I was not wanting to be left out so I purchased a 35 Whelen on Friday. It is a Ruger 77 Hawkeye with the all weather finish. I still need to find a scope for it and purchase a set of loading dies. I hope I can find the time and have it dialed in for my Elk hunt in Oregon this fall.
I gave in to the peer pressure.
- Thread starter geo
- Start date
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,312
- 5,977
Congratulations, geo. You are going to love the cartridge, and the Hawkeye is a great rifle.
tddeangelo
Handloader
- May 18, 2011
- 2,023
- 20
Trevor, another PA resident with a Whelen that isn't an Amish Machine Gun!!!
Guess I'm the last one left who doesn't have a Whelen???
Guess I'm the last one left who doesn't have a Whelen???
geo":1gzd93v9 said:
Congratulations buddy! I think you are really going to enjoy that rifle and especially the chambering alot! It is my favorite for elk. Way more capability than most give it credit for. What bullet are you going to try out first?
tddeangelo":1gzd93v9 said:
Yep, your pretty much the last Tom.. I think you have seen the light though... Don't screw it up :grin:
Congrats on making a great decision and great purchase! I own M77 SS Hawkeyes in .338 Fed & .358 Win, both are fine rifles and I'd like to add a SS Whelen to the mix as well. From my experiences with the four Whelens I've owned, I doubt it will take all that much to find a good load to fit your needs. My next experimenting may be with the 225gr A-Frame.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
tddeangelo
Handloader
- May 18, 2011
- 2,023
- 20
SJB358":33nq2bs9 said:
LOL, no worries, Scotty. That "new" 06 is growing on me really fast. If it's the shooter I think it will be, then I will likely tear apart the Classic in 30-06 I have. I wouldn't really hunt with it as an '06 then, but a 358-bore would give it new appeal!
I can see restocking it at that point, too. While I'm proud of the pillaring and bedding work I did on it, and the way it shoots now is phenomenal, if the '49 M70 in 30-06 shoots well, I just won't use that Classic. Kinda a shame for it...it was my go-to rifle for a long, long time. BUT....I've developed more interests than just a 30-06 hunting rifle, so onward we go.
hunternyny
Handloader
- Feb 6, 2012
- 362
- 0
tddeangelo":qdhpq0c7 said:
Geo, first let me say congratulations on your new rifle, i think you will enjoy it.
Tom, with the chance of being chastised here by everyone but possibly Dubyam, I recommend you do not buy one. We used one for years and liked it, However, After we bought the 340 weatherby it hasnt left the safe.
I can now push a 250 gr out to 300 yards and still have more velocity and energy, at 300 yards than I had pushing a 200 gr to 250 yards with the whelen. However having said that even though we dont use the whelen now we havent sold it either
hunternyny":3fyoyaz5 said:
You would never be chastised here! We leave all of that for Tom. I actually really like the 340 Wby ballistically. It does everything I could ever want from a 338. Since I don't want a Weatherby rifle, I am building the ballistic twin in the 338/375 Ruger on my old 338 Win Mag. You are right about the HP of the 340. It is an excellent cartridge and probably my favorite one out of the WBY series.
I do however like the Whelen a whole lot, so nothing will be replacing it anytime soon. Everything else I build or acquire is nice to have. With the 35 Whelen and 270WSM, I feel like I could do everything and not feel too bad!
"I was not wanting to be left out so I purchased a 35 Whelen on Friday."
Welcome to the club. :grin:
"Guess I'm the last one left who doesn't have a Whelen???"
That's a problem easily fixed. :wink:
"I hope I can find the time and have it dialed in for my Elk hunt in Oregon this fall."
Just start with RL-15 and any good 225 gr. bullet. AccuBond, Partition or a Barnes TSX will do the job on any elk that ever walked the planet. 8)
Paul B.
Welcome to the club. :grin:
"Guess I'm the last one left who doesn't have a Whelen???"
That's a problem easily fixed. :wink:
"I hope I can find the time and have it dialed in for my Elk hunt in Oregon this fall."
Just start with RL-15 and any good 225 gr. bullet. AccuBond, Partition or a Barnes TSX will do the job on any elk that ever walked the planet. 8)
Paul B.
OU812
Handloader
- Apr 18, 2006
- 2,099
- 2
geo":2dzpywh8 said:
Congrats on the 35 Whelen, your going to love it. I do not own a 35 Whelen myself but I do have a 350 rem mag so these guys let me tag along.
Where ya hunting in Oregon?
Bill
SJB358":2wpchzgt said:
Yep, your pretty much the last Tom.. I think you have seen the light though... Don't screw it up :grin:[/quote]
Spoken like the true Top Sergeant that you are! I was always told that suggestions from sergeants and LEO's weren't really suggestions!
Scott
tddeangelo
Handloader
- May 18, 2011
- 2,023
- 20
They wouldn't be suggestions.....if I were a Marine!
tddeangelo":vcj775ot said:
No your not :lol: I'm in the same boat. And while the .35 Whelen is a great round and I would love to have one, I'm not so sure I ever will. Having a want to fill the gap I have between the .30 and 9.3,,,,I'm leaning towards the .338-06 for my next purchase. The .35 Whelen is just too close to what I am getting from the 9.3x74R for me to justify both at this point and time.
HeathSexton
Handloader
- May 12, 2006
- 1,205
- 34
No Whelen here either, .358 Win and (2) .35 Rem's but no Whelen.............................yet.
onesonek":370cm0z4 said:
I'd simply say this.... I've owned a .338/06 and it's a great round; very close to .35 Whelen specs. But I've yet to find from numbers I've seen where it's any better at any weight bullet of 180gr & above to make make me choose it over the Whelen. Perhaps the .338 fed might be what you want, if the Whelen is too close to the 9.3x74R (which I also own). The .35W 225s at a brisk pace are something that the 9.3 simply cannot match (IMHO) tho.....
gerry
Ammo Smith
- Mar 1, 2007
- 6,849
- 1,633
Congrats geo, the Ruger 77 and 35 Whelen make a great combo. Load some RL 15 or Varget with a good 225 gr bullet and you will have a great all around load for everything from moose and grizzly down to deer.
- Thread starter
- #20
Thanks guy. As soon as I can find a scope and some dies I plan to start loading with the 225 Partitions (SPS has a good price on overruns right now.) But I am willing to take any suggestions. The rifle’s first assignment will be for elk and black bear.
I was invited join a co-worker on a hunt this year. We will be hunting public land on the edge of Diamond Peak Wilderness in the Willamette National Forest near Oakridge, OR.
I was invited join a co-worker on a hunt this year. We will be hunting public land on the edge of Diamond Peak Wilderness in the Willamette National Forest near Oakridge, OR.
