Author Topic: .35 Whelen All Around Rifle? (Read 16418 times)

Barstooler · « **Reply #60 on:** January 30, 2011, 11:20:51 AM »

Quote from: JesterGrin on January 30, 2011, 10:05:59 AM

Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 09:07:43 AM
Kind of like this?

Barstooler

Barstooler I am sorry but I can not read the load info?

Nice group by the way. . I think people are missing out on what the .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen are capable of. Due to the bad load info in our modern reloading books.

54 grs of Reloader 15
250 gr Speer bullet
2400 fps

5 shots at 100yrd in 8 mph left to right wind

Barstooler

Barstooler · « **Reply #61 on:** January 30, 2011, 11:29:55 AM »

Quote from: yooper77 on January 30, 2011, 10:10:23 AM

Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 09:07:43 AM
Kind of like this?

Barstooler

Good, but could be great all depends what yardage and how many shots?

yooper77

I used to just do groups with 3 shots but several years ago switched to 5 shot groups (shown) and lately to really find the true average accuracy of a rifle I have been doing 10 shot groups.

That is eye opening.

Barstooler

yooper77 · « **Reply #62 on:** January 30, 2011, 01:05:38 PM »

Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 11:29:55 AM

Quote from: yooper77 on January 30, 2011, 10:10:23 AM
Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 09:07:43 AM
Kind of like this?

Barstooler

Good, but could be great all depends what yardage and how many shots?

yooper77

I used to just do groups with 3 shots but several years ago switched to 5 shot groups (shown) and lately to really find the true average accuracy of a rifle I have been doing 10 shot groups.

That is eye opening.

Barstooler

Yes, I agree, but at what yardage? I normally shoot 7 shot groups at 100 yards for my accuracy determination. Then I shoot in 100 yard increments out to 300 yards to actually know where the bullets are hitting.

yooper77

drdougrx · « **Reply #63 on:** January 30, 2011, 02:25:20 PM »

Wish I had a 300yrd range!! This morning I shot 8 shots into 1 1/4" (2 shots strings) using 61gr RL-15 and 225gr SGK. Love to see how it'd do at 300.

Barstooler · « **Reply #64 on:** February 04, 2011, 12:37:30 PM »

Quote from: yooper77 on January 30, 2011, 01:05:38 PM

Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 11:29:55 AM
Quote from: yooper77 on January 30, 2011, 10:10:23 AM
Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 09:07:43 AM
Kind of like this?

Barstooler

Good, but could be great all depends what yardage and how many shots?

yooper77

I used to just do groups with 3 shots but several years ago switched to 5 shot groups (shown) and lately to really find the true average accuracy of a rifle I have been doing 10 shot groups.

That is eye opening.

Barstooler

Yes, I agree, but at what yardage? I normally shoot 7 shot groups at 100 yards for my accuracy determination. Then I shoot in 100 yard increments out to 300 yards to actually know where the bullets are hitting.

yooper77

Yardage was answered by me in a previous post on this thread. Picture was a 100 yard group. My local range only goes to 200 yards. I keep my Whelen sighted at 2" high at 100 yards, and test it at 200 yards. At 200 yards it normally is punching the top of the bull. Theoretically, that puts it about 11" low at 300 yards. So at 300 yards I aim for the top of the animal's back and let the bullet drop into the vitals. That is how I took the two deer I killed at that range with the Whelen -- back then using a peep sight!

Barstooler

yooper77 · « **Reply #65 on:** February 04, 2011, 05:13:10 PM »

Barstooler,

Got sorry I missed that post. Very nice group, I must say.

yooper77

JesterGrin · « **Reply #66 on:** February 04, 2011, 09:36:12 PM »

Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 11:20:51 AM

Quote from: JesterGrin on January 30, 2011, 10:05:59 AM
Quote from: Barstooler on January 30, 2011, 09:07:43 AM
Kind of like this?

Barstooler

Barstooler I am sorry but I can not read the load info?

Nice group by the way. . I think people are missing out on what the .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen are capable of. Due to the bad load info in our modern reloading books.

54 grs of Reloader 15
250 gr Speer bullet
2400 fps

5 shots at 100yrd in 8 mph left to right wind

Barstooler

Barstooler is the 250Gr Speer bullet a Round Nose or the SP? Thank You.

Barstooler · « **Reply #67 on:** February 05, 2011, 09:31:24 AM »

Spitzer. Speer on makes spitzers in the 35 cal 250gr. Hornady makes both spitzer and RN.

Barstooler

DakotaElkSlayer · « **Reply #68 on:** March 27, 2011, 08:35:58 PM »

For me, my 225gr Sierra at 2700fps IS a bit of an overkill on deer. Why not get TWO classics? A Roberts for deer and the Whelen for the big stuff.

Jim

nomosendero · « **Reply #69 on:** March 29, 2011, 05:51:46 PM »

Quote from: lgm270 on January 23, 2010, 11:12:42 AM

Thinking of simplifying my life and having a .35 Whelen made on a Win M70 CRF action with a 23" barrel.

I would use this for mule deer, elk and possibly African plains game. I see people getting 2,700 fps with the 225 Grain Barnes TSX and 2,800 with the 200 grain TSX. It strikes me that with those two bullet weights I could handle just about anything. Very powerful but still as flat shooting as the 30-06/180 grain load. Brass is easily made from .30-06 and it's a simple, reliable non-nonsense kind of rifle. Instead of using a .270 for deer, a 338 for elk etc., I would just use the .35 Whelen for everything. Frankly, having one cal would simplify a lot of things for me, having reached that stage of life where I am more in tune with fewer rather than more things to store, load for and deal with.

For fun, I can shoot .357 pistol bullets for plinkers and there are also good cast designs for this round.

There are many 35 cal shooters on here who have a lot of experience with this round and I would enjoy hearing your points of view. This round strikes me as a practical, simple, reliable solution to any practical hunting situation I will have.

It appears some forgot the topic. Mule Deer is on the bottom end of animals mentioned.

JesterGrin · « **Reply #70 on:** April 19, 2011, 10:10:50 PM »

Just a couple of updates. Just today before Dangerous Dan boxed it up to send to me.

. These 3 and 5 shot ragged hole groups at 100 yards is not too shabby. Sorry about all of the extra holes but with all of the snow he had in Utah it was too hard to go down and change out targets lol. They are getting some darn snow still.

JesterGrin · « **Reply #71 on:** May 04, 2011, 08:25:12 PM »

Thanks to Barstooler I am going to get some of those Speer 35 Cal 250Gr Hot Core since they no longer make the Grand Slam and work with them.

Do you think they will work well on Deer?

I would like to use just one bullet to build a load for and feel confident no matter what I hunt it will perform well.

. Right now it is Deer and Wild Pig but I hope for Elk and Moose down the road.

Barstooler · « **Reply #72 on:** May 06, 2011, 10:09:30 AM »

I have used them on white tail and mule deer as well as elk.

Barstooler

JesterGrin · « **Reply #73 on:** May 06, 2011, 02:29:51 PM »

Barstooler Thank You for the info. And yep I have another one lol. And I know I am going Way back but a fellow on another site is sending me some Speer 250Gr Round Nose . Can I load these with the same info as for the Hornady 250Gr Round Nose? As he is only sending me 50 of them so I can not do too much load workup.

Barstooler · « **Reply #74 on:** May 10, 2011, 09:23:37 AM »

You probably can, but when ever substituting any load component, I would recommend backing off the Hornady 250gr loads by 10% and look for any sign of pressure.

Barstooler

JesterGrin · « **Reply #75 on:** May 10, 2011, 10:28:00 AM »

For the time being I am mainly going to be hunting Wild Hog and Deer. But from what I have been reading the 250Gr Class of bullets available may not expand well on a Deer sized animal?

Would say the Sierra 225Gr SPBT work well for what I plan to do?

I ask since my 35 Whelen gets exceptional accuracy from the Sierra 225Gr SPBT at a little better than 2700 FPS.

parkergunshop · « **Reply #76 on:** May 10, 2011, 11:30:22 AM »

Good to see that you folks have now found the .35 Whelen.

I put one together for a friend close to 20 years ago, using a Polish Radom Mauser Action, a long chambered Shaw Heavy Sporter Barrel and a MPI Composite stock.

The long chambered barrel was fitted and headspaced using a mill file and 30-06 go and no go headspace guages. As I didn't have a lathe.
barreled action was acru-glassed the full length of the action and the first two inches of the barrel into the MPI stock.

A Leupold 3x9 scope was mounted.

The owner handloaded 200 grain Speers for use on Deer here on the East Coast.

The rifle shot the smallest test group I have ever fired with a hunting rifle.

.174 inch for 3 shots at 100 yards.

This rifle has killed countless deer for the owner and his son and still shoots sub 1/2 inch groups.

I also put together a 338/06 on a VZ24 action with Shaw doing the barrel fitting in a Hogue full aluminum bedding block stock for the owner's son's friend this rifle shoots in the 1/2 inch range at 100 yards for 3 shots

The .35 and .338 bores seem to be super accurate and easy to work up good loads for.

Good choices if you don't want a magnum H&H case and have a standard action like an 03, 1917 or 98. With a premium custom barrel any of these should out shoot most factory guns.

Barstooler · « **Reply #77 on:** May 10, 2011, 12:12:19 PM »

Quote from: JesterGrin on May 10, 2011, 10:28:00 AM

For the time being I am mainly going to be hunting Wild Hog and Deer. But from what I have been reading the 250Gr Class of bullets available may not expand well on a Deer sized animal?

Would say the Sierra 225Gr SPBT work well for what I plan to do?

I ask since my 35 Whelen gets exceptional accuracy from the Sierra 225Gr SPBT at a little better than 2700 FPS.

Baloney. 250gr bullets will do a number on deer. On the other hand I would not hesitate to shoot a deer with the Sierra 225 SPBT. I have not killed a deer with one, but I just tend to not trust Sierra bullets on anything but paper or varmits. Have too much a reputation for coming apart on big game.

I get good accuracy from Sierras, and to tell you the truth, while I prefer Speer 250grs I weigh and seperate them to within .2 of a grain before I load them. So I buy 2 to 3 boxes at a time and weigh and segregate them out.

When I first started loading the Whelen it was a true wildcat and good 35 caliber bullets were hard to come by. Speer and others made 35s but most of them were intended for the 35 Remington. When I tried these (200 to 220gr) in the Whelen at Whelen velocities, it was like watching varmit bullets at work. Instant kills but talk about meat destruction. Then Hornady came out with the 250gr RN and Speer followed suite with the 250gr SP, it made a world of difference. I remember for a time when Hornady also produced a 275gr RN -- now that was an excellent Elk bullet. At that time the Speer 250gr SP had the same ballistic coefficient as the Speer 30 cal 180gr SP with a flat base. That made the Whelen loaded with 250gr Spreers at 2500fps a true 300 yard round.

Compare to the lighter bullets the Speer 250s were deadly on game. I always got good pass through (two holes) and near instant kills on every thing I shot with it. One exception was an 8 point Elk that I shot straight on in the cheast and recovered the bullet near his butt hole. He was jumping over a windfall when I pulled the trigger and he collapsed when he hit the ground. After that I never could see the point of going with premium bullets in the Whelen.

You need to start shooting some game and then form your own opinion.

Barstooler

Barstooler · « **Reply #78 on:** May 10, 2011, 12:43:17 PM »

Quote from: parkergunshop on May 10, 2011, 11:30:22 AM

Good to see that you folks have now found the .35 Whelen.

I put one together for a friend close to 20 years ago, using a Polish Radom Mauser Action, a long chambered Shaw Heavy Sporter Barrel and a MPI Composite stock.

The long chambered barrel was fitted and headspaced using a mill file and 30-06 go and no go headspace guages. As I didn't have a lathe.
barreled action was acru-glassed the full length of the action and the first two inches of the barrel into the MPI stock.

A Leupold 3x9 scope was mounted.

The owner handloaded 200 grain Speers for use on Deer here on the East Coast.

The rifle shot the smallest test group I have ever fired with a hunting rifle.

.174 inch for 3 shots at 100 yards.

This rifle has killed countless deer for the owner and his son and still shoots sub 1/2 inch groups.

I also put together a 338/06 on a VZ24 action with Shaw doing the barrel fitting in a Hogue full aluminum bedding block stock for the owner's son's friend this rifle shoots in the 1/2 inch range at 100 yards for 3 shots

The .35 and .338 bores seem to be super accurate and easy to work up good loads for.

Good choices if you don't want a magnum H&H case and have a standard action like an 03, 1917 or 98. With a premium custom barrel any of these should out shoot most factory guns.

Yes. At least this forum has not been taken over yet by the 9.3X62 mafia.

Barstooler

JesterGrin · « **Reply #79 on:** May 10, 2011, 01:21:07 PM »

Quote from: Barstooler on May 10, 2011, 12:43:17 PM

Quote from: parkergunshop on May 10, 2011, 11:30:22 AM
Good to see that you folks have now found the .35 Whelen.

I put one together for a friend close to 20 years ago, using a Polish Radom Mauser Action, a long chambered Shaw Heavy Sporter Barrel and a MPI Composite stock.

The long chambered barrel was fitted and headspaced using a mill file and 30-06 go and no go headspace guages. As I didn't have a lathe.
barreled action was acru-glassed the full length of the action and the first two inches of the barrel into the MPI stock.

A Leupold 3x9 scope was mounted.

The owner handloaded 200 grain Speers for use on Deer here on the East Coast.

The rifle shot the smallest test group I have ever fired with a hunting rifle.

.174 inch for 3 shots at 100 yards.

This rifle has killed countless deer for the owner and his son and still shoots sub 1/2 inch groups.

I also put together a 338/06 on a VZ24 action with Shaw doing the barrel fitting in a Hogue full aluminum bedding block stock for the owner's son's friend this rifle shoots in the 1/2 inch range at 100 yards for 3 shots

The .35 and .338 bores seem to be super accurate and easy to work up good loads for.

Good choices if you don't want a magnum H&H case and have a standard action like an 03, 1917 or 98. With a premium custom barrel any of these should out shoot most factory guns.

Yes. At least this forum has not been taken over yet by the 9.3X62 mafia.

Barstooler

Well we are in America

So the 35 Whelen it is.

JesterGrin · « **Reply #80 on:** May 10, 2011, 01:27:19 PM »

Quote from: Barstooler on May 10, 2011, 12:12:19 PM

Quote from: JesterGrin on May 10, 2011, 10:28:00 AM
For the time being I am mainly going to be hunting Wild Hog and Deer. But from what I have been reading the 250Gr Class of bullets available may not expand well on a Deer sized animal?

Would say the Sierra 225Gr SPBT work well for what I plan to do?

I ask since my 35 Whelen gets exceptional accuracy from the Sierra 225Gr SPBT at a little better than 2700 FPS.

Baloney. 250gr bullets will do a number on deer. On the other hand I would not hesitate to shoot a deer with the Sierra 225 SPBT. I have not killed a deer with one, but I just tend to not trust Sierra bullets on anything but paper or varmits. Have too much a reputation for coming apart on big game.

I get good accuracy from Sierras, and to tell you the truth, while I prefer Speer 250grs I weigh and seperate them to within .2 of a grain before I load them. So I buy 2 to 3 boxes at a time and weigh and segregate them out.

When I first started loading the Whelen it was a true wildcat and good 35 caliber bullets were hard to come by. Speer and others made 35s but most of them were intended for the 35 Remington. When I tried these (200 to 220gr) in the Whelen at Whelen velocities, it was like watching varmit bullets at work. Instant kills but talk about meat destruction. Then Hornady came out with the 250gr RN and Speer followed suite with the 250gr SP, it made a world of difference. I remember for a time when Hornady also produced a 275gr RN -- now that was an excellent Elk bullet. At that time the Speer 250gr SP had the same ballistic coefficient as the Speer 30 cal 180gr SP with a flat base. That made the Whelen loaded with 250gr Spreers at 2500fps a true 300 yard round.

Compare to the lighter bullets the Speer 250s were deadly on game. I always got good pass through (two holes) and near instant kills on every thing I shot with it. One exception was an 8 point Elk that I shot straight on in the cheast and recovered the bullet near his butt hole. He was jumping over a windfall when I pulled the trigger and he collapsed when he hit the ground. After that I never could see the point of going with premium bullets in the Whelen.

You need to start shooting some game and then form your own opinion.

Barstooler

This is the Response I got from Hornady ( My personal choice would be the 200gr spire point for the deer and the 250gr bullet for the hogs.
If you want to fire only 1 bullet for both I would choose the 250gr and be careful with shot placement on the deer as you will not get much expansion with this heavier jacket.
Thank you )

And on the Sierra 225Gr SPBT I have to say they give excellent accuracy. But as you said the reports of them coming apart is not something I would wish to have.

From the report that you gave it seems as if the Speer 250Gr SP would be a better performer than the Hornady 250Gr Sp by what Hornady idicated as to there lack of expansion on lighter skinned animals.

As like you I really do not see a reason to jump up into the premium bullet category for the 35 Whelen.

If the need does arise though I do have 40 Speer 250Gr SP Grand Slams. And also just ran into some 40+ year old Speer 250Gr Round Nose but by the looks of the canalure on the bullet it looks like they were really made for the 358 Norma Mag.

parkergunshop · « **Reply #81 on:** May 10, 2011, 01:52:57 PM »

Barstooler wrote:

Yes. At least this forum has not been taken over yet by the 9.3X62 mafia.

Barstooler

I agree when you have the .35 Whelen, lower in cost and more effective with a better selection of much lower cost brass and bullets, the 9.3 x 62 is an expensive toy to be avoided.

Why would one opt for a high priced round like the 9.3x62 that's not as flexible, limiited selection of guns, most then much higher in cost.

Some folks however want to be unique and not like the Jones I guess.

I'll take a 30-06 based case round over any metric round from 30 caliber up, .338 or .35 etc

Bigeasy · « **Reply #82 on:** May 10, 2011, 02:49:55 PM »

The rifle pictured below started out as a stock, military 1909 Argentine Mauser. Paid $60.00 for it back when I was 12 years old. (Trapping $$..

) Had it rebored / chambered to 35 Whelen using the military barrel cut down to 22 inches. (Read a lot of Keith back then) Took a lot of Maine and NH whitetails with that rifle. Worked up loads using everything from 158 grain revolver bullets to 250 grain spitzers. Always liked the Nosler Partitions as they are accurate in this rifle, and open up quickly, but still penetrated deep, usually thru and thru.

Larry

JesterGrin · « **Reply #83 on:** May 10, 2011, 03:20:42 PM »

Quote from: parkergunshop on May 10, 2011, 01:52:57 PM

Barstooler wrote:

Yes. At least this forum has not been taken over yet by the 9.3X62 mafia.

Barstooler

I agree when you have the .35 Whelen, lower in cost and more effective with a better selection of much lower cost brass and bullets, the 9.3 x 62 is an expensive toy to be avoided.

Why would one opt for a high priced round like the 9.3x62 that's not as flexible, limiited selection of guns, most then much higher in cost.

Some folks however want to be unique and not like the Jones I guess.

I'll take a 30-06 based case round over any metric round from 30 caliber up, .338 or .35 etc

I have not found that the 35 Whelen is part of the Jones. Heck I do not even think Jones is in the same town and maybe very few in a state lol. At least as far as the South is concerned.

I have mentioned the 35 Whelen many times and all I get is a confused look lol.

336SC · « **Reply #84 on:** May 10, 2011, 04:59:43 PM »

JesterGrin, I did some testing with my Savage 110 rebarreled with an E.R. Shaw barrel. Originally it was a 24" magnum contour and just a bit too heavy for me. Had the barrel cut and recrowned and now it's 18.5" long. Velocity with the 200gr RPPCL bullet was 2750 with my load using IMR3031. Now @ 18.5" it's velocity is 2584fps with the identical loads tested in the 24" barrel. Quite a loss of speed but still plenty of omph for our NE PA Whitetail deer and Blackbear. It actually groups considerably better with the 18.5" bbl. I read an article by "Bob Milleck" in shooting times from 1988 when the Remington 700 Classic in .35 Whelen was introduced. He and his son used one with the orginal RP 250gr RN factory load which was loaded with 250gr RN Hornadys. They were hunting Elk and Mule Deer on the same hunt. They had success on both species and the Bull Elk (a spike bull) was just up ended as was the Mule Deer buck.
All hits exited and when butchering he said there was considerable indication of bullet expansion. I have five boxes remaining of the RP
250gr RN factory load (w/250gr HDY RN). They run 2375fps out of my 22" 700 classic with wonderful accuracy. Shooter whined so loudly about 250gr RN load that it wasn't long before Remington changed their 250gr factory load to a spitzer design. I shot one deer with my 700 classic shortly after I purchased it and I used a handload containing a Nosler 225gr Ballistic Tip @ 2600fps pushed by a pussycat load of RL-15. I shot uphill at the buck looking directly at me. Center chest hit and exited the spine due to the uphill angle. It
literally lifted him off his feet and flipped him so his butt was facing downhill. Not so much as a wiggle from him. Taking two compete
vertabre out when that long 225gr Nosler BT exited had a lot to do with his instant demise. I sectioned one of those long Noslers on a
milling machine at work and was suprised at the thick hour glass shaped jacket. Called Nosler and asked about the stout construction and the CS rep said they knew that guys were gonna use that 225gr BT on Elk and such, so the construction was made rather stout. All of Nosler Ballistic tips above 30 caliber were made the same way. I sectioned a 200gr .338 Ballistic Tip and it had the same hour glass configuration of the jacket. I love my Whelens, just haven't shot much game with them. I shoot most of my deer with one of my
three .358 Winchesters. My favorite is my 760 Remington pump rechambered to .358 Win from .35 Remington. So far 15 one shot kills
and only two moved after bullet impact and then only 30 yards or so. Shot all of them with 200gr RN bullets, Hornady and Remington.
All kills were shot with those RN bullets starting out 2400fps and the paper ballistics do NOT give a true picture of just how deadly that
load is!!!!!!
336SC

JesterGrin · « **Reply #85 on:** May 10, 2011, 06:05:20 PM »

Well I have some Ramshot TAC on the way since I have heard very good things about it plus it is a ball powder which helps in metering. And some Speer 250Gr SP. For the 35 Whelen. Should work well on Hog and Deer later in the year.

But I hope to have ready a Stevens 200 short action made into a 358 Winchester Mag contour cut down to 20 inches in a Boyds Ross FT Thumb Hole stock. But plan to only shoot cast from the 358 Winchester which is a BRP 360-225 Gr GC.

Here is the start of it. http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,227354.msg1099304579.html#msg1099304579

336SC · « **Reply #86 on:** May 11, 2011, 02:27:58 AM »

I also have RAMSHOT TAC in my inventory of powders. After reading an article in Handloader Magazine by John Barnseness I tried it in
my Ruger Hawkeye .358 with a 22" barrel. I achieved 2671fps with the HDY 200gr RN and 2401fps with the HDY 250gr RN. That exceeds the RP factory loads in both weights out of my 700 Classic 35 Whelen. I contacted Johan Loubster at Western powders and got
his recommendation for loads to try in my shortened 35 Whelen Savage 110 rifle. If all goes well, I'll be at the range today trying out TAC
in the 18.5" Whelen. I'm also going to try H335 and A2460 at the same time. I'm also going to run another test of Alliant RL-12, Lot 012 which I have 19 pounds on inventory. I've worked with RL-12 lots 003, 006, 011, and now 012. Lots 003 and 006 had the same
burning rate but lot 011 was much slower, more like RL-15. So far, lot 012 of RL-12 seems to be only a grain or so slower than my first
two lots, 003 & 006. Thanks for letting me bore you!
336SC

drdougrx · « **Reply #87 on:** May 11, 2011, 04:02:52 AM »

I plan on using my whelan on Nilgai and Scimitar Horned Oryx in TX in October. I'll probably use a nosler 225gr Partition and a good dose of RL-15. I'm currently shooting a 225gr SGKs and 60gr of RL-15. I get a bit over 2700fps out of my 24" Rem700CDL. I really like the whelan!

JesterGrin · « **Reply #88 on:** May 11, 2011, 07:19:42 AM »

Quote from: 336SC on May 11, 2011, 02:27:58 AM

I also have RAMSHOT TAC in my inventory of powders. After reading an article in Handloader Magazine by John Barnseness I tried it in
my Ruger Hawkeye .358 with a 22" barrel. I achieved 2671fps with the HDY 200gr RN and 2401fps with the HDY 250gr RN. That exceeds the RP factory loads in both weights out of my 700 Classic 35 Whelen. I contacted Johan Loubster at Western powders and got
his recommendation for loads to try in my shortened 35 Whelen Savage 110 rifle. If all goes well, I'll be at the range today trying out TAC
in the 18.5" Whelen. I'm also going to try H335 and A2460 at the same time. I'm also going to run another test of Alliant RL-12, Lot 012 which I have 19 pounds on inventory. I've worked with RL-12 lots 003, 006, 011, and now 012. Lots 003 and 006 had the same
burning rate but lot 011 was much slower, more like RL-15. So far, lot 012 of RL-12 seems to be only a grain or so slower than my first
two lots, 003 & 006. Thanks for letting me bore you!
336SC

None of this is boring.

From the looks of things TAC is darn close to RL-15 except TAC is a Ball Powder which makes metering easier. And the fact that TAC is Cheaper does not hurt lol.

Please keep us informed on your progress. I should be able to take mine to the range this next week after the TAC powder and Speer 250Gr SP show up.

336SC · « **Reply #89 on:** May 11, 2011, 10:52:52 AM »

I'm back from the range (spent 3 wonderful hours there) and put things away and wiped the rifles down. TAC sure did perform well in
my shortened 35 Whelen with it's 18.5" barrel. Using Johan Loubster's recommendations I was able to reach 2679fps with the 200gr RPPCL bullet intended for the .350 Rem Mag. The extreme spread was 26fps, the average deviation between shots was 9fps and it produced 3188 ft/lbs of energy. Another promising load was one using H335 with the Speer 220gr Hot Core bullet. There is was able to
get 2588fps with an extreme spread of 40fps. The average deviation between shots was 14fps and the energy was 3273 ft/lbs. I have to try the loads for accuracy out of the 35 Whelen. Today I just chronographed the whelen loads. A2460 and the other loads of H335 were just ho hum so so. My test of RL-12 lot 012 in my 7600 35 Remington proved to be a great success. I was able to get within 65fps of my loads using lots 003 and 006 with the same exact charge. Today's test in 70 degrees and sunny weather produced 2315fps
with the HDY 200gr RN with an extreme spread of 29fps and an average deviation of 12fps between shots. The energy was 2381 ft/lbs
which is quite impressive for a 35 Remington. I also shot one round of the Buffalo Bore 220gr Speer bullet for 2192fps and 2348 ft/lbs.
I would have shot more of them but at $2.50 a trigger squeeze I thought I would save them for Bear hunting. Almost forgot to mention
that the accuracy from the 7600 pump gun using the RL-12 lot 012 load was superb! Three shots you can hide with a dime! The good load plus the fact I had the trigger worked on last year sure helped. Man I love all my .35 caliber rifles a lot.
336SC