Molds for .35 Whelen

[Wolfdog91]

Alrighty what option we got out there for a more rifle style booilt in .358-.360 ? Looking hard at a .35 Whelen instead of a 45-70 for a primitive weapons season gun buuut seem most of the cast bullets for that diameter are basically just for pistols . Any more rifle style ones ?

[jonp]

Rcbs 35-200-fn

[Jeff Michel]

Lee C358-200-RF

[Ford SD]

I have a 35 whelen and have used several moulds/ bullets for punching paper (so Far )

i have a 5 cav 360-230-FN-AU1 (noe) it thumps your shoulder at full loads

have used 158g J pistol bullets to 2500fps plus

Several PC coated 158g cast lead as plinkers

[Mk42gunner]

The RCBS 35-200-FN or its clone the Lee would be my first choice for Mississippi deer.

Robert

[kaiser]

I've got an old 6 cavity Lee that casts a .359 diameter bullet around 250gr. I've not shot anything but paper thus far, so no field game reports.

[barkerwc4362]

Both SAEO and RCBS make a 250 gr double cavity mold that looks a lot like RCBS 200 gr bullet on steroids.

[mehavey]

Either of these two bullet moulds....

[farmbif]

the 35-200 is an excellent bullet in the 35 whelen, but unless you have a custom twist rate barrel it shoots best at 35 Remington velocity. ive got one of those RCBS 35-250 an enlarged version of the 35-200. I need to get casting.
years ago we had a group buy of a 35-220 that one of the members here designed and the molds made by Miha with a full selection of hollow point pins. another excellent choice in the 35 whelen.

[Chill Wills]

250's and up.
The Whelen is a big round and matches up well with big bullets.
When I was using cast in it to hunt Elk, an LBT 275grain did the job.
You are not going to drive any cast bullet all out without tons of work, so at common cast velocity, go heavy and make use of what the 35 Whelen is.

[knitepoet]

MP offers this 220gr
https://www.mp-molds.com/en/product/...v=0b3b97fa6688

[square butte]

If you want to shoot the heavies, I think you are gonna want a 1 x 14" or 1 x 12" twist barrel on whatever you choose.

[lotech]

Lyman #358009, about 280 grs. in ww alloy.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Lee/RCBS 358 200 flatnose gas check or the MP .360 220 grain mentioned above. Accurate Molds lists many designs in 200-250 grains. 1-16 works for most bullets up to 250 grains. 1-14 twist should be good up to 300 grains if you do not go to long/pointy. Most 35's are easy to get good accuracy due to the slow twist.

[405grain]

My advise is only about 2% of nothing because I have some molds, but haven't built the rifle yet. I've got both the RCBS 35-200-FN and the 35-250-FN molds. I'm going to use these for a 35 Remington built on a small ring Mauser, but I won't be starting that build until after I finish the rifle I'm currently working on. My only insights are in that the 35-200-FN casts some nice looking bullets.

[Larry Gibson]

Alrighty what option we got out there for a more rifle style booilt in .358-.360 ? Looking hard at a .35 Whelen instead of a 45-70 for a primitive weapons season gun buuut seem most of the cast bullets for that diameter are basically just for pistols . Any more rifle style ones ?

If you're going to rebarrel or build your own Whelen then I suggest a barrel twist not any faster than 12". I prefer the 14" twist because it will stabilize 250 gr bullets. The RCBS 35-200-FN is a favorite of mine for the 35 Rem. 35x57 CBC and the 35 Whelen. The Lee clone should work just as well.

[Chill Wills]

If you want to shoot the heavies, I think you are gonna want a 1 x 14" or 1 x 12" twist barrel on whatever you choose.

Not to be a contrarian...well, some. In my Remington Classic 35 Whelen, a 1-16 twist; the Lyman 358009 280-grain and LBT 275-grain made good round holes at all distances out to 300 yards, the farthest distance I tested ammo for accuracy. It could be that the slower but sufficient 16-twist barrel Remington chose to use is a good choice for us cast bullet users. In fairness, I have never shot a 35 Whelen with any other (faster) twist. But I can vouch for the 1 in 16" and heavies.

If you are interested in testing for bullet tipping, I recommend doubling up cardboard, in other words, two thicknesses at any range you are testing. The thicker material gives a better result when looking at it assessing the bullet hole for roundness. You can better see good round holes or if the nose and the base are cutting through in different axes. Out of rounds holes can mean too little twist and/or the bullet just left the barrel in yaw.

[jonp]

250's and up.
The Whelen is a big round and matches up well with big bullets.
When I was using cast in it to hunt Elk, an LBT 275grain did the job.
You are not going to drive any cast bullet all out without tons of work, so at common cast velocity, go heavy and make use of what the 35 Whelen is.

I'm not sure you have to go that big for anything in the SE but it never hurts. Well, except in the shoulder that is.

[Larry Gibson]

Many times equal length cast vs jacketed bullets demonstrate the cast bullet to be heavier. The longer spitzer BT'd jacketed bullets require a faster twist for best stabilization than does an equal weight cast bullet. With a 14" twist you can push cast upwards of 2400 - 2500 fps and maintain acceptable hunting accuracy. A 16" twist will stabilize most cast and jacketed, but a 14" twist will stabilize all that would be used in a 35 Whelen.

[gwpercle]

My favorite's for the 35 Whelen :
Lyman # 358430 ( 195 gr. )
Lyman # 358315 ( 204 gr. ) - this one is still cataloged .

Load data for both boolits is in Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #4 on page 191 .
Gary