would like any info you whelen lovers have

thanks

That's kinda like asking what I like about girls, isn't it? Where do you start?

I like big holes, and my Whelen makes big holes. Therefore I like my Whelen. FWIW, Dutch.

I don't have much to relate, since I've only had my Whelen for about 3 years.

I hunted both deer and moose with a .358 Winchester for years, and was never satisfied with the bullet selection available. So, when I retired, I decided to try swaging my own .35 calibre bullets. These bullets produce excellent results in my .358, but are tougher than I originally intended.

This result, combined with the fact that Whelens were available in pump guns rather than boring old bolt actions, led me to trhe conclusion that my bullets would likely do a good job on moose as well, and the Whelen was a perfect platform to test out this theory. It took me 3 years to locate a used 7600 in .35 Whelen, and I haven't shot a moose since I started carrying it, so the jury's still out.

I find my gun to be very accurate and easy to both "bring up" and shoot, and loading for it doesn't involve the frustrations I sometimes encounter with other cartridges. Except for the "no moose" factor, I'm extremely satisfied with my Whelen.

I do, I have two whelens a 7600 pump and last year I picked up the new Rem 700 CDL. I have shot deer with 250gr factory rem core-locs and 200gr B.tips. Close friend has 5 one shot kills with 225gr trophy Bonded.
Hands down in thumps deer harder then a 30-06. It does kick a little more, but a good pad, takes the sting out. I don't know of a single person
with 1st hand experience that bad mouths a 35 whelen. My pump shoots everything well, most loads around 1inch. And the best part is I can shoot
most loads with same zero, all loads shoot with 1.5 inches of each other. My 7600 is setup 1.5x5x vxIII, mounted in Qr rings, trigger worked down to 24oz's. the gun points very well. I didn't need the CDL, but I couldn't pass it up. I hunt deer mostly with 3 rifles, the 35 whelen pump and two bolt actions one in 300 win mag and the other 7mm rem mag. If I am hunting around farm fields, clear cuts,power lines I take one of the Mags,
if not I have the whelen in my hands.

My brother bought a Remington 700 in that caliber and swears by it. All the best...
Gil

I built a 35 Whelen on a VZ24 action a year or so ago...after losing 2 well hit hogs in the south Texas brush...I wanted something with more thump...and the Whelen filled the bill. Took it to TX last Dec...shot three nice hogs with it...BANG...FLOP!!! It kills hogs with authority...and I do like that. Here is a pic of one of the victims




It has been an easy cartridge to load for...and I have not had a problem getting 2500fps with 250gr bullets...and it really does make a nice big hole in stuff...and it shoots pretty flat even with that big bullet.




I was concerned that recoil would be an issue so I put it in a Boyd's thumbhole stock...and that does make a difference in felt recoil. The recoil in my rifle is more like a push than a kick...it really isn't near as bad as I thought it would be.

If you get a Whelen I don't think you will be disappointed...

Z

Welcome to the site Zeeriverrat1, nice picts!


-DallanC

Dallan..thanks for the welcome...I started visiting this site long ago..mainly to get the Point Blank download...havent been back in a while..and was impressed with all the new changes, when I stopped in a few days ago.

Hopefully I will have something worthwhile to contribute once in a while..

Z

Dallan,
The world is divided in two groups; There are folks that like 35s and folks who just don't know any better.

Picked up another Rem 7600 35 whelen pump last week, one of those to good too pass up deals. A friend of mine works at a gun shop and took one in on trade, seeing how they had three 35 whelens pumps new on the rack, plus two more 35 whelen bolts (Rem CDL's ), he couldn't offer the guy top dollar, so he called me up after the deal was made, gave me a special price on 95% gun, 4 box's of factory 250gr ammo the guy brought in with the gun, all for $345 tax included. The extra plus was the gun had a Pachamayr 1inch Decelerator pad @ 13 1/4 lop, sling swivels and scope base.
My oldest son doesn't know it, but, thats his 16th Birthday present. A gun like Dad's...too bad he has to wait 6yrs to get it. I think he will be happy.
The funny part was I told my Friend over the phone if I buy it, don't let my boy's know. So when I gave my Friend the Nod, I filled out the paper work, while he distracted my son's. When my 10 yr old asked how much $$$ for the gun after he worked the slide a few times, he said "it was already Sold" My son face dropped. I told my son you win some you lose some. He said, "Dad we got here less then 1/2 hr, thats not right"

the 35 Whelen is my favorite rifle cartridge.I have 2, a Reminton 700 and a Ruger 77 {sorry Rick Teal, I like my bolts}.I bought the 700 on my 18th birthday 13 years ago. It has killed every big game animal it was ever fired at,5 whitetail bucks and a black bear.It is a BDL model but some years ago I fitted a Laminated 700 mountain rifle stock to it.That made it a lot trimmer and quicker handling.The downside to the stock change is that the mountain rifle doesnt have much of a recoil pad and the butt is narrow.I shoot 250 grain Nosler partitions at 2542 fps,they kick a bit! It seems that lately I get most of my venison with either my bow or flintlock but I hope to take my trusty Whelen to Colorado this year after elk.My Ruger 77 is a nice rifle but so far has remained unfired,I bought it just for the caliber.One of these days I'll have to mount a scope and see what it will do.I believe that the 35 Whelen is a relatively rare chambering in the 77,maybe I should just let it in the safe. I think the cartridge is one of the most versatile and under rated out there.I have to thank the late Finn Agard and Bob Milek whose articles made me realize how good this cartridge is back when I was 17.

Saw this topic and figured I'd keep it alive.
Below is a group from today testing Nosler 225 BT's in my Ruger M77 35 Whelen. Using RL 15 and getting 2610 fps. Good whitetail medicine!
Have shot Barnes x 225's and Nosler 225 PT's with great results as well. Wanted to test drive these new BT's on whitetails here. Season opens in two weeks!
Sako

SakoL61R,looks like your 77 is a shooter,I might have to try mine out.I have a good supply of 225 gr nosler ballistic tips but never loaded any.RL15 is my favorite propellant for the Whelen,glad to hear from another Whelen user.Good luck in deer season!

rok,
yep, RL15 is what I use exclusively for my Whelen. Mine loves 225's of quite a few flavors pushed just above 2600 fps and .050 off the lands. Most accurate to date was the 225 Barnes original X. I do believe I can get the BT's a little better, just wish I had the time to tinker with it.

Those three shots above chrony'd 2611, 2610 and 2618. It's good enough as is, just need to click right and down a coupla hairs, load and shoot a handful. The gun is dead-on the "x" with 225 partitions.

The factory Ruger barrel is quite a shooter with a "dirty barrel". First ten rounds after a thorough cleaning don't shoot worth a hoot, though. The only thing I've done with it is replace the stock with a pillar bedded McMillan. Have heard some stories about other M 77's unable to group better than 2+ moa. Guess I got a good'un.

Will post on this thread again if I score with it. Rifle season opens 22 Oct.
Sako

I rebarreled a Remington 700 I got from a fellow cheap to 35 whelen.
he drove over the gun with his truck and bent the barrel, did not want to pay to rebarrel so I bought cheap. Now I have a nice elk rifle,(if I ever get drawn again)