speer shows pushing a 220gr over 2800 with that powder and the hammer bullets usually run a little faster than cup and core then take into account a 28 inch barrel, sounds spot on to me and you cannot compare velocity with same weight bullets in different diameters
220 Hammer In 35 Whelen
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codyadams
Well-Known Member
My father's 35 WAI with a 26" tube has some pretty impressive velocities too, he was breaking 3,000 fps with 220 speer hot cores and not showing any pressure signs yet, it is quite an impressive cartridge for a standard bolt face!
If that is a fact, a 338-06 with 220 gr bullets out of a 26" barrel should be 3000 fps minimum. Same case, slightly bigger bullet. The books say 2600 fps on the upper end with a 24"barrel. Are the books way off or is the 35 Whelan that magical?
codyadams
Well-Known Member
Can't speak for magic or for what a specific data book says, but I can speak for standing next to my dad shooting a 35 Whelen AI with a 220 speer using Varget with my labradar reading velocity and then seeing that there was no increase in bolt lift or ejector marks.......that is what I know
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gyrfalcon
Well-Known Member
The photo testifies to the great destructive power of the load you are using. However personally I eat a lot of my deer meat, in the form of steaks, roasts and stir fries. I find a 150 grain nosler ballistic tip or Hornady interlock more then plenty in my .308 Win/Sako at 2840 FPS, more then enough to anchor a large whitetail at 300 yards and have lots of edible meat to eat. I used the 35 whelan in the 1980's for moose and elk with 275 grain bitter roots in the dense alder poplar forests of Alberta, where 100 yards is a long shot. A frontal facing shot on a good bull moose, or elk, penetrated deeply, even passing through the rumen( depending how full it was), at one time recovering the bullet under the hide of a hind quarter. After the bitter roots were finished, I sold the rifle, had partitions be available at that time I would have kept it. Guess it is all about adapting your load and rifle to the game and hunting conditions and more important then all other factors………..bullet placement.
gyrfalcon
Well-Known Member
My Mv with that Whelan and 275 grain bitter roots was 2250-2300 FPS. Lethal at any shot angle at close range. The right setup for those special conditions.
