# .35 Rem vs. .35 Whelen?



## PahtridgeHunter

Just out of curiosity, what is the difference between a .35 Rem and an .35 Whelen? I have been shooting a Marlin .35 Rem lev-act for the better part of 15 years and I love that gun! Excellent brush gun, light, easy to handle...put ALOT of venison in my freezer! Is there a difference in the calibers? Also, how does the .35 Rem compare to say the .32 Win or the .30-30? I have been told the .30-30 doesn't have the "shock power" as the .35, any truth to this?

Thanks!

-Jason


----------



## Swamp Monster

There's really very little comparison between the two other than caliber size. The .35 Whelen is capable of taking anything in North America really. It's a .30-06 case necked up to hold a .35 caliber bullet. The .35 Rem is great for deer and black bear at close to moderate range, but I would not consider it for anything heavier really. I'm sure old timers took elk with it just like they did with the .30-.30 but both are not recommended for animals of that size.

The .35 Rem, .32 Win Spcl, and the .30-.30 are all pretty close, but the .35 has more frontal area which may lead to more "Shock" as some say. All three are great deer killers in the woods!.

Check out the ballistic page on Remington's website to see the velocity and energy differences, this will at least give you a good paper comparison.


----------



## Robert W. McCoy Jr

Jason I am no balistic guru. I am sure you could do a search and come up with a thousand pages of data.

A 30/30 and a 35 are very close to being balistic twins. I have taken deer with a 35 and it was a nice little gun. 

You mentioned the 35 whelen. I have never shot one. But I own a 350 remington mag. Which is basically a balistic twin to the 35 whelen. That caliber destroyes deer. I have now shot 12 deer with that gun and have yet to ever have a deer take a single step. That caliber stops game dead in its tracks. To me it is the ultimate woods rifle.

I bought mine years ago after I shot a deer behind the front shoulder with a 300 win mag and tracked it for 80 yards.


----------



## GVSUKUSH

My aunt shoots a .35 Remington and I shoot a 30-30. She's killed alot of deer with that gun. She killed one this year and the shot blew out the shoulder and dropped the deer like a bag of hammers.

The two shells are so close we make sure to keep all of our shells in our coats so niether one of us accidentally picks up the wrong loads. 

That gun sounds like a whip crack in the woods, the only negative I've found with those lever actions is that they're so short and kind of awkward for me to shoot. I need to put 200+ shells through it next fall, it's a big switch from holding a shotgun all summer/fall.


----------



## skipper34

What is "shock power"? Put a 30-caliber slug in the vitals of any deer in range and "shock power" is a non-factor, agreed?


----------



## 45/70fan

One way to look at the two, they can be compared as being Twins, the 35 Rem is Danny DiVito and the 35 Whelen is Arnold Schwarzenager.


----------



## swampthang

Like the others said, no real similarity except bullet diameter. My father has used a 35 Rem for years and he and many others I've known that use them think it's a bit more effective than the 30-30.

I built a 35 Whelen this year on a Mauser action. It's not really any worse to carry than an '06 would be. Didn't see any deer this year but I have a lot of confidence in the gun. Both my handloads shoot just under 1 MOA. It does kick a bit though but not a geat deal more than an '06.


----------



## Gene Dipzinski

Here are a couple other options for a larger bore based off the 30-06 parent. I have the two straddled on either side of the 35 Whelen. I use 35 Whelen cases for forming. 



















I'm just testing my pic uploading here for first time, Gene


----------



## Mickey Finn

45/70fan said:


> One way to look at the two, they can be compared as being Twins, the 35 Rem is Danny DiVito and the 35 Whelen is Arnold Schwarzenager.


That is a very good analogy!


----------



## Huntsman27

Gene Dipzinski said:


> Here are a couple other options for a larger bore based off the 30-06 parent. I have the two straddled on either side of the 35 Whelen. I use 35 Whelen cases for forming.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm just testing my pic uploading here for first time, Gene


 Dont see many 400s these days. Dont forget the 8mm/06 too.....there are plenty!


----------



## Ruger1

The .35 Whelen has a very interesting history and while there are variations around the following is, as I understand it, pretty much how, why and where the cartridge it came into existence.


In 1912 the British gunmaking firm of Holland & Holland introduced its most successful and long enduring cartridge - the .375 Holland & Holland belted magnum - to the world. By the early 1920s North American bear, elk and moose hunters began clamoring for this powerful "medium" bore cartridge that had a relatively flat trajectory and much more power than the 30/06. But there were a number of problems. The cartridge was originally proprietry and chambered in Holland & Holland double rifles - an extremely expensive proposition and double rifles have never been popular here. Bolt actions, however, were becoming more and more popular especially with those hunters who served in Europe with the Springfield. But this presented another problem. The .375 cartridge was to long to cycle through a standard Springfield (30/06) action or standard Mauser 98 (7mm/8mm) action .

Griffin & Howe which was then a very upscale gun/hunting/fishing emporium in New York began importing magnum Mauser actions which were long enough for the .375 and building custom .375 Mauser rifles. Not as expensive as a H & H double rifle but still a very expensive proposition.

Seeing a demand for a medium bore rifle but at a somewhat affordable price sometime in the mid-1920s James Howe necked up the 30/06 cartridge to .35 caliber, named it after Col. Townsend Whelen, and began selling custom rifles based on the much less expensive but readily available Springfield action. The .35 Whelen does not come close to duplicating the .375 H & H but it did provide hunters with a somewhat affordable medium bore rifle capable of killing large North American game. All ammo of course had to be handloaded which hindered its popularity. Although a custom proposition the Whelen achieved a modicum of popularity until 1937 when Winchester began producing its Model 70 for the H & H cartridge and at last the .375 H & H cartrisge was available in a readily affordable production rifle. Winchester had been manufacturing .375 H & H ammo since 1926.

Sometime in, I think, the 1980s Remington chambered its Model 700 and pump action rifles for the .35 Whelen and began producing factory ammo. Like most .35 cartridges ( .358 Winchester, .350 Remington, .356 Winchester) ,however, the Whelen never sold well enough to justify its existence as a standard factory rifle and as far as I know it is no longer available as such.


Ruger1


----------



## my-handyman

Ruger 1; Remington is making the 700 CDL in 35 Whelen, Very Nice gun! They also make 200 and 250gr ammo in 35 Whelen. THe 7400 Remington I have shoots 1" moa @100yd. I Was Lucky to find this gun.


----------



## Gene Dipzinski

It looks like I violated a basic house rule per below:

You may post new threads
You may post replies
YOU MAY NOT POST ATTACHMENTS
You may edit your posts

I tried to remedy this problem by deleting the pictures, but can't do it. Perhaps if Huntsman27 edited his above post to delete the pictures, I can get rid of my junk. Sorry about the problem I caused and will try to remember not to post attachments in the future.


----------



## Ed Michrina

Quote:
YOU MAY NOT POST ATTACHMENTS

I liked the attachment.


----------



## Huntsman27

was a nice touch to the thread.


----------



## PahtridgeHunter

Thanks for all the responses! Some interesting info! I had no idea the .35 Whelen was such a different caliber, so to speak! Sorry for the delay! Enjoy your holiday weekend!


----------

