Meanderings on the 35 Whelen

I have really wanted a Whelen for a while and was about to re-barrel a 270. Then, I ran across an ad wanting to trade a Whelen for a typical deer caliber. I made the trade and am very pleased so far. The receiver is an old 721 Remington with a 23 inch Remington Whelen barrel and a good heavy laminated stock. I had the gun checked by a smith and he said whoever built the gun did a good job. I just added a 2-7 Nikon scope and plan to shoot 250 grain bullets. The only dies I found in stock were the Hornady Custom dies and they just came in. I did not find brass so I ordered some 200 gr Remington ammo from the LGS. I plan to sight in with it then reload with 250 gr Hornady which was the first bullet I could find in stock.
 
Congratulations on securing a rifle chambered in a fine cartridge, arky. It sounds as if things are coming together pretty well for you. I believe you will be pleased once you pull the trigger on your Whelen.
 
For some reason, lack of attention I presume, the value of the 35 Whelan has eluded me. As I read the various posts on the cartridge I'm left to wonder how I can make up for my transgression. At the moment I hope to live vicariously through a good friend who called last night needing information on a good elk cartridge. I think I have him convinced he needs a Whelan.
Me, it'll have to wait till I'm back from Ak. I do have a 721 in the back of the safe....
 
salmonchaser":31djjcif said:
For some reason, lack of attention I presume, the value of the 35 Whelan has eluded me. As I read the various posts on the cartridge I'm left to wonder how I can make up for my transgression. At the moment I hope to live vicariously through a good friend who called last night needing information on a good elk cartridge. I think I have him convinced he needs a Whelan.
Me, it'll have to wait till I'm back from Ak. I do have a 721 in the back of the safe....

Bless you, my son; take a 721, say "Yes" to a good gunsmith and chamber in 35 Whelen. Then, go and cease your deviant behaviour.
 
DrMike":31cffh0m said:
salmonchaser":31cffh0m said:
For some reason, lack of attention I presume, the value of the 35 Whelan has eluded me. As I read the various posts on the cartridge I'm left to wonder how I can make up for my transgression. At the moment I hope to live vicariously through a good friend who called last night needing information on a good elk cartridge. I think I have him convinced he needs a Whelan.
Me, it'll have to wait till I'm back from Ak. I do have a 721 in the back of the safe....

Bless you, my son; take a 721, say "Yes" to a good gunsmith and chamber in 35 Whelen. Then, go and cease your deviant behaviour.
Scotty he's out again :!: Some one left the door open. :lol:
 
Paul B., do you paper patch or just use gas checks for your cast bullets?

Just gas checks and sized .359". Just starting out working with them for the Whelen as I'm been too busy to do much bullet casting. Starting to get caught up though. :wink:
Paul B.
 
I have never been able to post pictures here. I go to full editor and have tried to use the img button every way I can think of but get nothing. The search shows others that cannot post them either but no solution
 
PJGunner":xvg1azvk said:
Paul B., do you paper patch or just use gas checks for your cast bullets?

Just gas checks and sized .359". Just starting out working with them for the Whelen as I'm been too busy to do much bullet casting. Starting to get caught up though. :wink:
Paul B.
I was thinking paper patching to cut down on leading and they shoot better or at least they did in the old black powder rifles.
 
Well, I do not own a 35 Whelen, but do own two 358 Winchesters, both in BLR's. Have used this cartridge quite a bit on elk, bear and moose with excellent results. The 35 Whelen would be just that much better.
Although, I have a 338-06 that I am very happy with, just need to carry it more and harvest more game with it (only one bear to its credit to date). Have to admit that as good as the 35 Whelen is, the next rifle is going to be for the 9.3 x 62. Been wanting one for a long time. (and I do not have .366 caliber yet!)
 
truck driver":1ejhvx50 said:
PJGunner":1ejhvx50 said:
Paul B., do you paper patch or just use gas checks for your cast bullets?

Just gas checks and sized .359". Just starting out working with them for the Whelen as I'm been too busy to do much bullet casting. Starting to get caught up though. :wink:
Paul B.
I was thinking paper patching to cut down on leading and they shoot better or at least they did in the old black powder rifles.

Frankly, I just don't have the patience to do paper patching. What little I have done though, leading hasn't been a problem. Proper sizing and bullet temper will go a long way toward reducing or eliminating leading. At the worst, I might get a slight silver colored wash on the lands but so far no noticable leading. I'm playing with a new alloy and none of the bullets for the .35 are short enough ot have a flat enough nose to fit in my LBT hardness tester. New alloy is four pounds of BHN 8 lead with one pound of linotyp. Cast nice well filled out bullet. I have to run some with a Keith style .44 bullet to test the hardness. I like to let them age harden for a few weeks before testing or I even shoot them. May try some water dropped as well.
Paul B.
 
PJGunner":1bv0sdx0 said:
truck driver":1bv0sdx0 said:
PJGunner":1bv0sdx0 said:
Paul B., do you paper patch or just use gas checks for your cast bullets?

Just gas checks and sized .359". Just starting out working with them for the Whelen as I'm been too busy to do much bullet casting. Starting to get caught up though. :wink:
Paul B.
I was thinking paper patching to cut down on leading and they shoot better or at least they did in the old black powder rifles.

Frankly, I just don't have the patience to do paper patching. What little I have done though, leading hasn't been a problem. Proper sizing and bullet temper will go a long way toward reducing or eliminating leading. At the worst, I might get a slight silver colored wash on the lands but so far no noticable leading. I'm playing with a new alloy and none of the bullets for the .35 are short enough ot have a flat enough nose to fit in my LBT hardness tester. New alloy is four pounds of BHN 8 lead with one pound of linotyp. Cast nice well filled out bullet. I have to run some with a Keith style .44 bullet to test the hardness. I like to let them age harden for a few weeks before testing or I even shoot them. May try some water dropped as well.
Paul B.
Most of my casting has been for pistol bullets and that has been with recycled range lead and wheel weights.
Did you ever try loading some of the WW 748 powder you had talked about?
 
Those are some articles I read a few years ago. Just before I got my Whelen, I devoured everything I could read on it.

Elmer Keith has a cool book about rifles and big game, can't remember the name but TDEANGELO has it now. He might be able to chime in with the name. Anyhow, it mentions some cool cartridges quite alot like the 35 Whelen, 400 Whelen and how they were elk magic in the old days.

I have been enamored with mine since day one. It has pulped about everything it has been pointed at, shoots really well and just does a great job on deer-elk..

Hodgeman, I hope you find a Whelen you like. I would think a good 35 Whelen would cover alot of ground up in Alaska. Mine will run 250's at 2630 pretty easily with RL15, 200's go around 2900.. The 200's aren't awesomely shaped bullets, but they get out to 400 yards without too much drama at all.

All this Whelen talk has me ready to break mine out and shoot it a little. It's been awhile!
 
Scotty if the Doctor releases me tomorrow maybe we both will get out and shoot some. I got an itch I can't scratch right now. :x :lol:
 
Rodger, I sure hope you get that Whelen out soon and see what she can do. I know that you are going to be impressed with her as they normally are fairly easy to load for and on game they are the hammer :wink:.
Scotty is right about the good Colonel he did know his rifles, I believe he proofed the 35 Whelen a lot while over in Africa!!

Blessings,
Dan
 
"Elmer Keith has a cool book about rifles and big game, can't remember the name but TDEANGELO has it now. He might be able to chime in with the name. Anyhow, it mentions some cool cartridges quite alot like the 35 Whelen, 400 Whelen and how they were elk magic in the old days."

Elmer had two books on the subject of big game rifles. I forget which order they came out in but IIRC they were about ten years apart. Hell! I'll just get off my lazy butt and look. :shock: :lol:
OK, the first one was "Big Game Rifles" copyright 1936 and the second is "Keith's Rifles for Large Game" copyright 1946. IIRC he wrote comments about the .35 Whelen in both books. He wrote "nice" about the .270 and 30-06 in the first book and not so nice in book number two saying like the .270 was good only for chipmunkies. I think that's where he said it but could be wrong. Probabaly as a dig at Jack O'Connor. Both books are interesting reads but hard to find. My copies are reprints I ggot through the NRA.
Paul B.
 
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