Right gun for the job

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whelen

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I hunt with a 35 whelen deer and moose also black bear,some say it is to heavy for deer and not enough range for moose I think it is a perfect all round gun anyone share my thought. or have one of there own?
 
I used a .376 steyr scout rifle for my last deer. Sure, i could have used my 7mm-08 but I wanted to shoot the steyr and it is fun to shoot. The deer fell down immediately after the 270 gr went through it. I want to take it black bear hunting. If you like it, there is never too much gun.:neener: How many african hunters use .375 and .416 on little steenboks and duikers, which weigh about 30 pounds and no one says anything.
 
I shoot the balistically similar 9.3x62. I have used the 286 grain Nosler Partition at 2400 fps with great success on deer and antelope. This combination of heavy bullet/modest velocity causes far less meat damage than my 7mm Remington Magnum ever did. It's trite, but you really can eat right up to the bullet hole.

As for moose, how far away do you need to shoot? The Whelen should be a good bet at any sane hunting range.
 
Whatever works for you. I've never been a fan of the Whelen. I guess I just don't get the why? The 06 is a fine all around caliber, can do anything the Whelen can do, and has a flatter tragectory.

There ain't much I can't hunt with my light, handy little Remington M7 stainless in .308 Winchester and if I come up on something too big for it, I do own an accurate Savage 110 in 7mm Remington Magnum. Some day I might buy a .338 just to have one, but I really don't know why. I'll never hunt Alaska, much less big bears. I've never even seen a moose in the wild, probably never will.
 
I'd say you might be using more gun than you need for deer and black bear and are just about right for moose. At the ranges I see moose I can't imagine anything better. What's the longest shot you'd have at moose? Essex
 
Contrary to what some believe, You cannot kill a game animal too dead.

I mean come on:D Do your buddies think that a deer shot with a 35 welen will be too dead to eat?

I briefly owned a remington pump in 35 whelen, It was a nice rifle with lots of power that was every bit a magnum except in name only.
 
I can't say that it is "too much gun" for whatever reason. If that is what you have, and what you like, and it does a good job for you, then it is okay for you.

Yes, you can get by on all those animals mentioned with a far smaller caliber, just as you can get by using a Yugo and a trailer for your hunting rig. Who says we have to use the minimum that will get the job done?:p
 
the only moose i have shot was at 365 yards, using a .300 win mag, 180 grain PMC bullet. one shot, down in 15 yards. i would rather have too much bullet than too little.:cool:
 
The lack of meat destruction is a good argument. That's why I quit using my 7 mag on Deer. It really was "too much". I don't see the Whelen in that light. It's not any more rifle than a good ol' .30 06, it just does the same job with a bigger, heavier bullet at lower velocity. It probably is a little better killer on game the size of Moose, you just need to be a good hunter and get within a decent range for the cartridge. Heck, 250 yards isn't too hard to ask, is it? Be a good hunter, not just a good shooter. :D
 
well i hunt deer with a 45/70 most of the time, i look at it this way no matter what you use its gona mess up some meat the 45/70 works realy well on big deer and i dont have to look for them half the night! shot placement kills, but there are times when the perfect shot never presents it self, i mostly hunt thick cover because thats where the deer are, when i see the buck of a life time i want him down! like the other poster said theres no too dead!:) *csa*
 
Well, I've never had a problem putting a deer or hog down in his tracks with my .308. It does the job, right out to 400 yards if needed. I've taken coyote at a tick over 350 with it. Makes it a more versatile cartridge than something with a rainbow trajectory since I've hunted west Texas and New Mexico and even down here, the senderos can offer long shots. I don't think there is such a thing as a "brush buster", my .308 works as well there as it does on an open sendero at 300+ yards.

But, I'll admit I've only taken one deer at long range, a 350 yard shot across a New Mexico canyon on a mule deer buck with a 7mm remington magnum. I simply couldn't get any closer. I could have made that shot with my .308 and it's a lot lighter gun to carry around those mountains than that 7mm cannon. Other than that mulie, I don't think I've ever shot a deer over 200 yards, not that comes to mind, even out west. So, I could use a .35 Whelen successfully, but I'd be stretching a .45-70 out west. Oh, I mean, the buffalo hunters made shots at long range with huge slugs at walking pace velocities, but I'd prefer not to complicate things that much past 150 yards.

The 35 Whelen, though, is moving pretty decent. A 300 yard shot is doable. It's a good caliber, I just think it ain't a big improvement over the good ol' .30-06 and really never got the point. You're trading bullet weight for velocity and that negatively affects exterior ballistics. The 06 is no wimp with a 160-180 grain controlled expansion bullet like the Nosler Partition or Barnes X bullet. There's a lot more good 06 loads out there for the non-handloader, too. Not sure how anyone could hunt with a rifle they don't handload for, but I've been doing it so long I guess I'm just set in my ways. :D

One thing I like about the .45-70, if I had one I'd cast my own hunting bullets for it. Don't have to worry about expansion since it's pre-expanded. I was offered a Siamese Mauser conversion to .45-70 in partial trade for a boat I was selling, once, but didn't take it. It was a nice gun, but I just didn't see the need and wanted the money. He was wanting $500 for it.
 
I like mine fine.

I traded for a Remington 700 in .35 Whelen a few years back but have scored with it only once. I replaced the old Weaver variable scope with a leupold Vari-X III in 1.5 - 4.5X. I took a good sized hog in early JAN 2005. Used a Speer 250 gr bullet at about 2200 fps. Range was 122 yards, and he didn't budge after the shot.

I'll inch the load upwards a bit, and will probably develop a 220 -- 225 gr load especially for deer. I could get along fine with the Remington 250 gr load, but I like using my handloads whenever possible.

One COULD say the .35W is a bit more than necessary for deer, but the same is true for the .30-06 and .308. There's no whitetail deer alive that can't be taken cleanly with a .257, .25-06, .250 Savage, or probably, a .243. On the other end of the spectrum, though, I feel my .35W is entirely adequate for any animal in the western hemisphere. :p

So, whelen, tell us about your gear. What rifle/sight combo do you use? And what load do you use for the various game animals?

Best,
Johnny
 
I likes mine fine, I does...

I shoot the Nosler 225 gr. Partition. Bought the gun specifically for a combo hunt in BC - moose, mule deer, black bear. Figured this was a great excuse to get another gun in a new caliber:D Could have used my 300 Win Mag, or 7mm Rem Mag, both on synthetic Rem 700s, but then, I wouldn't have another toy. 1917 Enfield, 24" Shaw bbl, new walnut stock very nicely checkered, adj. trigger, and Weaver 4x Scope. Got it at a gunshow for $250! How could I say no?
 
my old 35 is part of the family.........

I have had my whelen for 16 years now it is a Remington model 7600 And I have used for the past 10 years a Bushnell Red dot and have had great success with itI usually average around 2 to 5 deer each year, and have never had to track a wounded animal, shots vary from 20 yrds to 200. I shot a calf moose once going straight away
at about 80 yards and when the gun cracked it litteraly fliped a summersalt. I have always used 200 grain soft points, But am looking into Federal 225 trophy bonded bear claw..
 
I don't have a .35 Whelen But I have been known to use either my Ruger #1s .338 Win Mag or my Marlin .444 XLR for Moose, Elk, Black Bear & even Whitetail Deer. Getting tagged by either round has proven to be instantly fatal to whatever game I choose to use it on, this year I harvested my Moose & my Whitetail on the same day (November 1) both were neck shot with my Marlin .444 both the Moose & the Whitetail died instantly, no need for tracking. I have a friend who swears by his .35 Whelen, and have witnessed a few of his successful hunts, so I have no doubt your .35 Whelen caliber is up to the task.
 
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There are so many good hunting cartridges to choose. I have my favorites too, but whether one rifle kills them deader than another is a subjective matter.

I'm no moose expert as I've killed but one bull and that was many years ago in Saskatchewon. But he toppled over after two good chest hits from my .308 carbine and "plain" Remington core-lockt ammo. This bull did not get away!

A couple years ago, I was focused on a new and custom elk rifle. I had a Browning (30-06) BLR rebarreled to 9.3mm. I shot a medium sized bull through the chest with it at about 125 yards or so. He staggered and I shot again. The bull toppled over. Same performance as my .308 carbine so I sold it at a slight profit and never gave another thought about more power for elk.

Modern bullets are a blessing for the big game hunter who wants to make his rifle more versatile. Your 35 Whelen will produce much wider wound channels on deer with Speer's 180 grain flat nose bullet. It was designed for the .356 Winchester. But load this same bullet in your higher velocity Whelen and you'll get a wide wound channel and drop 'em in their tracks performance! .

Load a stout bullet with heavy jacket such as Hornady's 250 grain Spire Point Interlock for moose. You'll get the penetration through heavy hide and bones you need.

Right bullet + shot placement = meat in the freezer.

Good hunting to you.
TR
 
T.R., totally agree. There is no shortage of effective cartridges for hunting rifles in north America. Everyone has a reason they think their favorite is best. Heck, when I was much younger, I thought the .257 Roberts was the best deer caliber ever invented. It is quite effective with a 100 to 117 grain bullet, kills like lightening. However, so does a bazillion other loads. I've gone the gamut from that .257 to belted magnums and back to sane calibers. Now days, I'm more interested in the delivery system. I traded for my Remington M7 because I wanted a short, light, effective rifle. I wanted it in .308, but to be honest, I'd been as well served with the 7mm08. Now, the .260 is the hot item along with the short magnums, but the .308 with proper bullet will take anything that walks north America. I wouldn't go Kodiak bear hunting with it, maybe polar bear, but it would kill one with proper shot placement. I bet a lot of big bear have been dispatched by the .30-30. 50 years ago, that's about all the Inuits used, I am told by an informed source who was an indian agent in Alaska after WW2 (interesting old fellow to talk to).

I may hunt elk before I'm too old to mess with it, but I doubt it. Mule deer is likely the biggest game I'll ever go after. I don't feel I need that 7mm Rem Mag anymore. My little M7 is 1 moa accurate and will take anything I'll ever chase. It's light to carry, compact in a stand, and I have a lot of confidence in it after taking some head of hog and deer and some coyotes at long range with it, one something shy of 400 yards. It's soft on the shoulder, too, despite it's light weight.

I don't get into the "my caliber is better than yours" stuff anymore. They'll all do the job within their effective ranges right down to the .243 and .30-30 on whitetail and mulies. There is no "best" deer rifle/caliber IMHO. I do prefer my delivery system to anything bigger out there. It's rugged, reliable, accurate, light, and compact. I prefer it to my big, heavy long action Savage 110 in 7 mag. I don't like luggin' around a cannon or trying to maneuver one in a box blind. The .308 is an adequate caliber, inherently accurate, easy to reload, military brass is cheap and available, .30 caliber bullets are in huge variety, I just like it.:D I don't see anything going too far after a lung hit from a 150 grain Nosler ballistic tip or a 140 grain Barnes X at 2800 fps/2600 ft lbs about at the muzzle. My .257 spits a 100 grain bullet out at 3150fps/2200 ft lbs and my grandpa took a deer at near 400 yards with it. The .308 puts up more energy with more bullet and I don't shoot too often at 400 yards. The coyote was a fluke, out on an open grassy plain and here I was with a rifle in my hands.:D

If you like your Whelen or .45-70, that's what matters. It works for you and you have confidence in it. No, they're not "too much" for deer, no more "too much" than any 7 mag, .30-06, or any number of large calibers that are used on deer all the time. If it works for you, why worry about "over-gunning" the game? If it kills 'em dead, that's the objective, isn't it?

BTW, that chartreuse print is KILLER on my old eyes. :rolleyes:
 
Speaking of the .260 Rem Caliber, I bought a 24" barrel in that caliber for my T/C Encore, topped it with a 4-12x50 Vivitar Scope its an awesome tackdriver & I have used the .260 caliber to harvest Moose, Elk & Whitetail using 140gr Hornady bullets, it killed the Moose, Elk & Deer just as dead & just as quickly as my .338 Win Mag & my .444 Marlin calibers with almost no noticeable recoil by comparison.
 
Both the .243 & the .260 are based on the .308 parrent case the .260 is a considerable step up from the .243 based on Sectional Density. The .243 is limited to a much lighter hunting bullet, I cannot recall off the top of my head what the heaviest bullet is for the .243, I bought a .243 for my wife many years ago, the main hunting load at that time was 100gr bullet. I use 140gr Hornady bullets in my .260 although I have been toying with dropping to the 130gr Barnes TSX so far my .260 has filled the freezer on two different seasons, harvesting a bull moose the first season I owned it followed by a cow elk the 2nd year I owned it, then a nice little whitetail buck later in the 2nd year I owned it.
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The young bull moose was taken for meat, certainly not a trophy.
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I think the .35 Whelen is a bit overkill (so to speak) for most things. I find the new .338 Federal intriguing (.308 necked up) for bear and moose. Don't know if they're producing them yet. I do have a hatred for magnum calibers, though.
 
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