Author Topic: 35 Whelen  (Read 692 times)

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Offline poncaguy

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35 Whelen
« on: December 07, 2009, 04:34:01 PM »
Took a nice Kansas doe, 115 yard shot. Handi 35 Whelen, 200 grain Remington Core Loc, dropped like the Hammer of Thor hit her. So far, my 35 has never failed to fire..........

Offline Dinny

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2009, 05:33:07 PM »
I have a Whelen barrel that I have yet to find a frame that fits to it.  When I do, I hope to have the same luck as you with it.

Good Shooting!

Dinny
Handi Family: 357 Max, 45 LC, 45-70, 300 BLK, 50 cal Huntsman, and 348 Win.

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Offline Spanky

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2009, 02:01:27 AM »
I have a bolt gun in 35 Whelen and it is like hittin' 'em with a hammer. I shoot 250gr. Core Lokt's out of mine.



Spanky

Offline Darreld Walton

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2009, 02:39:47 AM »
Don't remember the exact load, but when I got my first .35 Whelen, done up in a 1909 Argentine M98, Douglas barrel, laminated walnut stock, the first targets of opportunity were Montana prairie dogs.
I found out quickly that 250 gr. Speer HotCor's will indeed perforate those vermin.  Even if they duck down into their mound!  Cratered that hard packed dirt just fine, dug 'em out and kilt 'em dead as a stone.
Unfortunately, I've yet to put a Whelen's sights on a big game animal. 
I DID, however, see the effects of a 250 grainer on a 54" Alaskan bull moose at approximately 40 yards!
I told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. "Make your life go here, son. Here's where the people is. Them mountains is for Indians and wild men." "Mother Gue", I says "the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world," and by God, I was right. Keep your nose in the wind and your eye along the skyline

Offline SCHUETZENBOOMER

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2009, 02:53:08 AM »
In one of the mid 60's Gun Digests, Warren Page does an atricle about the "Knockdown" myth. Claims no bullet has EVER knocked anything down. I beg to differ. I once put the crosshairs of my Whelen(200gr PSPCL's) on a young buck's last rib. He was 50 feet below me at about 60 yards quartering away, head down. At the shot, he disappeared from the scope. I looked up in time to see him in a midair backflip 4ft off the ground! The bullet entered high behind the last rib and drove forward full length of the spine and lodged at the base of the skull. That little 100# buck took the full fury of the Whelen at 60 yards. Knockdown? Hmmmm. Me thinks so.

Offline rex6666

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2009, 05:13:11 AM »
In one of the mid 60's Gun Digests, Warren Page does an atricle about the "Knockdown" myth. Claims no bullet has EVER knocked anything down. I beg to differ. I once put the crosshairs of my Whelen(200gr PSPCL's) on a young buck's last rib. He was 50 feet below me at about 60 yards quartering away, head down. At the shot, he disappeared from the scope. I looked up in time to see him in a midair backflip 4ft off the ground! The bullet entered high behind the last rib and drove forward full length of the spine and lodged at the base of the skull. That little 100# buck took the full fury of the Whelen at 60 yards. Knockdown? Hmmmm. Me thinks so.

Not trying to start an argument, Warren Page was talking about KNOCKDOWN
as in down, not 4ft back flips
Rex
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Offline SCHUETZENBOOMER

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2009, 06:49:59 AM »
No offense taken. I've been watching deer for over 40 years and have yet to see one do a backflip just for the fun of it. The entire vertebrae from the last rib forward to the neck was shattered into mush. Guess you had to be there to see a deer get taken entirely off his feet, upsidedown, with his back parallel to the ground and 4ft high. To bring the post back on topic.....anyway you look at it the Whelen is BAD medicine for critters. I have some of the old Barnes 275 grainers loaded hot for moose next year. Than my friend nearly KNOCKS me off my feet.

Offline geezer56

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2009, 02:41:42 PM »
I shot the biggest deer of my life with a Handi in 35 Whelen.  Quartering away, hit on the last rib, bullet vaporized the lungs and heart.  No back flips, but he landed in his shadow.  Big 8 Pt, about 175 lbs.  That is a large deer for SC.  I was using handloads with Rem. 200 gr RN bullets.  They were way frangible for the speed I was pushing them, there were many small fragments of bullet scattered through the chest cavity.  The fact that he was only about 20 yds away didn't help any.  Bullets with a tougher construction are needed at Whelen speed, the 200 RN are made for the 35 Rem which operates quite a bit slower.

Offline cwlongshot

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2009, 05:35:00 PM »
I do not have a Handi in Whelen, but like Darren, I have a custom 1909 Argentine Mauser chambered in this fine caliber!!

I have two well performing loads, one with IMR 4320 and the excellent 250Gr Speer hot core bullet and the second is a 200Gr Hornady with a max load of 2520 powder. Mine is a 27" barrel and that 2520 load nets just shy of 3000fps!!! Talk about thor's hammer... GREAT caliber!!

CW
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Offline Sourdough

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Re: 35 Whelen
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2009, 09:59:57 PM »
I have two .35 Whelens, and I sure do love them.  They are devastating on Black Bear from a stand over bait.  Proper shot placement and they drop on the spot, no following them into the woods.  Moose, they are also good for.  A Moose will usually stand there for 10 seconds then fall like a big tree.  Unless you hit the spine, then they fall like a load of bricks.  I consider the 250gr bullet a good Moose and Grizzly stopper.  The 200 gr bullet is good for Caribou, and Black Bears.

I personally think the .35 Whelen is over kill for me for whitetail.  I prefer either a 25-06 or a 30-06.  But by all means what ever makes you comfortable and confident is what you should use.  I'm just glad people are using this fine cartridge.  The good thing is if you ever come to Alaska, your deer rifle will do just fine.  No need to invest in any thing bigger, the .35 is big enough.  Just ask my wife, that's what she carries.
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