I’m after the 1:12. Hope to shoot heavier bullets but the thought of the lighter pistol bullets sounds fun. Hammer makes some 255 grain ones I’m interested in trying.
My first Whelen was a Remington Classic Model 700 with the original 1/16 twist. Col Whelen was an outdoors man who would go on these five-month journeys into unknown country in Northern BC, living off the land often on small game and large game.
Read his "Red Letter Days in British Columbia" . That was pre-Springfield rifle.
I took my 700 Remington Classic 35 Whelen on a living off the land adventure in Alaska. The small game Non-Resident license was just $20 and there where tons of Grouse and large Hares to shoot and eat, plus along with my bear spray, I had a grizzly equal rifle. I had a ball for two weeks.
My shot loads, a mix of 8's and 6's were not up to grouse, but great on quail, even larger mountain quail. Shooting Alaska grouse right at the base of the neck with 38, 358, 158 grain round nosed lead bullets powered by small amount of a handgun powder was a delight.
I wanted a better rifle for my next Whelen, shooting lots of light lead loads wore out the model 700 extractor twice.
So i got a Commercial FN action and had my great friend and master gunsmith build me a custom 35 Whelen.
He wanted a 1/12 twist, the romance of using heaving bullets on big heavy game owned him. Not wishing to lose my low end of field utility i chose the 1/14. It was a disaster, forget the shot loads being something of value close range, forget the small game light lead loads, the group was terrible. Forger lighter deer loads.l After my dear friend and gunsmith died, I sold it.
Were I to build another Whelen I would buy an old Sako long action say a 30-06 and have it bored out to the 35 Whelen with the 1/16 twist.
My 1/16 Reminton would give me MOA tight groups with the 225 barnes bullets. They would be worth a 275 grain lead bullet after it lost so much lead.
The 1/16 also shot the 200 grain Barnes, 180 and lots of jacketed lead deer bullets, but I am done with lead.
Next the Sako Action is a high-quality push feed, and as the sudden needs arose, I could slip in a shot losd, or lead small game bullet so easily with out going through the Controlled Round Feed Action.
Next, Sako's have a very low bolt lift, which allows the use of their old Ultra-low rings, hard to find but they will come to you with patience.
This is such an ultra-fast rig for dangerous game.
Lastly those old Sako Opilocks rings can come on and off the integral mount built into the receiver and when put back on your scope's POA will come back right to zero. Now with them off you can use the front iron sights or use the Original Sako peep sights, which lock right into the receiver and have the best of more accurate aperture sights.
This rig does it all including using some personal defense 357 bullets. They work okay, the longer the better.
Get a 1/12 or 1/14 twist and you lose all this lower range field utility.
