Best .35 Whelen whitetail load?

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Hey guys, what is the best factory .35 Whelen load for whitetails? I'm guessing the 180 or 200 grain loads (or whatever I can find) but wanted to ask the experts.

 

[robtattoo]

Tiny Arizona whitetail, behemoth Canadian whitetail or average eastern woodland whitetails?

What kinda range?

Doesn't matter. Anything coming out the front of a Whelan is 3 times as much as is adequate.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

250ish pound Iowa whitetails.

Less than 200 yards, most often less than 100.

I agree it’s more than adequate, but so is a 12 gauge slug. However, now that the .35 is legal in Iowa, I’ve got a legit high powered cartridge that is accurate and reliable at, and well beyond, any range I would ever shoot a deer in Iowa.

It will also be a great backup for my next trip out west.

 

[robtattoo]

Seriously. Any factory load will work perfectly for you.

 

[CApighunter]

I’d be loading something like a 225gr game king

 

[Jim1187]

For factory the 200 grain corelokt works pretty good in my experience. If the 225 gameking is available as a factory option it would be my choice for deer.
None of them are going to bounce off. I'd focus more on availability and accuracy, the .35 whelen is a great excuse to handload though.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I wish I had this problem.

 

[Squincher]

I'd use 200 gr. Core Lok't or Federal Fusions, whichever I could find. You certainly don't need premium ammo for whitetails.

 

[Tod osier]

Hey guys, what is the best factory .35 Whelen load for whitetails? I'm guessing the 180 or 200 grain loads (or whatever I can find) but wanted to ask the experts.

Barnes vor-tx 180 ttsx is a pretty flat shooter and works well on deer.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Thank you for all the feedback guys

 

[35WhelenAI]

^^This^^
While I have not used that particular factory load, I do load the 200 gr TTSX in my 35 Whelen AI. It's taken mule deer bucks for me, as it's what I carry in Colorado for combined deer and elk season. The TTSX has a large diameter nose cavity up under the blue poly tip (compared to the small hollow point on other versions of the X bullet) and expands faster upon entry than the other versions of the X bullet as a result. On-side initial impact bullet damage is much more dramatic because of this, yet penetrates through and through with minimal meat damage as the X's are classically known for.

Yes, go with the 180 TTSX.