Best Path to an Accurate .35 Whelen

[HunterMann]

I'm interested in where you're hunting that has laws that make the .35 Whelen one of the best calibers for deer hunting? Nothing wrong with it, and I'm very interested in one myself, but factory ammo is going to be very limited and if you aren't willing to go with a custom, a rifle meeting your specs may be difficult to find too. The whelen also slows considerably and begins to drop very fast at the distances you're talking about--it's very effective at closer ranges but not really designed for 400 yard shots.

I've seen some very nice Nosler rifles chambered in 35 Whelen but I don't know if they'll come in at your price point.

I was wondering about the legal aspects myself. Also in terms of general deer hunting, I fail to see the advantage of the .35 Whelen over your existing 30-06.
Somebody else already mentioned Shaw barrels, but Shaw can also build you the complete rifle to your specifications for what I think is a pretty reasonable price. A year or two ago Shaw had a .35 Whelen available on their web site, but I over thought it and someone else jumped on it...

 

[HunterMann]

..for hunting with that big ole' slug and limited velocity and what that means...if you can find one a Remington 760 pump in .35 Wh is more than enough in the woods of any state..I've used both the carbine and normal barrel whitetail & black bear hunting in the thickest jungle and Mt Laurel imaginable with zero issues...with the 760 you got fire power, speed and great handling...impossible to beat in the woods, there worth every cent..

Amen on the Rem 760, but mine is 30-06. I have not seen a reasonable price on a 760 in .35 Whelen in years. But I gave up looking for one as I am perfectly happy with the 30-06. Since this guy is only going to use factory ammo, he might want to consider that there are a lot more factory load options with the 30-06.

 

[HunterMann]

I'm guessing he's hunting Iowa. That's where I'm from, and they changed the laws last year to 35 caliber and larger, straight wall or bottle-neck. I'm using my 375 ruger with 225 grain Hornady's slowed down with 5744 powder. Also have a remington 7600 in 35 whelen using 203 grain hammers. Both are lethal as heck, as you might imagine.

I may have to reconsider hunting Iowa, as I also shoot the .375 Ruger. I am running the Speer 235 grain Hot Core over moderate loads of 5744. It is a winning combination.

 

[Wrenches]

I have built a fair number of 35 Whelen's in my day for customers on all sorts of actions. I retired in 2021 as I turned 70 and sold out after 37 years. Here is my take on the 35. I used Kreiger barrels and had them made in 1-10 twist, I always thought that the 1-16 was to slow for modern spitzer bullets. I believe that the 338 WM at 1-10 then the Whelen should benefit from it as well. I built one for myself years ago on a 1903A3 action with a 24 inch Kreiger and it shoots very well. I use 225 and 250 grain bullets and it flat puts animals down quickly. With the newer powders coming online now (CFE 223 & MR 2000) showing magnum velocities I believe the Whelen will compare to many of the magnums out there. YMMV.

 

[VTbluegrass]

Funny, I was sitting here thinking I know midwest deer are bigger than our little southern whitetails but requiring a 35 cal people must really think they are dangerous game. Also thinking about the manufacturers discussion.
Question "We are seeing big rise in demand of 35 Whelen, I wonder whats going on?"
Reply "Law makers have zero knowledge of guns or that more than one cartridge exists in 35cal"

In the under $1500 range I would have to go with an with an action that I can find prefits for or an Encore with a good barrel and depending on how it shot maybe some Belm springs and shims. If you want to shoot animals at 300 to 400 with it just make sure you have some dope worked up before deer season because she's gonna be dropping fast past 250yrds.

 

[central iowa couple]

Well .....welcome to the 35 whelen dilemma. We just got the iowa DNR to let us use bottleneck cartridges that start at .35 and end at .50 cal last year. So I also wanted one. So i took an old savage 110 out of the gun room and called James at Northland shooters supply and bought a shilen match barrel in stainless...had it threaded for suppressor or a brake. I did it my self. All in for the barrel...i think it was 350 bucks or so. It shoots 3 shots touching at 100. Now I'm using 30-06 brass expanding to 358....so im still fireforming. Cant wait for the next round. I also ordered 200 grain 358 bullets from hammer last night. Thinking 400 is gonna be fun and simple. My local gun shop has 35 whelen factory rounds...i didn't like the price 45.00. So i made some. My wife calls me tight. Lol. The guys at the gun shop bought a cva single shot . They dont like it. Its got a brake but oly weighs 4 or 5 lbs and kicks bad. He shoots a 30-378 and is used to slugs but says nada on the 35 whelen. Mine is a dream with a suppressor. Love it. They're watching for someone to trade a 270 or 30-06 in so i can make another. I've got 2 people who want one here in iowa

 

[beretzs]

A 225 Accubond, Partition, Sierra at between 2700 to 2800 will have the same trajectory as a 180 from a 30-06 at the same speeds. If you'd shoot it with an 06 I can't see you having a problem with the Whelen!

 

[RCMSTER]

Funny, I was sitting here thinking I know midwest deer are bigger than our little southern whitetails but requiring a 35 cal people must really think they are dangerous game. Also thinking about the manufacturers discussion.
Question "We are seeing big rise in demand of 35 Whelen, I wonder whats going on?"
Reply "Law makers have zero knowledge of guns or that more than one cartridge exists in 35cal"

In the under $1500 range I would have to go with an with an action that I can find prefits for or an Encore with a good barrel and depending on how it shot maybe some Belm springs and shims. If you want to shoot animals at 300 to 400 with it just make sure you have some dope worked up before deer season because she's gonna be dropping fast past 250yrds.

It's not about how big the deer are. It's DNR's solution to the fact that there's a lot of livestock in the picked corn fields, as well as a lot of people living in the country on acreages, and their theory is, and I actually kind of agree, is that 35 cal and larger tend to be slower than the smaller calibers, and won't carry as far. Now you can agree or disagree with that theory, however, that's the DNR's thinking, and it's the law, so it is what it is.

 

[MoreSalsa]

... I consider it to be a 200 yard, maybe 300 yard deer file.

I guess from the numbers I've seen, I would give it a lot more credit than "maybe a 300-yard rifle", but in the end if that is what it is, that is enough. To be able to hunt deer comfortably at 250 yards would be worth it for me. I started by looking for the best (popular) straight-walled cartridge, which I decided was probably 350 Legend. But from what I've seen, 200 yards or less is going to be its outer limit for deer (it's already below 1000 fps at that range). That led to my discovery that big bore bottleneck cartridges were on the table, and the Whelen's ballistics looked a whole lot better for shooting at 150+ yards.

As for what the Whelen is and isn't ... as others have noted, if sighted in at 200 yards it hits around 2'' high at 100 and something like 8 inches low at 300. That is no 6.8 Western but it is not that far off ..... it's similar to my 6.5 creedmoor. Energy and velocity are definitely not a problem at 300 (or 500) yards, and again I'm not too worried about terminal performance given the bullet diameter. So it might deserve a bit more credit. Then again, I'm just looking at it on paper and have never actually shot a Whelen, so what do I know.

 

[RCMSTER]

I may have to reconsider hunting Iowa, as I also shoot the .375 Ruger. I am running the Speer 235 grain Hot Core over moderate loads of 5744. It is a winning combination.

I have some of the Speer 235 grainers and some Herters 235 grainers, which are Speer's, but last year a guy on gunbroker had like 500 of the Hornady 225 grain spire points for a fair price, so I bought em' all. I should be set. My ruger 77 in 375 shoots just beautifully with 44 grains of 5744 and them hornadys.

 

[Vince22]

I have been using the Nosler Trophy Grade 225 Accubonds. They work awesome if you are to find some. Very accurate and consistent.

 

[RCMSTER]

Amen on the Rem 760, but mine is 30-06. I have not seen a reasonable price on a 760 in .35 Whelen in years. But I gave up looking for one as I am perfectly happy with the 30-06. Since this guy is only going to use factory ammo, he might want to consider that there are a lot more factory load options with the 30-06.

I bought a remington 7600 carbine in 35 whelen, synthetic stock, and still in the box. That was last year some time. It wasn't cheap, and I'll just leave it there. LOL

 

[beto]

If you trust your gunsmith like I do I would follow his advice. I'm interested in where you will find factory ammo for a 35?

I make mine from 30/06 cases .Easy work

 

[birddog 68]

I make mine from 30/06 cases .Easy work

Yes my buddy does the same. The OP stated that he doesn't reload and I figured it would be difficult to find factory ammo but he said the local gun shop has plenty. I guess there's plenty since it's not very a very popular cartridge.