35 Whelen Twist rate dilemma?

[Bass Ackward]

And this is all Blammer's Fault lol. But I like it lol. As I took out my reloading books to look up the aspects for the 35 Whelen and it looks like a good 250 yard shooter and beyound with good knockdown power.

What many people never realize is that the 35 Whelen is the MOST flexible of the 30-06 class of cartridges.

The Whelen can run neck and neck with the 270 or the 280 Remington when you use a Barnes 180 grain bullet. That bullet can be driven to over 3100 fps and has the BC to ride with the best of them. And what gives it the edge is the bullet weight. At that level, sighted in 1 1/2" high at 100, it is less than 8" low at 300. And it excels from there on out.

So what you end up with is the one gun that can do it all for North America using a compromise. You can plink with cheap pistol bullets, or go heavy, use cast, or shoot ground hogs at ridiculous ranges if you buy the expensive slugs.

And you can make money from non- believers on the side while you are doing it.

[Paul B]

I'm getting in on this a bit late, but I have three rifles in .35 Whelen, two factory with the 1 in 16" twist and a custom I picked up at an estate sale that is 1 in 14".
So far, I've just been running condom bullets in them but now that it's cooling down somewhat, it's time to fire up the pot. from what I've learned shooting the three rifles, the 1 in 16" twist seems good for bullets up to 250 gr. and in fact were better than I thought they would be. Both factory guns are at the gunsmiths right now, the Remington 700 Classic for a much needed trigger job and the Ruger 77 to have the headspace checked. methinks it's way off kilter in which case I'll send it back to Ruger and let them fix it for me.
I'm thinking of rebarreling neat husqvarna M640 (FN type action) to .35 Whelen along with a spare Ruger #1 in 30-06 I have hanging around doing nothing. Both will get the 1 in 12" twist.
I'm thinking the custom Oberndorf mauser though will remain a condom bullet gun for the time being. Any rifle that will put three Barnes TSX 225 gr. bullets into a half inch falls under the category of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That doesn't mean that I'll try the cast bullets in that one down the road. After all, to do otherwise would be a criminal act.
I do have a Lyman #3589 and the David Mos #3589I and if the gentlemen who have had such good success would be kind enough to pass on their data, that would give me a good head start on working up a load, especially now that components are still hard to come by.
The more I play with the Whelen the more the rest of my guns languish in the safe. I don't think I'd ever build up a .35 Whelen AI though. Two gun writers, John Barnsness and I think the other was Wayne Van Zwoll both converted ther .35 Whelens to the AI and both expressed regret at having done so. They felt the results were not worth the effort. I dunno much about Van Zwoll except for his writings, but I have corresponded with Barsness on several occasions and he seems to have his head screwed on straight.
Paul B.

[BrushBuster]

Just wanted to pass along something that was brought to my attention by my boolit buddy Stocker. When he cast the flat-nose version of the 358318 boolit from N.O.E., he recognized that it had possibilities in the .35 Remington and shipped me some samples to try in my rifle; I got on it right away. We had both purchased this mould for use in the Whelen, but only his had a hollow-point -flat-nose cavity.

What I found was the boolit fits almost perfectly, with flawless loading and chambering. Using the boolits crimp groove, the gas check sits at the base of the case neck with little protrusion. The flat-nose 358318 has a wide meplate of .275" and weighs 242 grains. It matches the Saeco #352 for weight, so that's what I began to research for load building. Data is scarce, but I did determine that both IMR 3031 and H4895 will deliver 1900+ fps. before hitting the high pressure point for the .35 Remington, and that's not filling the case. I fully intend to do load development with this cartridge, and though it may not be a practical load for most in the .35 Remington it certainly should provide a close-range powerhouse. Isn't that a bonus?
Thought you might like a look at it.

[yondering]

The flat-nose 358318 has a wide meplate of .275" and weighs 242 grains. It matches the Saeco #352 for weight, so that's what I began to research for load building. Data is scarce, but I did determine that both IMR 3031 and H4895 will deliver 1900+ fps. before hitting the high pressure point for the .35 Remington, and that's not filling the case.

Cool lookin boolit. I bet it's a real thumper. It's been a while since I worked with the 35 Remington, but I remember 4895 being about the best for heavier loads. RL15 might be worth a try too, as it works great in the Whelen, where 4895 also works well.
Paper patched, that boolit might be able to break 2000 or even 2100 fps in the 35 Remington. Lose the crimp if you paper patch it though.

I'm working with some Mountain Molds boolits sent to me by another member here, that look very similar to yours, but have a .240" meplat. They seem to shoot great at 1,000 - 1,200 fps, but that's as far as I've got with them yet.

[brian]

FWIW, my Rem 700 Classic shoots the 3589 just fine, though it kicks vigorously. Factory bbl is 1-16 twist. IF you are going to rebarrel anyway, then pick what you want.
Brian

[Blammer]

I have that mould too, fits well and I am trying the HP right now. I've had some difficulty with my sizer that caused me some grief. I think I have it worked out.



I'm trying a few powders at the moment and it seems that at the upper end of the powder charge is where I'm seeing good things.

[JesterGrin_1]

Ummmmm that does not look like the 358009 lol. But Thank You for playing.

[35Whelen]

Just wanted to pass along something that was brought to my attention by my boolit buddy Stocker. When he cast the flat-nose version of the 358318 boolit from N.O.E., he recognized that it had possibilities in the .35 Remington and shipped me some samples to try in my rifle; I got on it right away. We had both purchased this mould for use in the Whelen, but only his had a hollow-point -flat-nose cavity.

What I found was the boolit fits almost perfectly, with flawless loading and chambering. Using the boolits crimp groove, the gas check sits at the base of the case neck with little protrusion. The flat-nose 358318 has a wide meplate of .275" and weighs 242 grains. It matches the Saeco #352 for weight, so that's what I began to research for load building. Data is scarce, but I did determine that both IMR 3031 and H4895 will deliver 1900+ fps. before hitting the high pressure point for the .35 Remington, and that's not filling the case. I fully intend to do load development with this cartridge, and though it may not be a practical load for most in the .35 Remington it certainly should provide a close-range powerhouse. Isn't that a bonus?
Thought you might like a look at it.

Bushbuster.....can you give some details and that bullet mold please. Love the large Meplat.

[cwlongshot]

Happiness is a large meplat...