Possibly doing a 35 Whelen conversion

[Angus]

I have a sexy, sexy K98 that my grandfather gave to me for this past deer season, chambered in .243. I'm more a fan of big fat bullets making big fat holes, so as a graduation present for myself (from college) I am planning on converting it to 35 Whelen. I would like to do the work myself if possible, and was wondering if anyone had a 35 Whelen or 35 Whelen AI reamer that I could rent, along with a set of '06 headspace gauges. Here is a picture:

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/DeathPenalty23/P4080177.jpg

I'm going to go with an Adams and Bennett short chambered barrel, since the price is right and I'm not chasing after a match rifle. The action already has a Timney trigger that feels nice and crispy.

It also has a custom bolt knob. The bolt handle is threaded to accept the knob, which I'm really not a big fan of. I'd really like to have something new turned for it. Anyone with a lathe up for making something a little out of the ordinary? For a price of course.

[anachronism]

A gift from your Grandfather? It's a keepsake. Keep it as is. If you want a rebarreling project, buy a Savage. They're cheap, and you won't kick yourself a few years down the road for changing it.

[Drilling Man]

A gift from your Grandfather? It's a keepsake. Keep it as is. If you want a rebarreling project, buy a Savage. They're cheap, and you won't kick yourself a few years down the road for changing it.

I couldn't agree more!!

DM

[danski26]

While i am going to do a 35 whelen project sometime soon also, I agree....keep gramps' rifle as is and pick up an action somewhere. I'm partial to Rem and Win but also some others.

If you don't have a lathe might have problems re-barreling. I don't have much experience with hand tools used for chambering, crowning ect......but I have not heard good things. Chatter is an enemy.

[Poorboy]

PLEASE keep it as is. Will mean MUCH more to you later in life. Wish I had my granddaddy's gun, but cousin got it--butchered it up. I would have brought him a new Remington in trade for(at the time) a $40 gun. Still makes me sick when I think about it. But.......................................

It is your's.

[357maximum]

If I would have been fortunate enough to get grandads one gun(he only had one) I definately would not do anything to it. Pick another donor rifle....they are like lice and easy to come by. Regret is a terrible thing...............

[smokemjoe]

I had one time the TP shop in Mich. rebore a Springfield barrel to 35 Whelen, What a deer stopper, I now have a Rem. 700 action in 35 Rem. with 4 #9 target barrels that I inter change, The twist are 17, 14, 12, & 1-10, Wanted to tell you that the 1-10 twist is the best but must use bullet wts. of 280 gr. up to 325 gr., Would alos be good in the Whelen, JOe

[NoDakJak]

If the rifle feeds well and shoots passible groups keep it as is as long as your Grandfather is alive. If it doesn't then discuss it with Grandfather. A Grandfather is not required to pass on a custom rifle to a Grandson. To do so is an indication of his love and pride in you. It is a beautiful piece of wood and it is apparent that he has spent some hard earned money on the project. As someone above said, look for a beat up 110 Savage to rebarrel or rebore and keep Grandfathers treasure. Grandpa Neil

[curator]

A M98 Mauser has a magazine well that restricts the length of a .35Ehelen cartridge to that of an 8X57 (aprox 3.25") Whereas the .35 Whelen is usually loaded to a length of 3.35 to 3.40".

I made a couple of M98/35Whelens several years ago and found that cartridge length was indeed a limiting factor if I wanted to use 200 and 250 grain bullets.

Find an old Springfield '03 or M1917 or P-14 Enfield action. They will usually feed cartridges up to 3.50" in length. I rebarreled a shot out '03 Springfield with a 1 in 14 twist Shaw barrel and chambered it for .35 Ackley Whelen. It shoots (and feeds) anything form 158 grain pistol slugs to 300 grain "cruise missiles".

If the .35 Whelen bug has bitten, check out the Ackley improved version. The Ackley shoulder is sharper and less likely to get pushed back (affecting headspace) when shooting light loads.

Another good alternative if you want to use the Mauser action is the 9X57 cartridge, basically the 8mm Mauser necked up to .35 caliber.

[Marlin Junky]

A '98 will probably work fine for a 16" twist .35 Whelen.

The magazine box length on most large ring '98's is at least 3.1" and the Whelen case is 2.49". That leaves approx. 0.61" for the boolit. SAECO 352 (weighs 249 grains bare in 50/50 alloy) is approx. .58" from the trailing edge of the forward driving band to the meplat.

MJ

[Mumblypeg]

Angus, listen to what everone's said,"Don't do it". We say that because we were stupid enough to have made those same mistakes in our past. If you want to honor your grandfather,leave it as he gave it to you. One day you'll like the way that 243 don't kick. After all, we don't own anything, we are but the caretakers of those things... the short time we are on Earth.
Yea, I said that.

[Angus]

The barrel is close to shot out, and he got it as a trade on a car, along with a Savage 24 20ga/22lr O/U that he also gave to me. It isn't on of "his" custom guns... His Ithaca trap custom model 37, that's custom. His minty fresh Winchester 30/30 with 20 rounds down the pipe, that's a keeper. The K98 is a sweet gun, no doubts about it. The stock is gorgeous, and the receiver is flawless. However, I'm not a fan of the caliber, and really neither was my grandfather. He never shot it in the 20 years it sat in his attic. So, guys, the back story of the gun is far from the sentimental "grand daddy's deer rifle" most of you thought it was.

So, apparently no one has a reamer or a set of HS gauges I can rent. I think I'll be sending it to ER Shaw to have the work done in August. Since I'm not using a short-chambered barrel I can have it chambered in 358 Winchester instead, allowing me to seat the bullets way out to maximize powder capacity and still be able to use them optimally in a Mauser box mag.

[badgeredd]

The barrel is close to shot out, and he got it as a trade on a car, along with a Savage 24 20ga/22lr O/U that he also gave to me. It isn't on of "his" custom guns... His Ithaca trap custom model 37, that's custom. His minty fresh Winchester 30/30 with 20 rounds down the pipe, that's a keeper. The K98 is a sweet gun, no doubts about it. The stock is gorgeous, and the receiver is flawless. However, I'm not a fan of the caliber, and really neither was my grandfather. He never shot it in the 20 years it sat in his attic. So, guys, the back story of the gun is far from the sentimental "grand daddy's deer rifle" most of you thought it was.

So, apparently no one has a reamer or a set of HS gauges I can rent. I think I'll be sending it to ER Shaw to have the work done in August. Since I'm not using a short-chambered barrel I can have it chambered in 358 Winchester instead, allowing me to seat the bullets way out to maximize powder capacity and still be able to use them optimally in a Mauser box mag.

Angus,
I have a 35 Whelen and in no way would I try to convince you to change from what you are thinking of doing, but I suggest that you consider the cartridge OAL and consider Marlin Junkie's comment. A 358 Win. is a good cartridge too, but doesn't quite get up to the Whelen. Do a web search for chambering reamers. There is a company that rents reamers for about $35 as well as headspace gages for an addition fee. BTW I have found that I have personally used the 250 grain bullet in the Whelen the most of any weight.

One other option is to lengthen the magazine box. It can be lengthened quite easily and an additionall .100" is well within the realm of the do-able. (See Frank de Haas's Bolt Action Rifles.

[joatmon]

I bet you'll love that 358WIN, heck of a round! Hope it turns out nice, I've got a short
chamberd 35Whelen barrel that will go on a Turk one day. Good luck. Aaron

[waksupi]

I would point out, that Shuz and Pilgrim are getting virtually the same velocity from thier .35 Whelens, as I am from my .358 Win, with similar bullet weights.

On some military Mausers, it is necessary to do some work on the feed rails, and maybe change out the magazine follower. .308 based cartridges are notorious for needing a bit of tweaking to feed right.

I would suggest having whoever does the barrel work, to chamfer the right hand side of the chamber mouth, making a smooth transition into the web area. This makes feeding fat nosed bullets likethe 358009, and Bator Heavy, much slicker.

[GrizzLeeBear]

Angus, I've got a 98 action that my dad gave me that I am planning on building a 35 Whelen on with one of the A & B barrels. As a matter of fact I just ordered the barrel from Midway today. They have a twist of 1 in 14, so I figure 180 - 220 gr. boolits are going to be the best for it, so I don't think magazine length will be a problem.
The .358 is about optimum for 35 cal. cast boolits, but as Waksupi pointed out, sometimes feeding can be an issue since mausers were designed for the more tapered 8x57. However, I have a Chilean military mauser in .308 (7.62 nato) and have never had any feeding issues even when shooting rapid fire strings in Highpower matches. If the A & B barrels came in .358 I might try to make it work, but they only come in the Whelen, so that is what I am going with. Hard to go wrong with either one really.

[Angus]

Grizz, that's the only reason I was going with 35 Whelen vs. 358 Winchester. Since it will cost equal to have either one chambered, I'll go with the one that best fits the box mag, that being the 358. I haven't had any feeding issues with my 243 either, and there is a lot less bullet and a lot more shoulder to deal with than there would be on a 35cal.

[waksupi]

Angus, I've got a 98 action that my dad gave me that I am planning on building a 35 Whelen on with one of the A & B barrels. As a matter of fact I just ordered the barrel from Midway today. They have a twist of 1 in 14, so I figure 180 - 220 gr. boolits are going to be the best for it, so I don't think magazine length will be a problem.
The .358 is about optimum for 35 cal. cast boolits, but as Waksupi pointed out, sometimes feeding can be an issue since mausers were designed for the more tapered 8x57. However, I have a Chilean military mauser in .308 (7.62 nato) and have never had any feeding issues even when shooting rapid fire strings in Highpower matches. If the A & B barrels came in .358 I might try to make it work, but they only come in the Whelen, so that is what I am going with. Hard to go wrong with either one really.

Unless something has changed drastically, the .35 Win, and Whelen, are the same bore dimensions.
If the rifle is already chambered for a .243, .308, .338 Federal, you would have no problems with the .358 Win, as they are all the same parent cartridge.