Lever action in .35 Whelen?

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  • Last Post 04 September 2009
WalterHunt posted this 21 January 2009

Interested in building some .35 Whelen. I'm new to reloading my ammo, only done some .223, .357 mag., and .45 colt, so I don't have lots of experience. I have some once-fired 30-06 cases, Speer 250 gr. spitzer with IMR 3031. Plan on getting a new barrel for my T/C Pro Hunter. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Also did anyone produce a lever action in this caliber/ Thanks.

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Antietamgw posted this 22 January 2009

I would imagine a Win 95 or BLR long action would work. Don't know if they chambered the new ones in .35 Whelen but either could be rebarreled. I like my BLR .358 Win but don't really push it much as I haven't needed the velocity. I've seen a number of BLR .358's on gunbroker lately at prices 20% or so lower than you could find them for a couple years back.

Keep your plowshare and your sword. Know how and when to use them.

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R D posted this 22 January 2009

Water; When I made up some whelen brass I found that fireforming was a lot more uniform than die forming. Also after fireforming you need to aneel the necks gently

Rodger

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crash87 posted this 29 June 2009

The only lever I would know about would be to rebarrel or rebore a '95 winchester. In fact, a number of years ago I did just that. A rebored 270 and I went with a 1:12 twist. My favorite jacketed load is with the 250 speer and RL-15. I lapped the bore using LBT's method and am now shooting cast (LBT 260gr LCFN w/gc)exclusivley, again with RL-15. Try your IMR 3031 then give reloader a try, it is perfect in the Whelen. It also wears a lyman 66 peep.

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bruce posted this 07 July 2009

On the topic of the Browning BLR, putting a different barrel on either the .270 or .30-06 version would certainly produce a lever rifle in .35 Whelan. I, too, have a BLR in .358 Win. I suppose that barrel rechambered would be the business, but I think I'll keep mine. I started reading about both .35 Whelan and .358 Win by reading stuff Paco Kelly wrote. I convinced myself that the BLR in .358 would be just the thing, and I think that it is. It is an incredibly versatile round, but then the real question was “does anybody make a lever rifle in .35 Whelan?” Probably not, but there again, people have probably made them out of BLRs and Win '95s. Besides the BLR, the .358 Win was available in the Winchester 88 and at one point the Savage 99

Also, there was some discussion at the beginning about reloading. Neatly, I think I know something about that, because I too started handloading the .358 after having played with .357 mag for a while. Part of the mystique was to be able to load zillions of types of bullets into .358 cases. Paco talks about fire forming cases, and I'll have to admit I have converted many .308 cases into .358 Win. The same would work converting 30-06 to .35 Whelan. And it is fun. I end up loading some light lead .32 ACP bullets over ten grains of Red Dot and shooting roughly down range. That is some fun stuff. As a matter of fact, I've never actually seen store-bought .358 Win at the store, let alone bought any. From time to time I do see .35 Whelan at the store, so it does have that going on.

For other means of launching .357 Whelan, any number of bolt rifles have been converted, I've seen fairly inexpensive barrels available for Savage Model 10 derivatives. I also think that they have been available for the H&R HandiRifle as well.

Another cheaper, easier method of getting into launching .35 caliber bullets downrange is to just pick up a used (or new) Marlin 336 in .35 Rem. This way you have something that looks exactly like a lever rifle and you still get to have all of the fun of stuffing all sorts of pistol bullets into it, as well as the racy red rubber pointy bullets that Hornady makes, not to mention real cast boolets and .35 cal rifle bullets that are designed for magazine fed rifles. This too was a Paco Kelly suggestion, and boy howdy I have one of these as well!

Please excuse the fact that I've fairly well hijacked this thread. I will now return it to its original owner.

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CB posted this 08 July 2009

Ya know one step below obsessive is passionate..

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hunterspistol posted this 11 July 2009

Another cheaper, easier method of getting into launching .35 caliber bullets downrange is to just pick up a used (or new) Marlin 336 in .35 Rem. This way you have something that looks exactly like a lever rifle and you still get to have all of the fun of stuffing all sorts of pistol bullets into it, as well as the racy red rubber pointy bullets that Hornady makes, not to mention real cast boolets and .35 cal rifle bullets that are designed for magazine fed rifles. This too was a Paco Kelly suggestion, and boy howdy I have one of these as well!  

     That was my first thought, the Marlin in .35 Rem.  Wonder if that could be made 35 Whelen? Then again, might be really fine as it is!

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 12 July 2009

Everyone should own and shoot a Remmy 760 at least once.  I had one in 30-06, it was reliable, fast, and shot around 2.0 moa in stock condition.  The trigger is not as good as a Rem 700, but still a lot better than those little black headaches.

Naturally I sold it, but often think I would build up another one, with maybe a quality 3/4 inch barrel about 18 inches long; a 16 twist in either .358 or 35 Whelin would take care of a lot of those combat pepsi cans out back.

just a thought, ken campbell, iowa

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crash87 posted this 17 July 2009

hunterspistol wrote:

 That was my first thought, the Marlin in .35 Rem.  Wonder if that could be made 35 Whelen? Then again, might be really fine as it is!

If your wondering about changing a Marlin 35 Rem to 35 Whelen, That would not be a feasible conversion. If your talking about loading a 35 Rem to 35 Whelen's ballistics, that  would not be advisable. As a owner of both a  Marlin 35 Rem and a '95 Win in 35 Whelen, (also a 350 Rem mag and .358 STA, Rem 673 and BRNO respectivley) I can honestly tell you the 35 Rem in a Marlin 336 is as good as it gets, and definatley better than those paper ballistics tell us. Good luck on your quest. Crash87 

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Ed Harris posted this 17 July 2009

A Savage 99 in .358 Winchester would come close to what you want. You might also find an old 1895 Winchester in 7.62 Russian, rebore to 9x53R and this will give .35 Whelen ballistics from a rimmed case. In Europe Russians and Finns load 9.3x53R and 9.5x53R for moose and bear hunting in the semi-auto Saiga and Valmet sporting rifles, and rebored, sporterized M-N boltguns.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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bruce posted this 19 July 2009

On the topic of pointy bullets in a tube-magazine levergun, which isn't the topic but is just on the periphery, does anybody just put a pointy one in the chamber and then one in the magazine? I suppose since this forum is about cast bullets the quandry of the pointy-ended ones is fairly moot.

Back to the .35 Rem Marlin 336 to .35 Whelen, besides the pressure, wouldn't the cartridge length also make it a non-starter? And then the pointy bullet thing.

Why is it that we all want to change stuff around? I'm sure that I feel it as much as anyone else. I hadn't owned my Mosin-Nagent a month before I started planning a method for turning it into a 9mm wildcat. I bought a drill, a reamer and a 9mm barrel liner. I had a plan to do this myself. I chickened out, though. Then I bought a .35 Remington 336 and a BLR in .358 Winchester to console myself.

Now I read that it wouldn't have been a wildcat, but a 9mmx53R! My barrel liner is .356” diameter x 16” long, by the way. I figured I'd shoot 9mm pistol bullets with velocity!

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crash87 posted this 20 July 2009

bruce wrote: On the topic of pointy bullets in a tube-magazine levergun, which isn't the topic but is just on the periphery, does anybody just put a pointy one in the chamber and then one in the magazine? Yes I'm sure some do, personally I've never felt under-ballisticed (I'm sure that's a word) using a flat point bullet. (I've always been curious as how a point can be flat yet still a point? ;))

Back to the .35 Rem Marlin 336 to .35 Whelen, besides the pressure, wouldn't the cartridge length also make it a non-starter? Yes you are correct.

Why is it that we all want to change stuff around? If you can find a definitve answer to that, you my friend, are on your way to discovering the cure for the common cold! Right now, I've pretty much have talked myself out of buying anything new. When I open the safe I see things that need to be something else! For no real reason I can think of, but they need to be something else. I'm sure I'm not the only one who needs help! :shock: Crash87

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galenaholic posted this 03 September 2009

Interesting topic. :coffee I've been playing with several rifles in .35 Whelen for some time now. Two factory guns and a custom Mauser that I picked up at an estate sale. The factory guns have a 1 in 16” twist which I consider worng for the Whelen and the custom has a 1 in 14” twist which while better still is not the proper 1 in 12” originally designed into the cartridge so that bullets as heavy as IIRC, 300 gr. could be used.

However, the question is what lever actions are suitable for conversion to the Whelen? I have seen at least one 1895 (original, not the remake with added safety catch) that had been rebored to the Whelen. That one had seen some pretty hard use and showed it so I passed. Unless the gun was a total beater, I would not convert an original 1895 Winchester to the Whelen. Then, it would cost more than the idea is worth, IMHO.

There are the Browning long action BLR's to consider. I have not had the chance to handle one, but a friend of mine had one in 7 MM Rem. mag. and he said the balance was terrible. I'll take his word for it. IIRC, he said it was way too muzzle light. I have an early Browning BLR in .358 Win. that is also way too light in the front end, but I will say that it is a shooter.

Browning did make a 'replica” of the 1895 Winchester in .270 Win. and 30-06 quite a few years back. Finding one won't be easy but that's the way I'd go, if you can find one. The one I have is the plainer model, no French gray receiver and no engraving and is in 30-06. The barrel is a tad thin at the muzzle but I think it could easily be rebored to the Whelen. I believe I would prefer it to the Winchester remake of the 1895 with that lawyer mandated safety although I wouldn't turn one down if the price was right. Like I need an excuse to buy another rifle. ;) 

I noticed that Ed harris mentioned the Savage 99 in .358 as a good deal. I guess if you can find one at an affordable price. I got lucky when I found mine. I got it from a guy who lost his job and was in a hurry for money. He wasasking $600 and I was all over that deal like stink from a skunk. I've been offered a bit over four times what I paid for the gun from Savage collectors. Darn good shooter with everything I've run through it so far.

If anyone gets the idea that I like the .35 caliber, does three .35 Whelens an five .358 Win.'s answer that question? :wnk:

Paul B.

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giorgio de galleani posted this 03 September 2009

I have a sako finnwolf levergun in 308 w,nice bolt action with three lugs,actioned by a lever.

I have seen one in 358 w,marked as Winchester model 100,but made by Sako.

The thief who owned it asked 4.000 euros,ten times its value.

I agree that the shorter 35 do not give the satisfaction of the Whelen.

I have a Rem 700 in 35 WHELEN, I am planning to use it with cast bullets on my beloved black mountain pigs.

I do understand your sound desire to own a leveraction 35 WHELEN,a really great necessity.

I think the Win 95 with its long action is the way to go.

Good luck to your project.

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Ed Harris posted this 04 September 2009

giorgio de galleani wrote: I have a sako finnwolf levergun in 308 w,nice bolt action with three lugs,actioned by a lever. I have seen one in 358 w,marked as Winchester model 100,but made by Sako. The thief who owned it asked 4.000 euros,ten times its value.I This sounds as if a Winchester Model 100 barrel was installed on the Sako Finnwolf. This is entirely feasible because the thread pitch and diameter of the barrel threads are the same, the only differences being the shank length.  A skilled gunsmith would have no trouble cutting a thread relief to establish the correct head to shoulder length to set proper headspace and to time the threads so that the markings line up.  Clever re-use of a good Winchester barrel on a well made Finn rifle.  Not worth what the man is asking, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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