The 35 Whelen, a Range Report Andries interest in the venerable 35 Whelen got me looking at my inventory of ammunition and I found that I was lacking greatly, down to my last 23 rounds in fact. I haven’t reloaded for it in quite some time and as I have opened a couple eight pound jugs of H4350 since then, a range session was in order to see if the newest jug shot any different than the last. My load is not in any book so I won’t list it here other than to say a 250 grain Hornady Spire point Interlock compresses the powder enough to make it “squeak” when I seat the bullet. My rifle is a Remington 700 BDL that I purchased back in 1988 and has been a favorite for elk hunting since then. It’s topped with a vintage Simmons 3-9X40 in Weaver mounts. The rifle has a few “character dings” it received during a couple tumbles on slick, snow covered hillsides and from a horse wreck when we both took a tumble with the horse landing on the rifle while it was in the scabbard. Here it is shown in my “Bob”sled (it weighs 47 pounds and can tame even the most savage of beasts) [url=https://postimg.org/image/sr3nalc89/][img] https://s20.postimg.org/abj6d6y3x/002.jpg[/img][/url ] [url=https://postimg.org/image/bcjf2fx4p/][img] https://s20.postimg.org/hq8i5p20t/0820171243a.jpg[/img][/url ] This rifle has always shot well and this range session proved to be no different, with the new loads printing exactly where the last ones did, 3 inches high at 100 yards. My 35 Whelen is no bench gun. Weighing only 7 ½ pounds with scope and shooting 250 grain bullets at 2470 feet per second it will get your attention, but the saying “I don’t feel recoil when shooting at game” is very true. [url=https://postimg.org/image/ys0v88809/][img] https://s20.postimg.org/6rwrny4jx/0826171350.jpg[/img][/url ] Not “our” best group, but as I said, from the bench she’s a handful and as I was shooting from only sandbags this particular day, I feel I should get a pass as "we" had also been shooting at my 9 inch steel plates out to 400 yards for practice. She doesn't recoil nearly as bad shooting from sticks, standing or sitting. Happy Hunting and Safe Shooting! Allen Oliver

So I have an opportunity to buy a "98" Commercial Mauser chambered for 416 Rem. Mag. I do not need it for any reason or purpose but to simply have and shoot. And to buy new reloading dies :). Certainly I can load it down for deer. And it would work very well on elk and moose. I will never leave North America for any hunting purposes. Any experience here regarding this cartridge?

It seems to me from personal experience and from the experience of trusted friends with regards to hunting and shooting that the cartridges that got their start one hundred (100) plus years ago are all a person needs to successfully hunt North America. With the bullets available today, including factory loaded cartridges, that for a hand loader the sky is the limit. There is no mechanical, or more accurately ballistic, reason why even any of the cartridges I listed in this title cannot successfully take the larger deer (elk & moose) out to and beyond 300 yards. It comes down to knowing your equipment and your shooting skills. Though I myself prefer to shoot game closer because being part uhhhh crippled and part lazy, or a conserver of energy :) for the PC folks, I just don't want to walk any further than I need to. And then drag or carry my game back to where I made the shot or even farther back to my vehicle. Sure for Brown and or Grizzly Bear it would be better to be closer and go heavy for caliber. But still these grand old cartridges can still and are still doing it. Am I advocating that we or other hunters/shooters should just stick with these and turn our backs on newer cartridges? No not at all. I am a great fan of the 6.5 Rem Mag, the 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, 7 & 300 WSM's, the 308 Win, 243 Win, 223 Rem 30-30, 260 Rem, 444 Marlin, 25-06 and so forth. Variety is good. Bullets, rifles, handguns, optics, variety is very good. No real point to this writing other than to write or speak the obvious as sometimes the very obvious is pretty hard to see. Like what you use. Know how to use what you have. And enjoy it all including the experience you/we get along the way.