Advice wanted on the .35 Whelen

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Pretty sure in my state just the sight of that rifle with all the scary looking angles and doo dads and, of course, being black would result in calling out the NYS Army National Guard, or at least some irate do-gooders with their cadre of social media followers in tow! These are the people that believe Norway, Sweden and Finland are a utopia of Nordic excellence where no one has guns and they all wear sweaters with snowflakes and reindeer on them. It's got to be true! I saw it on the internet! ;)
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Norway, Sweden and Finland
I think these are actually among the countries with the most heavily armed civilian population in the world. Mostly hunting, or sporting longguns, though. Use of legal firearms for criminal activity is virtually non-existent Norway.
 
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Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Use of LEGAL firearms for criminal activity is relaitivly non-existent in the US too! Take suicide out of the mix and you are left with a few outliers where someone went nutso/was drugged out of their head (both illegal) and no one did anything about it. Take those out of the mix and the stats fall in line with any other 1st world nation. Or take 3 or 4 major urban centers out of the mix and you get the same results.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
yep it's how the stats are compiled that makes it look like more than it really is.
all shootings are lumped into the same category.
all of them,,,, cop shootings, accidental, gang related, self inflicted... whatever.
they still come up far short of the flu, and other types of deaths, but the numbers are inflated enough to look good for the cause.
 

wquiles

Well-Known Member
Just came back from my gunsmith. The Whelen has landed!
In addition to the new barrel, a few other upgrades. Contessa picatinny rail, 10MOA tilt. Contessa scope rings on three different scopes, so I can have dedicated scopes to the different barrels (the Vortex on the rifle is meant for the 6,5x55 barrel). I think the «gun of my dreams» is now completed :)

Rifle looks amazing :)
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
yep it's how the stats are compiled that makes it look like more than it really is.
all shootings are lumped into the same category.
all of them,,,, cop shootings, accidental, gang related, self inflicted... whatever.
they still come up far short of the flu, and other types of deaths, but the numbers are inflated enough to look good for the cause.

That's the Gods honest truth. I used to help compile those reports at the station level. There wasn't even a differentiation made between a legally owned gun and an illegally owned gun.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
So, now I’m set for rather extensive shooting with the whelen.....
If only the range can open soon!
The one on the right, CBE360-300, had an undersized nose, at .347. Which you could percieve as a problem, or an opportunity! It gives room for PC. The preparation is a bit involved. First, I seat the check using my press. Then, I size base-first at .358. Using the NOE- system, I run the nose into a .349 nose bushing, which cleans the mould seams (sometimes). Then I PC, and size to final size (size preference not established, as I haven’t had an opportunity to fire the whelen yet). I run the coated bullets into a .351 nose bushing, which seems to ensure the bore riders will chamber in a predictable fashion.
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Spindrift

Well-Known Member
Cast some Lee c358-200 from my 2-cav yesterday. In my alloy, it drops at .359. Coated and checked, it weighs 206grs.
The MP360-200 comes out at .360, weighing 210grs checked and coated. The MP- bullet has a much deeper lube/displacement groove, and is a bit longer in the nose. It will be interesting to compare these two bullets on the range.F336CDA9-AFC3-484A-A3CF-E3434F39A903.jpeg
 

Ian

Notorious member
Interesting comparison.

My Lee 200 comes out 207 grains with straight ww alloy and my original BRP 35-220 is 225 dressed as a solid and 216 as a hollow point. Bob must have changed the design some when he sent the drawing to Miha, and/or it was a tooling difference between Bruce and Miha's toolmakers.

Both of them shoot very well in my .35 Remington and I believe you will be very pleased as well in your Whelen.

I also do a lot of fussy processes with the pcgc bullets, but the two-diameter final sizing die which corrects mould seams, pc warts and other nose defects while final-sizing the body eliminates at least one or two steps. I haven't made one for my .35 Rifle yet but might. If you settle on a couple of bullets for your .35 and the sizes the body and nose prefers, maybe I can make you an H&I set for a Lyman or RCBS luber/sizer that will final-size your coated bullets in one nice, concentric shot.

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Spindrift

Well-Known Member
That would be great, Ian!
I’ve steered clear of the covid virus so far, but I’m having a bad case of .35cal- fever :)
 

Ian

Notorious member
I think I'll go shoot some more .35s this afternoon, maybe you can live vicariously for a bit :p . Remind me about this when you figure out your sizes later on and I'll make you a tool.
 

Ian

Notorious member
The wind was gusting hard today from 3:00 but I managed to squeeze in ten more BRP 35-220 HPs from the .35 Remington during lulls. Of course I got lazy and pulled the last one, grrrrr. But this is what shooter, load, rifle, and conditions could deliver today so it is what it is.

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Spindrift

Well-Known Member
That is an excellent group! That rifle, bullet and load sure is a winner. Accurate, portable, potent. Oh, and the pulled shot would still put meat in the freezer :)