That h&r is a whole different beast. It'll shoot a same hole group at a 100 and only drop 6 inches at 200

The .35 Whelen

By Chuck Hawks


The .35 Whelen was a popular wildcat cartridge for decades before being civilized by Remington. It is created by simply necking up a .30-06 case to accept .35 caliber bullets. The result is a powerful medium bore cartridge that does not require a magnum action or a magnum bolt face.

Like its ballistic twin the .350 Remington Magnum, the .35 Whelen works best with medium burning rifle powders such as H335, RL-15, IMR 4320, IMR 4064, and W748. Suitable .35 caliber bullets range from about 150 grains to 250 grains, with the 220-225 grain bullets representing a sound choice for all-around use.

Here are some .35 Whelen statistics of interest to reloaders: Bullet diameter is .358", Maximum COL is 3.34", Maximum case length is 2.494", and Maximum permissible pressure is 52,000 cup.

The Speer No. 13 Reloading Manual shows that 61.0 grains of H335 powder behind a Speer 180 grain bullet yields a MV of 2804 fps, and a maximum load of 65.0 grains of H335 powder gives the 180 grain bullet a MV of 2,891 fps.

Speer data also shows that their 220 grain bullet can be driven to a MV of 2515 fps by 59.0 grains of W748 powder. A maximum load of 63.0 grains of W748 powder gives the 220 grain bullet a MV of 2,560 fps.

53.0 grains of W748 powder drove the 250 grain Speer bullets to a MV of 2277 fps, while a maximum load of 57.0 grains of W748 powder gives the 250 grain bullet a MV of 2,350 fps. These Speer loads were developed in R-P cases and used CCI 250 primers. The test rifle was a Remington Model 700 with a 22" barrel.

Note: A full length article about the .35 Whelen and .350 Rem. Mag. can be found on the Rifle Cartridge Page.

I bought a TC Encore Pro Hunter this year in .35 Whelen and love it. I bought it for a short range (100-150 yard tree stand gun). Recoil is pretty tough but its about the same as my &mm mag that is my "bean field gun" for longer range shots. I shot a doe with it the day after thanks giving and the effects were awesome on her. It was like one of those scenes from a cartoon. All 4 feet went up in the air and she went straight down. I am shooting 200 gr Hornady superformance ammunition and the gun seems to love that round. It doesn't like Federal fusions that well but groups good with the Hornady rounds.

Ive been shooting the whelen almost exclusivelely since 2001. Mine is in a remington custom shop ks. The cartridge is ridiculously accurate when fed what iok net likes. Factory ammo works well, but as in most cases, handloading really makes it shine.

I have primarily shot the Hornady 200 sp load over both IMR 4064 and currently RL 15. I load them to 2800 fps. With this load most deer will be DRT with none having carried it more than 20-25 yards.

The Hornady 200 sp is a very tough bullet and will penetrate completely on broadside shots the majority of the time while expanding beautifully. Though very short, if needed, blood trails are profuse.

When sighted in 2" high at 100 yards you will be dead on at 200, ~5" low at 250 and roughly 10" at 300 yards (these are measured values from actually shooting my setup).

I have also shot the 225 grain Sierra......bullet integrity was an issue for me.

Recoil can be stiff and especially with bullet weights above 200 grains, and in my light weight rifle.

I've shot it over cut-overs, powerlines, greenfields and in thick woods. It has never left me wanting more. It has caused other rifles to be left at home many times.