.35 Whelen

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Finally, today, one of my local ranges opened for shooting, after several weeks of Covid- lockdown. I have a new .35 Whelen barrel for my Rem 700 custom switch- barrel, that I never have tried. New barrel, new cartridge- my first 35- cal. Re-formed Rem 30-06 cases. Win LR primers. Only powder coated bullets today.
My ambitions for this range trip, was to fire-form some brass, and get some basic data- points.

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I loaded some cartridges with the Lee 358-158- RF, sized .358/.359. N110 20- 21grs. This load was to timid, soot on the necks and unimpressive accuracy (3-6 MOA...). I think I`ll revisit this bullet with some faster powder, it is intended as a «component saver».

I had some MP 360-200, loaded with N140. 48 grs (2150 fps) and 50 (2230 fps). These groups were more promising. 50 grs N140, and size .358 gave a group at roughly 1 MOA. Probably a fluke, we`ll see. I`ll hang around this level a bit, to experiment with various sizes, cartridge lengths and so on.

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I shot one group with the MP 360-220 HP- bullet, and 48grs N140 (2140 fps). With the flier, 2 MOA. I was fighting mirage from the suppressor at this point (the range was closing, had to hurry!).

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Still early days. But I think this will be a shooter, after I have figured it out :)
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
I've only used reformed brass som far. The Norma Whelen brass is pricey. And I'm a bit spoiled, as I usually don't have to buy brass. But the Norma brass is usually top notch.

Reforming some range pick-ups, I have found the different kinds of brass to be variably suitable for making Whelen brass.

Very good: FC, Rem, PPU, Win, S&B
OK: Lapua
Not good : Norma

The Norma 30-06 cases form a "false shoulder" at the base of the neck, when sized in the Whelen-die. The Lapua as well, but to a lesser degree. The others look fine.
 

wquiles

Well-Known Member
Nice - thank you. I will be most likely buying a CVA Scout V2 in 35 Whelen, so I am trying to be ready and learn as much as I can :)
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I think the LaPua and Norma have a different anneal zone right where your changing the shoulder angle.

you might be able to get away with just necking them up and fireforming, or using the old Ackley case trick of necking up further to create a false shoulder then necking down just what you need to chamber the round.
then the pressure from firing the round forces the case out into the corners for you, but helps keep the case from stretching above the web.
it also centers the case better in the chamber so your not stretching the other sides more than the one laying on the bottom of the chamber.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the tip. Actually, the reformed Norma cases do chamber, so I could try to shoot them and see how they look, afterwards. I tried annealing the Norma brass before reforming by dipping them in my lead pot. Still looked the same.
 

Ian

Notorious member
To keep lead from sticking, soot the necks/shoulders with a butane lighter or kerosene flame if the brass is clean.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
To keep lead from sticking, soot the necks/shoulders with a butane lighter or kerosene flame if the brass is clean.
Brilliant idea, thanks!
I had some lead stuck on the cases, and abandoned the concept. Will try again!
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Maybe you should, Rally!

I wanted a cartridge that would be adequate for moose and wild boar, with cast bullets. A cartridge that could handle really heavy, long bullets. With easily available and cheap brass. A good selection of moulds, across a broad range of bullet weights (since I’m a tinkerer and love to play with different bullets). And the same bolt face as .30-06, to fit in my switch-barrel gun. For me, the Whelen was the best solution.
 
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CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
The traditional twist rate for most 35 Whelen barrels has been 1-16". There has been some conversation over the years that some bullets weighing over 225-250 grains aren't well-stabilized at the lower speeds given to cast bullets by a lot of shooters. This was the "decider" for me when I weighed the 35 Whelen vs. the 9.3 x 62 Mauser in 2002. The 9.3 x 62's usual pitch is 3 turn/meter (1-13.1") and stabilizes 286 grain spitzer bullets very well.

If I could have readily gotten a 35 Whelen assembled with a 1-14" or 1-12" twist, I would have opted for the Whelen over the 9.3mm. As it was, the properly-made bolter in 35 Whelen would have cost $1500-$1800 and included a 12-18 month wait. I was unaware of Jesse Ocumpah at that time. The CZ-550 cost $600 OTD, has a Mauser 98 action, and took a week to arrive. No-brainer. Nowadays, I would find a decent 30-06 and see if Jesse could do steeper twist rates than 1-16".
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
The 9,3x62 would be an excellent alternative. I considered it closely; it is a much more common cartridge in Norway. Easy case-forming (from free range brass) and broad selection of moulds won me over to the Whelen this time. Since the barrel was made from a blank (Lothar Walther), I could choose twist; landed on 1:14.
 

wquiles

Well-Known Member
Yeah. Once I got into the 35 cal with the 358Win Mauser bolt-action, and the 358 YETI (really built around the 180-200gr bullet weight), I wanted to stick with the 35 cal, and go for another light-weight platform, so for the reasons above I chose the 35 Whelen in the CVA Scout V2.
 
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wquiles

Well-Known Member
Yup. I would much prefer a Ruger #1, but it is pricey, and not a great platform to suppress, specially with those very pretty front sights they come with :). The CVA has good reviews, comes already threaded, it is light, and under $400.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
I shot a bit with the heavies today. The CBE- 358-250 weighs 260grs in my alloy, and the CBE360-300 weighs 310 grs. Decent meplat on both of them. I have started load development with Vihtavuori N150, which has a burning rate in 4350- territory. Probably a bit slow for the application, but I wanted to start on the «slow» side until I get a feel for the cartridge. The alloy is nuclear medicine mystery alloy with 1%tin, BHN around 14-15.


The CBE350-250 was sized .360. 48- 49 grs produced 5- shot groups around 2 MOA from prone at 100m. 50 grs was to much, dramatic deterioration of accuracy.
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I also did an expansion/penetration test with the 358-250, 48 grs N150 (2160fps). I have never hunted with cast, and need to get an idea how my alloy reacts. I shot from short range (15m) into water containers that are often used for this purpose around here. I placed a piece of plywood between the first and second container, to get an idea how much it had expanded at that stage. Wxpansion tests in water does not reflect exactly hjow the bullets behave in game, but it does give an idea how it relates to other bullets. Expansion was dramatic (2,3x caliber), retained weight was fantastic, but penetration (4 jugs + plywood) a little less than I would want.

All things said, I learned a lot today :)
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