BRP 360-220 + 35Whelen = success

[357maximum]

I just got done completing a very good field test of the BRP 360-220 in the 35 Whelen 98 mauser over a very stiff dose of H4350.

I had a crippled doe come through this evening, our last day of reg firearms season. I had to shoot her on a steep angle almost facing me as it was the only shot I had (or was gonna get) and she was suffering from some prior damage. I took her just off the spine facing me and the boolit exited just in front of the offside hind quarter. The boolit went completely through and wrecked everything inside but the heart as i went over that. She fell down/got up/stumbled 10ft and fell over permanantly.

The last guy that shot her should have been a bit higher...she had a large hole through the bottom of the brisket and a broken front leg. A half inch higher and I would have never seen her. She would be hanging elswhere. I am not sure how long she laid in that cornfield but the outside of the combines header actually hit her before she got up. There was zero shooting in the section for the last 2days so I know not when or where she got shot. I was watching them do some corn 1/2 of a mile to my north via 10X and actually saw the combine bump her before she got up. It took her almost 2 hrs to make it to me through the corn stubble. I decided long before she got to me that if I could I would put her down. She was actually doing pretty good considering the damage inflicted to her.


Autopsy photos will be be posted in a few days, but I sure liked the way that 360-220 made out of WD'ed 50/50 ww/Pb worked. It was a mercy kill and a confidence boost all in one. I was a bit concerned over how bad the boolit would tear up meat being pushed that hard, but now I feel pretty good about the combo.

Lastmanout sold me a dandy/accurate rifle and Bruce at BRP made me a dandy/accurate mould...I thank them both.

[RugerFan]

Good deal! I have the same mould with bullets cast up, but haven't been to the range to test loads yet. I have high hopes for this one in my .358 Win.

[yondering]

Can you post some pictures of your boolits?

Sounds like you did not recover the boolit you shot her with?

[357maximum]

Can you post some pictures of your boolits?

Sounds like you did not recover the boolit you shot her with?

I did not recover the boolit... it trashed ribs/lungs/liver/guts and it is still going as far as I can prove.

I happened to have an old photo of the BRP 360-220 on ye ol' harddrive:



It is similar to the RCBS 35-200 with a bit more weight and was originally designed to fit the throat of a 336 Marlin 35Rem, but it works well in my Whelen also.....and I can drive that puppy fast enough to make hits out to 400 yards on my steel plates almost boring with the Whelen.

I have used the boolit with excellent results in a pair of pre-micro 336's, the Mauser98 Whelen and in my 15inch MGM custom 357maximum encore "pistol".

[357maximum]

Good deal! I have the same mould with bullets cast up, but haven't been to the range to test loads yet. I have high hopes for this one in my .358 Win.

In my whelen I have had the best luck with powders from the H414 to H4350 range.....not sure how well that would transfer over to the 08 case, but it is worth a try to start. I use H414 for range fodder as i do not have to trickle any charges that way and it shoots to the same POI as my H4350 hunting load.

[yondering]

Thanks for the pictures. Any idea of the velocity on that load?

I agree on that powder range. Rl 15 has become my Whelen powder of choice; no need for trickling and it gives top velocities and accuracy, at least in the 225-250 gr range.

That boolit looks similar to the Saeco 352 I've been shooting, but a little shorter and with a wider nose. Might be interesting to try some.

[357maximum]

Thanks for the pictures. Any idea of the velocity on that load?

I agree on that powder range. Rl 15 has become my Whelen powder of choice; no need for trickling and it gives top velocities and accuracy, at least in the 225-250 gr range.

That boolit looks similar to the Saeco 352 I've been shooting, but a little shorter and with a wider nose. Might be interesting to try some.

2642 avg.

I use the H4350 to hunt with because it shows no temp issues, kinda important when it may be 70 degrees one day in November and 10 degrees the next.

[RugerFan]

2642 avg.

I use the H4350 to hunt with because it shows no temp issues, kinda important when it may be 70 degrees one day in November and 10 degrees the next.

Interesting. I've had the best luck with H4895, but groupings can vary a little with wide temp swings.

[yondering]

2642 avg.

That's moving right along. Do you get pretty serious leading at that velocity? Is this a load you could fire 20-30 shots without cleaning? I'm curious because I've only used paper patched cast boolits in that velocity range.

[outdoorfan]

Nice boolit! I wonder what ballistic coefficient it has, or for that matter what the calculated velocity is at 400 yards (with that 2642 muzzle vel) ?

[357maximum]

That's moving right along. Do you get pretty serious leading at that velocity? Is this a load you could fire 20-30 shots without cleaning? I'm curious because I've only used paper patched cast boolits in that velocity range.

I can shoot it all day, even with a "warm" barrel. I never clean the bore on this rifle as with alot of my other HV cast irons....I simply get no leading or accuracy degregation. Babore, 45 2.1, Dutch 4122 can stand witness to my statement with this and a few other of my HV irons. Truth be told I stopped shooting due to throat erosion concerns (hottttt barrel) well before the load puked out if it was in fact going to. That was at about 30+ rounds fired fairly rapidly. I save paper patching for when I want to go real fast or want to go fairly fast with a softer alloy.

A balanced load with the right design, alloy, lube, powder make this possible. If you wanna go fast you need a slow (for application) powder and the other things listed above.

[45 2.1]

I can shoot it all day, even with a "warm" barrel. I never clean the bore on this rifle as with alot of my other HV cast irons....I simply get no leading or accuracy degregation. Babore, 45 2.1, Dutch 4122 can stand witness to my statement with this and a few other of my HV irons. Truth be told I stopped shooting due to throat erosion concerns (hottttt barrel) well before the load puked out if it was in fact going to. That was at about 30+ rounds fired fairly rapidly. I save paper patching for when I want to go real fast or want to go fairly fast with a softer alloy.

A balanced load with the right design, alloy, lube, powder make this possible. If you wanna go fast you need a slow (for application) powder and the other things listed above.

Hottttt barrel is an understatement...................... Surprised it didn't MELT.

[BABore]

Yeah, I can testify to that when the Smart A.. touched the bbl to my bare tricept and I screamed. "Gee, I didn't think it was that hot" says he. Probably still got scar tissue.

[357maximum]

Hottttt barrel is an understatement...................... Surprised it didn't MELT.

I am not sure whether I took stress out of the barrel or settled the barrel into the wood/glass that day (both maybe?), but it has shot better since that stunt.

[357maximum]

Yeah, I can testify to that when the Smart A.. touched the bbl to my bare tricept and I screamed. "Gee, I didn't think it was that hot" says he. Probably still got scar tissue.

You are far too big a fella to still be crying about that.

Actually I did not realize the barrel was quite that hot, or that you could scream like that. My apology might have sounded more sincere if I had not been laughing from the sounds of that scream huh?

Coincidentally Scar is what I have always wanted to name the first born son, those of you that know my last name might appreciate the humor in that. My wife does not however.

My daddy always said that if you are gonna be an a.. it is far better to be a smart one than a dumb one.

[45 2.1]

You are far too big a fella to still be crying about that.

Actually I did not realize the barrel was quite that hot, or that you could scream like that. My apology might have sounded more sincere if I had not been laughing from the sounds of that scream huh?

Coincidentally Scar is what I have always wanted to name the first born son, those of you that know my last name might appreciate the humor in that. My wife does not however.

My daddy always said that if you are gonna be an a.. it is far better to be a smart one than a dumb one.

I do believe your gonna be reminded of that for some time to come with some fun retribution included............Hee hee

[357maximum]

I do believe your gonna be reminded of that for some time to come with some fun retribution included............Hee hee

It is ok to know it is coming, when you know you absolutely deserve it.

In all honesty if I had realized it was that hot I would have very likely touched him somewhere else with it. Can you picture Bruce jumping up like a startled cat?

I apologize for my behavior, but one must remember I was raised by wolves and whelped by pipeliners.

[Marlin Junky]

Hi Mike,

I'm impressed. I've got a 360-220 on my list of molds to buy from Bruce but it looks like the lead driving band has been removed from the 360-220 Group Buy design... which is actually fine by me 'cause I can seat it out farther in my Pre-Micro .35 and stuff more 2520-H380 into the little case.

Here's my question of extreme importance: what lube did you use in your hot Whelen load above! Sounds like that's one honey of a Whelen. One of these days I'll have to bribe you out of a chamber cast, or something.

Thanks,
MJ

[BABore]

Hi Mike,

I'm impressed. I've got a 360-220 on my list of molds to buy from Bruce but it looks like the lead driving band has been removed from the 360-220 Group Buy design... which is actually fine by me 'cause I can seat it out farther in my Pre-Micro .35 and stuff more 2520-H380 into the little case.

Here's my question of extreme importance: what lube did you use in your hot Whelen load above! Sounds like that's one honey of a Whelen. One of these days I'll have to bribe you out of a chamber cast, or something.

Thanks,
MJ

This design does have a full diameter top band. It's just not as crisp as it should be. Consider it a gentle transition instead of a slip of the hone.

[runfiverun]

you can just barely see the driving band there.
it's umm angeled/beveled,whatever.... it fills the throat better.
partial bore aligner too i bet.