35 Whelen

[Rick Cox]

@Eick Cox
Woodleigh is back in the game mate.
Bob

I'll have to look for them, over here in Canuck land...

 

[hoytcanon]

I'll have to look for them, over here in Canuck land...

Ellwood Epps has a pretty good inventory of Woodleigh bullets at good prices.

 

[EfRed]

@EfRed
The 250grainers at 2,700fps out of the Whelen are death by freight train.
Even the humble 250gn Hornady round nose punches big holes in bigger game and rocks them to the core. Not tracking involved and leaves a blood trail blind Freddy could follow on a moonless night.
Bob

It's wise to remember that Freddy is out there. Another reason to carry a 35 Whelen.

 

[steve white]

I thought the 35 Whelen only caught on in Australia..............

 

[EfRed]

I thought the 35 Whelen only caught on in Australia..............

Freddy's uncle owns Carnival and Qantas...

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I thought the 35 Whelen only caught on in Australia..............

@steve white
There's even a 35 Whelen revolution happening in the food ol US ofA.
Bob

 

[steve white]

@steve white
There's even a 35 Whelen revolution happening in the food ol US ofA.
Bob

I well know it! I was just yanking your chain to see if you were checked in to the discussion. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I well know it! I was just yanking your chain to see if you were checked in to the discussion. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

@steve white
Mate when you own a Whelen life is always good even if your having a shit day you just think U have a Whelen so life is good
Bib

 

[wolfhunter]

35whelen AI my go to whacker black bear moose caribou all weather rifle .moose stumble and tip over the rest get knocked over.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

35whelen AI my go to whacker black bear moose caribou all weather rifle .moose stumble and tip over the rest get knocked over.

@wolfhunter
That's the beauty of the Whelen be it the standard or AI wack something in the right spot with a big 35 cal projectile and it one and done al bar the skinning and eating.
Bob

 

[Flewis]

"not so good on ball joints". But they're hell on tie rods! LOL

I was wondering why he was shooting his car.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I was wondering why he was shooting his car.

@Flewis
Probably has a GMC ( go mechanic coming)
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

@Flewis
Probably has a GMC ( go mechanic coming)
Bob

GMC: "Get a Mechanic Coming" LOL

 

[EfRed]

My father @Shootist43 is the 6.5x55 fan, I'm the Whelen fan. Many people today think you need velocity to shoot long range and that's just not the case. I did have 30 years more shooting experiences than those PH's in my story but I also knew how to use my rifle. My brother also used a 35 Whelen in that same shooting competition and he only missed one target a 300 yard gong. If you use a 250 grain NP or a 225 grain Accubond the 35 Whelen is a capable 300 yard cartridge.

As a young man, I had access to miles of sagebrush hills and canyons, affording shots as close as you want and as far as you want. I had a Mod 94 .30-30, vintage 1950 that his Uncle gave to my Father. After a while, rocks and the occasional galvanized bucket had no chance. It was great practice, lobbing those 150s out there at ranges judged by observation, and the results showed that hitting the target didn't require a 300 Wby. What happened to it when it was hit at long range, different story. Same story using my 7.5" bbl Ruger Super Blackhawk. That was 60 years ago.

The last time I took my Mod 94 to the range, I adjusted the sight, bore down on the 200 yard gong and killed it, standing up. The last time I took my SBH out, i got 50% hits on the same gong, standing right handed. Those years of practice are still paying dividends.

The gong is 18". I think that a practiced rifle man using a familiar gun and load can do much better.

 

[EfRed]

There doesn't appear to be a consensus on what the ideal twist for 35W is.

From my reloading manuals:
Hornady#10 show 1:16 for their loads
Nosler shows 1:14 for theirs
Western Powders shows 1:12
Lyman 1:16
Barnes #3 doesn't list twist rates.

Given the number of folks who've used 35W successfully over the years, it sure seems like pretty much any .358 bullet will stabilize adequately with any of those twist rates. That's definitely a big win for that cartridge.

Mine are 1:12

 

[Jack Stevens]

Mine are 1:12

1:12 is better for stabilizing the 300grn and 310grn .358” bullets, if you go that heavy.

For those (like me) who shoot .358” bullets through factory barrels with a 1:14 twists, .358” projectiles of 180grns through 250grns are fine.

The 275grn .358” bullets, such as those made by Hawk and Woodleigh, are borderline in 1:14 twist tubes.

With 300+grn bullets, there have been some reports of “key-holing.”

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

1:12 is better for stabilizing the 300grn and 310grn .358” bullets, if you go that heavy.

For those (like me) who shoot .358” bullets through factory barrels with a 1:14 twists, .358” projectiles of 180grns through 250grns are fine.

The 275grn .358” bullets, such as those made by Hawk and Woodleigh, are borderline in 1:14 twist tubes.

With 300+grn bullets, there have been some reports of “key-holing.”

@Jack Stevens
A1:14 twist will stabilise bullets up to 310gb in the Whelen without a problem.
According to Remington the 1:16 twist should also but as you said some do apparently have problems with the 310s in a 1:16.

 

[Rule 303]

I have always considered Remington's 1:16 twist to be too slow for long bullets. that is 250 grain and up in monometals, mine had trouble with these. Mind you after I purchased a chronograph the problem with longer bullets went away, at least at 100mts as I went to a faster powder and added more.

 

[Jack Stevens]

@Jack Stevens
A1:14 twist will stabilise bullets up to 310gb in the Whelen without a problem.
According to Remington the 1:16 twist should also but as you said some do apparently have problems with the 310s in a 1:16.

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen

Thanks for catching that, Bob. Yeah, I did screw up the twist rates in my post.

My M600s and M660 have the 1:16 twist, not 1:14. The Ruger 77s in .350RM had 1:12 twists, at least those 22”-barreled rifles in the second run that Ruger did about 2006.

So yes, with the longer/heavier .358 bullets, the 1:16 barrels will have issues. That’s why I said the 275grn bullets might be the cut-off weight for stabilization (and thus accuracy) in .358 1:16 barrels (1:16 being what I had meant to say in my earlier post).

I’m hoping Woodleigh can get back up to speed on his .358-line of bullets. I haven’t been able to find his 275-grainers anywhere. MidywayUSA used to stock them.

 

[Rule 303]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen

Thanks for catching that, Bob. Yeah, I did screw up the twist rates in my post.

My M600s and M660 have the 1:16 twist, not 1:14. The Ruger 77s in .350RM had 1:12 twists, at least those 22”-barreled rifles in the second run that Ruger did about 2006.

So yes, with the longer/heavier .358 bullets, the 1:16 barrels will have issues. That’s why I said the 275grn bullets might be the cut-off weight for stabilization (and thus accuracy) in .358 1:16 barrels (1:16 being what I had meant to say in my earlier post).

I’m hoping Woodleigh can get back up to speed on his .358-line of bullets. I haven’t been able to find his 275-grainers anywhere. MidywayUSA used to stock them.

When I last corresponded with Geoff at Woodleigh he had just finished a run of 358 projectiles, about 6 weeks ago, and was moving on to other calibres. The trouble is, for some reason he only went up to the 250 grain weight and could not make the 275 and 310 weights.

I would think that if people sent emails asking about the 275 and 310 weights it would help ensure on their next run they will make them.