Tell me a little about .35Whelen.

[Armored farmer]

Is it suitable for cast bullets?
What game is it well suited for?
Who's hunting what with it?

 

[jmr40]

My brother and I both tried 35 Whelen and decided it didn't do anything we couldn't do better with 30-06. Not saying it is a bad choice, just that compared to 30-06 the negatives outweigh the positives. But then again we weren't interested in shooting reduced loads. You can use 357 pistol bullets and cast bullets in reduced loads for added versatility. If you're interested in doing that it is a good choice.

With conventional bullets it is suitable for anything in North America. It doesn't shoot as flat as a lot of cartridges but will do reasonably well out to at least 300 yards which is as far as most hunters need to be shooting.

I think that it is legal to use in a few places in single shot rifles who have cartridge restrictions. If I hunted in one of those places, I'd also give it a serious look

Its supporters claim it is a better elk, moose and bear round, but I've never seen anything to prove to me it is any better than 30-06 or any of the 300 magnums. Most guys who shoot 35 Whelen's use 200-225 gr bullets. A 30 caliber shooting 200-220 gr bullets does the same thing and offers a lot more versatility. Recoil with full power loads is about the same as 300 WM.

I will concede that once you get to 35 caliber bullets in the 250-275 gr weight class the 35 Whelen does start to pull away from the 30's, but not by much. And if I need bullets that heavy, I'd move up to one of the 375 magnums.

 

[earlthegoat2]

It is an interesting and nostalgic choice that is not a lot better than 30-06 as noted above.

I had one and was able to procure 40 rnds of Fed Fusion 200 gr when I got the rifle. I never saw any more ammo after that.

If you handload for it you can hot rod it a bit to get a little more juice out of it. I have heard of 35 Whelen AI being able to get close to 375 H&H with 250 gr bullets. Once again, is it really worth the bother if you can just get a 375 H&H.

30-06 and 375 H&H have more available factory ammo. Components may be easier to find for the Whelen though since you can use 30-06 cases and the same powders. 358 bullets are around but seem scarcer in recent years.

 

[adcoch1]

@jmr40 hit all the pertinent points, all true, but I still had to have one! Mine really does well with cast 200 grn Lee bullets at starting loads, but I haven't played with it enough yet to have used pistol bullets. I built mine(Savage 110 with a 24"shaw barrel) for bear and elk hunting. Both are relatively short range situations for my hunting style, so a 250-300 yard limit is totally acceptable. I use nosler 200 grn for regular hunting but haven't gotten game with it yet. It's only been out one season... I can't wait to find a heavier mould to throw some 250+ bullets with it. It's a toy I wanted to build, probably just as versatile as 30-06 but not quite as capable on the small end..

It is nice having an extra round in the magazine than a magnum bolt head rifle would have. And the cartridge just looks cool.

 

[Armored farmer]

I've been seeing Handi-Rifles in .35Whelen come and go on Gunbroker. Some were decent price to add to my stable I already have a. 30-06 and a 7mm-08. I also have a .45-70 for my straight wall restriction.

 

[entropy]

I always got a kick out of the irony of Whelen saying "Only accurate rifles are interesting", and him developing one with a rainbow trajectory.
A few in my neck of of woods had them for bear guns. For black bear, I was quite satisfied with my 200 gr. .30-06 Partition load. Never got a bear with it though.

 

[Roverguy]

Back in the day, it made good sense. 250 grainers at high velocity. Totally suitable for cast. But nowaday, with great controlled expansion bullets, 200 grs from the 30-06 does the same job.

Taking a step up from 30-06, .375/9.5mm is the way to go. 375 Ruger in a standard action, 375 H&H in a magnum length.

I have a 35-40, just the 30-40 necked up to .358. It’s built on a Handi Rifle and will reach Factory 35 Whelen loading levels. I have some 360 grs cast soup cans that are super fun to shoot, but as per above, I don’t think the Whelen does anything substantially better than the 30-06. If a classic rifle was on offer, it would be hard to pass up. If building one, the Browne-Whelen design with a sharper shoulder would be my preference for stronger head spacing and longer brass life.

 

[AJC1]

My buddy just picked one up because it's allowed in Mississippi for primitive season in a single shot... looked around at loaded ammo prices and he almost had a kitten. I make 180s for my 357 so I gave him a few to try out, waiting to hear back....

 

[JmacD]

If I might just add a question? Wasn’t the whelen one of the Vermont Benoit family deer woods favorites? I personally have no experience with the cartridge but what I have read in books.

 

[Roverguy]

If I might just add a question? Wasn’t the whelen one of the Vermont Benoit family deer woods favorites? I personally have no experience with the cartridge but what I have read in books.

Quite possibly. Fancy flatlanders might have come up to VT with bolt guns but the thutty-thutty in a lever gun or one of the old Savage bolt guns was king of the Green Mountains for most of the 20th century. 35 Rem had its fans and 35 Whelen would have been viewed as an “awful lotta gun” and quite “fancy”.

 

[chickasaw_hunter]

I've had one since '89 and have killed 11 or 12 elk with it. It's a great elk rifle. I've killed elk with an '06, but prefer my Whelen when given a choice. I've killed a few deer with it, but I've killed deer with lots of calibers too. But my Whelen shines when used on elk. I've never believed I needed the latest thunder magnum with the ability to shoot a thousand yards to hunt elk.

 

[Slamfire]

I wanted one, because I remember reading Major Townsend Whelen's original 1920's article in the vintage American Rifleman magazines in the College library.

So I built up one



and I purchased these factory 35 Whelen's.












After being beaten with the Ruger #1 and the Rem M700, I had a varmit barrel installed on that Dumoulin action. That rifle is heavy, but it does not hurt as much to shoot as the lighter ones.

I did take the Remington and the Dumoulin out to CMP Talladega. Because this cartridge kicks so hard, it is extremely difficult not to flinch when shooting for groups. This is not a target cartridge.




The long barrel rifles can push bullets to about 2500 fps before popping primers. Got to tell you, push a 225 grain bullet to 2500 fps and that scope bell will be in your eyeball. Was in mine, removed that big scope on the M700 and found one I could push further forward on the receiver. I have fired a limited number of 250 grain bullets, and they really hurt. I am sure, within 200 yards, they will also really hurt whatever is hit with them. Townsend was looking for a 375 H&H "light" that would fit in a 30-06 magazine. It is not quite a 375 H&H, but it is powerful enough for all the American big game, as has been proved again and again.

I think as a hunting cartridge, the 35 Whelen is going to make a bigger hole than a 30-06, and that is all for the good. It is accurate enough for a hunting rifle out to 300 yards. However those 200 gr round nose bullets I had, they tumbled between 300 and 600 yards. I was too beat up for the day to try my 225 Sierra boat tails, and given the price of those Sierra's, it is cheaper to shoot silver bullets. With the current inflation, gold bullets might be cheaper now. This cartridge is not one of those 1000 to 1500 yard cartridges I read about. Let me also say, 300 yards is a long way to be shooting at anything but a paper target. If you don't hit the black on a paper target, you don't hurt anything except for your ego. An animal deserves better than Hail Mary's with unknown zero's at distance. In the east, an unobstructed 50 yard shot is pretty long, given the animals are in the woods in daylight. Lots of deer tracks in the fields, made by deer walking through in pitch black darkness. Deer can see you in light conditions where you cannot see your hand in front of your face.

I tried 357 Magnum cast bullets and they all stripped and would not hold a six foot by six foot target at 100 yards. Cast bullets are not worth the effort in my opinion, when you can buy jacketed.

 

[adcoch1]

I've been seeing Handi-Rifles in .35Whelen come and go on Gunbroker. Some were decent price to add to my stable I already have a. 30-06 and a 7mm-08. I also have a .45-70 for my straight wall restriction.

In a single shot I think it would be a great cartridge. I've seen those too, and would love to have one...

 

[Varminterror]

200’s -220’s with Varget, really enjoyable round. No, it doesn’t do anything the .30-06 doesn’t do, except NOT be a .30-06 - and add complexity for sourcing bullets. But it’s one of my favorite cartridges when I let myself indulge a little whimsy. The pragmatist in me prevails more often these days, and when I think of the Whelen, I know the 338 A-Square has better bullet offerings, and then in the next level of analysis, I remind myself the 338wm case has sufficiently more case capacity to do what should be done with 225-250grn bullets, and then even farther analysis, I look at the 338 RUM and PRC case not having a belt, making better use still of the big bullets…

 

[LoonWulf]

I always got a kick out of the irony of Whelen saying "Only accurate rifles are interesting", and him developing one with a rainbow trajectory.
A few in my neck of of woods had them for bear guns. For black bear, I was quite satisfied with my 200 gr. .30-06 Partition load. Never got a bear with it though.

I was remembering that Col. Whelen didnt actually design the .35 Whelen, so I asked google, and Wiki suggested it was designed by James Howe of G&H while both men were at the Frankford Arsenal....I cant remember where I actually read about it originally, tho it MIGHT have been a 90s G&A or the Speer #12 reloading manual.

Its one of those rounds I've always kinda wanted, as VT says its hard to justify in a practical sense, but still its a want.

 

[Jim Watson]

When the .35 Whelen came out, a .375 was a big bucks import but the Whelen would get you a 250 gr bullet with just a new barrel on a Springfield.

 

[Gun-Reck]

When the .35 Whelen came out, a .375 was a big bucks import but the Whelen would get you a 250 gr bullet with just a new barrel on a Springfield.

And nobody knew about the 9.3x62mm.

 

[9x56MS]

Anyone who thinks the 35 Whelan has a rainbow trajectory has never shot one. It will take any animal on the north American continent handily. It can be loaded down for use with cast bullets for plinking but is a bit of overkill for ground squirrels. To get the most out of it you will need to hand load as factory fare is limited. Brass is no problem as you can just neck up 30-06 brass.

 

[22250Rem]

When I got a CVA Scout V2 single shot rifle back in February, I noticed that CVA chambers 35 Whelen in that model. I wanted a woods cartridge and went with a 444 Marlin chambering. Same 25" barrel, muzzle brake, and 8 lb. weight listed for both chamberings. Figured I would throw that out there as I know there's a few single shot fans on this web site. Always thought the 35 Whelen was an interesting cartridge and there doesn't seem to be many new rifles offering it ?

 

[Chuck R.]

Anyone who thinks the 35 Whelan has a rainbow trajectory has never shot one. It will take any animal on the north American continent handily. It can be loaded down for use with cast bullets for plinking but is a bit of overkill for ground squirrels. To get the most out of it you will need to hand load as factory fare is limited. Brass is no problem as you can just neck up 30-06 brass.

^

This!

Not a .35 Whelan shooter, but I am a died in the wool ,350RM guy (basically a short/fat 35W, with a little more MV) and with 225s it is close enough to the trajectory of a .30-06 with a 180 grn out to 400yds to be moot. From Strelok pro, using a 30-06 factory load and my favorite .350RM 225 Nosler partition from my 20" barrel:

>350RM with 225s at 2730 FPS (Might as well be a Whelan)

Distance, yards Bullet speed, f/s Energy, ft-lbf Elevation, inch Windage, inch
100.0 2552.8 3256 D1.4 L0.7
150.0 2457.5 3017 D1.1 L1.6
200.0 2366.3 2797 U0.5 L3.0
250.0 2275.0 2586 U3.8 L4.9
300.0 2185.7 2387 U8.7 L7.2
350.0 2098.4 2200 U15.4 L10.1
400.0 2014.9 2028 U23.9 L13.4
450.0 1931.6 1864 U34.7 L17.5
500.0 1850.5 1711 U47.9 L22.1
550.0 1773.3 1571 U63.3 L27.3
600.0 1696.8 1438 U81.7 L33.3

30-06 180-grain Power-Point (X3086), , Winchester

100.0 2293.2 D2.0 L1.3
200.0 1993.7 U0.6 L5.9
300.0 1716.4 U12.1 L14.6
400.0 1472.4 U35.2 L28.1
500.0 1265.4 U74.5 L47.7


So, the .35W is about as rainbow as a 30-06 (actually less). The 225s while not 250s when using either partitions or a monolithic bullet go through things, SD be damned, and they make a larger hole along the way.

 

[9x56MS]

And nobody knew about the 9.3x62mm.

I am a 35 caliber aficionado, but since I got my 9.3x62 my Whelen doesn’t get out much any more.

 

[Bull Nutria]

I had a H&R handi rifle in 44mag it was great to about 75yds, one day I shot at a deer at 90yds and couldn't recover it.
that really aggravated me.
I saw an ad for a 35whelen TC Encore and purchased it slightly used. any single shot 35 cal or larger is considered " primitive" in LA. I reload the Hornady FTX 200g? with 56g IMR 4064 for it. Shoots 1 to 1.5 in groups at 100yds. Very effective on whitetails

Bull

 

[Litetrigger]

I'm of the opinion that anyone who has a dozen or more rifles one of them should be a .35 Whelen. I have two, one being a .35 Whelen Improved. The improved version adds a bit more zip and more shape to the round's shoulder, thus reducing, if not eliminating, headspace problems that long plagued the Whelen because ot it's shallow, sloping shoulder, especially with questionable gunsmith chambered rifles when it was a popular wildcat. During which, it was a favorite home workshop project because war trophy '98 type Mausers were a easy comversion. Speaking of which, both of my Whelens, showh here, were built around milsurp Mauser actions.

 

[Roverguy]

I'm of the opinion that anyone who has a dozen or more rifles one of them should be a .35 Whelen. I have two, one being a .35 Whelen Improved. The improved version adds a bit more zip and more shape to the round's shoulder, thus reducing, if not eliminating, headspace problems that long plagued the Whelen because ot its shallow, sloping shoulder, especially with questionable gunsmith chambered rifles when it was a popular wildcat. During which, it was a favorite home workshop project because war trophy '98 type Mausers were a easy comversion. Speaking of which, both of my Whelens, showh here, were built around milsurp Mauser actions.View attachment 1151894 View attachment 1151895 View attachment 1151896 View attachment 1151897 View attachment 1151898 View attachment 1151899

Wow! Stunner

 

[WisBorn]

The 1988 edition of the Remington 700 classic was manufactured in 35 Whelen. I read all the reviews and I wanted one. As a lefty I hoped that they would offer it in the 700 BDL LH. A necked up 30-06 to 35 was appealing. For a woods cartridge and big game like elk and bears it delivered magnum performance without being a magnum (so it was sold as). The Remington 760 pump was also offered in 35 Whelen.

The 35 Whelen as a practical choice no! As a collectable functional choice BUY ONE!
Though the light recoiling 350 Legend would be a better choice in a straight wall cartridge state like Illinois.