YOU Did This to Me, POP!

[RiverRider]

I was intrigued with your 700 Classic and thought about it for several days before I finally decided I should spring for it...it appears I spoke up a day or two late. I'm still kicking myself over not moving on it sooner, that was a screamin' good deal. So, by the time I did speak up and you told me it had already sold I was salivating copiously and knew I had to do something...so I went shopping and bought a VZ24 built into a .35 Whelen. I don't have the rifle in my hands yet, but expect it to arrive in the next day or so.

I went out and got my dies and some components so I could get it out on the range making big booms right away. Having never loaded for a rifle larger than .30-cal, I was truly impressed with the size of those big ol' 225-grain Accubonds. Lawd have mercy, it's gonna put some hawgs down in their tracks like the Hammer of Thor!

I've always wanted a Whelen, actually, but the .350 certainly has its own appeal. Maybe one of these days I'll get a rifle in .350 Rem Mag also. Whatever the case, these things always do seem to work out fortuitously for me. Maybe I should just thank you for putting that 700 Classic up for sale regardless of who the lucky stiff is who ended up with it!

 

[DrMike]

You'll like the Whelan. It is a fine cartridge. That Classic is a nice rifle. I regret selling mine, as much as I enjoy my Hawkeye.

 

[JD338]

RiverRider

Congratulations on your 35 Whelen. You are going to love it! The Whelen just flat hammers game. Try RL 15 with the 225 gr AB and you should be set to go. IMR4064 and AA 2015 have also given me excellent accuracy.
I am shooting 60 grs RL 15 with the 225 gr AB in my M700 Classic 35 Whelen and getting sub MOA accuracy.

JD338

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I'm a bit of a 350 Rem mag fanatic...I have a 700 Classic, a 600, a 660, and a 673...every model Remington ever chambered in 350 Rem mag.

It and the Whelen are pretty much ballistic twins (the 350 does it with a shorter barrel)...but there is something about those little short rifles that kick like a mule...I like em.

Good choice on the Whelen.

 

[RiverRider]

JD, I started looking around at powders for the Whelen a while back, and Re15 seems to be the most popular choice out there. When I went component shopping, I was unable to find any, though. They happened to have a Nosler manual handy and I was surprised to see Varget listed as yielding up to 2800 fps with the 225-grain AccuBond (which I was able to get my hands on). Some have remarked that the performance of Varget is nearly identical to what you get with Re15...maybe so, maybe not, but I am willing to give it a try. I've already loaded up some rounds with the 225s and Varget to see where my max is going to be, but I have left the bullets seated way out since I don't yet have the rifle. I'll just seat the bullets the rest of the way once I have an idea where the lands start. I was figuring on starting at .030" off the lands for a starting point.

My buddy at work told me that there will be five hunters carrying the .35 Whelen on out bear hunt in Arkansas next month. And to think---one of the reasons I chose the Whelen is because it is not all that common. I guess I run with uncommon company.
:twisted:

Thanks for the tips!

 

[FOTIS]

Congrats buddy....You will love the 35 Whelen....... I had 2 in the Rem 700 pumps and with rl15 and imr 4064 they shot great.

 

[SJB358]

RR, you are going to really like the Whelen, as JD said he is running 60gr of RL15 with the 225 Accubonds, I am running the same load with 225gr TSX's. They are every bit as deadly on big game as a 338 Win Mag. I have the Model 700 CDL and it is an excellent shooter. Hopefully I will get a chance to get it out and stretch its legs a little this Fall. Good luck with yours, I bet you will be another 35 convert once you see the way it slams big game. Scotty

 

[RiverRider]

I wish they were ll this easy...wait, I take that back. It would not be a challenge and there would be little fun, I think. But it's nice when the pieces fall into place, at least once in a while!

 

[DrMike]

Great load. That group will work for whatever you want to hunt in NA. Congratulations.

 

[RiverRider]

Thank you, Doctah Mike. Actually, I found Varget held some promise but the Reloder 15 proponents seemed more passionate.

What was interesting about watching how the cartridge responded to greater powder charges was that the velocity gains were not really all that great. Velocity variations were amazingly minimal. The Re15 load that produced my 3/4" group showed a spread of only about 6 fps. Velocity did not change much, but the group size definitely did.

Interesting cartridge, this .35 Whelen!

 

[FOTIS]

I wish they were ll this easy...wait, I take that back. It would not be a challenge and there would be little fun, I think. But it's nice when the pieces fall into place, at least once in a while!

Velocity?

 

[DrMike]

What was interesting about watching how the cartridge responded to greater powder charges was that the velocity gains were not really all that great. Velocity variations were amazingly minimal. The Re15 load that produced my 3/4" group showed a spread of only about 6 fps. Velocity did not change much, but the group size definitely did.

That is not an unusual observation with medium burn powders in standard cases. However, accuracy can be affected greatly by small changes in charge weight.