.35 Whelen

.35 Whelen
.30-06 Springfield (left), .35 Whelen (right)
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerCol. Townsend Whelen
James Howe
Designed1922
Produced1988–present
Specifications
Parent case.30-06 Springfield
Case typeRimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.358 in (9.1 mm)
Neck diameter.385 in (9.8 mm)
Shoulder diameter.441 in (11.2 mm)
Base diameter.472 in (12.0 mm)
Rim diameter.473 in (12.0 mm)
Case length2.494 in (63.3 mm)
Overall length3.340 in (84.8 mm)
Rifling twist1-16"
Primer typeLarge rifle
Maximum CUP52,000[1] CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
180 gr (12 g) FN 2,963 ft/s (903 m/s) 3,510 ft⋅lbf (4,760 J)
200 gr (13 g) SP 2,798 ft/s (853 m/s) 3,478 ft⋅lbf (4,716 J)
225 gr (15 g) SBT 2,613 ft/s (796 m/s) 3,412 ft⋅lbf (4,626 J)
250 gr (16 g) RN 2,523 ft/s (769 m/s) 3,535 ft⋅lbf (4,793 J)
Test barrel length: 24 inches
Source(s): Accurate Powder [2]

The .35 Whelen is a powerful medium-bore rifle cartridge that does not require a magnum action or a magnum bolt-face. The parent of this cartridge is the .30-06 Springfield, which is necked-up to accept a bullet diameter of .358 in (9.1 mm). This cartridge is more powerful than its parent, especially in killing power on large game. However, with much wider availability, and the higher BC (ballistic coefficient) .30 caliber bullets of today, the power gap between the two cartridges has been decreased.

  1. ^ Saami pressures. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm
  2. ^ ".35 Whelen load data" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-16.