35 brown whelan

[Sask Farmer]

Brand new to the forum_I inherited a 35 brown whelan with some reloaded ammunition, to get some more brass I bought nosler 225 grain 35 whelan cartridges. I have fired some of these standard 35 whelan cartridges in this 35 brown whelan gun with no apparent problems. I was recently told that you cannot safely shoot 35 whelan cartridges in a 35 brown whelan. Is this true and and what are the problems associated with doing this.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

First of all, the .35 Brown-Whelen is not a standard cartridge, so no one can say your .35 B-W is the same as his .35 B-W. .35 B-W reamers made by different makers can vary, resulting in each rifle being truly a law unto itself.

To understand the .35 B-W, we have to understand the Ackley Improved (AI) cartridges. The AI cartridges are standard rounds with a sharpened shoulder. The AI chamber leaves the shoulder in the same place, simply changing the angle. AIs were touted as more powerful, but now that chronographs and pressure measuring equipment is available, the AI at the same pressure as standard cartridges don't show enough velocity increase to be meaningful.

The Brown-Whelen chamber is different -- it not only sharpens the shoulder, but also moves it forward. This means the shoulder has no support at all, and firing a standard cartridge in a Brown-Whelen chamber can split the shoulders (about 100% of the time in my rifle.)

For that reason I use a special forming charge in my .35 B-W, consisting of several grains of Bullseye held in place by a square of toilet paper (and no bullet.) Bigfoot Wallace, my .35 B-W is an '03 Springfield customized by C. W. Fitch of Phoenix in the late '60s or early '70s. The Mauser-style extractor holds the case against the bolt face, and the results are close to perfect. Cases cannot be formed in this way with push-feed rifles, because the case will simply slide ahead of the bolt.

If your .35 B-W will form factory .35 Whelen cases with no splits, go ahead and form them that way -- but be sure you wear protective glasses, because you never know.

 

[Sask Farmer]

Thankyou for the info, i checked the empty cartridges and could not find any splits, the action is a springfield. The nosler box of 35 whelan ammo indicates a muzzle velocity of 2750 fps. Will there be much of a gain loading fire formed 35 brown whelan cartridges. Will the accuracy for hunting purposes be seriously hampered by shooting the standard whelan cartridges in the brown whelan.I have 80 rounds of the nosler ammo with no opportunity to return it

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Again, each .35 B-W is a law unto itself. Be careful about getting load data from anyone! I have a friend with a .35 B-W built on a M1917 Enfield -- he used Ackley's data for the .35 B-W for his first load and said, "You could have reloaded that case with a shotgun primer."

My advice is to use up your factory ammo, if that's what you have (but use eye protection.) When you start reloading, use a chronograph. Start at .35 Whelen starting loads and work up carefully. I generally consider 2800 fps with the 225 Nosler PJ to be top velocity in my rifle (which has a 22-inch barrel.) A 24 inch barrel could be pushed to 2850. I wouldn't go above that.

But take heart -- I once shot an elk with my .35 B-W, hitting it in the upper left leg (just below the shoulder joint). The left front leg fell off as I was skinning the elk out and there was a hole in the brisket you could put your thumb in. Skinning out the other side, the right front leg fell off -- the bone smashed in the same place as the left. (The bullet disappeared downrange, and there are rumors the crater is still radioactive.)

When you can shoot off both front legs and take out the heart and lungs to boot, you are definitely using enough gun.

I like Reloader 15 in the .35 B-W -- but don't ask me for a charge weight. B-W chambers vary too much, and I might be sending you a handgrenade.

 

[TurtlePhish]

But take heart -- I once shot an elk with my .35 B-W, hitting it in the upper left leg (just below the shoulder joint). The left front leg fell off as I was skinning the elk out and there was a hole in the brisket you could put your thumb in. Skinning out the other side, the right front leg fell off -- the bone smashed in the same place as the left. (The bullet disappeared downrange, and there are rumors the crater is still radioactive.)

When you can shoot off both front legs and take out the heart and lungs to boot, you are definitely using enough gun.