Which bullets offer best combination of stopping power and flat flight.

[Picknlittle]

I'm getting ready to load a batch of 35 Whelen rounds. What I got with the gun is 200 gr sp but I know little else except that they group well and I'm down to lass than a dozen rounds left.

The problem is that when shopping for anything 35 whelen, choices are very limited. For instance, brass comes from only remington and most bullet manufacturers offer very limited selections. While I am happy with what I know of the 200 gr bullets, I find little difference on paper between 200 gr and 225 gr. Since there is a better selection of 225 gr bullets I'm thinking 225 may well be my choice.
So here's the question.

Choosing between Barnes Triple shock, Sierra SBT, and Hornady SST, all in 225 gr, which seem to : 1. expand best, retain weight/resist fragmentation and offer best accuracy, assuming the powder charge is selected for accuracy.?
The next consideration is "bang for the buck". Are Barnes Triple Shocks really worth the extra money?

I like the whelen because it still delivers over a ton at 300 yds and more than a 30-30 at 500 yds. I don't just want to shoot'em down,...I wanna knock'em down too <G>

 

[griz]

I've never tried a 35 Whelen but soon somebody who has is going to come along and ask what you are hunting with it.

Might as well get that out of the way. Good luck.

 

[Picknlittle]

I've never tried a 35 Whelen but soon somebody who has is going to come along and ask what you are hunting with it.

Might as well get that out of the way. Good luck.

That's easy,..rabbits, squirrels,...you know north american big game <G>

Seriously,... the 35 is a great all around deer, elk, bear and hog round.

Good speed and plenty of shocking energy especially at 300 + yds.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I like SSTs for deer. If I wanted one bullet for everything it would be the TSX.

 

[sumpnz]

which seem to : 1. expand best, retain weight/resist fragmentation

TSX, no question.

and offer best accuracy

That will be a function of your particular rifle. That said, the TSX does have a reputation for outstanding accuracy. That also said, I doubt you'd see enough of a difference to matter between those three bullets when talking about practical hunting accuracy. Let's face it, from a field position neither you, nor the animal will be able to tell the difference between a .5 moa and a 2 moa round at anything within ethical hunting ranges.

Are Barnes Triple Shocks really worth the extra money?

IMHO, yes. I've only personally used the XLC's but the TSX is in some ways better by all accounts, and I would say the XLC's are well worth the money, especially for elk. Less so for deer, but still worthwhile.

 

[rnovi]

Pick,

I shoot a .350 Rem Mag - ballistically the same as the .35 Whelen, but on a short action.

I gotta tell ya, there is one fundamental difference between the .350 and the Whelen: the .350RM is maximized with the 225gr. bullet in my my Rem. 673 short action rifle. In the Whelen, the maximal bullet is the 250gr bullet. You can push a 250 in a whelen as fast as I can a 225.

In any case, I really, really like the 225gr. bullets. You can shoot a 225 Sierra GameKing for target work and deer loads. For bigger game you can use a 225 Nosler Partition or a 225 Barnes, Swift, or Northfork bullet. Any of the four makes are more than sufficient to penetrate even Kodiak.

Personally, I like the Barnes bullets - I just can't load a Barnes bullet over 200gr because the bullets are too long for me to seat properly in the magazine.

I am going to highly recommend that you take a look at: www.35cal.com This guy has done some remarkable work cataloguing bullets.

And as an aside, I shoot a 125 gr. .357 JHP Bullet over a caseful of IMR 4895 to kill bunnies. I get a 3/4" group at 100 yards with minimal recoil.

Bunnies to Elk and beyond: the .35's are certainly capable of it all.

 

[jmorris]

If you believe in physics, high velocity is what provides you with a flat trajectory. Hornady makes/made a 180 grain SSSP that would run almost 2800fps. It shoots about as flat as you’re going to get with a 35 Whelen and is perfectly adequate on deer, hogs and rabid squirrel.

 

[Picknlittle]

Lots of good thoughts here. I'm leaning towards Barnes TSX for hunting loads, and probably Hornady for general stump shooting.

Keep in mind I'm new to 35 cal. and have to depend a great deal on what's published. It seems in the reloading world, paying attention to published tables is just plain smart. So here's my what I find about 180 gr rounds.

According to tables published in Douglas Arnold's High Powered Rifle Accuracy printed 2006, the 180 gr round seems to defy expectations as, perhaps because the bullet is too short to be stable. In all fairness, this data applied to a 180 gr. FP.

FPS -Muzzle= 2800 fps, 100 yd= 2442, 200 yd= 1814, 300 yd= 1318
Energy- Muzzle=3134, 100 yd= 2208, 200 yd= 1316, 300yd= 694
Bullet Drop 100 yd= 0.0, 200 yd= -16.8, 300 yd= -77.7

As compared to 200 gr.

FPS -Muzzle= 2800, 100 yd= 2536, 300 yd= 2061, 500 yd= 1644
Energy -Muzzle= 3483, 100 yd= 2857, 300 yd= 1887, 500 yd=1201
Bullet Drop - 100 yds=0.0, 200 yd= -14.5, 300 yd= -14.5, 500 yd=-62

and 225 gr.

FPS -Muzzle= 2700, 100yd= 2494, 300yd= 2113, 500yd=1768
Energy -Muzzle=3643, 100yd= 3108, 300 yd=2231, 500yd= 1562
Bullet Drop 100 yd=0.0, 300 yd=-4.1, 300 yd= -14.9, 500 yd= -61.2

If this is correct, the 180 is a dud in this caliber. The Whelen shines in heavier bullet perfomence. Even numbers for 250 gr bullets don't vary much from 225s.

 

[mustang_gt_350]

great post

I know nothing about the 35 whelen. Altho i am going to be following this, as i would like to have one of these for my next project gun for deer season this fall. from what i have read about these a lot of ppl like the 225gr class for deer. (atleast from what i can remember)
so keep the great info coming you are helping many with this post.

 

[H&Hhunter]

The TSX is the flatest shooting, most accurate, hardest hitting, best constructed .358 bullet on the market. It's all I use out of my .358 win.