wvbuckbuster
Handloader
- Nov 5, 2015
- 2,596
- 2,202
Maybe Guy can get his wife to buy it and she will let him borrow it, hint, hint
Dan.Lipsey's Ruger 77 in 35 Whelen! (not buying it)
- Thread starter Guy Miner
- Start date
Dan.
Dr. Vette
Handloader
- Apr 16, 2012
- 1,467
- 334
I assumed Guy would get one in for the Channel, then buy it from Ruger as a used test rifle...
Does one have to jstify the choice? Prime example; I have five rifles chambered to the .300 Win. mag. A Winchester M70 Walmart special that was priced too good to turn down. Excellent shooter BTW. The there are four Ruger #1s in .330 Win. mag, three in the "S" model and one in the "B" configuration. All four shoot just as good as the M70.
When I got the first #1B it was a special order. but not for their "B" version. I'd ordered the "S" as I strongly prefer that style. The distributor sent a "B" model. (GRRR!) When my dealer called to complain, they were told that that was all there was, take it or return it. (Much longer GRRRRRRR!) None the less I took it and it proved to be very accurate with the 200 gr. Speer Hot core load I prefer.
I never even saw an "S" model until sometime in the early 1990s when I bought the first one which turned out to be one of the ones marked "Made in the 200th year of American liberty." So was the second one I came across so bought it. Both were equal in accuracy to the #1B I first bought. The last one was a later model class as a black pad gun. It had pretty nice wood so it came home with my. It too is very accurate with my .200 gr. bullet load. FWIW all four have decent wood with the #1B being the plainest of the herd.
I really enjoyed hunting with my Ruger #1s but I do consider them fair weather rifles. Ruger does a really lousy job sealing the interior wood on their rifles. and includes the M77s as well as the #1s. I used the #1B early on during an elk hunt in Oregon in the John Day area. I ran into a seriously strong storm that dropped rain like I have seen since the time I rode out a typhoon in Korea. (Typhoon Flossie, 1964) Exterior wood was was so swollen that I removed all the wood to keep the stock from splitting. Put the metal in the safe after drying it out a best I could and stored the wood out in my shed. I'd take it out and put it back on the gun about once a year, take it to the range and shoot a group and made no adjustment to the scope. Long story short it took six years for that rifle to shoot to shoot close enough to point to try and adjust the scope for a proper hit on the target.
Paul B.
lefty315
Handloader
- Sep 29, 2004
- 925
- 386
I love it!! Guy you wouldn’t be disappointed but I must be out of touch with reality cause dang have prices on Ruger rifles gone up!!!
gerry
Ammo Smith
- Mar 1, 2007
- 6,822
- 1,550
I believe that's their fancy higher end African model but yes it's on the pricey side. I hope to be able to find a No. 1 35 Whelen one day when I have the cash in hand to afford it.
I've been looking for one since they came out during that limited run.
Paul B.
1100 Remington Man
Handloader
- May 1, 2007
- 1,164
- 322
Man that’s a Beautiful Rifle.
badaxeriverman
Beginner
- Sep 29, 2024
- 124
- 112
I’ve got a new in the box Ruger gun site scout in 450 bushmaster I sure would like to trade for one
salmonchaser
Handloader
- Dec 13, 2013
- 4,960
- 4,841
Gerry I passed on a #1 in 35 Whelen not to long ago. Wood was just too plain. As to the suitability of the 35/06 on tough critters; a good friend of mine I’ve worked with over the last 20 years or so has a guide operation on the Alaska Peninsula. He feels the Whelen is a most effective charge stopper. Hits hard enough to do the job, can drive good bullets north to south in a big bear; it’s easier to shoot than a 338 or 375 so most folks will shoot it better when it really kinda matters.
badaxeriverman
Beginner
- Sep 29, 2024
- 124
- 112
Last edited:
gerry
Ammo Smith
- Mar 1, 2007
- 6,822
- 1,550
Both nice but I really like that laminate stocked Whelen. That's a beautiful gun, I really love laminate stocks especially the grey ones.
My whelen is the grey laminte carbine. It currently has a vortex 2.5-10 30mm on it and uncle Mike’s swivels. I have a grey laminte twin to it in 35 rem. Both limited runs. The long barreled is my 84’ 30-06. Was bought brand for me new back then. It now has a DNZ mount and 2-10 vx5. Sure would’ve liked a 22 inch barrel version versus the 18 1/2 for the extra velocity. Maybe someday I’ll find a loose barrel and send it in to get it re bored. Shoots pretty good now that I got it figured out what the issue was with the loose barrel and the loose screw that held the pump in and kept backing out after I shot it a few times. I shot the .4”, hundred yard group with my avatar with that little pump and a starting load of H 4895 with 180 grain hot core. Probably only 2500 ft./s but I bet you’ll hammer some deer pretty good. I know that same projectile does pretty good on deer at 200 feet per second slower in my 35 Rem. I think I paid around $649/$689 for it and they were going cheaper than that at the time when they were doing the limited runs. I’ve watched them go for $3500 to $4500 on gun broker in the last year or two. I think they’ve settled down since then I’m going back down to under a couple grand.
badaxeriverman
Beginner
- Sep 29, 2024
- 124
- 112
That’s the factory laminate stock set from around 04’ era. The gun came with a composite set, which I put aside. My dad’s 35 Rem carbine back in 04’ I believe had a wood set and I swapped it at Lypsy’s or Gryce’s, remember which one I got it from for him, $80 bucks to swap to the gray laminate site, unseen. I paid 169 for the set from numerics a few years ago for the other one. Every set was dinged up a little bit. I think I swapped about three sets until I got this one which was the last one they had in stock apparently. Whoever they had do the sets did a nice job on them. I have the same gray laminate stock that came off my 300 RUM LSS that I swapped over to my 375 RUM. That one was for around 99 or 2000. I remember at the time they also offered a brown laminate set in a cool blue, which was gray and blue. The gray laminate set that I have I like the best. It would make one good little protection gun for grizzly bears while fish salmon in Alaska slung over your back that’s for sure.
My super tame starting load 100 yard group with 180 grain hot cores and 56 grains of H4895. I said it’s probably 2500 ft./s which is a pretty wimpy load for 35 Whelen. Short barrel on starting load, I guess it is what it is. To be honest with you it’s pretty nice to actually find a nice grouping low velocity load because when I was loading them close to max with the light little gun it belts my shoulder pretty good. Whoever said they recoil the same as a 30 odd six is full of prunes. My 300 RUM recoils less than this gun does with max loads. With this loaded it recoils in between a 35 Remington in my 30-06 pump. I would’ve liked it up to about 2650 fps and then I wouldn’t worry about looking for another load eventually. I’m sure next summer I’ll screw around with it and do some more ladder testing with other projectiles. For now it’ll work perfect on deer out too a few hundred yards which I’ll never shoot that far anyways with it.
Nosler needs to start making 200 grain .358 ballistic tips!!! There’s been enough sub MOA shooting single shot CVAs sold for limited state hunting that you think they would get back on the bandwagon.
My super tame starting load 100 yard group with 180 grain hot cores and 56 grains of H4895. I said it’s probably 2500 ft./s which is a pretty wimpy load for 35 Whelen. Short barrel on starting load, I guess it is what it is. To be honest with you it’s pretty nice to actually find a nice grouping low velocity load because when I was loading them close to max with the light little gun it belts my shoulder pretty good. Whoever said they recoil the same as a 30 odd six is full of prunes. My 300 RUM recoils less than this gun does with max loads. With this loaded it recoils in between a 35 Remington in my 30-06 pump. I would’ve liked it up to about 2650 fps and then I wouldn’t worry about looking for another load eventually. I’m sure next summer I’ll screw around with it and do some more ladder testing with other projectiles. For now it’ll work perfect on deer out too a few hundred yards which I’ll never shoot that far anyways with it.
Nosler needs to start making 200 grain .358 ballistic tips!!! There’s been enough sub MOA shooting single shot CVAs sold for limited state hunting that you think they would get back on the bandwagon.
Last edited:
