35 whelen...
 

so i just got my remington 7600 in 35 whelen...

and im ready to start reloading for the first time in my life...with this rifle, its practically a must if your going to shoot it...no way im paying 30$ for corelokts or 50$ for a good bullet...

got everything just waiting on my dies and they should be here early next week...

going to start with R15 and 225gr accubonds....really hoping the accubonds shoot well as they seem like the perfect bullet for my needs...which are deer and black bear..chose the powder because it seems to be the fan favorite for the whelen from all ive read...

range will be 5-150yds or so...typically 30-50yds...bear can be 30-800+lbs..part of bear hunting in PA is you never know what size bear you'll encounter...

i just wanted a fast handling rifle and a heavy hitter..the whelen and accubonds should be just that...

anyone shoot the whelen?? anyone have any loads they like??

+1

I reload the .35 Whelen and the .35 Whelen Improved. The 250 grain Speer Hot-Cor spitzer is a very good bullet: It works just as well on big boar hogs as the 250 grain Nosler Partition at less than half the price. That bullet will also work well on black bears. It is probably overkill for use on whitetail deer but at $18.00 for 50 from Natchez the price is right. The 225 grain Sierra Pro-Hunter is another good bullet for the .35 Whelen.

My bullet of choice for woods ranges is the 250 gr Hornady RN, the SP would be a good choice as well. Fed 210 primers sitting on top of 52.7 gr of I4064 give me 1" groups @ 100 yds. CCI primers the charge is 53.2.

+1 Falcon. I really like the 250 gr speer. I puts a big hole in deer.

The 225gr Accubond is not that expensive as any 358 bullets cost due to weight, Much better than the sierra 225gr BT. I holds its core something I can not say for the gameking.

If cost is esentcial the 220gr speer hot core FN is just fine for what he wants to do.


He took over Volks Wagon and did massive goverment spendding. Progressives in thw US modeled them selfes after what turned out to be the facists.????????

thanx guys...

im actually content with the accubond...anything that leaves a big hole in deer aint for me when i got an 800lb bear of a lifetime in my crosshairs and a hunter 100yds down the ridge...thats why i chose the accubond...expands quick but once its expanded, its done and coming out pretty much whole...from everything ive read it sounds like it does just that...

bear hunting in PA you never know if its gunna be a 30lb cub or 800lb boar...and theres a tonnnn of guys around...i need a bullet that will get the job done...but want something that expands and still does some damage as well...

i could care less if the accubonds sizzle right through a deer...its gunna die just as quick as any...


actually went to the range today...shot 10 over 55gr of R15...and 9 over 57.5gr of R15...

rem brass, 210m primer...

57.5 kinda impressed me...55 was hardly a group and it wasnt shooter error...

im in love with the gun (rem 7600) and caliber already...i think its gunna be a great PA rifle...now i got the bore worked a little i'll start working on finding a load she likes...wanna do it while its still fairly cold as come nov/dec when i'll be hunting, it'll likely be 20-50 degrees...likely 30-40 though...so i dont wanna work a load up in july...

going to start at 57gr and work my way up in half grain increments and see what she likes..then maybe play with seating depth a little bit...today i was shooting about maxed out OAL for my rifle...any longer and they wouldnt fit in the mag (talking hairs longer) and wouldnt eject live rounds either...

I have the same rifle and caliber. I am interested in what kind of accuracy you get out of the accubond. I shoot the accubond in other rifles but havent tried it in the whelen. Right now I am shooting the 225 gr sierra game king. Accuracy is pretty good but I havent shot anything with it yet. I am hoping for a nice Adirondack buck to pop its cherry.

55gr of R15 was 3 shots at 100 and about a 2" group...and i felt it was a fair group..not shooter error...

this is a 9 shot group with 57.5gr of R15...5-15mph wind..25 degrees and couldnt feel my trigger finger...and am not used to shooting the 9x scope...been shooting the 18x on the groundhog rifle...so i am certain that it'll shrink...thats 9 shots there...4 in that same string..2 in the same hole below the string...the bull is a shade smaller than a quarter...

the 4 shot hole was shot consecutively...



not bragging yet...but, conditions were about as bad as they get for shooting pretty lil groups...and the rifle was brand new in the box...that 9 shot group was shots 10-19 through the rifle...id say potential is there for sure...

im going to start at 57gr and work my way up in half grain increments and shoot groups and see what she likes...and play with seating depth a bit...both the loads i shot yesterday were maxed out in OAL for my rifle..any longer and you cant load the mag and live rounds wont eject..im going to seat them a bit deeper next time...

Here is my 5 shot group @ 100 yds with the 250 gr Hornady RN, the flier was my fault. Load is 52.7 gr of I4064, Fed 210 primer, I would try RE15, but I'm trying to start to limit how many different powders I keep on hand.

thats nothin to complain about!

these are actually my first EVER hand loads...only got dies, powder and bullets for the whelen right now actually...so i only have RE15 on hand :s1: i just picked it as it seemed to be the favorite for the whelen...

i have a good helper..so i feel i passed the learning curve pretty quick...


i just worked up a bunch of loads to try and see what she likes...did seat them a bit deeper than last time...

just waiting on the weather to cooperate...im not shooting in the wind to try to read groups....

i want it to be cold since this rifle will only be used when its cold...but need the wind to quit for a day...

and i got a trigger spring on the way so i want to put that in before i head back to the range...have a buddy that has them in all his 7600s and he said it takes them to a nice 2.5-3lbs..i'll be pumped if a 10$ spring lightens it at all...

im in love with the gun, the caliber, and handloading already! cant wait for it to get warm so i can work on the 22-250! thats gunna be fun as i already know its a sub-moa gun...

I try to keep load density at 85% or greater, the 4064 puts me at 90-95% so I'm happy there. I did the spring on mine dropped the pull down to about 3 1/2 lbs from 6 lbs, big difference.

good to hear about the trigger! im holding off on the next range trip till i get it..but i ordered it yesterday...shouldnt take too long to get here...

my RE15 load densities are high...with a max of 59 as per noslers 6th edition and 225gr accubonds, id be at 101%...

i got loads worked up to test...i have a buddy that handloads and has more remington pumps than your average guy (collector but shoots a bunch of them..and his entire family and camp does as well..) he says hes never seen one that didnt like loads close or at max levels...so we'll see...i think on a good day, that 57.5gr charge would print a nicer group...and the bore is still new so it can settle down there as well...

cant wait to see what i can get outta the rifle...looks promising so far though...just gotta keep range sessions short or suck it up...57.5 was a bit stiff...im not real recoil sensative...but ive heard alot of complaints about the whelen...and i can see why...59gr and its gunna hit a little bit...and i dont like hunting with rubber recoil pads..they snag when i shoulder the gun where plastic ones slide into place...i think i'll be fine...just gotta quit when i start feeling it so i dont start flinching...but im usually fine with recoil...when i rattle a tooth loose i might back off lol..

Yeh, that recoil on the 7600 is pretty stout, you know that you can get a recoil pad or a buttstock for a 20 ga 870 and it will work.

i do...but, im avoiding a rubber butt pad if i can help it...bear and deer drives, i need to shoulder quick...ive had rubber butt pads snag my vest and mess up the whole process where my plastic ones seem to slide and not catch like rubber...

reality is i wont be shooting this rifle off a bench a whole lot...once i work up a load and get it shooting well, i might burn 20rds a year after that...

i'll never feel the recoil when i jump a bear and send an accubond his way...

so if i can survive the plastic butt pad, i'll stick with it...though a good rubber pad would make a world of difference...

never reloading before, i was shocked at what a difference 2.5grs made goin from 55 to 57.5gr...world of difference...actually on the note of "rattling teeth loose..." i do have a cut on the inside of my check i know is from the recoil lol...happens when im shootin heavy hitters as i keep my head tight to the stock and low..

Sounds like the "black cheek syndrome" I get when I shoot my .54 :D

How hard is the spring replacement to do? I know the trigger pull on my 7600 is pretty stiff. Also, where did you order the spring from?

a friend recommended this one.....

http://www.barnesgunparts.com/reming...-760-740-.html

but theres others if you look around...i just went with that one because my buddy has a bunch from there and said he has no trouble and they worked well....



http://www.erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/i37.html

actually has directions on that site.....should be about a 30 second job...

Also available on Ebay, which is where I got mine.
http://cgi.ebay.com/REMINGTON-7600-7...item335a3594bb

It's very simple, all you need is a mallet, punch and needle nose pliers. Tap out the pins for the trigger group, remove the spring, install new one and reinstall trigger group. It comes with directions. Start to finish less than 10 minutes.

yes the over the counter 35 ammo is expensive, but thats when you can find it. I got into this reloading because no one in my area keeps more than a couple of boxes on hand.

the shop i bought the whelen from had a box of corelokts he tried to sale me...i wanted the gun so bad i wasnt tryin to talk him down in price...but i wasnt payin 35$ for a box of junk ammo!

it ate at me for a few weeks not to shoot my new rifle...but, im a handloader now....and i love it...wish i got into it years ago...but honestly never had a big enough reason...ammo for the pistols and toys was cheap till a few years back...and i never shot my hunting rifles a whole lot and only had 1 CF until a few years back i got my 22-250 and now my whelen...

the 22-250 was a decent reason, but i was shooting sub-moa with factory stuff so not enough to get me into handloading...but not way i was gunna pay 50+$ a box for good factory ammo...plus shipping...


im in love with handloading...its a blast...and another hobby/skill to the list...but, i'll always have ammo...as soon as i find loads for all my hunting rifles, im buying and loading enough to last my lifetime...

when the ban lead bullets, which i think we will end up seeing, im gunna be in a jam....hopefully they just stop production and i can still shoot the stuff i got...coz i'll honestly have enough loaded to last me for the rest of my time...atleast big game rifles that wont get shot a whole lot...22-250 i might burn a bunch each year...

although loading on a single stage, im going to load for my AR and my pistols as well...snowed in winter day i can crank out some ammo...it'll add up...give me somethin to do...and i'll have ammo when its hard to find and/or expensive...

Mauser where did you buy it?, I bought mine from Grice's in Clearfield, they also had the 700 CDL's but I wanted the 7600 to be different. It had the highly polished wood with the hard rubber/plastic butt plate. It kicked like a mule, and I'm used to doing 30-40 rds of 06 in a range session. I replaced the stock with a Butler Creek synthetic that weighs about half of what the wood did, reduced felt recoil by about 1/2 as well. May be more a result of the soft recoil pad but I think the straight comb on the B/C stock over the Monte Carlo of the wood plays a big part as well. I have two Whelen's, the 7600 and a Ruger Hawkeye all weather, I pulled the scope off of the 7600 and put a Williams peep on it to be my deep woods gun to go along with the XS Systems Ghost Ring on my 307.

Agreed, I had to try at least 6 different bullet styles and weights before I settled on the 250 gr Hornady RN. I haven't tried the SP but I am completely satisfied with the RN for all hunting conditions I'm likely to encounter.

thndrchicken, i got it from a small shop in northern butler county PA...mine was actually made in a short run in 2005 but was still new in the box unfired...its blued/satin walnut...the shop owner said he bought it and a bunch of the maple runs from grices...it collected dust on his rack for a while he said....

funny as mine is likey to be worth a comparable amount as the maples..maybe a little more...most the remington collectors have no intrest in the maple..and i didnt either...they say 250 or something a year...but i can buy NIB maple 35 whelens all day...finding a walnut one is a bit hard...not completely impossible...but 95% of the time they are bringing more than most the other calibers in the 760/7600 lineup past and present...because there werent a whole ton of the whelens made...only made from 88-96 and then a special run in 04/05 i think...maybe another special run in there somewhere..but now just maples...

dont know why they didnt take...the guys that have them typically love them...and the guys buyin them now are collecting them or buying them like me...because they WANT one...i cant think of a better bear rifle...can take anything in north america and most of africa...fast follow ups are nice when they are needed...

alot of guys say they arent very accurate...but my buddy that collects them and has a PILE says ALL of his 760's are under an inch...and all his 7600s prior to the mid 90s are under an inch....lately he said hes been 50/50 and quit buying anything newer than mid 90s...said about half the newer 7600s and 700s just werent shooters...and hes a BR shooter and has some expirience and a shooter and hand loader and treats his deer rifle loads like he means it...no corner cutting for the most part...


i dont think i'll ever be too sad i loaded up 50-75 accubonds designated for hunting....look whats already starting to happen with the bullet manufacteres...they are all bringin out lead free bullets....im just not sold on them...and afraid i may never be...so im likely to have enough lead bullets for my hunting rifles to last me...bullets arent that expensive in most calibers...

but i wont stock up and load anything till i got a load develope and i find a bullet that im happy with...

did some load testing today...

loaded 3 of each charge...7 charges total...

heres the best results...






a little playing with seating depth and my trigger spring, and i just might have a 1 ragged hole rifle...

rifle is still pretty new...got 40rds through her all together now..so it may settle down a bit itself yet...and my trigger spring got shipped today...so next time i shoot, i'll have it...

im pretty happy with that group though...being a new handloader, new rifle, not being real used to the rifle, its hard to complain about shootin like that..

had a few others shoot around an inch as well..i think only 1 charge was over 2" and its pushing max..no signs of pressure, but its a hot load..funny the load that shot best was 1.5gr less than the nosler manual...so its not a very hot load...but i dont care...a 225gr accubond moving at those speeds is going to knock the snot outta anything it hits...got no doubt about that...

Nice, my load of 52.7 gr of 4064 is pretty mild as well, 2 gr under max per Hornady's data. I just can't bring myself to pay $35-40 for 50 bullets when I can get acceptable accuracy with the Hornady's with 100 in the box for the same price. Maybe this spring I'll play with 4350 or the 225 gr Sierra's. I still have to work a load up for my 257 project from last winter and I finally shot off all of my factory ammo for the 06, so I have a lot of range time coming up.

BTW if you don't mind my asking how much did you pay? If I remember correctly Grices was selling them for $569 and the 700 CDL's were $699 back in 2004/2005.

Anyone see any of the synthetic stocked ones laying around anywhere? I missed a chance at getting one many moons ago and have been kicking myself about it for a long time..but it is a truely fantasatic cartridge, more than enough gun to take on anything in this state..lots of drive behind those big ole' bullet and lots of tissue manipulation...also that Rem 7600 is fast and furious..I had one in /06 that would shoot as good as any of my Rem 700's and I saw one in the late 60's chambered in .244 Remington that was a sub 1/2 incher!!

ive never seen a synthetic whelen...not to say they werent made...but ive been lookin for a 7600 in 35 whelen for a few months and havent stumbled across one...


thndrchiken, i paid right around 700 out the door...i wasnt passing it up...its the gun and caliber i wanted...new in the box, and price of it will never go down...i could sell it for what i paid all day...there just wasnt a ton of the whelens made and the collector value is there and increasing...the guys buying them now are either like me and want a heavy hittin 7600 or are collectors...finding them is hit or miss...ive been watching the online auctions since November looking for one and most sale for more than i paid..and thats used..once in a while you'll see a used one for 600-700...but GOOD condition or new ones at 750+..plus shipping and everything else..

so i didnt do bad at all...i wasnt passing it up...and the satin finish was the stock i REALLY wanted....and finding out it was a special run gun, im pretty sure shes worth a bit more than i paid....i really dont care...im the kinda guy that if i want somethin, i'll pay for it....and dont care what its worth...shes my huntin rifle now!

the 7600 engraved 35 whelen is worth some change...there was less thant 1200 of them made...


accubond prices dont bother me a ton...they are a GREAT bullet from what ive read...and shoot VERY well...i wanted a good tough bullet that is going to do anything i need and then a little more..and, after shooting 21rds from the bench and seeing my shoulder this morning in the mirror, i wont be doin that again :s13: its simply not a gun made to sit on the bench and burn ammo with..its a small light rifle...the muzzle flip is pretty fierce..which makes it hurt when the top of the butt digs down into your shoulder..if it came straight back it wouldnt be terrible..it still dont bother me...but i wont be shooting it from the bench a ton...so bullet price doesnt bother me much...the nice thing about 35 cal is its hard to pick a bad bullet...i might change my bullet...but i wanna kill a critter or 2 with the accubons and see how they do...a big ole round nose will really knock the turds outta anything in its path....the accubond is supposed to expand to 2x its diameter upon impact but thats it....so we'll see how i like it...right now, its shooting well...and thats almost surely what'll be in my mag come bear season...

the guys in our group with 35 whelens have been using speer hot sores in 180 gr, very successfully for pa and maine bears.

I tried the 180 gr Hornady's, to say they shot patterns is an understatement. Then again I didn't try them in the Ruger so I'll reserve judgement.

I bought my 35 Whelen 7600 from Grices, part of the 2005 run. I'm loading the 225 gr. Game Kings, Rem. brass, 57.5 gr. R 15 and CCI 250 primers. Had the trigger reworked by Barnes, big improvement. I haven't really experimented with o.a.l., I kept them on the short side, more interested in reliable function over wringing out a few increments of group size. With a vintage Redfield Widefield 1.75 X 5 on her groups average around 1.5". Never shot a bear but have taken 7-8 deer with her. Can't say a bad thing about the Game Kings, all pased through never recovered one.

good info guys!!


got the same load down to about a 1/2" group...trigger spring? just better shooting that day...luck of how the bullets fell...i dont know..




only thing is, that was part of a 5 shot group!! that group in the pic was shots 1,3 and 5...2 and 4 landed side by side a little over an inch right...very odd...i think it was me...going to have to refire another 5 loaded the same...

i played with seatin depth that day but loaded 3 @ .10 longer and .10 shorter...much too large of an increment to "test" from what i understand...so i'll likely take it back with 5 loaded the same as the last 2 pics...then 3 longer and 3 shorter but not as big increments...just so i aint driving to the range for a 5 shot group and goin home...

i think that load is the winner..but we'll see...

Being that every other shot was good I'd check to be sure nothing was loose in your scope mounting system. It doesn't take much to move your point of impact an inch or so.

im 1000% sure nothing is loose...checked already...

i think it was me...i was messing around with my shooting form and the bags and all that...im pretty sure it was me...ive honestly never played around and sat at a bench and shot much at all....so its new to me...and i was messing around seeing how i was most comfortable and steady...

we'll find out...gunna get another batch rolled up maybe now....be shooting within the next few days id say...

cut her off to 18.5" and then youll have somethin! i have three whelens, two 7600 carbines and a 750 carbine. in the market to trade the 750 for a 35 remmy 7600 carbine. all shoot great but the 250 rn honadys are my ticket for big maine bucks wuffaboomis's and side-hill gougers

are your 7600's true whelen carbines? or did you cut them down??

just curious...i havent seen a true whelen carbine for sale yet...they aughta have a pretty good value on them...

i thought about choppin her...but, that couple inches aint worth the value the gun would loose...werent a ton of whelens made and they are starting to rise in price and getting a little tough to find in good shape...i'll hunt with her..but a few hunting marks wont hurt its value like chopping a barrel...

no i had them cut. and they came out beautiful. the bluing took real nice and i had it drilled and tapped for a williams ramp and fire site. as far as value, in i think your putting your remmy pump on a pedistal a little too high. they are nice guns but they are tools. sounds like you really like it so there couldnt be a price on it. things of real value are things you wouldnt ever get rid of. by cuttin her off it made it balance carry and point like a dream. just like 06 version. as far as not many being made, there are more out there then you think. ive had several through the years and finally kept a couple.

that "couple of inches" makes a huge differance........but still not even a comparison to my mod 7 350 maggy

The 35 Whelen is what the 350 remington was supposed to be.

i'll likely die still owning my whelen...and it'll be hunted with probably every year i carry a centerfire rifle...

i hunted pretty hard to find it...found some online and NIB or very good condition were bringing a pretty penny..even pretty well used ones werent cheap....you can find a 7600 in 3006 for 1/2 or so of what the whelens are going for...you can get lucky and snag them cheap..but they are nowhere near as common as some of the other calibers and were only made for 8 years plus a few special runs..they are out there..but not in great numbers...

i could care less about the value of it...i wanted a light, fast handling, heavy hitting rifle for my bear and deer drives...had to have a detachable mag as i wanted one because im in and out of the truck every hour or few hours and it just makes it easy...

i woulda settled for a 3006 rem pump..but found out they made them in whelen and said i had to have one...and i got one..was NIB when i got it..mine was actually a special run in 05..satin finished walnut...

im happy as could be...

may or may not chop it...see how cumbersome those 4 inches are this november/december...

hahaha i hope your joking. if that was a serious comment ide keep that little gem to myself in any and all conversations w/ knowledgable gun buffs


good luck w/ your whelen, i think youll like it cut if light fast and handy is your goal. plus in and out of the truck???? do you hunt from the roads down there or what. in maine most of us load our rifles in the morning and unload them at night.....

no we dont road hunt...but our wood lots here in my area i deer hunt arent huge...an hour or so and the drive is over and we are in the trucks driving to the next woodlot we want to drive...and cant have a loaded rifle in the vehicle here...

in the "mountains" when were bear hunting, woods are ALOT bigger...our drives average 1-3 miles or so...so were still out of the woods and in the truck and back into the woods as the next drive every few hours...

just how we hunt...