Re-Barrel a .30-06 to ??

[Fatback]

I am afraid that I do not reload. I will be dependent on factory available ammo. Any recommendations for good quality factory ammo?

 

[Shootist43]

Bob you are correct about leaving your hiking boots at home. Your comment reminded me of the fact that between my youngest son and I we took 11 African PG animals with our 35 Whelens. The average distance they traveled after being shot was less than 10 yards. Most just dropped where they stood.

 

[Shootist43]

Fatback, check out the following: https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=81

They offer a 225 Gr. Barnes bullet at 2800 FPS. I didn't check availability.

 

[shootist~]

35W is scarce, but this is a source for sellers I've seen referenced from time to time:

.35 Whelen Ammo

In-stock best prices for 35 Whelen Ammo | Bulk 35 Whelen Ammunition - AmmoSeek.com

ammoseek.com

 

[Boyd Brooks]

35 Whelen ammo is available most places here in Ontario. Remington, Hornady and some Barnes in 200gr.
I had a 30-06 Husqvarna converted into a 308 Norma Mag, opened the bolt face and re-chambered, shoots awesome.

 

[Northern Shooter]

338 Win Mag.

 

[MedRiver]

Good choice in the .35 Whelen! As far as barrel length goes I would be more interested in the handling characteristics of the rifle than the minor gain/loss in velocity. The .35 is far from “overbore” so you don’t lose/gain as much per inch of barrel length as some of the hot rods.

The Whelen’s magic is not in its speed…it is in its frontal diameter, bullet weight options and energy numbers with manageable recoil.

My Whelen is 20” and with PP2000MR can get close enough to published Speer data that the difference between a 20” and 24” would never matter at the ranges I shoot.

Mine was designed with alders and brush in mind and having spent some time in both wouldn’t want anything longer. If mostly hunting open country go with as long as you feel like packing if you want to chase fps.

As far as the 9.3 goes I would put the .35 in an American action and the 9.3 in a Mauser. It just feels right, lol.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I am afraid that I do not reload. I will be dependent on factory available ammo. Any recommendations for good quality factory ammo?

@Fatback
Buffalo bore, nosler premium, Barnes, Remington, federal all make great ammo for the Whelen.
Remington standard is a bit aneamic but their superformance 200gn at 2,900fps is supposed to be good.
Federal do a trophy bonded bear claw load and buffalo bore load upto 310gns so you have a big choice.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Fatback, check out the following: https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=81

They offer a 225 Gr. Barnes bullet at 2800 FPS. I didn't check availability.

@Shootist43
Art looking at their loads they must have been reading AH to get load information for the Whelen. 2,900fps with the 225gn tsx is brilliant. 4,200fpe of muzzle energy.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

338 Win Mag.

@Norther Shooter
As I keep telling @CoElkHunter If'n y'all has a Whelen you don't need not into bitty 338WM.
Bob

 

[Cleveland48]

I had 30/06 rebored to 9.3x62. If it were me I’d choose either 9.3x62, 35 whelen, or 338/06.

 

[mdwest]

I am afraid that I do not reload. I will be dependent on factory available ammo. Any recommendations for good quality factory ammo?

Its out of stock frequently.. and the price has gone up significantly in the last couple of years.. but you can usually catch it about 50% off once or twice a year when Nosler does their big sales..

We've had exceptional success with the 225 gr Accubond load from Nosler.. very accurate, etc...

35 Whelen 225gr AccuBond Trophy Grade Ammunition

35 Whelen 225gr AccuBond® Trophy Grade Ammunition

www.nosler.com

More affordable and much more easy to come by is the 200 gr Barnes Vor-tx factory load.. We've had great success with that load as well...

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/35-whelen/Barnes

I initially bought a few boxes of each of those factory loads for the purpose of obtaining properly head stamped brass... now I just reload for the whelen... but.. I dont think you can go wrong with either the nosler or the barnes if you choose to just shoot factory..

 

[gibbs30c]

Depends if you want to mess with opening up the bolt face to Mag dia. or get a new mag bolt.

If not , as others have said here, you can never go wrong with 338/06, 35 Whelen, or 9.3X62.

But if the barrel is in good shape don't overlook the 30/06 Ackley Improved. It is a simple reamer job with no other changes. The increased case capacity will allow use of the 200gr. and 220gr and other heavy for caliber bullets along with their great SD to be pushed to higher velocities with excellent results.

Like all the Ackley improved line, factory ammo can be fired in the improved chamber in a pinch with little loss of velocity or accuracy.

P.O. Ackley like Rocky Gibbs, was not only a great gunsmith, and wildcat developer, he was a experienced hunter with a lot of time in Africa. He knew what he was doing.

Good luck with the build.

 

[HankBuck]

I am afraid that I do not reload. I will be dependent on factory available ammo. Any recommendations for good quality factory ammo?

I must agree with many on this thread - go to a .35 Whelen. Even though you have one of the All-time-Great calibers in .30-06, if you want to add something to your collection - add something noticeably different and the .35 Whelen gives you that: bigger diameter bullet = bigger hole, heavier bullet, decent velocity and fairly flat shooting out to 250-300 yrds., great foot pounds of energy, and tolerable recoil. I think as far as killing power - equal to .338 win mag with less recoil. The Whelen gives you a significant change from the .30-06 at least for me - seems a very practical switch and for certain hunting situations even a slight advantage vs. the .30-06 (bear over bait, Elk under 250 yrds. Etc.). Regarding factory ammo - it’s out there, so find and buy a few boxes/bullet weights and find out what it shoots accurately —— then by 10-20 boxes and relax. That’s my opinion and I’ve been looking for a nice Whelen for a year in Rem. 760 pump. Prices have jumped and those now sell for $1500-$2400 on GB. Hope you reach a comfortable decision and enjoy the journey !

 

[Fatback]

HankBuck,

Appreciate the advice. Would you have any recommendations on barrel length and final weight of the rifle, scoped? I have already started getting some ammo so once my gunsmith gets re-barreled it should be good to go. Thanks again.

 

[HankBuck]

HankBuck,

Appreciate the advice. Would you have any recommendations on barrel length and final weight of the rifle, scoped? I have already started getting some ammo so once my gunsmith gets re-barreled it should be good to go. Thanks again.

Fatback, I’m not qualified to recommend a barrel length for a custom barrel on a .35 Whelen. I had a 24” put on my custom .30-06 and .375 H&H - both consistently gave 1” or under MOA for 3 shots. I would ask your gunsmith or whom evever is building it for recommendations also ask about barrel taper - weight? As far as scope - my personal choice for a .30-06 is usually 3-9x40mm, I prefer a light weigh scope and not excessive magnification. ( power is all I need for deer orElk out to 350 yrds and I can’t trust my shooting out past that under real hunting situations. I know that they do make some very versatile 2-10 or 2-12 scopes that are fairly light weight and give you a wide range of magnification without bulk & weight. Today, seems $600-$1500 is what you need for “good glass”. For my .375 H&H put a 1.75-6 power figuring my target animal will be under 200 yrds and likely DG (Griz, Buffalo, etc.). You might be in the middle with the .35 Whelen. Hope you have fun building your rifle —- wood stock or synthetic? I prefer wood even though it’s likely inferior to synthetic from a performance standpoint.

 

[shootist~]

JBM - Calculations - Recoil

www.jbmballistics.com

JMB Ballistics is useful in determining if a little extra weight is worthwhile from a recoil standpoint. For comparison, a 8.25 pound 30-06 with 180 grain bullet @ 2,750 will have recoil energy of ~22 foot pounds.

 

[John Wasmuth]

9,3x62 and never look back, whoever is talking you different should pound sand

 

[Fatback]

John,

I’ve decided to do both a 35 Whelen and a 9.3x62. I am now looking for a LH donor rifle for the 9.3x62 build.

 

[rdog]

G

John,

I’ve decided to do both a 35 Whelen and a 9.3x62. I am now looking for a LH donor rifle for the 9.3x62 build.

Good decision , best of luck on Lh action may be a zastava 30/06 or 270w.