Decades ago, as a Logger, a Job came up on Afognak . I was going to Log till Everyone else went home, Thanksgiving- Mid Jan , and I was going to Trap then. I had asked Jeff Cooper for his reccomendation, for Afognak, he reccomended a 35 Whelan Scout build on an 03 Speingfield, with a 250 Grain @ 2500 FPS. On Afognak Bear never go into hibernation. And they have Roosevelt Elk which regularly run heavier than our Shiras Moose. My Gunsmith executed with precision My 03 Springfield Scout 35 Whelen ala Shilen Barrel sub 3/4 MOA Groups : 250 gr Hornady 55 gr. 4320 Fed Primer. Alas , Bill Clinton shut down logging just before I was to leave. May he and his Missus Rot and Burn in Hell for all Eternity.

My 35 whelen with 225 gr accubonds is every bit of a 400 yard capable elk cartridge. Here in MT I filled my antelope, deer and elk tag this year with my whelen all with one shot on each.

Sent here by The Last Minuteman, Great Video! I had no idea about the 35 Whelen. What a amazing cartridge . I am going to look it up and study it in my reloading manuals. Crazy power that is available, definately a poor mans magnum. Thanks for the info and exposure to this cartridge.

My Dad went to gunsmithing school after serving in the Navy during the Korean War. He soon found out that beginner gunsmiths go hungry so he got a job and did smithing on the side. As a kid in the 70's, he would mesmerize me and my 2 older brothers with the magic of cartridges and one of them was the .35 Whelen. I'm now 59, and if the Lord ever moves me to Alaska, I'm either getting a .45-70 and or a 35 Whelen. Great video and I can't imagine putting something like this together and feeling comfortable with the camera; you've earned my respect and admiration.

This was great!I have always had an affection for the model 70 !!

I have a custom 35 Brown-Whelen built on a Czech large ring 98 Mauser. Picked it up from a gun show too cheap to pass up. Sent three shot rounds to C4HD for custom dies. I love the gun, and have taken moose and elk in heavy brush.

I have a Remington 7600 .35 Whelen and it’s a Beast, it shoots 200 Grain the best, but Wow! My last two Bucks I’ve shot with it , it blew them rite over, and again WOW it really is a Monster! And to me, out of the best Rifles there is the Remington Pumps, it’s so perfect!

Everyone that gives 35 calibers a shot.. usually falls in love 💕 They're truly different.. but make a world of difference on game.. especially inside of two hundred yards!

Great cartridge! I built one on a Mauser 98 action in the 60s...in high school! Yep, used it for a project in metal shop AND wood shop. Imagine doing THAT in 2022. I used it as my elk rifle for many years with excellent results. When Remington introduced the the Model 760 in .35 Whelen in 1988, I bought the first one I could get my hands on. It became my primary elk rifle. Just as accurate as the Mauser and faster to operate. Until Remington made the cartridge a factory round, I fireformed .30-06 cases to make cases for the .35 Whelen.

Iowa here and love my 35 Whelen Cva Scout V2 in stainless. Absolutely a tack driver.

35 caliber is very effective for hunting . I have successfully used the 35 Whelen, 350 rem mag, 358 Winchester, 35 rem, and 357 maximum on big game. Also the 348 Winchester. I have been extremely impressed with the performance of all. It is sad that others do not appreciate how good 35 calibers are.

Great video. I have the now discontinued Remington 7600 35 Whelan Carbine that I use down here in Victoria Australia for hound hunting large sambar deer. I also have a Tikka T3X 9.3x62. But I like the compact and fast handling nature of the 7600. It's also ideal for pigs up North. For hound hunters after the 30/06 the 35 Whelan has always been popular on sambar deer. Although for the past 10 years the 9.3x62 has also become very popular. Thanks for sharing!

That was a great video ! The 35 whelen is one of my favorite.

My buddy still has his Remington 7600 pump action 35 Whelen. It's a tack driver.

Wonderfully produced video. I acquired a Whelen several years ago, a Remington 700. It accompanies me to the Adirondack's every year and it's a joy to carry just for the history alone. It's accurate as well. Thanks for all the great info.

I’ve never had a 35 Whelen or shot one, after watching your video now I want one. Very thorough and informative!! Thank you

I have a CVA Scout just like yours in .35 Whelen. I use it for Primitive whitetail deer hunting in Louisiana. I have been using the 180 Grain Barnes TTSX since it was new, and they have performed great at 2977 f.p.s. Edited to add: I know a 180-grain bullet isn't ideal in a .35 whelen. However, I only shoot out to 250 yards and the 180 grain Barnes is easy for me to find.

As I live in Europe , the natural choice for me would be a 9.3mm. But I love the history of the .35 Whelen, and just as the 9.3 , it's ideal for hunting all deer/elk/moose game in bear country. I reload myself , so it's no big difference in ammo availability. I got a killer deal on a Savage .35 barrel , and then bought a well used rifle in 30-06. So Whelen it is! No regrets!

Thank you for covering my second favorite caliber after 30.06, I hunted the NC coast for black bear for years and my go-to rifle was a .35 Whelen…as you know the East coast of NC produces some of the largest black bears in the world and the .35 Whelen never did not perform, it is an excellent cartridge.

Fantastic video. Thank you!

Very well done video!

the .35 is the least recoiling cartridge that i would consider a stopping round for brown bear. ie it needs to destroy a front shoulder joint or penetrate the skull in a charge. honestly, this cartridge is shrouded in so much mystique, so much true American heritage that im glad its getting a second life in deer hunting. but make no mistake, it will drop anything you point it at.

I picked up a 35 Whelen thanks to you.

Love this video. I hunt with a Remington 7600 Pump Carbine chambered in 35 Whelen. It is an extremely light rifle that is an absolute hammer. I can't recommend it enough.

I'm wanting a Remington 7600 35 Whelen and someday will get one, we don't have elk or moose in NW Alabama but maybe a bigfoot? I really like the old standbys like 3006, 6.5x55, 280Rem and that big daddy 35 Whelen! Good video my friend...

Thank You for the informative video.

I know nothing about the 35 Whelen other than internet lore. It intrigued me since I have a 3006 that needs rebarreling. Love your show you have given me alot to think about.

I have been waiting for this video since you replied to my comment on your build video. Thank you so much for your content. You are an unbiased source of information that is rarely discussed. Your videos draw my attention and drain my wallet.

I have a 33806 Ackley improved that performs beautifully. I have taken everything except for the four sheep. I will have a Whalen though. It’s a great round. Bigger is ALWAYS better !!! David Gentry of Belgrade Montana builds great rifles. Very well done video!!

Excellent content as usual. Thank you!

Sorry if i missed it, but over the 338WM is that in most rifles, you get 2 additional rounds in the mag. Another plus for the Whelen...

Another video full of good info.

I own a .35 Whelen Ruger tang safety model 77R with a Timney trigger - and the big three when I lived in Alaska were the .358 Winchester - the .35 Whelen - and the .444 marlin all of which proved to be top notch performers for me - though I really value the Federal premium 225 grain Whelen with the trophy bonded bear claw bullets - bullets that were great on everything from deer to west coast grizzly bear.

My 35 Whelen is a rebarreled 98 large-ring Mauser military rifle, with a heavy new barrel. I love it and wish the old stock was nicer. Maybe I will find one in my search around gun shops, or maybe from Boyd's stocks. I really enjoy reloading for it, and I have lots of ammo from 200 to 250 grains, although I love my 225 grain rounds the best. This has become my favourite rifle, and will always remain in my meager collection. I really enjoyed this video and love the way you take the time to explain things.

Life begins at 35. .358 that is. Great video . I have one and am building another.

Dog this is another awesome video.. my 35 Whelen is a TC Encore with 28 inch barrel. It shoots about 1inch but what is more important to me is the first shot from cold bore is dead on point of aim. To me as a eastern hunter the 35 is perfect for a single shot rifle it put’s deer on the ground right now and that is what you need when you hunt small 40 acres and Evan less sometimes so they don’t run onto neighbors property. Be safe and live free my friend..

My favorite

Just built my first 35 Whelen from a Winchester model 70 this summer, Such a wonderful gun/cartridge! I paid 480 on GB for a 30-06 M70 and sent it to JES Reboring in Oregon for $275, got it back in 4 weeks and now I have a one of a kind 35 for less than $800

I have a Remington 700 ks custom shop in 35 Whelen and I just built a 400 Whelen…love the caliber

I am a huge fan of the 9.3x62 which is in my experience superior. Have used the .35 Whelen too. Love the history segment. Keith was a big fan of the .35 Whelen and used it in Alaska. Myself I would rather have a .35 Whelen with a heavy bullet in big bear country than the .300 Magnum cartridges. That 9.3x62 is the reason I will never own another .338 Winchester magnum.

My 35 Whelen is built on a VZ 24 Mauser action with a 26” E.R. Shaw barrel 1:14 twist topped with a 3.5x14x40 Zeiss scope. I’m shooting 180 grain TTSX Barnes bullets in Vortex ammo . The barreled action resides in a nice piece of walnut. installed a nice Timney trigger. Sent it off to 300 below cryogenic treating. If I do my job, it will hold half inch groups at 400 yards love my 35 Whelen build.

I inherited 35 Whalen dies and 303 British. Always wanted to explore the 35… “ now I have a start” Thank you for sharing!

I started hunting with a 35 whelen in a Remington 700 classic a few years ago. It’s becoming my favorite deer rifle. Great video and I totally agree with you on the effectiveness of the cartridge.

I’ve shot and handloaded for a few 35 Whelens. Great cartridge, with a lot of uses to this day. Only reason I don’t have one is because I went with the older cartridge in the 9.3x62. Also thanks for using modern loads in your comparison chart. I also use the 250 accubond in my 9.3 at 2623 fps. It and the whelen are ballistic twins that can be loaded to easily beat all the factory loads safely. And I’ve never had a headspace issue on either of these cartridges due to their slight shoulders.

9.3x62 that I shoot has a shallow shoulder and works fine with 250 TSX @ 2400 fps out of a 20" barrel. Cast boolits make all of these more fun to shoot.

I'm a new subscriber, I like this guy. He's informative without all the drama and theatrics of many gun channels.

good info abut the Whelen here mate, im a fan of the .35, i use a Ruger hawkeye.. its a little heavy for back pack hunts but i use it for Day hunting on big sambar deer animals here in Australia.

I have a T/C Encore Pro Hunter and a Savage 110 in 35 Whelen. I love the caliber it puts big game down. I used for a moose and caribou hunt in Alaska two years ago and it dropped my moose in one shot at 105 yds.

Fantastic video.

Appreciate that you include efficiency of the cartridge in your comparisons. Also appreciate mention of recoil, as this is important to some of us

I’ve shot every brand of ammo that loads factory and I’ve never had a headspace issues . I had mine built at a reputable gunsmith and it works great

I did have trouble with headspacing on my first .35 Whelen. The rifle was a CVA Scout II and the second shot I took with it produced a separated case head. I took the rifle to my local gunsmith after much frustration and he told me the rifle was the problem. I sent the rifle back to CVA and they varified what my gunsmith told me. They didn't have another .35 to send me so I chose another caliber. I then order a Lipsey's Ruger #1 in .35 Whelen. It's a wonderful rifle in a wonderful caliber. I have relieved myself of all magnum rifles except my 300 win. mag.

Another great video. I hunt with a cz 9,3 for pretty much everything in Washington State.

Great video dog. Very well explained. They say everything goes full circle. And it's true. The mid 1800s were a time where there was simply no overbore. Then 50 years later, overbore with skinny fast bullets were getting very popular. But the 35 whelen backs off a bit on the overbore that improves it over the 30-06 in nearly every way. If you ask me, velocity always comes at the expense of more powder, recoil and barrel life. If you need to hunt everything at 1000 yards, I think it's time you start thinking about improving your stalking skills. Because you should never put 100% of your hunting responsibility on your cartridge. It takes more than just a fancy cartridge to bring home game.

Another great video Sir Desert Dog. My Whelen is old school and I guess that applies to me too as I'm now in my 70th year. It's built on a large ring 98 Mauser, with a 24" what I call a "heavy" barrel in a mesquite wood stock. Great shooter but a bit heavy. I also have 358 Winchester and 338-06, also both custom guns built around 98 Mauser actions plus a 336 Marlin 35 Remington, a great "woods range" deer cartridge. I definitely like my 35's and don't need a magnum louden boomer harden kicker. One of the great things about the 35 Whelen is that it is versatile enough as long as you're using it for ethical hunting distances (by that I mean not over 400 yards) and not trying to be a wannabe sniper using live animals for target practice. Also you really don't need premium bullets for thin skinned Whitetails and Mule Deer. Even the lowly old Remington factory 200 grain Core-Lokt bullet at an alleged 2620 fps makes a big whole going in and coming out. If you don't hand load and you want a really flat shooting 35 Whelen try the Hornady 200 grain SuperFormance at an alleged 2920 fps. Probably not the best bullet for Elk but it can stretch out the maximum effective point blank range of the Whelen for deer or other relatively thin skinned game. If you hand load all things are possible. For close quarters shooting such as in heavy timber for Elk, with bullets like the Barnes, Woodlies and Norma Oryx in the 275-300 grain range heavy constructed category at around 2300 fps or possibly a little more, the Whelen will equal or exceed the 9.3x62 for bone breaking put'em down now capability. Maximum SAAMI pressure for the 9.3 is 57500 psi (piezo transducer measured) and 62000 for the Whelen so with all other factors being equal, the Whelen should push equal weight bullets faster than the 9.3. Accuracy is another story. Your mileage may vary. I still want a 9.3x62 just to say that I have one. Cool is cool. It will go along with my Siamese Mauser 45-70 Gov't in case the dinosaurs come back. Happy hunting boys and girls!😄

A friend of mine finished a build of a 358 Norma barreled P17 action with dies he found for cheap. He took both his first black bear and first moose with the rifle this year. I really see why guys like the 35 caliber rifles. Having shot the 375 H&H for years and being my main squeeze, I see it more like the 270 to the 30-06 of the mid bore magnums.

The 30-06 case has led to some amazing rounds. This round is obviously a steam roller. I know the 30-06 in 180 grain just drops doe's where they stand. In swamp and bottom land with thickets and tracking conditions in the dark, the Whelen might be really ideal. Tracking a deer can be a nightmare. I 've lost one buck years ago with an inferior plastic tip hand load that didn't exit the deer. Those experiences are hard lessons. I can appreciate the Whelen with it's potential.

Ive been enamored of the 35 whelen since my teens. I've owned 4, still have 2. I have hunted with them, was looking forward to doing more, but unfortunately age seems to want to bring you all sorts of health issues that seem determined to take the fun out of life. At this point, I don't know if I will be able to do anymore hunting. So much for modern health care. I have not given up yet, I would love to do some more hunting with my 35 whelen, 405 Winchester, 348 Winchester, 30-40 Krag, 30-30, and 25-35. Also my pre 64 model 70 in 300 h&h. And it would be nice to do more with my regular 30-06, 308, 270, and 257 roberts. Guess I just have too many "wants", but I'm running out of time and opportunity. 😕

Amazing video DDO! Extremely in depth and comprehensive coverage of the 35 Whelen. I appreciate you answering a question I emailed you about in this video. Thank you!

Really enjoying all your videos, I've been binging on them all.

The reason the 225 grain 35 cal bullet goes the same speed at the muzzle as the 180 grain 30 cal bullet out of the same case with the same powder charge is because, the larger cross sectional area of the 35 bullet permits more force to applied to its base in the same instant and thus it gets going faster over the same distance. This dynamic is why the larger your bore, the shorter your barrel can be while still achieving something close to optimal performance. An old thumb rule was: minimum barrel length for optimum performance in a 30 cal is 24”. Minimum barrel length for optimum performance in a 7mm is 25”. For a 264 cal it’s 25-26”. For a 257 it’s 26”. For a 243 it’s 26”+.

I did a semi-custom 35 Whelen based off of a 300 Win Mag on a Savage 110. I ordered a Boyd's thumbhole stock in peppermint and ordered all of the go no-go gauges and appropriate tools for the job From Midway USA along with the barrel chambered in 35 Whelen that I hand fitted myself and this cartridge and Barrel configuration is awesome

your a champ bud. thankyou for the vid!!

Very informative video as usual 👍 The .35 Whelen is a cartridge that I've been intrigued about since I was a kid and I'm now 46. I am looking forward to building a custom rifle as you did or if I'm lucky finding one in my budget. Really enjoy your videos, I can't wait for the next one 😀

There are so many great cartridges from a 100 years ago. If they never made another cartridge you can get the job done with the old ones. You may have to become a better hunter and aquire some ethics but they all work. I love my 35 Whelen, 358 Winchester and 300 savage. Great video!

Working on my third .35 Whelen at the moment! Pac-Nor is putting a barrel on a donor 1950 Model 70 action. I also have a Model 700 CDL, and a 1903 sporter in .35 Whelen 40° Improved. I have been waiting for this video for a while now!! THANKYOU!!!❤

I hope Ruger is watching. I would love to see them bring this back.

Damn good practical rundown.

👍👍 Great video Desert Dog, I always learn something from your videos.

Excellent video on the 35 Whelen. I also enjoy your videos covering the other under appreciated cartridges such as the 25-06 and 7mm-08.

Great video Brother

Great video!

Been useing a Remington custom shop mountain rifle in 35 for years..perfect elk and black bear round.

I know I'm late on this video. I just want to say I new a gun smirh and I asked him over 15 yrs. ago. He said get a no.4 conture barrel with a 1 and14 twist shoot 235 gr. bullets at 2800 fps and go shoot any thing on this continent. Very well respected gun Smith and reloader. Love the cartridge. I still have not a contridction in your reality I hope every person takes in what you are saying. I can not disagre with most of your Annalise. Great cliber thank you for your elv. Big fan of truth. Fantastic always be real willkep wachn.DD

My favorite rifles and calibers.. Ruger Hawkeye .35 Whelen and Ruger M77 Mark ll .375H&H 😉

I’m glad I’m a subscriber. This man is full of knowledge. Thank you for sharing my friend.

Great video, have always been a fan of 35 calibers. Have never owned one except in handguns. Even more endeared to the 35 Whalen after this video.

Had a 7400 & 7600 in 35whelen... nothing walked away from it..

Very informative

Haven't even watched the video, but I know I'm gonna love it

The 35 Whelen is a great cartridge that should be much more popular today. It's a great performer on medium and really large game with less recoil than the larger magnums. People just dont seem to be able to get behind a 35 cal cartridge. Its just like it was for decades with the 6.5mm. Now 6.5mm is very popular. I hope this happens with the 35 cal because the 35 Whelen and the 350 Rem Mag deserve a big come back. I would also add the 358 Norma Mag to that list. On the smaller end I'd like to see the 35 Remington in a light semi auto

One factor that helped the popularity of the .35 Whelen was that the US Army dumped a lot of surplus M1917 Enfield and M1903 Springfield rifles on the market cheap between the wars and even more after WWII. You could get one for $20 or less depending on condition. On top of that a lot of captured '98 Mausers came on the market for under $10. There was no commercial ammo for the Mausers and many of the Enfields and Springfields had worn/pitted barrels back in the corrosive primer days so a cheap and easy fix was to bore them out to .358 and re-rifle them. A Mauser would need the chamber reamed as well. It was a very practical solution to get a usable big game hunting rifle for not much money. In those days most people only had lever-actions or single action rifles so these were a revelation. It also didn't hurt that a properly loaded .35 Whelen could match the ballistics of the .350 Rigby Magnum of African Safari fame. I remember back in the 50s our neighbor showing off his sporterized M1917 Enfield to my dad. He was pretty proud of it. He was going to use it for bear and moose. It was widely considered the best moose gun around at that time. FWIW, it did have a reputation for headspace problems. I remember reading articles about it in the '70s. Gun writers would blame its lack of popularity on the headspace reputation. I'm glad you mentioned about setting the barrel back as I believe failure to do that is partly responsible for the headspace reputation. Good presentation.

Great cartridge, great video.

I have an old JC Higgins that was sold by Sears but made by FN. it was originally a 30-06, but was rebuilt to be a 35 whelen. It shoots very tight groups and kills quickly. It is one of my favorite rifles even though it is not the most expensive at all

Well done full review! I've always called the Whelen the "American Express." Mine, built on a rebarreled commercial Mauser, averaged .65 MOA!! 16 one shot kills on deer and elk- only a problem recovering bullets with the X bullets I used! Cant praise this cartridge enuf. But now I'm glad it's coming back yet again!!!

Good video, instead of the poor man's magnum, maybe it's the practical man's magnum. Over here it is popular with the Remington pump action rifles, it is a good option for that quick second shot in thick cover, with an Aimpoint on top you don't need much else.

30 caliber is Americas cartridge for hunting in all it's variables , 35 whelen rifle and a 357 side arm sounds like the perfect combination, 35 whelen being the pinnacle rifle cartridge and the 357. Being the pinnacle pistol cartridge for hunting across the spectrum. It's a ballistic sweet spot around 9mm being 356. With the right velocities.

Great video man I've been looking at this cartridge or 338-06 ai for my next rifle. And also glad to see you using hammer bullets they are by far the best hunting bullets I've ever used.keep up the good work and God bless

Thank You for the informative and awesome video presentation.

Great video! Very thorough. Now, I have to have a rifle in 35 Whelen. My wife will be thrilled. 😂

.35 Whelen is the most efficient cartridge I've ever loaded for. Using a 225 grain bullet and less than max. load my muzzle velocity averages 2816 fps. To do the same thing with my .338 mag. requires more than 10 grains of extra powder.

Love my .35 Whelen, I've used Varget almost exclusively to load 200 grainers. It will shoot less than an inch at 100 yards easily. Would love to try the 180 barnes TTSX. My gun is a REM 700 SPS rebarreled. My local smith made me one in a 1-14" twist. He used a Shilen barrel blank and it is either a #3 or #4 contour. Thanks for the info on history!!!!

I have a H and R Elks edition. And love it. Ammo is coming back too

35 Whelen with light loads using Trail Boss with .358 cast pistol bullets and even .357 jacketed pistol bullets has worked well in my Ruger No. 1. I use them for small game when the in opportunity arises during the hunt. I have a nice .358 315 gr NOE cast called the "Thumper" with Trailboss travelling a 1035 fps and another gas checked version driven to 2118 fps. It's flexibility has expanded just the fact you can use .357-358 projectiles for the cartridge to handload.

'You're mighty well told' listening to this man. Quote from Wishbone on Rawhide.

Good video. Feral hogs and nilgai have fallen to my #1 Ruger .35 Whelen. The nilgai was right at 300 yds. Hornady Superformance churning .358 Norma Mag ballistics

Great presentation. Although I don't own one I always liked 35 whelen as a concept.

Going to buy one then make my wife move to Alaska 😁

Planning to build a Browning BAR Safari 30.06 rebarreled to a 35 Whelen for situation where grizzlies may be present. I'm for what ever reason wherry about venturing into grizzly land without what I think would be the best gun for moderate to shorter range grizzly defense. Hard to explain, I have been so lucky all my life, and don't want my good fortune to run out with one of these monsters LOL. Fantastic video and so good I listen to many of your video's at lease two, three times. I really love this round based on what you and others educated me on. I want to keep my hunting guns to a moderate amount recoil. Happy New Year DD.

A BLR in .35 Whelen would be a great large and dangerous game combo. Thanks for sharing.