Help me find heaviest mold for 35 Whelen please

[Hog Farm]

Hello everyone. I hope I am posting in the right place. I have a 1 in 16 twist barrel and it groups well with 250 grain j word projectiles. How heavy can I go with 1 in 16? I would like to get it right the first time.

I believe Accurate moulds will cut two different designs in the same block. I would get one plain base and the other gas checked if I bought one of theirs.

What is the upper limit? 250? 280? 300?

I like the idea of plain base, for less cost and less steps in the process.
Thanks.

[curator]

Hog Farm,

While weight figures into the equation, the real factor is bullet length and velocity. A shorter heavier, blunt nose bullet will become stabilized where a long-ish pointy one that weighs less might not. Check out this Greenhill formula calculator and try various bullet lengths to see if they will work. http://kwk.us/twist.html Be sure to change the Specific Gravity (SG) to the material the bullet will be made from to get an accurate estimate. I had the barrel made for my .35 Whelen Improved cut with 1 in 12 " twist to shoot long 300 grain cast lead boolits at 1800-2000 fps. LBT can cut a mould that will give you weight and length within reason. Look at his "long-flat-nose" bullet designs.

[Hog Farm]

Okay I stroked the calculator a while. Thanks for the link.
I used Linotype as a worst case metal for the calculation and 1800 fps for a minimum velocity.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-170634.html

I entered 10.3 for the SG and came up with a length of 1.15 inches.
Now, more questions? How do I get lengths of molds from the manufacturers?

Does anyone on here have some heavy molds already that they could measure please?
Thanks

[helice]

Hog Farm,
I can't get you into the really heavy category but I have an LBT 358-240 WLN-pb boolit that measures 0.950". Curator (above) spoke of the LongFlatNose design that Veral Smith makes. You might also talk to Veral about the Wide Long Nose. It packs a bit more lead into the shorter package and still remains quite "streamlined". Either style would be a fine game getting boolit in the 35W. Considering your 1.15" length, you could truly go with a much heavier mould.
If you want to talk with a 35 fanatic, send a PM to Edd Badgley (Badgeredd). He is the finest of men with good "wildcat 35" knowledge and he doesn't demand that you believe everything he says. Tell him Karl sent you.

[white eagle]

we shoot 280 gr Mt.Baldy boolits out on my son's Whelen
they do a good job

[Bullshop Junior]

A few years ago, we did some research, and after a lot of testing, settled with a 270gn LFN.

[MarkP]

These are the Boolits I submitted to Tom at Accurate, the longer one (1.13") is around 273 gr with my alloy and stabilizes in all (4) of my 1:16" rifles and hanguns even with Trailboss loads poking along at 1,400 ish. I shot the low velocity rounds to 220 yds on paper just to verify.

94349

Tip Mold / Cavity

94350

[Reverend Al]

What about the Ideal / Lyman # 3589 (later was # 358009?) which casts a hair over 300 grains in medium hard alloy? We used it successfully in a friends Ruger 77 in .350 Remington Magnum and in a couple of 9.3 rifles since my mould casts a HUGE bullet at about .366"! I might have a few already cast and if I can find them I'll take a measurement of the length for you ...
(I stole this old photo from eBay to give you some idea of what it looks like ...)

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/Reverend_Al/Ideal3589_zps677ed38f.jpg (http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/Reverend_Al/media/Ideal3589_zps677ed38f.jpg.html)

[Reverend Al]

Dang .. tiny little photo ... I'll try to find some of my already cast boolits and get some better photos along with the measurement of it's length.

[Reverend Al]

Okay ... found a better photo that someone has posted here on the site some other time ... BIG cylinder of lead!

:shock:

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/Reverend_Al/Lyman3589_zps6b5508b5.jpg (http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/Reverend_Al/media/Lyman3589_zps6b5508b5.jpg.html)

[Hog Farm]

Now seeing those motivates me!

Will get the old beast out tonight an scrub the bore again to make sure there is no copper fouling.[smilie=2:

[Hog Farm]

Now, after eyeballing those a while longer, the gears got to turning upstairs.

Will the gas check and lube grooves all be contained in the neck?

Will those beauties feed? Or single shot only?

[Blammer]

That's my picture, (no worries on the usage, help yourself)

they shoot well in my 14T 35 whelen, I cannot say how they feed in a proper gun as mine was converted from 30-06 and the feed ramp has not been modified so it 'throws' them of a little bit and you have to 'jiggle' them in to get them to work. In a proper 35 whelen I suspect they will feed just fine. :)

It's almost like a 311440 on steroids. :)

I think OWBM made that one for me. NOE may be able to do it, not sure, may want to ask him.

[Blammer]

Yea, it's not the heaviest, but it's some eye candy. :)

Yes 35 whelen

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/35%20Cal/DSCN8842.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/35%20Cal/DSCN8842.jpg.html)

[Blammer]

Here's a line up of some 35 cal, the 358009 at 280gr is next to the round flat nose so you can get a feel for it's size/height.

the one loaded on the left side is a 358009.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/DSCN7523.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/DSCN7523.jpg.html)

[Blammer]

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/358009crop.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/358009crop.jpg.html)

[Nrut]

Now, after eyeballing those a while longer, the gears got to turning upstairs.

Will the gas check and lube grooves all be contained in the neck?

Will those beauties feed? Or single shot only?
I have the same mold for that GB Blammer did..
Mine wouldn't feed in a Ruger, or Columbian Mauser, but they do feed thru a Winchester M70CRF Classic..
Also the nose is over bore dia. in all 4 .35 cal rifles I have..
In the Whelens that isn't to bad because of their long throats, but the nose which will be in the throat is way undersized for the throat and not supported during blast off..
In the .358's it puts the gas check below the shoulder neck junction..
When I get a nose sizer bushing and can seat this bullet out farther this bullet should be a real smacker in my .358 Winchester..

It would behove you to make a impact throat slug and send it to a mold maker who will cut the mold to your throat..
For a design take a look at RCBS's .375-250gr. bullet..(mine weighs 269grs)
It does not have a bore riding nose..
Just downsize the mold diameter to fit your throat and I think that you will have a very good bullet for your Whelen..
The weight of the bullet will depend on your throat length..
If you want a heavier bullet you will have to either order a smaller top band dia. or go to a bore rider..

[MBTcustom]

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/358009crop.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/358009crop.jpg.html)

Tell me, on that 240gr FP did you take inspiration from the profile of an 18 wheeler? That thing aught to have an oval "Peterbuilt" on the nose of it! LOL!

[Loudenboomer]

I've mentioned it before but real happy with the accurate 275E. I had Tom put on an engraving ring up front. Feeds good in my stubborn feeding VZ-24. I forester drill a small hp in the 275 grainer for hunting.
It depends on your intentions but if you want 35 Whelen to live up to it's potential you will want a gas check design. It's no trick to get this Boolit up near the 2500 fps range.

[yondering]

I have a Remington 700 in 35 Whelen with the factory barrel (rechambered to 35 Whelen Ackley Improved). The 358009 is about the longest bullet that will stabilize in my rifle. I've also used a 280gr flat nose paper patched bullet (no lube grooves) that is about the same length, that shot OK, but I've not had good results with anything heavier. Best accuracy with cast bullets has been with a 250gr WFN lube groove design from Mountain Molds, paper patched and pushed to 2800 fps. That one is a real thumper, and delivers groups around 0.5" @ 100 yards.