35 Whelen Bullets Review

After a decade of hunting with the 35 Whelen I have gained a fair bit of real-life experience with 35 caliber hunting bullets.  What follows is a review of the 3 bullets I have used the most; 225 grain Nosler Accubond, 250 grain Speer Hot-Cor, and the 225 grain Barnes TSX.

My review is based on real-life (or death) as it were, use of these bullets on elk and moose. Let me begin with some general comments.

I have never recovered bullets shot from the 35 Whelen where moose or elk were shot past 50 yards broadside. (my longest shot being 150 yards).  All 3 bullet types produced wide wounds but with significantly less peripheral shock damage (and meat damage) than say, a 300 Win Magnum at these ranges.  The effect on animals though, was devastating, where they either collapsed immediately or stumbled a few yards before collapse. While I generally aim for lung shots, one moose took a Speer Hot-Cor through both shoulders at 150 yards.  That bullet continued on to land somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

I have recovered 6 bullets though, a result of head-on shots or extremely close range shots. Close range shots, which are common when hunting the big timber, are where the bullets I use were put to their most extreme test.

Speer 250 grain Hot-Core: This is an affordable and accurate round in the 35 Whelen. In my 22 inch Remington 700 I managed to get 2600 fps with this round using maximum powder charges of RL-15.  Of all the bullets I tried, for some reason my Rem 700 liked these the most, producing 2.5 inch groups at 200 yards and good velocity without any pressure signs.

At ranges over 50 yards the Hot-Cor produced pass-through shots on broadside moose.  The effect on moose was nothing short of devastating.

Inside 50 yards the Hot-Cor has issues though.  Bullets shed so much weight upon entry (a result of too much velocity) that they can't pass through. Recovered bullets had in fact, shed almost half their weight. I took one elk head on, and was surprised at the lack of penetration, despite the creature dropping like a rock.  I needed to take a point blank finishing shot broadside .... this round only penetrated to the hide on the off side.

The 250 grain Speer Hot-Cor delivers a brutal punch, but if you want exit wounds, don't expect them on close shots.  The lesson is simple ... the bullet is cheap, accurate, and once velocity drops below 2500 fps it performs well. And, even when exits are not achieved, the wound channel produced by the compacted lead and copper is enough to anchor any North American big game animal.

35 Whelen shooting 250 grain Speer Hot-Cor 20 yard head on shot; Poor Penetration

 Nosler 225 grain Accubond: The Accubond is the most expensive bullet I have tried. It proved to be very accurate (2" group at 200 yard) and I could push them to over 2600 fps. But, for the money, performance on animals was underwhelming. Pretty well everything I have said about the 250 grain Speer Hot-Cor (above), could be said about this Nosler round.  For example, I shot one bull moose at 15 yards broadside .... the Accubond killed it for sure, but the bullet didn't exit, coming to rest under the hide on the far side. Considering what I had paid for this round, I was not pleased.

In another instance I took a small bull moose head on at 20 yards ... the moose dropped like a rock, but penetration was shockingly shallow.

Recovered Accubond bullets are pretty ... perfectly formed mushrooms that retain about 75 percent of their weight.  But, I just can't get over paying a premium price for a premium bullet that doesn't perform any better than the cheap Speer Hot-Cor.

35 Whelen shooting Nosler 225 grain Accubond at 15 yards; No Exit

Barnes 225 grain TSX:  In my Whelen, the TSX is the least accurate round.  I have struggled to keep 200 yard groups inside 3".  RL-15 seems to work the best for me, although IMR 4064 gives me higher velocity. I push the TSX to 2570 fps ... any more and groups open up. I should mention that on internet forums many 35 Whelen posters report outstanding accuracy with this bullet.

Performance on game though, is where this bullet shines. For example, this past year I took a young bull elk head on and a bit high. The bullet hit shoulder bone, collar bone, and traveled down 4 ribs before coming to rest. It's the only TSX I have recovered ... the rest all lie somewhere in the brush adding copper to the soil content of Saskatchewan.

The TSX retains virtually all of its weight, yet produces wound channels that equal the Nosler Accubond and Speer Hot-Cor. I suspect that at extended ranges, say 250 to 300 yards, the lead core bullets may perform better (maybe), but I haven't had the chance to test this out.  Most of my kills are within 150 yards.

This coming year I plan on loading up some Barnes 200 grain TTSX bullets. Ballistically at least, they may actually outperform the 225 grain TSX in energy delivered down range, and maybe penetration. As of this writing, I have no idea how fast I will be able to push them or how accurate they will prove to be.

35 Whelen Bullets from Left to Right in order of least to most weight retention: 250 gr Speer Hot-Cor, 250 gr Speer Hot-Cor, 250 gr Speer Hot-Cor, 225 gr Nosler Accubond, 225 gr Nosler Accubond, 225 gr Barnes TSX

Summary: Years of hunting all big game species available in Saskatchewan has provided me with a vast informal bank of experience using a variety of bullets.  After all is said and done, I have become a die hard fan of Barnes bullets ... at least for shots ranging inside 300 yards. My hunting partners use Barnes bullets as well, again, because experience has demanded that they do.

I suspect that those who regularly kill big game at long ranges would not agree ... but long range hunting just isn't in my skill set, so it's irrelevant to me. As well, I have read that in the smaller calibers, say 6mm, that Barnes bullets produce too small a wound channel ... but that's just what I have read.

In my opinion, based on real-world hunting experience, you can't go wrong with Barnes bullets in your 35 cal if you don't intend on shooting over 300 yards, or wherever velocity falls below 1800 fps. If I ever get the chance to take an elk or moose at over 200 yards, I will be sure to let you know how the Barnes performed.