35 Whelen throat length

[HUNTS]

My 35 Whelen handi rifle has one heck of a long throat!  I took a once fired case and inserted a Speer 250 grain hot cor bullet leaving as much I as could outside of the case.  After pushing the dummy round into the chamber I closed the action then opened it and removed it.  To my amazement the bullet hadn't been pushed into the case by the rifling one bit!

I measured the length of this round at 3.490".  Seems ike a very long throat in this rifle.  Is this normal?  Or is there a problem with this rifle?

If all is well I could probably use a slower powder and use the increased case capacity to increase velocity if the handi action is up to it.  It's probably got enough capacity to rival an A.I by the looks of it. 

Anybody else notice this?

[quickdtoo]

There are bunch of threads on long throated Handis, that's the norm for most calibers, but not all, the .45-70s are just the opposite, much to the dismay of those that want to shoot big bullets. I can reach the lands in my .35 Whelen RMEF with 250gr Speer spitzers, COL is 3.50", velocity is 2590fps with BL-C2, 3 shot groups are less than 1" at 100yrds.

Tim

[Fred M]

Yes that is common to Handi's. The long throat is a safe guard to prevent hot loads from stretching the frame. Just keep it cool the 35Whelen has plenty of power with regular loads.

[HUNTS]

Tim,

What C.O.L are you using? 3.50"?

Fred,

Good advice.  I can't take any more recoil anyhow. What C.O.L are you using?

[quickdtoo]

There are bunch of threads on long throated Handis, that's the norm for most calibers, but not all, the .45-70s are just the opposite, much to the dismay of those that want to shoot big bullets. I can reach the lands in my .35 Whelen RMEF with 250gr Speer spitzers, COL is 3.50", velocity is 2590fps with BL-C2, 3 shot groups are less than 1" at 100yrds.

Tim

[Robert]

That sounds great actually.  A 35 Whelen barrel is my next expenditure.  I had an Enfield rebarreled to 35 Whelen a few years back and my only compaint is that it will not handle big/long/heavy bullets.  However....I have learned that 200 gr bullets in this cartridge are sufficient for any N.American game.  I have heard all the arguements for using 250-290 gr bullets.....but 200 gr projectiles in the Whelen will equal the f.p.s AND the trajectory of a 30-06 with a 180 gr bullet in the 'patent' 30-06.  This little detail equals some wonderful 'reach-out-and-touch, but with more knockdown power out past 400 than the '06 OR the Whelen with BIG/Clumsy bullets. 
  This being said.....I would still like the Handi with the long throat so I can play around with the big cast Dum-Dums that I rushed out and bought after reading Paco Kelly's data for 280-290 cast bullets.  Just gotta have one for fun.  But ....as I said earlier....I will have it reamed to a 40% Ackley.....I don't have a clue why they released these barrels and did not adopt the Ackley Improved.  It has less felt recoil; hence greater accuracy and a lot better brass life.
  BUT....even having a NON-Ackley 35 Whelen in a Handi...in my humble opinion...It is the Tits.

[HUNTS]

Robert,

I've been giving some thought on the 200 grain bullets myself.  I bought 200 of the Remington 200 grain CL.  This is actually a highly regarded bullet with a protected point, a thick jacket, and a reputation of being very tough.  The price ain't bad either($16-$18/100).

Next to the 250 they sure look small though.  They have killed enough elk over the years to have earned respect from lot's of folks. 

I'll be loading up some this weekend along with the 250 Speers to see how they both shoot.

[Fred M]

OAL as per my program is 3.340". But in a Handi that can be a bit longer but not against the Lands. Loading to or into the lands requires a reduction of powder since this length will produce an extra 7200psi chamber pressure.

Also the reduction in powder will be offset by the extra pressure so the velocity will not be much different. But it is best to load off the lands by 0.020", with near max loads.

Factorys will never make AI chambers, since there is no factory ammo made for AI chambers. The 35 Whelen is just fine the way it is, and factory ammo is available.

[Smokin Joe]

HUNTS, if you're looking for a little longer slug and recoil is an issue, try the Barnes X bullet. They're longer for equal weight than a normally constructed bullet.

[quickdtoo]

My COL of 3.50" is .010" off the lands with the 250gr Speer, best accuracy was with a near max load, but this is a '96 RMEF Whelen with the 26" barrel.

Tim