35 Whelen

[jon lynn]

How does the 35 Whelen feel for recoil, with a straight stock, not much drop at heel. But I am a kick wimp, .30-06 is my comfort round, because I MUST HAVE A SCOPE my vision sucks, and I took a scope to the glasses from a .300mag and have been skittish every since, and don't think I will change, because I can live with a .30-06 as my do it all, if need be.

I saw a NEF in 35 Whelen, and was really drooling...............Jon

[L. Cooper]

Depending on the bullet and charge level, of course, the Whelan will produce more recoil energy than the .30-06. Whether it will bother you or not is another question.

The shape of the stock and weight of the rifle will have more effect on felt recoil than will the differences in recoil energy in either round. It will be possible to have a .30-06 that is less fun to shoot than the Whelan would be in another gun, or just the opposite.

I think your question is impossible to answer without actually shooting the gun and finding out the hard/expensive way. That said, I suspect that enough practice with proper technique would make that level of recoil acceptable to the vast majority of shooters.

[model 70]

hope it helps but if that rifle is the single shot, i have a 12 gauge and it whoops me alot more than a standard pump gun. those are pretty light rifles, right?

[BILLY D.]

Jon

I have a 35 Whelen built on an 03A3 action. I shoot nothing but 225 gr Noslers.

As one of the posters mentioned the NEF is pretty light. Iffn' I were you I would suggest a recoil reducer. But I'm a stock crawler. Also if you can don't shoot off the bench a bunch. I learned that handy trick when I got my 458 Win Mag and my friendly? gunsmith gave me 500 Grain bullets to try it out. I had previously had Laser Eye Surgery for Glaucoma a couple weeks before I got my new rifle. Loaded a round and snuggled up and touched it off while sitting at the bench. After the round went off all I seen was two white flashes, I thought I detatched both retinas, and found myself half a zipcode away from the bench. But wet from the shower I weigh 150#.

My next shot I stood on my hind legs and it wasn't a big problem. The Whelen is not a really hard kicker but the recoil is noticeable over an '06. Just be aware.

My only problem with my Whelen is it has BAD karma. Everytime I used it for deer hunting and removed it from the case ALL deer within 3 counties disappear. So far the only animal I have harvested with it is a Coyote. I was angry and Wiley offered his body as a sacrifice and I was upset at not seeing any deer so I shot it. Like to tore the poor little booger in half. Hypothesis: The Whelen is not a good varmint rifle.

The NEF should serve you well for the type hunting you do. Just get familiar with it.

Best wishes, Bill

[PJgunner]

Well, I don't think the .35 Whelen kicks all that much. I have three rifles chambered to the round. I dunno about the NEF, but if it doesn't come with one, and I'm being brand specific here, change whatever pad they have on the gun with either a Pachmeyr Decelerator or a Limbsaver pad. Take my word on that, they do reduce the pain.
I shoot 250 gr. bullets almost exclusively in mine as that was what the cartridge was designed to shoot. It was designed to shoot 250, 275 and 300 gr. bullets way back when, because most people could not afford a rifle chambered to the .375 H&H. The long action Mauser's action alone was $100, pretty pricey back in 1922. The fact that a .35 Whelen will shoot 200 and 225 gr. bullets well is just icing on the cake.
FWIW, I am in the planning stage to have two more Whelens built. One will be on a Ruger #1B and the other on a Husqvarna FN style action I picked up a while ago. Both will have a 1 in 12" twist rate in the barrel. My Remington 700 Classic and Ruger 77 have 1 in 16" twists which are wrong for the cartridge and my custom Mauser that I picked up at an estate sale has a 1 in 14" twist, better but no cigar. The 1 in 16" twist seems to work OK with 250 gr. bullets, but if I ever wanted to shoot something heavier, I doubt they'd stabilize. I just happen to have a few 275 gr. Hornady round nose bullets made sometime in the deep dark past. The first Hornady manual has data for the bullets, but also states that the bullets were discontinued and the data was there for the benefit of those that might still have some. The manual is dated 1967 so I figure the bullets were dropped about 1965/66.
I did once see an NEF rifle in .280 Rem. it had a really heavy barrel, so there is probably a good chance the one in .35 Whelen won't be the featherweight some think it might be.
As far as recoil goes, if you handload, start on the light side and increase the level as you acclimatize yourself to the kick. The .35 Whelen is a darn good round that is sadly under appreciated by most of the shooting public.
Paul B.

[jon lynn]

I thought I detatched both retinas, and found myself half a zipcode away from the bench.

LOL.........did you ever find the retinas? Sorry to laugh at your pain, but that sounds briutal, maybe I will just stick with my trusty 'ol .30-06 I never shoot anything big any way here in Germany.

[BILLY D.]

Jon

The Whelen has a European sister cartridge but I can't for the life of me remember the designation. It, the Whelen, would make an excellent Boar cartridge.

I found a way to tame down the 458 Winnie, I shoot 350 grain jacketed bullets or load it down with 405 gr lead bullets. Much more civilized. Loaded like that it is a 45-70 bolt rifle.

I would assume the NEF Rifles are somewhat like Thompson Encores and Contenders. You just can't get enough barrels for them. And pretty soon they become addictive. I have 8 Pistol Barrels and 4 rifle barrels.

I wouldn't dare live where you do. I'd have more excuses to purchase multi caliber rifles/shotguns than can be imagined. I'd also be in the poor house.

Don't overlook the Whelen, it's an excellent cartridge and very versatile.

Best wishes, Bill

[Jack]

Billy, just a guess, but the European sorta equivalent of the 35 Whelan might be the 9.3x62.
That cartridge is the same case length as a 30-06, and a bore diameter a hair larger than 35: about .366.
The 9.3x62 was originally designed to be chambered in Mauser rifles back in the day when many European countries had colonies in Africa. A big enough caliber to handle African game, in a much more reasonably priced bolt action, as compared to double rifles.
Nosler (and maybe others) makes bullets for it in the US, and I'm sure it's more common in Europe.