.35 Whelen

James V. Howe (Griffin & Howe) may have fashioned the first .35 Whelen, naming it after firearms authority Colonel Townsend Whelen. This .30-06 progeny may also have been Whelen's brainchild. In 1922, when the cartridge appeared, Whelen was commanding officer at Frankfort Arsenal, where Howe was a toolmaker. No doubt these men collaborated.

The .35 Whelen served hunters who wanted heavier bullets than offered by the .30-06, but flatter flight than possible with Winchester's .405. Because the only change in the '06 case was an expanded neck, the .35 Whelen cycled in any rifle built for the .30-06. The case measures 2.484 inches, .01 inch shorter than the .30-06. But an '06 hull emerging from a .35 Whelen sizing die mikes closer to 2.474 inches. The shoulder has the .30-06's 17.5-degree slant, and looks too slight for headspacing but works just fine. Water capacity averages 58.5 grains. Many Depression-era barrels pitted by potassium chlorate primers were rebored to .35 Whelen.

When, in 1937, Winchester announced its Model 70 in .300 and .375 H&H Magnum, interest in the Whelen waned. Indeed, the .35 Winchester and muscular .35 Newton were last loaded in 1936.

Suitable Use

The .35 Whelen has .30-06 reach, even with heavy bullets whose sectional density makes them top pick for big game in timber. Pointed 225-grain bullets give handloaders an edge, because Remington's two Core-Lokts are still the only commercial loads.

A 225 at 2,550 fps will shoot as flat as factory .30-06 180s and hit much harder. I've killed a moose with the .35 Whelen and a dandy mule deer. I hung a 26-inch .35 Whelen Improved barrel on a Remington 78 and dropped an elk with a 250-grain Speer. That rifle eked 2,750 fps from a 225-grain Partition, but with barrels of equal length, you get little advantage over the standard round.

Ballistics

The .35 Whelen was a handloading proposition until 1988, when Remington chambered it in the 700 and began making ammo. The 250-grain factory load advertised at 2,400 fps clocks 2,380 from my 22-inch barrel. The 200-grain listed at 2,675 manages only 2,575. Handloading IMR 4895, Hodgdon H335, Winchester 748 and Reloder 15, I've nudged 250-grain Noslers above 2,500 fps, and 225-grain Sierras to nearly 2,600. A stiff charge of 4895 behind a 200-grain Hornady delivers almost 2,700.

Townsend Whelen claimed up to 2,635 fps with 250-grain loads, and a sizzling 2,834 fps with 200-grain bullets. Forget that--especially if your .35 Whelen is a Remington 760-series pump.