35 whelen

[Night goat]

I have a ww2 Mauser 98 with all the stamping telling me it was made at the actual Mauser factory (byf135), and what I can only guess is a 1942/1943 year rifle. I picked it up at a pawnshop for 150$ a while back, and the reason why it was so cheap is it was sporterized at one point, and the barrel that got put on it doesn't have any markings. I'm going to have to cast the chamber to figure out what it shoots, but figure it's a 6mm of sorts, possibly a 6mm Remington, but who knows

I've also been thinking of re-barreling it and the 35 whelen came across my radar. I have an 06 and a 7mag,30 06 was the origional consideration, but started reading how the 35 whelen is the poor man's 375h&h, and uses the same case as the 30 06 albeit necked up to fit a bigger bullet

I have been long intimidated by the 375h&h probably due to the nasty reputation my buddy's rifle has amongst our circles, provided it is an ultralight rifle in 375h&h, he's not a small guy (about 6'5) and crabs for a living and won't shoot more than a round or two out of it, and it knocks almost everybody on thier arse, but I've been reading the 35 whelen kinda has similar performance and kicks way less.

I'm just now learning about the 35 whelen but thought I'd check here for opinions on it

[zwickeyman]

I had a 35 Whelen AI with a 23" barrel built for me last year. It kicks similar to my 338 WM  a little less, not bad at all but Im not recoil sensitive either. I havent hunted with it yet but will next season

Im shooting 225gr at 2800 and 250gr at 2700

My 338 WM with a 20" barrel shoots 225gr at 2850 with 20 grains more powder

[Skillet]

The 35 Whelen is a great round.  Classic medium bore American round.  Designed by Col. Townsend Whelen long before the belted magnums hit the market in the 50's, it filled a niche.  Based off the -06, as many wildcats were in the 20's, and using the 358 rifle bullets readily available then, the 35 Whelen found a large following in Alaska among those who rolled their own ammo, for good reason. 

The 200 Nosler Partition and the 35 Whelen go together like peas and carrots, imho.  At 2800 FPS and a minimum reliable expansion velocity of 1600 FPS, the effective range of this round is easily 300 yards.  It carries 1500# out to 500 yards.  You'll be dropping like a stone out there, of course, but if you zero in at 200 yards with this bullet your max height is 2.0" over LOS at 110 yards and 2.1" below LOS at 280 yards.  Basically point and shoot out to 300 for all big game.  You can get real horsepower out of it like @zwickeyman did as well with 225's and 250's, which sounds like a nice build.

There are a lot of copper monolithic bullets available, but keep in mind the 35 typically isn't known for being a speed demon and their minimum velocities are at a higher velocity than a traditional lead core bullet.  Not to say they can't also be used, but in my opinion the mono's are a little out of character for this classic round.  However, if you're in the mono mood, check out the 180gr TTSX... an interesting combo.

Going the other direction in "monolithic bullets", there are several enthusiasts in the cast bullet world (check out www.castboolits.com) that hold the 35 Whelen in high regard for cast lead/paper patching.  A very interesting rabbit hole to go down...

A very appealing aspect of the 35 Whelen used to be that you can load cheap 357 pistol bullets for practice/plinking.  This was far more appealing back in the days of $.01 primers and $10/# powder, of course.  30-06 brass is nearly free at any public range... before the massive price increases for components, you could legitimately load 100 rounds with 158 grain 357 FMJ for $.15/round.  Even given today's prices, you could still load up that same 100 rounds for $.50 each on 30-06 range brass.

I think of your Mauser and a 35 Whelen build, shooting 200 Partitions or paper patched cast bullets you poured yourself, and imagine a near-perfect combination.  No worries about running into mr grizz up here with that in your hands.  Basically a 400 yard rifle if you "hold on hair," (or dial it in, but turreted scopes look silly on old mausers, imo) it could have just as easily been lifted off the pages of a 1950 Outdoor life article about hunting moose in AK or on safari in Africa.

If you can't tell, I'm a fan of your 35 Whelen on a mauser idea.

As an aside, I've shot only one 375 H&H, a Sako AV, and found it to be more pleasant to shoot than my buddies Ruger in 338WM.  Some rifles are just mules due to weight and/or stock design, however.  A 35 Whelen shooting 200-225's at 2700-2800 will be manageable in a heavier mauser build, imo. 

There's a few other members I know of that might be able to offer some personal experience - @Angry Perch, @wadu1

Good luck!

[CP]

These will drop anything on this continent:

[BigGoonTuna]

If you’re on a budget you can ship your rifle down to JES in Oregon and he can rebore and rechamber it to 35 whelen for a couple hundred bucks:

[jrebel]

Are you a reloader??  If so, you should really do some reading on the Hammertime forum for monolithic hammer hunter bullets.  The 35 whelen has a very religious following and has been an absolute killer combination with some of their monolithic bullets.  Guys are getting 2800 to 2900 fps with a 215 grain mono. 
 

[Rigby416]

You'll love a Whelen.  More than adequate for any game around here.  I've had mine since Remington made the special run of model 700 Classics in .35 Whelen in 1988.  I also shoot .375H&H and .416 Rigby.  You are correct in assuming that the recoil of the Whelen is less than either of them.  I consider the recoil to be equal/similar to a .30-06 with 200 grain bullets.  I also believe that your rifle would be a good candidate for a Jes rebore to .35 Whelen as I've read a lot of reviews of their work with lots of satisfied customers.  Good luck with whatever you choose to do.  You'll love a Whelen.

[kselkhunter]

My first gun I ever purchased when I turned 18 was a used sporterized Mauser 98 in 30-06.  It was my only gun for many years, and has taken many animals.  Given the age of the barrel, I later sent it to JES to re-bore to 35 Whelen to give it new life.  Put a new recoil pad on it, and was fine with the recoil of the 250gr bullets.  I've added many guns over the decades, but that old M98 is still my favorite rifle to hunt with.  I've since threaded the barrel and use a suppressor now, and it's quite pleasant to shoot suppressed.

The 35 Whelen is a very efficient cartridge in terms of powder used and performance compared to a magnum.  It won't reach a 375 H&H or 338WM performance wise, but you get close enough with less recoil to have adequate performance on big game out to reasonable ranges.  I've practiced enough with my 35 Whelen to be comfortable on elk/bear/deer out to 400 yards with it.   Could go farther if I dropped down to 225 grain bullets, but I like the heavy for caliber 250s better in the Whelen.   The 35 Whelen is a great cartridge to get decent performance for all game here in the NW.

If he's still in business, JES has done a great job reboring multiple rifles out to 35 cal for me.

[Henrydog]

The 375H&H experience you refer to must be the rifle.  I have a pre 64 M70 in .375 and I would not say it is a joy to shoot but It is nothing out of the ordinary and Im not a big guy.

[EnglishSetter]

When it comes to recoil, foot pounds are foot pounds in a given rifle.

RE the reboring at JES, I recently had my fathers shot out .264 WM bored out to 338 WM.  Nice work and quick turnaround for a lot less than a new barrel.  It was $300.

[HereDuckyDucky]

I’ve always wanted a 35w in an old Winchester or. Remington CDL. Classic cartridge.

RW