35 Whelen - how far is too far for elk?

[orchemo]

Looking at data for the 35 Whelen with a 225 AB traveling at 2600 FPS from the barrel.

My ballistic calculator gives the bullet 1956 FPS and 1912 ft-lbs of energy at 400 yds.

Still above the mystical 1500 ft lbs of energy at 400 yds.

Seems like more than a short/medium range elk caliber.

Thoughts?

Cheers

 

[DrMike]

Those who have restricted the Whelen to a medium range proposition have seriously underestimated the cartridge. It is not at all a short to medium range cartridge if properly loaded.

 

[FOTIS]

For me?

350 yards sounds very "comfortable"~

 

[JD338]

I would not hesitate out to 400 yds. I would have a CDS dile on my scope.
My load uses a 250 gr PT at 2581 fps and it would be a hammer out to 400 yds. You know that big heavy bullet is going to go deep into an elk.

JD338

 

[6mm Remington]

I am not a .35 Whelen guy. I just don't have one. Nothing wrong with them and I think they are a great cartridge. I think the guys all gave sound advise and based on your figures I have complete confidence that 400 yards and then some if you know the dope is within reason. That big old girl really seems to have some horsepower behind her! Now if Scotty comes along and reads what I have written, I will lie, deny, and make strong counter accusations!

I've been impressed with the Accubonds, and that 225 gr. should be right in the sweet spot as far as oomph way out there. Nice rifle you have.
David

 

[orchemo]

Earlier this week, it took the 338WM and the Whelen out for some range time. My 338WM does not get much field time. I tend to grab the 300WSM or old fashion 30-06. Now that I have gathered a couple 35 calibers. I think the 338wm will find even less time. I'm not adverse to recoil, but also do not go looking for it

My elk and bear shots are almost always less than 300 yds. The 225 AB in the Whelen seems to fill that bill well.

JD338 - Looking at the ballistics calculator I have, the drops for the 225 AB at 2600 FPS are
range scope velocity energy
200 yd zero 2265 2563
300 yds - 9 inches 2107 2219
400 yds - 26 inches 1956 1912
500 yds - 52 inches 1812 1640

Then look at the Leupold B&C rectile and on the small bullet drops setting they are almost exactly the same drops (8.6, 25, 51).

Seems a Leupold 2.5-8 with a B&C recticle would be a great optic.

Cheer

 

[Oldtrader3]

I think that for shooting larger game, it probably has more to do with what bullet you are shooting and the terminal velocity lower limit for decent expansion in that caliber. For instance, I would not want to shoot a 225 gr TSX at less than 2000 fps (200 yards max) into an elk. However with a Partition, it should be good at velocity down to 1800 fps or close to 300 yards.

 

[Elkman]

I have not hunted mine but believe that the cartridge is capable out to 400 or so. Thats a lot of bullet sailing along (scientific term) but the trajectory will get to be an issue past 325.

 

[JD338]

Earlier this week, it took the 338WM and the Whelen out for some range time. My 338WM does not get much field time. I tend to grab the 300WSM or old fashion 30-06. Now that I have gathered a couple 35 calibers. I think the 338wm will find even less time. I'm not adverse to recoil, but also do not go looking for it

My elk and bear shots are almost always less than 300 yds. The 225 AB in the Whelen seems to fill that bill well.

JD338 - Looking at the ballistics calculator I have, the drops for the 225 AB at 2600 FPS are
range scope velocity energy
200 yd zero 2265 2563
300 yds - 9 inches 2107 2219
400 yds - 26 inches 1956 1912
500 yds - 52 inches 1812 1640

Then look at the Leupold B&C rectile and on the small bullet drops setting they are almost exactly the same drops (8.6, 25, 51).

Seems a Leupold 2.5-8 with a B&C recticle would be a great optic.

Cheer

Talk about tailor made, that is a match made in heven!

JD338

 

[Coyote Hunter]

Energy is only one factor to be considered. Velocity is something I pay more attention to when considering long range capabilities - I want to make sure the bullet is going fast enough at impact to expand reliably.

 

[orchemo]

The B&c reticle does look like a perfect match. Looks like a project coming together.

Ordered the Talley rings from Nosler earlies this week for the rifle ( along with a pile of 130 gr AB bullets for the 270WSM)

Summer time will be 225 gr AB development for the Whelen.

 

[Songdog]

I typically worry much more about how far an elk is from the truck, than how far it is from the muzzle....

 

[6mm Remington]

I typically worry much more about how far an elk is from the truck, than how far it is from the muzzle....

Words well spoken. Parts and pieces most of the time. Often times very little parts and pieces! Sometimes not so bad. Rear half of the elk shown here.

Sometimes even bigger parts. We had two cows down up a ridge about 1/2 a mile from where we were able to get the pickup on an old 4x4 trail. It only took us 10 minutes longer to take a cow down then it did to walk the same distance with just the cart alone.

Two elk whole in the trailer! Thanks to dads Critter Cart. Talk about saving us some work!

And you would think that by seeing this bull whole laying in the middle of the road right where he was dressed out, you would think this was one of those we called, CASHING IN A COUPON.
I shot him at just after 7:00 AM at first legal shooting light. Hit him just behind the shoulder at 250 yards but just a touch high. It was in the no-mans land between the top of the lungs and the spine, just clipping the very edge of the bottom of the spine. He dropped but got up and was going before I could get another bullet into him. I took a shot as he ran through the trees but never touched him. I spent the next 7 hours and about 7 miles tracking him before I was able to catch up to him and put a finisher in him. He was on a 60 degree slope about 150 yards above this forest service road. There were some pines and junipers on this slope and we were up in the shale above the road. A couple guys in a truck had stopped right below us and were putting on chains. I had heard the truck, but then never heard it and assumed they had continued up the road. One guy was putting on chains while his buddy was supervising. The guy doing the supervising heard rocks rolling up above and saw flashes of gold and horn and got his rifle out of the truck and was looking at trying to get a shot at my bull. He had no idea there was a hunter hot on his heels and I had literally been running for about the last 2 miles of this chase trying to catch up to him. The guy putting on the chains thought his hunter friend was losing his mind. He's standing there on the road looking up the ridge when I jump the bull the last time and have him standing only about 30 feet from me. I pull up and shoot him in the neck and he just drops out of site. I hear crash , bang, boom, crash, bang, boom, and then a loud THUD as he hits the road! Next thing I hear is a guy down there yelling, "holly crap did you see that." I was not sure if they still knew I was above them as in fact they thought a buddy across the creek had shot this bull, so I spoke up and said is he down there? Next thing you know as I"m working my way down the hill, not being able to see these guys, they are asking all sorts of questions like, "did you see his horns, how about his leg?"

This bull literally hit on the road only about 15 feet from where the one guy was standing! They were pretty excited when I got to them. I sure was thankful they were there because they loaded up my bull and drove me down the road, around the mountain, and back up to the top on the other side where my truck was parked. Backed up tailgate to tailgate and slid him into my truck and drove home! Sounds easy, but you might notice in the picture that I am pooped and sweaty. The elk was all sweated up like a horse that has been run hard. I wasn't sure how he would be to eat, but he was very tender and mild. Just a young bull, but a neat one. You can see he has half of an ear on his left, and the tip or inch or so of his right is gone. I assume they froze one winter when it was really cold and fell off.

 

[jmad_81]

For me, If I had a 35 Whelen I would have no problem with a 400 yard shot on an elk. I don't know how much farther I would go just because of the minimum expanding speed of 1800 on the AB. I look back at all the elk I have shot, only two were over 400 yards. The farthest was 425. If I had a 35 Whelen I trusted, I would have taken any of those shots with it.

Of all the 06 based cases, I like the 280 AI, followed very closely by the 35 Whelen.

 

[JD338]

Of all the 06 based cases, I like the 280 AI, followed very closely by the 35 Whelen.

Jake,

That is why you need to have both. :mrgreen:

JD338

 

[jmad_81]

Its on the list Jim. But now that I got the 225 AB shooting good out of my 338 WM, it has been bumped down the list a bit.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'm not much of a non magnum guy but why not do a .35-.280AI for a little more umph? I bet it would be close to a Norma for speed and still give you one extra in the belly. I guess I just like speed.

 

[RogueRiver]

I have never needed to shoot long with my whelen two Roosevelt Elk and two bear have all been shot within 35 yards. 8 or 9 blacktails have all been under 50 yards and a mule deer was way out there about 75 yards. Funny thing my longest 2 shots at game were with a 45-70(125 yrds) and a 50 cal muzzleloader about 85 yrds both at blacktails.

 

[SJB358]

I am a huge Whelen fan guys. After shooting the Whelen out to 600 it was even more impressive to me. Granted, I am running the 225 AB a touch faster at 2725, but still in your same ballpark. It did take a few clicks to get it up there, but it gets there. Granted, I am never going to say the Whelen is a 600 yard elk rifle in the least, but I think within my limitations and the ability to range the target, 500 yards in the field with little to no wind would be okay with me. 400 yards all day long. I kept an eye on the energy and FPS at the target and 500 ends up being where I would stop at. Still, that is a long shot for me. Plus, I am shooting a 7.5-8Lb rifle all ready to go. It really doesn't give up much of anything to my 338.

The 250 PT gives up nothing to the 225 AB either. I think it was a couple of inches drop at 600, but since it has a little higher BC, it drifts a touch less. I would shoot either bullet interchangeably, depending on which one I can get cheaper!

Mike nailed it, guys who label the 35 Whelen as a short ranged rifle are crazy. They haven't shot it out further. It really mimics the good old 30-06 (180 bullet) for trajectory and carries a whole lot more energy.

If you have a good B&C reticle or can dial it, have at it, I think you'll be surprised. I turned in some really good groups at 600 yards shooting off the deck.

 

[Elkman]

Songdog wrote:
I typically worry much more about how far an elk is from the truck, than how far it is from the muzzle....

Bills first rule!!!! "Shoot em first then worry about getting them out."

I have found over the years that it most always takes me longer to kill one, than pack it out. With the right equipment getting one out varies from hard to almost impossible. I do hunt "uphill" as much as possible however.!
I was involved in three elk kills last year 1 came out on my back and parts of two others also. Easy packs 1.7 miles down hill cross a small creek and then to the truck.