35 Whelen Redux

[Blammer]

NOE 360318, with a HP and FP option will act just like the Thor, me thinks.

[TXGunNut]

I think it will be better, Blammer.
Had a Thor dummy load lying around, according to the measurements on Al's site the NOE 360318 will fit in the magazine, looking at the profile it should feed much better than the Thor. Not a fan of HP's, didn't see the FP option but I think I like the RN configuration just fine. This rifle doesn't seem to like long FP boolits.
Should be here on the 18th.

[35 shooter]

Think your on to something with your new mould. I've been waiting for 2 months or more for them to make up some 2 cavitys in that very boolit. About 30 days ago they said they should have some 358009's out in a month (should be any day now) so i got interested in them in the meantime.
So you can easily see the crisis you have now caused, right? Now i'll probably end up with 2 new NOE'S rather than one or the other. Then of course they have that 285 spitzer type boolit too....gotta wonder how that one works on targets? Shooting 35 cal. is an addiction!

[TXGunNut]

I understand completely. I was doing some unrelated research on the NOE site and it just caught my eye; chalk one up for the "what's new" site feature. They had the 358009's awhile back and I kicked it around, decided I wanted something closer to 250 grs. The 360318 never caught my eye before because I wanted a big meplat boolit, now I know my rifle has different tastes.
I'll be proud owner of two new NOE moulds before the week is out, gonna be hard to get any yard work done this weekend.

[TXGunNut]

360318 mould showed up today. Has less taper in the nose than I expected. Have some weather coming in Sunday so I suspect I'll be firing up the casting pot.

[35 shooter]

Does it look like it's gonna feed in your bolt gun ok? Did a search here the other night and found quite a few old threads on that boolit. Found where one member claimed it was originally designed for the 1895 win. in 35 wcf. Don't know for sure if that is true or not but it kind of surprised me.

[TXGunNut]

Pretty sure it'll feed quite well. Have done a little homework on the subject as well but didn't see the WCF post you referenced, will keep looking. Have yardwork scheduled from can to can't tomorrow but will do a little casting Sunday while the bad weather moves thru. As soon as a few cool off enough to handle & load I'll have an answer.

[35 shooter]

Took a trip to the range today. I've been having a problem of where to place the forearm on the front bag for best results lately, but today it came together. I had been putting it about 4" from the fore end but every now and then would blow a group and thought i needed to tweak the loads. Well last weekend that was no help and i just thought it was the wind conditions.
I started that way today and blew a group or two. Moved the rest to within about 4" of the reciever and everything came together. Found out real quick "old contrary" wasn't so contrary after all. Still had to fight the wind a bit today but she shot all my "loads" just fine. What's so bad is i found in my notes that's where i had it rested when i shot those cloverleafs last month.Guess i had a senior moment and forgot about it.Won't be forgetting again.

BTW Tx....no cloverleafs but it was a solid performer with the 4350 today @ 1 to 1 1/2" @ 100 yd.







'

[TXGunNut]

Slipped out to the range myself between storms, pretty deserted for some reason.
Ol' Ugly settled right in and printed some decent 2+" groups. Not great, just decent and round. That's all I was expecting, will step things up a bit next time and see how she likes that.

[35 shooter]

Was that with the 360318? Feeding ok? The well rounded groups after the bedding job you did on it sounds good. You must have done it right.

[TXGunNut]

Not with the 360318, had a choice of breaking in that mould or shooting. Had lots of range work to do so the new mould will have to wait. I was shooting the RD 359-190 but the results were helpful anyway.

[35 shooter]

TxGuNut had to let you know the imr 4350 held up in "old contrary". Went to the range again this afternoon and it looks like 54 1/2 gr. behind the NOE 200 gr. boolit is going in the load book. Wish i could find my rods and sky-screen for my chrony but i'm guessing it's a bit over 2400 fps at least. I really don't care what the speed is, it's a rock solid load in the Encore. What i'm really liking is the fact that it shoots basically the same from 54 to 54 1/2 gr. with 54 1/2 maybe just a bit tighter and more consistent on average. I think i could find a lee dipper that throws 54 gr and just use that to throw these charges. If it threw a 1/2 gr. over every now and then i don't think it would make a difference with this load. Might try that just for fun.
Gotta feeling h4350 or especially aa4350 would do even better but i'm happy with the imr results. The fired cases never stretch more than 1/2 thou. Makes me wonder if they would stretch at all with the aa powder? Don't know if any of this would work in your rifle, but it's got me in a happy place thanks to 357maximum's work that he did with it in his whelen that i gladly copied.

[TXGunNut]

Only one way to find out, wrote the load down in my book will see if Ol' Ugly likes it. Feel pretty confident it will be a good place to start, at least. Thanks!
As it turns out I have a little over a pound of H4350 and no IMR4350. Can't see where I've tried either powder in this cartridge. Must have been thinking about 4064.

[35 shooter]

358009's in stock at NOE. Ordering one in the morning. I'm glad you've got the h 4350, it's probably gonna work better than the imr i have. But i'm happy with it and i'm definitly gonna stock up on some more before it's all gone here locally. If you start reporting good groups with your 360318 i may pick one of those up too. Pretty sure i might as well go ahead and do it.

[black mamba]

I bought some Montana Bulletworks RCBS 35-250 GCs sized at .359 for my Whelen AI. I shoot 32.5 gr of A5744 over Fed 215 primer without fillers, for right at 1950 fps. I've only used them to fireform cases, but they shoot minute of angle at 50 yards. I have a 14 twist stainless 24" barrel on a Mauser custom.

[TXGunNut]

358009's in stock at NOE. Ordering one in the morning. I'm glad you've got the h 4350, it's probably gonna work better than the imr i have. But i'm happy with it and i'm definitly gonna stock up on some more before it's all gone here locally. If you start reporting good groups with your 360318 i may pick one of those up too. Pretty sure i might as well go ahead and do it.

Hard to say, the 358009 IS the classic 35 Whelen boolit. Studied on it pretty hard last time he had some, even passed up a spot on a GB. I just don't think it is what I have in mind. I think I could eventually overcome the feeding problems it looks like I'd have but my goal has always been a boolit in the neighborhood of 250 grns.

[bigted]

TX ... how is your 35 project coming? hope you got a reprieve from the weather and got some shooting in.

[TXGunNut]

Yes, reality was much better than the forecast and I did indeed get a little shooting in, housework be damned! RD 359-190 over 52 and 52.5 grs of H4350 showed some promise, 100 yd groups about 3". 53 grs of H4350 was terrible so I'll work tweak the other loads a bit with primers and possibly crimp. Scored two pounds IMR4350 @ Cabelas and a thousand 9 1/2 primers so I think I can get things under 2" before concentrating on the 360318.

[bigted]

awesome ... keep us posted ... im suspicious that your trials are gonna mirror my steps with my project.

[TXGunNut]

Will do, thinking if you run across some 4895 or similar powder you may want to gather it up. My impression is that the Whelen family favors healthy charges of slow powders under heavy boolits. I'm toying with the idea of another lubrisizer to give me more flexibility on lube. Made the mistake of doing a little reading and U-tubing on the Star lube/sizer. Pretty awesome but just don't need all it has to offer, already have dies for the Lyman anyway.