAL in a 700 CDL. This is a bit under Speer's max.
I have not shot these over my chronograph, but recoil & trajectory indicate that velocity is "up there." Guessing a solid 2500fps.
A grandson and I have fired approx a 100 of these, most at 200 yards. Hoping to test drive one on a NL moose in a few weeks.

Thanks for the info, seems like a powder worth looking in to for sure. Good luck on your moose hunt.

 

[RiverRider]

One of the things I noticed about the Whelen during load development is that as the powder charge was increased, velocity gains were very modest. That made it easier to resist the temptation to try wringing "just a little more" out of it and just focus on accuracy. I found 225 ABs and Re15 to be very good. Varget looked to be just as good, but I deferred to the Whelen shooters here and stuck with Re15 since the majority seemed to favor it.