35 Whelen Newbie

[TXGunNut]

Is it really this easy? As a rule I avoid new cartridges but I have a shot-out 30-06 barrelled action enroute to JES to be rebored to 35 Whelen. Dies are already here, 30-06 cases resized a bit (OK, a BUNCH) short but otherwise OK and I have a RD 359-190 mould and plenty of 4064, Varget, 3031 and RL7 on the shelf. Barrelled action and Boyd stock should be here in a few weeks, then all I'll need is a new scope and a few test rounds.
I'm thinking some sizing wax will help with opening up the 30-06 cases and I'm toying with the idea of a FN TL boolit in the 250 gr range but other than that I think I'm set.
Did I miss something?

[Dean D.]

It sounds like your on track TX. So far I only own a Lyman 358318 (247gr GC RN) and a Lyman 358315 (200gr HP RN GC) moulds. I have not had the chance to fully work up loads for either but I have had really good luck so far with 29.5 gr of SR4759, no filler, behind the 247 gr. boolit. I'll be interested to hear how that RD design works for you.

I'm lucky, I have the use of a set of forming dies my Uncle had, it has multiple expander plugs so you can open up the neck on 30-06 brass in small increments. Annealing always helps.

I love my .35 Whelen, good luck with yours!

[smoked turkey]

In my Ruger M77 in 35 Whelen, my barrel twist is too slow(?) at 1:14 to stabilize the long 3589 boolit. I think if I were building a Whelen a faster twist would be in order. I am certain if JES knows what you want to shoot in the way of cast boolits that the proper twist rate will be had. Just pay attention to that and you will find some good accuracy and enjoy your Whelen to the fullest.

[TXGunNut]

Thanks, Smoked Turkey. Not interested in the 3589 for hunting. It's a grand old boolit but it doesn't suit my needs. There's a group buy getting ready to close on a 360-230 Thor, judging by the enthusiasm of the posts it's probably the boolit I'm looking for. I'm thinking the Thor boolit will be happy with the 1:14 twist, as will the RD boolit. JES told me the 1:14 was good for 180-300 gr boolits so I'm thinking the 230 will fill the bill.
Dean, I'm new to forming brass. I'm corncerned with the cases getting so short; 2.460-2.470. Will forming dies help with that? Should I order factory 35 Whelen brass or quit worrying about it?

[Larry Gibson]

14" twist and the RCBS 35-200-FN are all that's needed unless you are over run with grizzlies.......

Larry Gibson

[Shuz]

smoked turkey gave good advice on considering the twist rate. I've been pharting around with the .35 Whelen since 1999. The Whelen's I've played with were real finicky on twist rate when I tried to use the Lyman 358009. 1:12 will definitely stabilize that boolit. Some folks have found that 1:14 in their guns will too. I definitely did not. My hunting load in my 1:12 twist rifle is the 358009 pushed by 48g of AA4064, CCI 200 primer and either -06 cases necked up or actual .35 Whelen R-P brass of which I have a few hunnert rounds. Velocity for this combo chrono's at 2150 fps. I use a Hornady New Dimension die set resizing die because it has a tapered expander ball. Last week I necked up 50 rounds in one pass, and only lost one case. Good luck in your experiments with what I believe to be one of the best cartridges ever used for hunting big game, especially with cast boolits!

[MarkP]

I found the LEE paste lube with a Q-Tip to lube the ID of the mouth and an elliptical expander ball works well. I can go from 30 to 35 in one hit but I usually use a 338 expander as an intermediate step.
I also neck 300 WSM's to .416 with the following increments: 338, 358, 375, 416. I added the 358 step as I was losing some going from 338 to 375 and re-apply lube between steps, at a $1/ case it is worth the extra steps.

[Mk42gunner]

I have never used it, but .270 Winchester brass is about ten thousandths longer than .30-06 brass. But if you are going to buy brass, why not just get some with the correct headstamp?

Robert

[TXGunNut]

14" twist and the RCBS 35-200-FN are all that's needed unless you are over run with grizzlies.......

Larry Gibson

Thanks, Larry. I guess I just want something a bit heavier. No grizzles here in TX but I can't help but try to anchor every big hog I see. The RD 359-190 does an awesome job of that but I had one that hit heavy bone and did not exit. Still died on the spot but I'm just looking for something a little better.

[TXGunNut]

I have never used it, but .270 Winchester brass is about ten thousandths longer than .30-06 brass. But if you are going to buy brass, why not just get some with the correct headstamp?

Robert

I wasn't planning on buying brass, have a good supply of 30-06 on hand. OTOH I wasn't happy with my 32WS until I bought some Hornady brass...with correct dimensions and headstamp.

[Larry Gibson]

Thanks, Larry. I guess I just want something a bit heavier. No grizzles here in TX but I can't help but try to anchor every big hog I see. The RD 359-190 does an awesome job of that but I had one that hit heavy bone and did not exit. Still died on the spot but I'm just looking for something a little better.

A 12" twist would then be better for use with the heavier bullet.

"had one that hit heavy bone and did not exit. Still died on the spot".....is that a problem?

Larry Gibson

[TXGunNut]

Larry, are you saying the 12" twist would be better for the 230 or the 280? I don't plan on going over 250 grains, hope to make the 200 or 230 gr boolit work. I don't think I'll ever hunt big bear or moose so until TP&WD opens a season on T-Rex I won't be needing the 280. I like the 358-009 but don't think I'll buy the mould, let alone build a rifle around it.
I guess I'm greedy, Larry. I want an exit wound. I also want major bones broken on a big hog. That boar was a scrapper of about 250 #'s and I sometimes shoot bigger ones. Hit him in the center of the shoulder and the entrance wound hardly even bled. I don't like chasing big wounded hogs and I'm very much against them chasing me. :wink:

[Dean D.]

Hi Tex, I forgot to mention that my .35 Whelen has a Douglas 1:12 twist barrel on it.

As far as 30-06 brass ending up short, I've never experienced any trouble from that. I may be making a mistake but they sure seem to shoot just fine! As far as the incremented expander balls, they are probably not necessary but it sure makes the job less strenuous and seems to me like you would have less chance of failure by expanding in small steps. My logic could be flawed though.

Obviously having brass head-stamped with "35 Whelen" would be optimal and I do have some R-P brass like that. But, you would almost have to be blind not to be able to spot a reworked 30-06 case as the 35 Whelen has such a small shoulder.

[TXGunNut]

Barrelled action was just delivered to JES. I'm wondering if 12 would be a better twist than 14.

[Echo]

Still died on the spot but I'm just looking for something a little better.

Carrumba. Define 'better'...

[Larry Gibson]

TXGunNut

Larry, are you saying the 12" twist would be better for the 230 or the 280? I don't plan on going over 250 grains, hope to make the 200 or 230 gr boolit work. I don't think I'll ever hunt big bear or moose so until TP&WD opens a season on T-Rex I won't be needing the 280. I like the 358-009 but don't think I'll buy the mould, let alone build a rifle around it.

I know the 14" twist works great with 200 gr cast as I use that RCBS bullet in my own (mine actually run 214 gr fully dressed). I haven't shot heavier as I've found no need (even used it on Texas deer and pigs) for a heavier bullet. However I use a 35 Rem but some of those with 35 Whelens report poor accuracy with longer heavier bullets. Seeing you're interested in the 200 or 230 gr bullet then the 14" twist should do fine. You should be able to push it upwards of 2400 - 2500 fps with very good hunting accuracy. With the right alloy that should keep the piggy from chasing you.....I don't like being chased by them either........:drinks:

Larry Gibson

[TXGunNut]

Thanks for clearing that up, Larry. Greenhill formula wasn't very helpful with the relatively slow, flat-nosed boolits I like for hunting. I may make it to 2300-2400 fps but it's too early to tell. My 35 Rem 336 is supposed to be a 16" twist but I didn't have any options there. It's very happy with the RD boolit so it makes sense that the 14 would work for the 230 gr boolit I want to try. I wish someone would come up with a formula for slow fat boolits. I'm thinking if we sustitute 120 for 150 in the formula it may give us more useable numbers. My head hurts. :wink:

[JesterGrin_1]

I would go with the 1-14 twist for what you are going to be doing. Also I would not be sizing brass for the 35 Whelen till you have the barrel mounted where you want it. Open the mouth for the .35 Whelen but do not touch the shoulder. As you need to make sure of case fit first.

I wish I could give you more info for cast Boolits for the .35 Whelen but I sent it off to be changed to a .35 Whelen AI of which Jess can do as well. I did this for extended case life and better head spacing. But when I get it back I do not plan to use cast in it just jacketed.

I now have a .358 Winchester that I will be using for mostly cast boolits. :) and the .35 Whelen AI to reach out and touch things HARD lol.

[TXGunNut]

I now have a .358 Winchester that I will be using for mostly cast boolits.:-) and the .35 Whelen AI to reach out and touch things HARD lol. -JesterGrin 1

Your .358W will do anything I plan on doing with my 35 Whelen. Good tip on the shoulder. Only flaw the barrel had was a bit of a long leade but I learned to deal with that long ago. I'll fire a few when it gets back to get a look at the shoulder. I don't think he'll need to move it to go from 30-06 to 35 Whelen.
The AI chambering does sound like it will do exactly what you want it to do, could be a lot of fun. What bullet are you planning on loading in it?

[JesterGrin_1]

Not exactly sure yet lol. I was using the Speer 250Gr Hot Core in the .35 Whelen before and even on a 250LB or so Hog it was a bit much lol. At about 130 yards it went through both shoulders and sprayed blood about 8 feet out and 3 feet wide or so. The Hog never moved just flipped over.

So when I get it back I am going to try some of the Hornady 200GR FTX or the Hornady 200Gr SP Weld core I think they are called.

Since they are jacketed I will be using RL-15 for powder.

[sthwestvictoria]

I am just getting to know my 98 mauser, re-bored to 35 whelen, I have a few threads going on it with a chamber cast, another on 38/357 boolits and then the 250grain Cast Bullet Engineering mold from Jim here in Australia:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?183081-35-whelen-project-which-mold-for-this-chamber-cast-and-twist

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

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?183082-35-Whelen-and-pistol-38-357-boolits

I am now just waiting on a chronograph to get an idea about velocity with my 39.5grains AR2206H (H4895) and 40.5grain loads, then I need to play with OAL to improve accuracy a bit. Best so far is 4" groups at 100metres, would be happier if I could get this to 2".

I have AR2208 (varget) on hand however am less confident using this for reduced loads, I wonder if it is getting to the slow end of the burn rate? I have read of RL7 being used for the lighter loads like the pistol loads, The Lee Modern Reloading has this for 158 jacketed.
Lyman 4th Ed gives data for 198grain and 3031 and for the 204grain boolits 3031 and RL7, nil varget data for those loads.

[nicholst55]

If you're buying brass and can find it, by all means buy factory .35 Whelen brass. Remington has relegated the Whelen to a 'seasonal' run item; there are a few other sources, but their brass is difficult to find. I use either .270 Winchester or .280 Remington brass to form Whelen brass, when I can find it.

[JesterGrin_1]

Midway will not have Remington 35 Whelen Brass till Sept. But they do have Hornady brass http://www.midwayusa.com/product/912565/hornady-reloading-brass-35-whelen-box-of-50

[Charley]

I don't want to pay the price for "dedicated" .35 Whelen brass. .30/06 brass opens with no problems, case life is long, and it is visually different enough from .30/06 to not cause problems. As for bullets, the RCBS 200 grain FN will kill anything you run into in Texas. At least, it has for me, so far.

[357maximum]

Hornady dies will take RP 270 win brass into correct length 35Whelen in one pass using a touch of alc/lanolin case sizing spray. Mine is a 1/14 twist and I would have it no other way. I am using a 225 grain BRP design that sadly is no longer available made from a mix of 50%ww and 50% soft lead with a 5% additon of Railroad babbit. I have two loads one @ 2450 and another @2700, both loads will hover at the 1 inch mark all day long when I am up to the task. Both loads kill 175 pound whitetail stone dead. I use H414 and whatever mag primer is handy. IT CAN BE THAT SIMPLE

[TXGunNut]

Midway will not have Remington 35 Whelen Brass till Sept. But they do have Hornady brass http://www.midwayusa.com/product/912565/hornady-reloading-brass-35-whelen-box-of-50

Yes, already have some in my cart. I've come to prefer the Hornady brass over RP. As soon as I figure out my expansion die situation I'll have Larry send me another care package. I have enough 30-06 brass to play with but much of it has been fired 3-4 times already and retired from hunting loads. I don't have an abundance of new or once-fired 30-06 and I still have a few 30-06's to feed. Maybe I need to see if Larry can spare me some Hornady 30-06 brass.

Hadn't thought about 4895, SWVictoria. May even have some. :wink: Need to keep that one in mind in case the faster powders don't work out. I too have resisted fillers but I haven't even explored load density in this cartridge yet.

[nanuk]

I read a great article written by someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew this Howe person....

the consensus on the origins of the whelen, is it was based on the 30-03 and not the 30-06. That is why it was kept at the same length as the 06.

if it was designed around the 06, it would have had a shorter max case length.

I bought a couple whelens, and when I dropped a 270 into them, they headspaced just fine, so I pulled the trigger. Out came a near formed 35Whelen, only needing a hint of trimming, and the neck ironed out.

I also bought some virging 280Rem brass in case my Whelens had a bit of a long chamber (which is not uncommon in the rifle model I bought) so I could bump the shoulder back a bit at a time, until it would just chamber, then fireform with COW.

[youngda9]

Not exactly sure yet lol. I was using the Speer 250Gr Hot Core in the .35 Whelen before and even on a 250LB or so Hog it was a bit much lol. At about 130 yards it went through both shoulders and sprayed blood about 8 feet out and 3 feet wide or so. The Hog never moved just flipped over.

So when I get it back I am going to try some of the Hornady 200GR FTX or the Hornady 200Gr SP Weld core I think they are called.

Since they are jacketed I will be using RL-15 for powder.

You can't kill em too much...sounds like a quick clean kill.

[stocker]

I have two 1/14 Whelens and they stabilize the 3589 just fine and I've shot them to 300 yards. I was under the impression the Ruger factory barrels were 1/16. Is that assumption incorrect?

[nanuk]

I have H&R Handis in 35W, they are 1/16

I don't know anyone having trouble with Jwords up to 300gr.

[JesterGrin_1]

Oh yes it was Quick. Not Clean but Quick lol. I do not think the Hog knew what hit him.

[TXGunNut]

It's amazing in this day and time that I seem to have too many powder choices for this project. I have 3031, Varget, RL7 and 4064 as likely suspects but also have plenty of H4350, and a bit of H4831SC, N135 and even some 2400. Wish I had some H335 or 4895 but one of the above should work. Haven't seen a load listed for LVR yet but can't rule it out. Only have the RD 359-190 boolit available, cast of 50/50 WW/Pb and heat treated. Velocity goal is 2200-2400 so may go a bit harder next time.
Barrel length is 22", twist is 1/14. Rifle's together and in the safe, 20 cases are sized and in the cleaner. Anyone have any pet loads to share? It's time to fill the Chargemaster and make some ammo but can't seem to make a decision on powder.
Suggestions?

[felix]

50 H335 grains will do 2400 chronoed with a Saeco 180. Recoil noticeable. Back off some using the 190, say 48, until you know the gun and yourself together. ... felix

[TXGunNut]

I wish I had some H335, have seen a few good loads for it. Would like some 4895 for when I find a mould for a heavier boolit as well.

[Nrut]

It'll be interesting to see if those RD 190 FN feed from your magazine..

They don't feed from my Rem. 600 in 35 Remington, Ruger 77 in .358 win, or custom Mauser in .35 Whelen..
They do feed from a Win. M70 CRF in .358..

[TXGunNut]

Hadn't thought of that, hope it does. I'll know in a few minutes, need to do a dummy to find starting COAL.
Great siggie, BTW. For a moment I thought you were a subject of the the USA.

[TXGunNut]

Works fine, Nrut. Glad Michael designed this boolit with a second crimp groove, puts me just off the lands.
Think I'll start off with a few 3031 loads, looks like it should be a 95-98% load density when I get to my velocity goal.

[Nrut]

That's great!
Glad to hear that that bullet feeds in your rifle..
WFN bullets are my favorite but I am finding they are a pain to feed from the mag. at an OAL that puts the bullet into the lands esp. on long throated rifles..
Win. CFR with their cone breach and of course single shots no problem..

[TXGunNut]

Sorry to hear they don't work in some of your rifles, all my bolt guns are long actions. I mostly play with leverguns these days and they like RD boolits just fine. I was just thinking a 600 or 788 would be an awesome little rifle in .358. Ruger 77 and late model Super Grade are my only CFR-type rifles, they're not getting rebored anytime soon. Push-feed was my main hang-up on this project but I can't recall ever having an issue with a round making a detour on the way to the chamber from the magazine in the field, only does it on the range if I work at it.

[JesterGrin_1]

I have to agree. a Remington MoHawk 600 re-bored to .358 Win would be a great hunting rifle. But I would not have the heart to do that to a 600 lol. It would have to be in Bad shape first lol.

I have an Old Remington MoHawk 600 without the vent rib in .243 Win. That has had maybe 60 rounds down the tube since it was new. A gift from my Father when I was a little Tike. Okay maybe not little but a Tike lol. And believe me I have looked at it more than a couple of times thinking of the .358 Win. But I can not do it. :)

That is why I had a .358 Win built on a Stevens 200 action. Sure it is not nearly as light as the 600 or even as elegant but it did not bother me to mod a Stevens lol.

[TXGunNut]

I think the .358 Winchester is probably a better cast boolit cartridge than the 35 Whelen but I have a 35 Remington levergun and my bolt guns are (were ;-) ) all 30-06's. An old 788 or 600 in .358 would be an awesome truck/atv/walking gun for working weekends on the lease or farm. These days I'd need to put a compact long eye-relief scoope on it but even then it would be a light & handy little rifle.
Hmmm....ya'll stop it! Haven't even shot this one yet and you've got me chewing over another project.

[35 shooter]

I'm a little jealous of the 358 too. One thing about the whelen tho, you've got 38 special to 358 covered with reduced loads and can still bump it up from there. My whelen has has done best with h4895 and 4759. The 4759 does great with fillers for reduced loads from1800 fps to2200. I use 50 grains of h4895 behind a 200 grain rcbs boolit for a faster load. Stays inside 1"@ 100 yards for the most part. I thought that would give about 2400 fps but later saw on another site someone chronoed that load about 2500? Anyway gonna bump it up somemore for fun untill the accurracy goes away. The 4895 has done well for reduced loads too as long as i used a filler just takes less 4759 to do the same job. If anyone else has chronoed 50 grains of h4895 in the whelen i'd like to hear the results. Good luck with your whelen and have fun!!!

[JesterGrin_1]

I think I said this before but lol.

I did a Ton of reading about the 35 Whelen before I had mine built. And then more reading about how good the .358 Winchester would be in a rifle capable of holding higher pressures if need be. And can be used as a great Cast BOOLIT rifle. So I had a .358 Winchester built. Knowing what I know now and to be honest if I had the .358 Winchester then I would have probably not had the 35 Whelen Built. As for what I do mainly in South TEXAS the .358 Winchester can cover all bases very well indeed.

Some more pluses of the .358 Winchester is you use less powder along with a Shorter action and also a Shorter barrel all of which equates into a handier rifle.

Do not get me wrong as there are no flies on the .35 Whelen but for most of my purposes the .358 Winchester does a great job. Or should do a great job lol. As I have not shot any game with it as yet but I am very confident in the round and the rifle.


I wish I had the time but these are 3 test groups of 5 rounds each at 50 yards. But before I took it out to hunt I did try it at 100 yards and you could still cover a 5 shot group at 100 yards with a thumb nail. These are from the BRP 360-225Gr RNFP/GC in the .358 Winchester.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/360-220.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/360-220.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/Savage358Win.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/Savage358Win.jpg.html)


I think the .358 Winchester is probably a better cast boolit cartridge than the 35 Whelen but I have a 35 Remington levergun and my bolt guns are (were ;-) ) all 30-06's. An old 788 or 600 in .358 would be an awesome truck/atv/walking gun for working weekends on the lease or farm. These days I'd need to put a compact long eye-relief scoope on it but even then it would be a light & handy little rifle.
Hmmm....ya'll stop it! Haven't even shot this one yet and you've got me chewing over another project.

As said I fully agree that a Rem 600 in .358 Winchester would be an ideal hunters rifle. :) Light,Short,and handy.

[TXGunNut]

Bottom line, I have what I have and it is what it is. My goal was to re-hab a trusty old rifle in a cartridge I could use and to make it a rifle I'd be proud to use for the next 30 years, God willing. It's also more fun and cost-effective to find projects on the back row of the safe instead of the gun rack at Cabelas or the LGS. 358 makes more sense but the 35 Whelen is a grand old cartridge based on my all-time favorite, even if I'll never really get to let it do all it can do. Hunting with a 35 Whelen in TX is like driving a Corvette on the interstate; you know the power is there, you just don't get to use it all.

[TXGunNut]

Got Ol' Ugly to the range today, shot three 5-shot groups while7679476795 looking for a place to start. Not bad, but not great either. 47 grs is too hot and the other groups had a flier. Lube and fit seems to be good, nice lube star in muzzle (and a ring around the boolit hole) and no leading....still need to clean to verify bore condition. While Ol' Ugly was cooling between shots I fired her sister rifle and printed a sub-MOA group.

[JesterGrin_1]

TXGunNut what Boolit are you using?

[TXGunNut]

In the 35 Whelen I'm using the Ranch Dog 359-190, had some on hand for 35 Rem loads. Mailed a money order today for the GB 360-235 Thor mould. I'm thinking something around 250 gr would be ideal, just haven't found one I like yet. Group on the right was made w/ j-words.
No lead in the bore, BTW. Cleaned up nicely.

[TXGunNut]

Studying on this a bit this evening. Decided the rifle would be happier with a lighter charge of 3031 but I'm wanting more velocity than that will produce. Looking like Varget, 4064 and N135 are next up to bat, don't have any idea where to start w/ N135. Wish I had 4895 or 335.

[Dean D.]

With the 247gr GC 358318 my Whelen seems to like 29.5gr of SR4759 but I need to explore other powder options yet. With a 250gr J-word it really likes 52.0gr of IMR-4064. (Douglas 1:12 twist barrel)

[NLS1]

I think I said this before but lol.

I did a Ton of reading about the 35 Whelen before I had mine built. And then more reading about how good the .358 Winchester would be in a rifle capable of holding higher pressures if need be. And can be used as a great Cast BOOLIT rifle. So I had a .358 Winchester built. Knowing what I know now and to be honest if I had the .358 Winchester then I would have probably not had the 35 Whelen Built. As for what I do mainly in South TEXAS the .358 Winchester can cover all bases very well indeed.

Some more pluses of the .358 Winchester is you use less powder along with a Shorter action and also a Shorter barrel all of which equates into a handier rifle.

Do not get me wrong as there are no flies on the .35 Whelen but for most of my purposes the .358 Winchester does a great job. Or should do a great job lol. As I have not shot any game with it as yet but I am very confident in the round and the rifle.


I wish I had the time but these are 3 test groups of 5 rounds each at 50 yards. But before I took it out to hunt I did try it at 100 yards and you could still cover a 5 shot group at 100 yards with a thumb nail. These are from the BRP 360-225Gr RNFP/GC in the .358 Winchester.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/360-220.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/360-220.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/Savage358Win.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/SHAKERATTLEROLL/media/Savage358Win.jpg.html)



As said I fully agree that a Rem 600 in .358 Winchester would be an ideal hunters rifle. :) Light,Short,and handy.


Wow, that is one seriously good shooting rifle for sure! Fantastic thread, and you guys sure know how to make me wanna spend money!

Dan

[TXGunNut]

That's the best part, Dan. For the cost of a re-bore, a set of dies, moulds and a few other items I have a semi-custom rifle with performance that spans from pistol boolits popping cans to big tough boolits taking an elk, moose or even a big bear...and everything in between. Even adding the cost of the Boyd stock and I'm still in it for less than a good used '94.

[JesterGrin_1]

Wow, that is one seriously good shooting rifle for sure! Fantastic thread, and you guys sure know how to make me wanna spend money!

Dan


Dan I will add this. I would trust the .358 Winchester depending on load and bullet design for game from Elk and Black Bear on down the ladder. Unless you plan to make oh over 300 yard shots. So much in fact it would make all the other calibers obsolete.

But if you plan or need to have something in hand that you could trust from Black Bear up through Brown Bear or even a Grisly Bear then the .35 Whelen would be the ticket. But that is just my humble opinion.

[JesterGrin_1]

That's the best part, Dan. For the cost of a re-bore, a set of dies, moulds and a few other items I have a semi-custom rifle with performance that spans from pistol boolits popping cans to big tough boolits taking an elk, moose or even a big bear...and everything in between. Even adding the cost of the Boyd stock and I'm still in it for less than a good used '94.

I would hope so lol. Those 94's are no longer cheap lol. Also sent you a pm.

[waksupi]

Dan I will add this. I would trust the .358 Winchester depending on load and bullet design for game from Elk and Black Bear on down the ladder. Unless you plan to make oh over 300 yard shots. So much in fact it would make all the other calibers obsolete.

But if you plan or need to have something in hand that you could trust from Black Bear up through Brown Bear or even a Grisly Bear then the .35 Whelen would be the ticket. But that is just my humble opinion.

I trust my .358 for grizzly bear every time I go up in the mountains with it.

[TXGunNut]

I would hope so lol. Those 94's are no longer cheap lol. Also sent you a pm.

I guess I should have said post-64, but even those are going up. Point is for $600 I went from a rifle I couldn't use to a very useable rifle in a very interesting and capable chambering.

[JesterGrin_1]

Yep the .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen make good Wabbit Hunting Rifles. :)

[TXGunNut]

Yep the .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen make good Wabbit Hunting Rifles. :)

35 Rem does a passable job with them, as long as they're not really big and cranky. ;-)

[TXGunNut]

Scope should be back soon, loaded up try loads w/ 38.5 grs RL7 and 45 grs 3031 to push that RD boolit along. Too hot to get serious about rifles but I'm getting impatient. May even have that Thor GB mould here before long.......

[armprairie]

Hi,
Just to poke my nose in, I'm doing fine with my Remington 700 Classic, 1 in 16" twist with the Saeco #352 245 grain mold and 39 grs. of 3031. I've had this rifle about 8 months. Very accurate. I'm wanting to try Reloder 7 soon because of outstanding results I got in my 30-30, so I'll be watching your results closely to see how you do with your combinations.
I'm for anything that will keep alive the memory of Colonel Whelen and that Old gang of writers that I've followed for decades.
I've got Remington brass new in the bag I've never opened because it's so much fun expanding the military brass up and it works great. I just use a bent fuzzy stick (pipe cleaner) to lube the inside of the case with any case lube and take it up in one stroke with the RCBS long taper expander. I've thought about using an 8mm expander as an intefishermediate, but haven't seen the need yet.
Like you I've got tons of 30-06 brass, a lot of it military, and they aren't even headstamped with caliber, so no problem.
Note on the weather: We were shooting at the Effingham, IL gun club yesterday, and I made the mistake of not taking a jacket. One friend fished a heavy hooded sweatshirt out of the truck. I was wearing long sleeves and long pants, but that wasn't quite cutting it with the chill north wind. Another friend of mine who wore shorts had to get in the car. Just to make you feel good about Texas.

[TXGunNut]

Scope's back from repairs, temps didn't get into the 90's today so tomorrow morning should be pleasant. If you run across any H4895 or 335 in your travels I hear that's better than the powders I'm using, especially as boolits get heavier.
Welcome to the forum!

[TXGunNut]

Great day to go to the range, temps were in the upper 60's @ daybreak. Pretty awesome for August in TX. :smile: RBuk's load of 38.5 RL7 was pretty promising, will tweak it a bit more. 45 grs of 3031 is a bit much for this boolit/cartridge/alloy, vertical stringing. Will back it down and ladder up from 43.5 or 44.0 grs.
With a .308 bore this rifle didn't seem to mind shooting a little hot, in .358 it seems to open up a bit as temps go up. I have other rifles in .30-06 with less tolerance for heat so I'm not complaining.
BR match going on at the 100/200 yd range so only got to shoot 50 yds. Scope performed well after repairs so it was a pretty good day for Ol' Ugly.
235gr Thor GB mould coming any day, better get this 200 gr boolit figured out soon.