Buying new elk rifle

[35WhelenAI]

35 Whelen is one of the most under utilized cartridges out there, lol. My 35 AI squirts a 200 TTSX out at 2940 fps with IMR 4064 and 3020 fps with Alliant Power Pro Varmint. Eclipses factory loads by a good amount. In the Whelen, the AI is a cool thing to have but practically speaking when Speer data for newer powders pushes a 250 grain bullet over 2700 fps in the std Whelen, who's counting.

 

[Bluefish]

Well I’ll be. So that’s for regular gun 1&2 season. Man everyone I know hunts and I haven’t heard that

I don’t think they made a big deal about it and if you don’t read the regs, you would never know it changed.
the 35 whelen is a great round, factory ammo, easy to make from 30-06, great power out to 300 ish yards. Whouldnt hesitate to use it on shorter range elk. 35 cal just doesn’t have the bc for long range work.
Cva is making single shots which are readily as they are also legal for Louisiana and Missouri primitive season. Can also rebarrel or rebore a 30-06 into 35 whelen.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Agree the Whelen isn't a long range round compared to the ones customarily used at 500+ yards and beyond.

From experience it carries the freight a whole lot further than most folks understand with respect to "power". I use quotations on that word as I'm wondering what the measure of power is? Foot pounds? Probably not entering the picture in this day and age. But a 200 grain bullet at 2000 FPS will certainly give a decent number. On game effect or animal reaction? I could go for that, however power is typically a unit of something that is measurable. With that said, that large diameter bullet makes an impression.

Long range is in the eyes of the beholder so to speak. 400 yds and beyond is getting pretty long with respect to humane and lethal hit percentages with any round. There are some good reads on that on this forum.

The 200 grain TTSX at 2940 fps and a modest elevation of 2,000 ft carries 2,000 fps to just past 430 yds. Bump that elevation to 8,000 ft and it carries a bit over 2,000 fps at the 540 yard mark.

Main thing I've noticed is the animals reaction when a 35 caliber Barnes bullet expands to 3/4 of an inch and takes the vitality right out of an elk or muley/whitetail deer.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I don’t think they made a big deal about it and if you don’t read the regs, you would never know it changed.
the 35 whelen is a great round, factory ammo, easy to make from 30-06, great power out to 300 ish yards. Whouldnt hesitate to use it on shorter range elk. 35 cal just doesn’t have the bc for long range work.
Cva is making single shots which are readily as they are also legal for Louisiana and Missouri primitive season. Can also rebarrel or rebore a 30-06 into 35 whelen.

Roger that and mine is the Scout single shot with stainless fluted 25" barrel. I mounted a Burris Fullfield E1 on it and it shoots 180 and 200 grain loads equally well. Hasn't been picky on anything I've shot yet.

A quick search found one on Cheaper than Dirt for $422. However, can probably find lower.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Roger that and mine is the Scout single shot with stainless fluted 25" barrel. I mounted a Burris Fullfield E1 on it and it shoots 180 and 200 grain loads equally well. Hasn't been picky on anything I've shot yet.

A quick search found one on Cheaper than Dirt for $422. However, can probably find lower.

You are set to go. Don't look back and don't hesitate to point that at any big game animal that walks this lower 48 and probably most of them in Alaska as well with out hesitation.

 

[NCTrees]

No love for the 300 wby? Not fun to shoot. Ammo is expensive, but I don’t have a problem finding it. Good scope, good rings and my three shot group is the same from the year prior. Five to eight shells a year is pretty affordable on any budget I’d think. Main point is, come game time, it puts them down. Have a couple decades on my elk rifle now guessing fifteen or so freezer fillers. Not one lost elk or really any long tracks. Wont ever hunt elk with another caliber.

 

[roosiebull]

Only read the first page, but am surprised no mention of the 300wsm. Of the 30 cal magnums, that’s the most intriguing to me, but there have been some that stole the thunder like the prc, which I assume is hard to find ammo for and expensive if not hand loading

 

[The10%]

Only read the first page, but am surprised no mention of the 300wsm. Of the 30 cal magnums, that’s the most intriguing to me, but there have been some that stole the thunder like the prc, which I assume is hard to find ammo for and expensive if not hand loading

Just bought 7 PRC ammo local, same price as 7mm Rem. They actually have had a pretty good supply of all PRC ammo. I imagine Hornady has made it a priority to keep it in stock

 

[35WhelenAI]

The 300 magnums can be fairly well covered by a dollar bill with respect to being similar in performance. Sure, there are different cartridge designs, velocities vary up or down a bit, but on the whole, they make a fantastic elk rifle.

If you grew up shooting 30 years ago, you were probably taught by somebody that knew what they were doing with respect to focus, trigger application, recoil mitigation at the bench. Recoil is part of the deal with those cartridges. If a hunter learns to shoot them well, said hunter will do well for the typical amount of shooting in the field. They've done the job for me (300 Win Mag) on whitetails and mule deer as well.

 

[Swampcruiser]

I wish I could find 7 prc around me

 

[Fever Buck]

I wish I could find 7 prc around me

Check ammo seek. A few larger suppliers have started to carry it. Don’t know if this is similar to the 6.5/300 PRC fiasco (I was still shooting a .308 at the time) but so far it’s been fairly easy to find places selling it every so often. Just need to keep an eye out and understand who gets it.

 

[406angler]

You say you don't reload? That will significantly limit what you should get. Ask yourself what ammo can you readily get now and during the next ammo scare? Definitely not one of the PRC or STW variants. I would only focus on the most popular calibers: 30-06, 308, 300WM, 270...
It makes me cringe but the 6.5ManBun (aka creedmoor) will likely remain readily available as the military has recently adopted it (as with all but one of the aforementioned cartridges)

 

[sneaky]

You say you don't reload? That will significantly limit what you should get. Ask yourself what ammo can you readily get now and during the next ammo scare? Definitely not one of the PRC or STW variants. I would only focus on the most popular calibers: 30-06, 308, 300WM, 270...
It makes me cringe but the 6.5ManBun (aka creedmoor) will likely remain readily available as the military has recently adopted it (as with all but one of the aforementioned cartridges)

I was in an ammo bunker on an ASP one time during Obama's first term when ammo was hard to find, there was 110 pallets of 300WM Gold Medal Match ammo in that one bunker. I told them to put those 155 rounds back and load me up a few pallets of that lol.

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[sjvcon]

So many good cartridges out there now. Many duplicate what others do. Hard to beat something that has great Ammo availability. I recently built a 28 Nosler ... put a lot of money into it ... and can't find that ammo anywhere ... at least not reasonably. I have not started learning to reload yet (probably dumb), so has to come in a Factory Box. I see 300WM EVERYWHERE. Same can be said of 7RM. Might not be that way in the future ... and maybe I won't regret the Nosler later ... though with the new 7PRC I might. Good luck on the hunt ... whatever you use.

 

[longhorncadillac]

I just did the same thing, went from wanting a new 300wm to a 28 nosler to a 300 prc and then…. Finally…. Settled on a 7PRC. We’ll see but if its what its billed as, it would be the answer for me for a do it all North American/long range rifle.

 

[sneaky]

So many good cartridges out there now. Many duplicate what others do. Hard to beat something that has great Ammo availability. I recently built a 28 Nosler ... put a lot of money into it ... and can't find that ammo anywhere ... at least not reasonably. I have not started learning to reload yet (probably dumb), so has to come in a Factory Box. I see 300WM EVERYWHERE. Same can be said of 7RM. Might not be that way in the future ... and maybe I won't regret the Nosler later ... though with the new 7PRC I might. Good luck on the hunt ... whatever you use.

You can always rebarrel to either 7RM or 7PRC. A new barrel with a faster twist and longer throat will make that 7RM come alive. Brass is everywhere for them. If you're just using your 28NOS for hunting, then neither of the others mentioned will come close to matching its numbers. Barrel life is shorter, but plink with other rifles and kill stuff with the 28Nos. Unknown Munitions should be on your list for 28Nos ammo.

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[Dejhavu]

I'm a 270 win man.

My new go to load that is shooting lights out in all 4 of my 270s is...

New peterson brass
Fed 210M primer
116 gr absolute hammer bullet
60.5 grains of H4350
3.30 coal

In 22 inch barrels I'm getting 3400 fps
In 24 inch barrels I'm getting 3500 fps

Zero pressure signs. I started getting ejector marks at 62 grains.

If you don't like that, any 130gr with 60 gr of h4831 at 3100, or 150gr with 55gr H4350 at 2900 will do just fine within 400 yards.

 

[Ditt44]

Long-time lurker and have learned a ton by browsing here. First time post and dangerous at that After 13 years of a 7RM, the long history of concussions (5 documented) I just could not shoot that thing any longer. No more magnums for me. I prefer my shots under 400 yards if possible anyway, so I got a Savage 110 Storm in 7-08 a couple months ago. Copper Creek load pack#1 with Barnes TTSX 150s at 100 yards were more than impressive if you'll forgive the 'pulled' shot. Not a single factory load from 120s to 150s can do better. I am not yet hand loading.

 

[sjvcon]

You can always rebarrel to either 7RM or 7PRC. A new barrel with a faster twist and longer throat will make that 7RM come alive. Brass is everywhere for them. If you're just using your 28NOS for hunting, then neither of the others mentioned will come close to matching its numbers. Barrel life is shorter, but plink with other rifles and kill stuff with the 28Nos. Unknown Munitions should be on your list for 28Nos ammo.

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I'll try them. Thanks! That is all I use it for...hunting. I plink eith my Manbun Gun (Creedmoor).

 

[AirborneA$$hole]

35 Whelen is one of the most under utilized cartridges out there, lol. My 35 AI squirts a 200 TTSX out at 2940 fps with IMR 4064 and 3020 fps with Alliant Power Pro Varmint. Eclipses factory loads by a good amount. In the Whelen, the AI is a cool thing to have but practically speaking when Speer data for newer powders pushes a 250 grain bullet over 2700 fps in the std Whelen, who's counting.

Might be a dumb question, but what exactly is the difference between a 35 whelen and a 35 whelen Ackley Improved?