.35 Whelen

[Sourdough]

I was an advocate of the .35 Whelen from the start.  I wanted a true big game rifle in a Handi, and the .35 Whelen is the only real Big Game rifle they make.  By Big Game I am talking about Moose and Alaskan Big Bears.  I sent Mr Garrison (NEF CEO) a letter in 1995 asking for a Handi in .35 Whelen.  I recieved a letter that it cost too much for Research and Development.  Six months later they came out with the RMEF .35.  I called Mr Garrison and he had one chambered in a standard Handi for me.

First shot FTF. returned it to NEF, have had no issues since.  I first shot Remington 250gr Core Lokt, then switched to 250gr Nosler handloads.

My Dad killed his first and only Moose with my handi in .35 Whelen.  I've since killed a couple of Grizzlies with it.  Friends have dropped many Moose and Caribou with it, all one shot kills.  My Hand loads come close to matching my .338 Win Mag loads.  Recoil?  Stiff, but far less than my .338 Win Mag TCR, and the Handi ejects.  Don't have to mess with taking the empty out, just open the gun and it's gone.  The Whelen is over kill for Whitetail, but so is the 45-70.  A lot of people in Alaska carry Handis in .35 Whelen and 45-70.  They are the only calibers made in the Handi that are adiquate for us up here in Alaska.  My 30-06 is a little light during the summer.

One big advantage I can down load using pistol bullets and it makes a good kids gun.  I have put the youth stock on it and used it to teach kids to shoot hunting size guns.  It's seen more use with kids than in the Bush hunting.  My 30-06 is the only gun that sees more use than my .35 Whelen.

[bucmeister]

The whelen is the hammer of god on a whitetail.  I have had 3 of the newer Handis, all problem children with FTF.  Chaamber casts show all were too deep, 008 to 017 too deep.  I love the caliber, finally built a bolt gun to use it in.  I wish the new  handi's were right.  The old RMEF guns with the 26 in barrels were the stuff, wish I'd hung on to the one I had.

I think geezer56 is hitting the nail squarely on the head as far as the Whelen FTF issue is concerned, which puts the issue directly on the shoulders of those cutting the chambers and those running Q.C. on that process no matter which company we are talking about.  Probably many rounds are more forgiving but the Whelen appears to be one that requires exacting adherence to the tight end of the specifications.

[cwlongshot]

The whelen is the hammer of god on a whitetail.  I have had 3 of the newer Handis, all problem children with FTF.  Chaamber casts show all were too deep, 008 to 017 too deep.  I love the caliber, finally built a bolt gun to use it in.  I wish the new  handi's were right.  The old RMEF guns with the 26 in barrels were the stuff, wish I'd hung on to the one I had.

I think geezer56 is hitting the nail squarely on the head as far as the Whelen FTF issue is concerned, which puts the issue directly on the shoulders of those cutting the chambers and those running Q.C. on that process no matter which company we are talking about.  Probably many rounds are more forgiving but the Whelen appears to be one that requires exacting adherence to the tight end of the specifications.

You are correct, when chambers are cut, there no real difference, (in the process) between a 17 FB or a 35 Whelen the "difference" is the small shoulder of the Whelen leave little room for any variances. When cut by a GS much better care is and can be taken. The shoulder problem is exesorbated but the known fact that Remington brass is soft.
 The Whelen, in and of itself is just fine. The problem lies with IT, working within industry standards is at  a extream end of acceptable. If the industries tolerances tightened more and more of these problems would exist.

Think back before 1987. The Whelen was still a wild cat. It became standardized because of its performance. That preforms created its popularity. It did not get popular or would not have gotten popular if it was plagued with FTFs!!  Along these lines, many guys have never once experienced a FTF. Self included, but again, mine is a custom chambered Shillen barrel in a bolt rifle. A properly cut chamber in a handi would be just as reliable. 

CW

[Sourdough]

I had a Mauser action chambered in .35 Whelen by Shaw.  It has never had a FTF with factory or handloads.  When hand loading I don't run my sizing die down tight against the ram with my .35 dies.  I was told by an old friend many years ago about how with some rifles you needed to set the dies up where the case was a tight fit in length.  Maybe that is why my handloads have never failed to fire.  When I first got my .35 Handi, it failed with factory ammo, but shot my handloads just fine.  Also I have heard CCI primers are softer than Remington primers.

[gendoc]

same here rog, we use wlr's only.
some jus won't "come outta tha closet" when adverse'n bout tha whelen....
to much speculation and notta nuff hands-on for the real truth.
it takes more thana photogenic memory of what one reads ora repeat of what sumone
said.  we have broke it down to plc i/o mics and infared scans of different chamber dimensions
with cad013 software
with shoulder, body, neck and rim cuts(if any) of many manufactures design.
all with different tolerances and much more spread with higher end rifles.
 
its all in how tha truer has pride in his product.

 we use the same approach used to determine armament technology.
 

[Wagguy80]

Any non-singleshot in .35 whelen is excluded from the FTF issue.  They all have bolt which physically grip the round which prevents it from sliding forward in the chamber when the firing pin strikes.


The FTF issue with the .35 Whelen is a SS-only problem. 

[Spanky]

Any non-singleshot in .35 whelen is excluded from the FTF issue.  They all have bolt which physically grip the round which prevents it from sliding forward in the chamber when the firing pin strikes.


The FTF issue with the .35 Whelen is a SS-only problem. 

 
Wrong answer Wagguy... my Ruger M77 bolt action 35 Whelen had it's fair share of FTF's. It went down the road... I won't keep a gun that doesn't go bang every time.
 
 
 
Spanky

[cwlongshot]

Any non-singleshot in .35 whelen is excluded from the FTF issue.  They all have bolt which physically grip the round which prevents it from sliding forward in the chamber when the firing pin strikes.


The FTF issue with the .35 Whelen is a SS-only problem.

This is untrue, actually in the big picture single shots are a tiny precentage of actions chambers for the Whelen. Bolt guns dominate with this caliber. IF only SS had the issue it would not be so widely known.

BUT as I have said many times, some choose not to listen. These kind of problems, are exasperated with a single shot like our handis.

CW

[Wagguy80]

Okay well put it this way I wanted a CVA Stalker in .35 Whelen which led me to all of these FTF thread for every brand of SS rifle out there.

The Ruger 77 my buddy had FTF and was a .30-06 it had a loose screw, and a gunsmith fixed it in like 5 minutes.

So I did some more research apparently any other rifle that has FTF issue's is of a push-fed design.  IE the bolt doesn't actually grip the round, and the extractor is just a clip. 

So I'll admit I was wrong about it being a SS only issue.  However basically it's any issue with any rifle that doesn't actually hold the round to the bolt face.

So the issue still lies with chamber, the round itself, the action type, and multiple manufacturers. 

End result?  Rifles manufacturers are going to blame ammo, ammo manufacturers are going to blame rifles.  Shooters are going to be stuck in the middle as they are now and forced to fix it themselves.  So the popularity of this round which has suddenly spiked due to hunting law changes is going to hinge on are the benefits of this round enough to warrant the hassle.

I read enough to say no in a SS for primitive season, and went with the .444 marlin

[cwlongshot]

I think one thing your not considering is as cost raises the numbers sold fall. As they fall you have less to "pull" from. Handi/CVA/Rossi are CHEAP so MANY are likely to be sold. People like to blame cheap things and rarely condem costly ones. Somehow they feel if its costly and they have a problem it's somehow a neg effect on there intelligence..... While when its cheap its "cheap POS gun what did I expect".... If you follow my gist.

As for levers, there are none i can think of have ever been offered in Whelen. Actually, only a couple that could take it! (It's long for a lever) The Winchester '95 could be altered to it. (It was offered in 35 Winchester) and brought back in 30-06 some ten years back. Then the LA BLR Browning is aval in short magnums like 7mm Rem so 35 Whelen could also be made to function.

Remember, the Whelen has been "here" since the 1920's. The internet isn't even 20 years old yet. Meaning MOST that was written about the Whelen likely may never be in digital format. It's in books on sportsmanship shelves.

CW

[bucmeister]

Interesting tidbit of information I stumbled across this evening while perusing through my old Speer Reloading Manual #8 re: the 35 Whelen case dimensions.  The shoulder angle was listed at 23 degrees so it appears this book was published before the current dimensions were standardized with the shoulder angle set at 17.5 degrees.  To bad the sharper angle was not actually the final version as that might have helped with the FTF issue many have experienced across multiple weapon platforms.