Author Topic: 35 Whelen Improved (Read 1064 times)

Wilbe Lead · « **on:** January 02, 2005, 10:15:23 PM »

Happy New Year Everyone,
Thinking of a new gun to play with this year.
Have a couple of high numbered 1903 30/06s.
One is a Springfield and a Remington.
Thinking of making the remington in to a Whelen.
On CH4D web site he list four different improved dies.
A 24,28,30 and a 40.
Anyone played around with the whelen improved enough that has a idea on the different improved shell.
I would use it for blackbears and elk.
Later
Wilbe Lead

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2005, 02:55:55 AM »

Any particular reason you feel the need to improve it other than to have a wildcat? Really none of them gain enough to bother unless you're one who just has to have a wildcat. Iffen that's the case I think the.280 Rem/.35 Whelen AI is the one that gains the most of them all. Has a 40* shoulder and is pushed forward some on the longer .280 Rem. case. Still I seriously doubt you'll gain 200 fps on the standard Whelen and when you're tossing those kinda bullets another 100-200 fps is of no real consequence.

jackfish · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2005, 03:57:57 AM »

I have a 35 Brown Whelen. It gets at least 250 fps more than the 35 Whelen. My most accurate load is a 250 grain Hornady SP at 2700 fps.

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2005, 04:09:02 AM »

To me the single biggest problem or maybe I should say "short coming" of all the various wildcats like your Brown Whelen is lack of available pressure tested data. I don't doubt your 250 fps gain over the Whelen. But the question I have is how much is as a result of case capacity increase and how much because you're using higher pressure? I suspect the answer is at least 100 fps if not more is due to an increase in pressure that could be offset easily in the Whelen if one wanted to go up in pressure.

There is a hard and fast law of physics that dicatates you can gain one percent extra velocity for four percent extra case volume. Any more increase comes from higher pressure. How much did you increase case capacity with the Brown Whelen? From what to what? What is the percentage increase?

jackfish · « **Reply #4 on:** January 03, 2005, 04:14:28 AM »

60,000 psi

Most published loads available for the 35 Whelen are limited to 50,000 CUP and 54,500 psi. Probably due to the fact that the 35 Whelen was chambered in a substantial amount of Remington 7600 pump-action rifles. So some of the increase is due to loading to higher, while not excessive, pressure.

Robert · « **Reply #5 on:** January 03, 2005, 05:39:09 AM »

Frank Barnes in Cartridges of the World writes about the Ackley Improved..."It is entirely too bad that Remington chose to adopt the standard version instead of this vastly superior cartridge."
He mentions that the case provides about 50 fps more velocity potential....but this is NOT the point of the Ackley at all. He say's this design more than doubles resistance to case shoulder setback---Firing a typical Whelen load in a rifle that delivers an unusually robust firing pin impact or when a magnum primer is used often drives the case significantly into the chamber. The narrow, sloping case shoulder simply is not up to the task of resisting such an impact and explosion.