35 Whelen Shooters

[gapfriz]

I'm going to get my 35 whelen out of the safe this year, and hopefully hunt some elk with it this year! So what bullet is the best these days for the whelen to tip over an elk?

Thanks
GAP

 

[ATH]

I don't have a Whelen but I have a WSM wildcat which shoots about Whelen AI velocities. I have been very happy with the performance of the 225gr AB at all distances out to 500 yards.

 

[flatwater bill]

Gap...............I will also be using the Whelen this year for an elk hunt. Haven't loaded for it in more than 30 years. Nice thing about the cartridge and modest velocity, I had good luck with inexpensive cup and core bullets. But trying to learn what is new in .358 bullets. I am ordering some 225 and 250 grainers from Hawk Precision. I will post how they shoot..................Flatwater Bill

 

[truck driver]

I would look at either the 225gr AB or the 225gr Partition. You can never go wrong with a Nosler Partition. Though not the fastest load but I can easily push a 225gr PT 2780fps out of the 24" barrel of my 35 Whelen/AI and it is devastating on game.

 

[TOM H]

Gap, I just put my draw tags in for Co and hunting bull OTC archery tag and hoping for bear/cow elk tag. If I get drawn on either I'm going to use 200gr TTSX in my 35 WhelenAI.

Good luck on tags.

 

[Sully2]

I would look at either the 225gr AB or the 225gr Partition. You can never go wrong with a Nosler Partition. Though not the fastest load but I can easily push a 225gr PT 2780fps out of the 24" barrel of my 35 Whelen/AI and it is devastating on game.

That what I hope to do with a 338/06 Im having built. 225 at about 2800 or so

 

[gapfriz]

I was going to shoot the 225 AB in my whelen, but having a heck time finding any!

GAP

 

[RevJim]

I've shot lots of elk sized plains game with a 35 WAI ( going at top Whelen speeds, no faster) with the old 250X and 200X. The new 200TTSX is very accurate. The 200 did the same thing as the 250 ( complete penetration from even acute angles) so I never saw any need for the 225! I did use a 310 Woodleigh on a nice hog a few years back. I have shot a lot of Hawk bullets ( start low as they do "bump up" fast and are "sticky" bullets) in a 9.3x62, 358 Winchester, 375 H&H but never tried them in the Whelen AI, nor had a chance to kill anything with them. I admittedly do like the idea of 'thumping them" with a heavy soft round nose bullet in medium calibers though. I just have had so much confidence in Barnes x/TSX/TTSX and Noslers that I tend to hunt with them "mostly", though have used a lot of Hornady and Corlokts too. In the Whelen AI I always used H322 with the 200x and 200TTSx with a standard primer. R15 with the 250s on up is "the berries"!

 

[baddaddy]

I use either a hornady or speer in a 250 grain with RL15. Works great on elk.

 

[tankgijohn72]

200 gr ttsx with H4895 has been really accurate for me. 2775-2800 fps out of an ER Shaw Savage prefit. Shot a nice mule deer in CO with it last year at 325 yds. He went about 40yd.

 

[ATH]

I was going to shoot the 225 AB in my whelen, but having a heck time finding any!

GAP

They make runs periodically. You have to set alerts or check frequently then STOCK UP when they appear.

 

[gapfriz]

Gap...............I will also be using the Whelen this year for an elk hunt. Haven't loaded for it in more than 30 years. Nice thing about the cartridge and modest velocity, I had good luck with inexpensive cup and core bullets. But trying to learn what is new in .358 bullets. I am ordering some 225 and 250 grainers from Hawk Precision. I will post how they shoot..................Flatwater Bill

 

[gapfriz]

Bill.. How did the hawk bullets do in your whelen?

GAP

 

[GSP814]

I shoot Barnes Vor Tex factory ammo with 180 grain Barnes TTSX at 2900 fps. A couple of bud's used 150 grain Cutting Edge bullets on a trip this year, one stoned a mule deer at 335 yards, the other had to shoot his mule deer a couple of times at 260 yards (bad hits). They felt the 35 Whelen was a little undergunned for the distances we were shooting elk, 5-600 yards.