35 Whelen - Few Questions

[Natty Bumppo]

My IQ about calibers, ballistics, reloading, wildcats is pretty low. I've been very curious about the 35 Whelen lately as it's a very popular caliber in the Northeast tracking community. Always looking for an excuse to buy a new Remington 760 or 7600. But I really know nothing about this caliber. I understand that it's a necked up .30-06. Got two questions though....1) does it kick harder than a .30-06? I'm a thin 6'2" and have been shooting the .30-06 since I was a scrawny 18 year old in the 1980's. I've learned to shoot the 06 well...but I wouldn't want anything that kicked harder. And 2) I don't even know how it's pronounced. Stupid question I know. Is it 35 "Waylon" as in Jennings or 35 "Wheel"in?

Thanks in advance....

 

[Telemark]

I've heard it pronounced WAY-len, WEE-len, and WELL-en. My family usually says WAY-len, but I pronounce it however ther person I'm talking to pronounces it, just for simplicity's sake. I get the feeling it's regional.

I haven't shot it in a long while, but I don't remember it being worse than a .30-06. I found both of them to be unpleasant to shoot from a bench, but manageable when standing. If you're looking for an excuse to buy another hunting rifle for big-woods stalking, it's as good a reason as any. Personally I don't love pump rifles, but I think a semi-auto in .35 Whelen would be cool for tracking or stalking.

 

[bigboreblr]

Looking at 3200 ft-lbs vs 2900 ft-lbs. 10% more energy, but using a heavier bullet will probably make it fell like 20% heavier recoil.

Weigh the gun you have and try out this calculator.

ShootersCalculator.com | Recoil Calculator

An online calculator that calculates the recoil energy, impulse, and velocity of a firearm according to the firearm's weight, powder charge, bullet weight, and bullet muzzle velocity.

shooterscalculator.com

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

Not sure of the availability, so I'd be prepared to handload. If you do handload you can shoot reduced loads for practice.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

The logical side of my brain says..

"With modern bullet designs and manufacturing technology, there is nothing gained by the .35 Whelen over then .30-06. In fact you're handicapping yourself due to the lack of quality bullets available today in .358" There was a time when it provided some advantage, but they no longer exist, and haven't since long before you were born."


The gun nut side of my brain says....
'Do it! Do it! Do it! It's so cool!"

(^ That side owns a .375-06 Improved for no good reason. So it's obvious which one I listen to.)

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Col. Townsend Whelen: Mr. Rifleman’s Vermont Retreat

Modern gun writers owe Col. Townsend Whelen a huge debt for clearing the path.

www.americanhunter.org

 

[Feelslikefar.]

And then just like that I get an email from Starline brass saying they're making .35 Whelen brass. (Shhh... the internet is listening)

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I've heard it pronounced WAY-len, WEE-len, and WELL-en. My family usually says WAY-len, but I pronounce it however ther person I'm talking to pronounces it, just for simplicity's sake. I get the feeling it's regional.

I haven't shot it in a long while, but I don't remember it being worse than a .30-06. I found both of them to be unpleasant to shoot from a bench, but manageable when standing. If you're looking for an excuse to buy another hunting rifle for big-woods stalking, it's as good a reason as any. Personally I don't love pump rifles, but I think a semi-auto in .35 Whelen would be cool for tracking or stalking.

Thanks Telemark. Appreciate your input.

Looking at 3200 ft-lbs vs 2900 ft-lbs. 10% more energy, but using a heavier bullet will probably make it fell like 20% heavier recoil.

Weigh the gun you have and try out this calculator.

ShootersCalculator.com | Recoil Calculator

An online calculator that calculates the recoil energy, impulse, and velocity of a firearm according to the firearm's weight, powder charge, bullet weight, and bullet muzzle velocity.

shooterscalculator.com

Thanks for that link bigboreblr. And thanks for responding.

Not sure of the availability, so I'd be prepared to handload. If you do handload you can shoot reduced loads for practice.

Thanks Jerry-B.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

The logical side of my brain says..

"With modern bullet designs and manufacturing technology, there is nothing gained by the .35 Whelen over then .30-06. In fact you're handicapping yourself due to the lack of quality bullets available today in .358" There was a time when it provided some advantage, but they no longer exist, and haven't since long before you were born."


The gun nut side of my brain says....
'Do it! Do it! Do it! It's so cool!"

(^ That side owns a .375-06 Improved for no good reason. So it's obvious which one I listen to.)

Logical side...yes...you nailed it. The .30-06 in the Northeast big woods does everything I need it to. Don't think I've killed a deer beyond 70 yards. The 35 Whelen guys report that it will just drop anything they hit in its tracks. And that it's very good for busting brush, which I can see. I don't really need one. LOL.

Gun nut side...nailed it also. I'm intrigued by the 35 Whelen in the same way the .257 Roberts intrigues me. Just a little different. But as I get older I find myself enjoying the polite recoil of my .257 Roberts more than my .30-06 Carbine. I'm probably nuts for even considering the 35 Whelen.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

No such thing as busting brush sadly, at least not the way people think. And the one's that do better than others aren't the ones people think. Decades ago some gun magazine did a test where they created a jig to hold small dowels in a bunch and shot through them. Granted a highly flawed test from a scientific / mathematical standpoint, but it was better than nothing. The bullets they found did the best (going through the dowels, staying stabilized and hitting closest to the bullseye) were things like 6.5×54 M/S and 7x57, loaded with the old traditional round nose, very long, heavy for caliber bullets.

(The 6.5MS and 6.5 Swede always had a reputation for punching way above their weight class, and it was probably due to those old heavy, though quite soft bullets. Do they even make them anymore? Now everyone wants to shoot super sexy VLD bullets with paper thin jackets, from a mile away and they wonder why their 6.5 Creedmoor is a marginal killer.) </thread drift>

 

[bigboreblr]

Wanted a 450 bushmaster AR a Ruger 10/44 308 browning BAR even thought of carrying a AK47.

Even the 450 marlin is overkill. You do need something to break bone if a shot goes south, or makes an exit wound for tracking blood.

VT and NH has some great muzzleloading opportunities. Having something good there would be high on the list, if you haven't already. Those plastic load thingies aren't too bad, firestick or whatever. Quick 2nd shot is important.

54 cal roundball is the original brush buster.......

One of my favorite friends in the woods over the years is a glenfield model 30. Weighs barely anything with a peep sight. Sadly, scope went back on here last year........ Peep is on son's 35 Remington 336 marlin. He claims his shoulder was hurting shooting a few shots with that yesterday.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

No such thing as busting brush sadly, at least not the way people think. And the one's that do better than others aren't the ones people think.

Hmmn? Never heard of this myth. I've always understood that smaller bullets travelling very fast are much more prone to fragment and/or deform if they hit brush. Whereas larger, slower bullets are more stable and will keep their form until they strike the target. This is not the case?

My experience with different rifle calibers is limited to my .30-06 and my .257 Roberts. And my .257 I don't even hunt with. Just bought a Savage 99 in .243....but haven't even shot it yet.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

It didn't work out that way. Traditional "brush busters" like .35 Rem, .444 Marlin didn't do any better than most. Real fast things didn't either. But the long skinny ones I guess were harder to upset in flight. Though IIRC they were "better", but noting was really "good" at it.

I've missed a lot of deer hitting branches and saplings, I have a gift when it comes to hitting tiny little branches. lol
I learned myself years ago shooting at targets in the woods through branches and brush using a 7.62x39.. I stuck a paper plate on a tree maybe 35 yards away and shot at it a couple times. Walked a few feet, shot a couple more rounds. Walked a few feet.. basically walking a big arc around the target, firing 25-30 rounds in total, but only hitting the plate a few times. I was shocked, it doesn't take much to deflect the bullets enough to miss.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

This just reminded me of a doe I "snuck up on" once (not really, she was probably hoping I'd pass by without seeing her). I shot her while she was bedded with a .45-70
She jumped up, hurt bad but still hauling butt and ran right past me as I emptied that gun trying to stop her. I remember thinking "What the hell!? Why won't she go down!?" The aftermath told the story. These were just the most photogenic of the saplings I hit, I fired four more rounds after the initial shot and there were 7-8 damaged trees. lol (so yeah, it went through the trees, but didn't hit what I was hoping to)

 

[Telemark]

(The 6.5MS and 6.5 Swede always had a reputation for punching way above their weight class, and it was probably due to those old heavy, though quite soft bullets. Do they even make them anymore?

6.5 Swede is popular in Europe. Should be able to find plenty of options, I would think.