So is it really this easy? 35 Whelen

[AzDak42]

This weekend marked my second trip to the range with the 35 Whelen 48 and I had a whole setup to do some quick and dirty research to find out what charge of R15 was going to be worth zeroing in on.

55.0g = 1.4"
55.5g = 1.45"
56.0g = 1.4"
56.5g = 1.5"
57.0g = 1.4"
57.5g = 1.55

The manual showed a very tight velocity band between the min/max charges for this load. (Less than 100fps variation from 55-59g) I really didn't expect to see such uniformity on paper.) Not only that, but across the range, the group POI barely shifted.

Round count is only slightly past the "break in" so I'm expecting this will tighten up a bit with some more time. Shooting the 35 is pretty damn exciting.

Can't wait to see what the 250 partitions will do!

 

[Guy Miner]

Nice! And yeah, sometimes it really is that easy. Nice when it all comes together quickly...

 

[DrMike]

Good stuff. You've done well, sir.

 

[JD338]

AzDak42

Congratulations on the M48 35 Whelen.
I would expect your groups to get even better once you are done with the break in.

What bullet were you shooting?


My M700 Classic 35 Whelen shoots lights out with the 250 gr PT and 59.5 grs RL 15. MV from the 22" barrel is 2584 fps.

The 35 Whelen is going to soon be one of your fevorites. :wink:

JD338

 

[SJB358]

AzDak42

Congratulations on the M48 35 Whelen.
I would expect your groups to get even better once you are done with the break in.

What bullet were you shooting?


My M700 Classic 35 Whelen shoots lights out with the 250 gr PT and 59.5 grs RL 15. MV from the 22" barrel is 2584 fps.

The 35 Whelen is going to soon be one of your fevorites. :wink:

JD338

I shot a .5 grain more than Jim with the same bullet. Shoots bug holes in my Whelen. Will probably be toting it again this year in the elk woods. Can't beat the Whelen. I am hoping you will like yours as much as we all like ours. It is a true classic. Great shooting! Those are great groups out of a new barrel to be honest.

 

[sask boy]

AzDak42, I was just wondering what weight of bullet were u shooting on this last report?


Blessings,
Dan

 

[IdahoCTD]

AzDak42

Congratulations on the M48 35 Whelen.
I would expect your groups to get even better once you are done with the break in.

What bullet were you shooting?


My M700 Classic 35 Whelen shoots lights out with the 250 gr PT and 59.5 grs RL 15. MV from the 22" barrel is 2584 fps.

The 35 Whelen is going to soon be one of your fevorites. :wink:

JD338

I shot a .5 grain more than Jim with the same bullet. Shoots bug holes in my Whelen. Will probably be toting it again this year in the elk woods. Can't beat the Whelen. I am hoping you will like yours as much as we all like ours. It is a true classic. Great shooting! Those are great groups out of a new barrel to be honest.

I'd have to disagree a bit. A custom barrel will shoot good from the get go if it's going to. With my .375RUM I shot a .262" groups with the 6th-8th shots out of the barrel. My .30-8mm shot in the .3's the first group out of it too. A hammer forged factory barrel might shoot better with time but with a custom barrel it shouldn't matter. I generally don't spend a bunch of time working out loads on a custom barrel that won't shoot something around 1/2" in the first few tries. That tells me it's too finicky, especially if it's a caliber I've built before and know some accurate loads from other guns.

I would try a different powder like Varget or H4895 and see if your groups tighten up right away. R-15 can get higher velocities in several cases but if the accuracy isn't there it's useless.

 

[AzDak42]

The load in question was new Remington brass, F210M primers and 225g Accubonds with the previously mentioned R15.

I really want to chrono them to see if the FPS band is that tight. If it is, I can't imagine running more than 55-56gs. I'm not one to buy that 50 more fps is worth much inside the 300y range I'd be comfortable pulling the trigger. 2600-2700 is plenty for me.

In the grand scheme of things, this rifle running 1.5" groups is not out of bounds for the conditions. I'm new to shooting mid bores and the recoil is a bit to get used to. The bore for this test had 20 rounds through it previously without a cleaning, and we had a light breeze. Add those together and it's probably close to moa, if I'm doing my part. Even if it did settle in at this accuracy level, I can't say I'd be upset. The biggest variable in the field will still be the nut behind the trigger.

 

[SJB358]

I think you will be in good shape buddy. It does take a little bit to get used to shooting a light Whelen off the bench. Mine does move around a little. I think you will be on to something pretty quick. Don't be scared to push on the Whelen a little. Mine seems to perform even better as you get closer to a slightly compressed charge of RL15.

 

[IdahoCTD]

The biggest variable in the field will still be the nut behind the trigger.

How true that is. The bottom line is your the one that has to be happy with it. The recoil of the bigger bores takes some getting use to.