35 Whelen

[Rol_P]

Ok fellas, to all you Whelen fans, what will a
35 Whelen do for me that my 30-06 will not do?
Other than amusement, frustration in load
Development and depleting my discretionary
Funds currently reserved for hunt expenses.

I seem to be able to handle the '06 recoil with
My hand loads but more powder and heavier
Bullets equal more recoil.. I am 70 yrs old already
And would hate to have to put a rifle in the classified
Due to my inability to handle the extra recoil?

Also, with a backup rifle the same caliber as my
Primary rifle I will not get ammo mixed up as I
Might with different calibers..️

Ok enough of my rambling, I welcome and anticipate
some thoughtful and humerus responses..
Thank you in advance.. Rol

 

[DrMike]

Rol,

You won't gain any significant ballistic advantage with a Whelen over your '06; you won't have any more "killing power" (whatever that is). You will have the key for entering an exclusive club and earn bragging rights whenever sask boy or others talk up the Whelen. :mrgreen:

Seriously, the Whelen is a great cartridge. However, the 270 Win, the 280 Rem and the 338-06 are all great cartridges as well. None can claim to be better than the parent cartridge--just slightly different. I love my Whelen primarily because it is somewhat less common than my '06.

I know, I know, I've just uttered Whelen heresy. However, truth compels me to confess. There, I feel so much better, having said that. :lol:

 

[Elkman]

Why are you considering an upgrade, you seem happy with the 06. The 06 is a fine cartridge.
Positives: More energy, easy to load for, the most efficient adaption of the 30:06 case, a ready availablty of cases, a medium caliber suitable for anything in North America. Negatives: slightly more recoil.

 

[Europe]

Rol,

You won't gain any significant ballistic advantage with a Whelen over your '06; you won't have any more "killing power" (whatever that is). You will have the key for entering an exclusive club and earn bragging rights whenever sask boy or others talk up the Whelen. :mrgreen:

Seriously, the Whelen is a great cartridge. However, the 270 Win, the 280 Rem and the 338-06 are all great cartridges as well. None can claim to be better than the parent cartridge--just slightly different. I love my Whelen primarily because it is somewhat less common than my '06.

I know, I know, I've just uttered Whelen heresy. However, truth compels me to confess. There, I feel so much better, having said that. :lol:

LOL

Dr Mike successfully gave you and honest answer without jeopardizing his membership in the Whelen club.

Your 70, live in New York, and love your 30-06, There is nothing in North America you can not hunt with the 06 and this forum has a member who just returned from Africa and had a very successful plains game hunt using-------a 30-06

If you "just want" a whelen, buy it. We have a member here who own's the 280 Ross--why?, because he wanted one

 

[preacher]

If you stick with the 180 and 200gr bullets, it has the same recoil as your 30-06 but the advantage of a fatter bullet = bigger holes, 99.9% of the time through both sides! Your Northern whitetail certainly justify a 35 Whelan! Put a good pad on it and you will be just fine. If you really want to "old School" it, the Remington 250gr factory loads do very well and don't seem to recoil bad at all. If so, you could always have a muzzle brake put on. What model rifle are you considering to have rebarreled or rebored?

PS As a rifleman, at 70yrs old you "owe it to yourself" to have a Whelan! Its either that or a 375 H&H...no Rifleman should have on his tombstone ( someday, not you now! ha) "Bless his heart, he never had a Whelan or a 375!" Oh the shame of it....avoid it at all cost...think of your grandkids reading that!

 

[truck driver]

Roland since I have both the standard and the AI version along with a 30-06 which was my only rifle at one time I will say that the 35 Whelen is everything the 30-06 is and more yeah it won't shoot any flatter but will push heavier bullets at higher velocity and same weight bullets (200gr 225gr) faster.
If you can find one with a 24" barrel I think you would be happy with it but make sure it has a good Pachmyer recoil pad on it. Though not a sharp recoil pulse like a magnum it will shove you around just a little harder than a 30-06 with out a recoil pad. My 16 year old grandson fired 20 rounds off a bench with mine fire forming brass and had a ball doing it, he only ways about 150lbs. He did say he prefers the 35 Whelen over the AI version but then he was shooting full house 225gr loads at 2800fps in stead of the 200gr full loaded Whelen cases at 2800fps.
I can safely run a 225gr Pt over 2800fps in my AI version that's about as fast as you can run the 180gr PT in your 30-06 from the looks of the last QL Dewey ran with RL26
I could write more but you have read my post on my AI version and load development and it all depends on what you want but I wouldn't sacrifice a known good shooting 30-06 barrel to be rebored to .358 when I can get a Factory rifle already chambered and ready to shoot.

 

[SJB358]

Rol, first off, I grudgingly agree with Mike, your 06 is a great one but I really enjoy the Whelen. For WT hunting it doesn't need to be loaded to the gills to kill very well. It does leave some excellent blood trails though. You can't beat frontal area.

I wouldn't worry about the recoil. Load it to where it's comfortable and chances are you'll have enough power to make hits way out yonder and stomp big animals.

 

[lefty315]

Just incase Bigfoot does exist he'd probably be more intimidated with the Whelen in your hands...

 

[preacher]

That's right! I'm "convinced" just having my Whelan AI with me kept "Sasquatch, Goat-man, Chupacabra and the East Texas Raw Headed Bloody Bones, from attacking me and thwarted several Alien Abductions from happening"! I never saw one! Yes, I could "feel them looking at me", especially at night time...but they didn't DARE!!!!! Load that Whelan with 225 gr Woodleigh round nose bullets around 2400 and it will recoil easy and kill everything you shoot with it!

 

[NYDAN]

Roland,

Since I am the one that suggested to you (and others) that you should convert your Rem 700 to a 35 Whelen I suppose I should weigh in here. You see, in my mind, it has nothing to do with need, logic, or rationale. It has to do with desires and wants. I WANT you to convert the '06 to a 35 Whelen so WE can play with it. Now I am just trying to get the others to help me convince you that YOU want to get the 35 Whelen (so WE can play with it :wink: ).

Dan

 

[SJB358]

Roland,

Since I am the one that suggested to you (and others) that you should convert your Rem 700 to a 35 Whelen I suppose I should weigh in here. You see, in my mind, it has nothing to do with need, logic, or rationale. It has to do with desires and wants. I WANT you to convert the '06 to a 35 Whelen so WE can play with it. Now I am just trying to get the others to help me convince you that YOU want to get the 35 Whelen (so WE can play with it :wink: ).

Dan

Dan, I like the way you roll! 8)

Stock up on RL15 and some 225-250 grain Noslers. I'd bet you won't have much trouble finding a great load.

Rol, I hope you do it. I think you'll really enjoy it.

 

[lanman]

Roland,

Since I am the one that suggested to you (and others) that you should convert your Rem 700 to a 35 Whelen I suppose I should weigh in here.
Dan

Scotty is the guilty party for me owning a 35 Whelen. I have always been a fast and flat cartridge shooter. I have had it now for about 5 years and it has turned into my goto rifle. I'm in a club/lease with several others and it seems every year someone has that story... I knocked him down and can't find any blood or the blood trail dried up... It happened to me a few years back. I put a 160 AccuBond from my 7 mag thru the shoulders of a large buck. He piled up and laid there for 5 minutes. I made a phone call and stated that I finally killed my wall hanger and then watched him jump up and run away. I found 3 drops of blood but never recovered that deer. I can't guarantee the results would have been different with a 35 Whelen, but I sure would like to know. I like the idea of a larger hole that provides more opportunity to bleed. I have had excellent results on game with my Whelen. A lot of the deer I shoot pile up, and those that don't normally leave blood trails like a murder scene. I have taken deer with 200 hornady's, 210 speers and normally 225 partitions.

I shoot a stiff load in mine with 225's but I made a load for my father a couple years back. It was running a 200 hornady at around 2500. That load was a true pussycat. Dad is 80 now and had no problem with that load 2 years ago and my girlfriend shoots it now.

I would have never predicted to fall in love with a fat, slow moving caliber.. But I certainly have.

RL15, RL17 and IMR-4064 all have worked well for me.

 

[PJGunner]

Add me to the list of go get a .35 Whelen. I'll be honest, I've never shot a deer with mine. :shock: However I have taken five cow elk with it. I load the 225 gr. Barnes TSX bullet and get excellent accuracy at 2700 FPS. My rifle is a custom Mauser I picked up at an estate sale and I just love it.Of the elk I've taken, one with the .300 Win. Mag., one with the 30-06 and five with the Whelen, you can see where this is heading. Two elk were DRT, one a serious bang flop. The other three were hit solid but were down and unable to go anywhere. The did require finishers. The one with the 06 traveled maybe 30 yards before collapsing. It too required a finisher. The one with the .300 went down, kicked a bit and expired. Very long shot BTW at 530 yards laser measured.
There are three rifles I own that I will never sell. All are custom Mausers, two of which I commissioned and the estate sale .35. There are the .35 of course, a 7x57 and a 30-06.
If you can shoot an 06 with 220 gr. bullets, a stiff 225 gr. in the Whelen won't be much different and a lot more effective.
Paul B.

 

[truck driver]

Just read over on Accurate Reloader that a guy sent a 03-A3 out to J.E.S. for a rebore to 35 Whelen and it split the barrel using factory Hornady Super Performance 200gr ammo.
It seems maybe it was bored with a 9mm drill and another fellow who had his rifle done around the same time also experienced high pressure and checked the bore diameter and again 9mm instead of .358. Not good Not good at all. J.E.S. has said they would make good on the rifle that the barrel split and will rebore the other to the proper size and rechamber since the chamber reamer might have been too tight.

 

[preacher]

Just buy the Mod 700 Classic from Truck Driver and you will be happy as a pig in slop! OR and other Model 700 Classic in 35 Whelen or 350 Rem Mag. Now, I have to mention that the 350 RM Classic I used to own recoiled "more" than my 35 Whelen! Go figure. I also see that Mod 700 CDL SF....oooooo....so pretty! 24" barrel too.

 

[35 Whelen]

The three best reasons to own a 35 Whelen are
1 Grizzly Bears
2 Bull Moose
3 Bull Elk
Although the 30/06 has killed all of the above
The big frontal area of the 250gr bullets, can certainly be helpful on game that didn't get hit just where you wanted it
If your just hunting deer, your 30/06 is already everything the good DR ordered, especially with lighter bullets! Good Luck

 

[truck driver]

A 225gr PT did this to a White Tail doe and there was practically not blood shot meat and very little waste.

 

[tjen]

On really big game the whelen takes over where the 30-06 leaves off. It really DTR's deer too! Compare the .308 180gr to the .358 250gr in BC & SD than add moooore momentum and frontal diameter. did I mention the is just more of a good thing than the 06?

 

[truck driver]

Like Guy said in another post, 4000lbs of muzzle energy with a 225gr bullet.
Hmmm that's a lot of sh%t hitting an animal.