35 whelen project - which mold for this chamber cast and twist?

[sthwestvictoria]

This is my new project, a FN Mauser 98 in 35 Whelen. It still wears the original barrel that has been re-bored and original
military trigger.


60639
60637
The twist rate is 1:14 inches
The barrel slugs as 0.356
And the chamber cast in 4:1 by volume sulphur:graphite is below.

60638

The rifle is to be used for cast boolit fun - target/plinking and then deer. We have the very light fallow deer
here, only going to 40 kg for the doe and 60kg for the males.Then the possible future hope would be for a Sambar
deer - these are an order of magnitude a larger, tougher animal 140kg for females, average 190kg for males. Ranges for fallow are generally more open 100-150metres. For Sambar I believe ranges are generally short in thick bush, less than 100m but have not hunted these larger deer as yet.

I have a light 158grain PB pistol mold the Lee 358-150-1R but would like a grown up sized Whelen mold. What would suite this chamber and twist in a true heavy boolit for the Whelen - something in the 250-293 range. I would probably use
Cast Bullet Engineering here in Australia but would also look at NOE or Saeco. I know the RCBS 200grain FN is well
regarded as is the discontinued Lyman 290grain 358009 for which there has been NOE group buys.

These are the CBE options in .35:
60640606416064260643

Thoughts?

[runfiverun]

that 358-250 would do what you want with no problems.
especially at 2200 fps which should be a cakewalk in the whelen. [it is in the 358 win]
just use jaxketed data that gives you that velocity with the lowest pressure you can get away with.
work from there untill accuracy drops off, or you have enough of the recoil, with a clean burn.

[MT Chambers]

The Saeco 245 gr fp gc is magic in .35s, I'd spring for one!

[sthwestvictoria]

I forgot to give the chamber cast measurement:
Throat diameter .359
0.203 from case mouth to any rifling
0.320 to start of real rifling.

I'll be using ADI powders - 2206h (H4895), 2208 (varget). I have some Blammer copper GC on the way.

[Blammer]

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/DSCN7523.jpg

Having a 35 whelen myslef. I would recommend trying the rcbs 35-200 or the saeco 35 first. These are the two on the far left.

[Blammer]

I find I have to water quench my boolits and push them fast or I get other problems in my rifle. So, 2400fps is the norm for me. :)

[runfiverun]

i use the saeco also and push it hard in my 358 win.
it will smoke a deer like it is a jaxketed bullet.
that flat nose by cbe should do a very good job.
size to your throat diameter and let things snuggle in.

[sthwestvictoria]

I have had some good results with my new 250grain GC mold from Cast Bullet Engineering and AR2206H (H4895), the targets are over here:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?196174-Lede-Throat-Freebore-and-the-cast-boolit

[RBak]

For my own current Whelen I have owned a new RCBS 205gr mold for every-bit as long as I've owned the SAECO 245 (actually 247gr.) and the Lyman 358009, but with bigger and heavier always being thought of as better, the little RCBS mold sit cool and comfortable in it's little box for years on end....then, last summer, I thought what the heck, I'll patch that puppy and see what it will do.

It did well...very well, on the very first shots, and I haven't looked back since then.
In fact, it has only gotten better.

I haven't taken any game with it, yet but I have killed a ton of rocks, along with some good stout pieces of 2x6's and a 4"x4" post.

It's nowhere near as sexy as that big fat 358009 boolit, and not near as intimidating, but I am having serious thoughts about carrying this load this year. The gun seems to like 38.5gr of RL7 which was the original load I shot in it.
I moved the powder charge up and down a a couple of grains a few times, but the sweet spot is definitely at 38.5gr.

.35 caliber cartridges in general are hard to beat, and the .35 Whelen and 9.3 x 62 is just that much more of an already good thing.

Russ

[Shuz]

For my own current Whelen I have owned a new RCBS 205gr mold for every-bit as long as I've owned the SAECO 245 (actually 247gr.) and the Lyman 358009, but with bigger and heavier always being thought of as better, the little RCBS mold sit cool and comfortable in it's little box for years on end....then, last summer, I thought what the heck, I'll patch that puppy and see what it will do.

It did well...very well, on the very first shots, and I haven't looked back since then.
In fact, it has only gotten better.

I haven't taken any game with it, yet but I have killed a ton of rocks, along with some good stout pieces of 2x6's and a 4"x4" post.

It's nowhere near as sexy as that big fat 358009 boolit, and not near as intimidating, but I am having serious thoughts about carrying this load this year. The gun seems to like 38.5gr of RL7 which was the original load I shot in it.
I moved the powder charge up and down a a couple of grains a few times, but the sweet spot is definitely at 38.5gr.

.35 caliber cartridges in general are hard to beat, and the .35 Whelen and 9.3 x 62 is just that much more of an already good thing.

Russ

Are you shooting 38.5g of Rel 7 with the 358009? Are you heat treating the boolit? What is the velocity and what kind of accuracy are you getting?

[RBak]

Are you shooting 38.5g of Rel 7 with the 358009? Are you heat treating the boolit? What is the velocity and what kind of accuracy are you getting?

Sorry I didn't clarify that...I am shooting the 38.5gr RL-7 load with the 205gr RCBS boolit.
If I'm not mistaken that mould was actually made for .35 Remington customers, but it seems to work okay in my Whelen as long as I don't try to push it to fast.
The only hardening I ever do is water dropped wheel weights.
Velocity is right at 2050fps with a SD of 16, if I remember right....anyway, the SD with the lighter boolit is much better than with the 358009 for some reason.

Russ

[sthwestvictoria]

Getting some good results here with the smaller 250grain CBE boolit, this is a 15/16th inch group at 100metres (109yards):
77660
This is very gratifying as this has taken me a good while. The real clincher to get sub-MOA was really having the boolit out long. This is 79.5mm OAL with significant engraving but still extractable. At 80mm OAL I have had a boolit stick in the bore so not a hunting proposition.

[UBER7MM]

Looks like you've found the sweet spot for that rifle. Good on ya'!