.35 Whelen (Browning 1895) makes meat

[vancelw]

I decided years ago that the deer I shot couldn't always have bigger horns than the year before. So my trophy making now consists of using a different gun almost every time. This fellow was fat and rutting. He was about 90 yards downhill from me, angling towards me. The front of his right shoulder was my only target.

IMG_2284 cropped.jpg

This is the 1895 Browning I sent to JES Reboring in Oregon to have converted to .35 Whelen.
I used 250 gr Remington Core-Lokt.
My front sight is a dollar coin I had to cut to fit since the Providence tool sight made my front sight too short for close zeroing if I had a desire to do so.
I sighted this rifle in to group about 3" high at 100 yards so I would be good as far as I could see to aim at a deer-sized target. (BTW, this thing groups less than 1.5" at 100 )

That 250 gr bullet hit his shoulder and knocked him down. That tough guy got up and walked away. I gave him a few minutes once he walked into the trees. After I couldn't stand to wait anymore, I worked my way down the hill to find he hadn't made it very far. The bullet smashed bone and sent fragments all into his lungs.

Did I mention he was downhill?? A steep hill? I was able to get my truck up above and luckily my cousin was with me this year. We rested on the way back....a lot.

I am thoroughly pleased with the way this rifle turned out (despite my local gun butcher fiasco on the receiver sight).
These Brownings are common at a reasonable price. Great way to get an uncommon chambering at a decent cost. The reboring cost me 225 plus shipping one-way and no rechambering or other work to convert caliber was necessary.

[2X22]

Nice buck, nice rifle and great caliber!

Congratulations!

[rjohns94]

That's a great rifle conversion. Great cartridge and a good looking deer! Thanks for sharing

[Paladin]

That's a great rifle conversion. Great cartridge and a good looking deer! Thanks for sharing:mrgreen:

+1

[Sixgun]

Man! Nice buck Vance! That's how you do it.....one shot.

It sure is neat when you have a plan for a rifle, follow through with it and then go bag a nice buck in a very classic caliber.------6

[.45colt]

OUTSTANDING !!!! Glad to See This. .

[BigSky56]

Good shooting, hope that east side muley eats good for you. danny

[6pt-sika]

So my trophy making now consists of using a different gun almost every time..

Most things I don't think you and I agree on !

However using a different gun on each deer until they're all blooded works for me as well .

And to be totally honest I've gotten so I would rather shoot a doe or so rather then a big buck just to vut down on taxidermy costs more then anything . Don't get me wrong I like big deer as much as most people I just don't like paying the bill when it comes time to get the deer mounted . Well unless it's a nice Sika deer (but that's my achillis heel) .

[6pt-sika]

If you had another of those Browning guns does the barrel have enough meat to make a 400 Whelen ?

[vancelw]

So my trophy making now consists of using a different gun almost every time..

Most things I don't think you and I agree on !

Why, thank you very much for the compliment!

And to be totally honest I've gotten so I would rather shoot a doe or so rather then a big buck .....

Absolutely nothing wrong with putting meat on the table, especially if the doe population will support the harvest.
But does are hard to qualify. i.e. How is on better than the other? So you just shoot the first one you see or the one closest to the road.
I hunt for 7 to 21 days in Montana each year. All day...sunup to sundown.. Sometimes I don't even fill my tag. Not that I couldn't on any given day....just that the horns or the gun (or the bow) give me a qualifier to drag it out. I paid to hunt, not to shoot.
I can shoot off my back porch. Hunting is the only exercise I get besides jumping to conclusions.

[Dave]

Nice hunt and a high class rifle. Congrats!

[6pt-sika]

So my trophy making now consists of using a different gun almost every time..

Most things I don't think you and I agree on !

Why, thank you very much for the compliment!

And to be totally honest I've gotten so I would rather shoot a doe or so rather then a big buck .....

Absolutely nothing wrong with putting meat on the table, especially if the doe population will support the harvest.
But does are hard to qualify. i.e. How is on better than the other? So you just shoot the first one you see or the one closest to the road.
I hunt for 7 to 21 days in Montana each year. All day...sunup to sundown.. Sometimes I don't even fill my tag. Not that I couldn't on any given day....just that the horns or the gun (or the bow) give me a qualifier to drag it out. I paid to hunt, not to shoot.
I can shoot off my back porch. Hunting is the only exercise I get besides jumping to conclusions.

Dude I hunt from mid july until the first Saturday of January !

We do the damage control thing from mid july until the end of September , then archery , then ML and then the gun season . Road has nothing to do with it , I hunt my own property or the farm of a friend so generally a ATV or UTV can be driven to the animal .

[MacEntyre]

Nice way to break in your rifle. I have six rifles that each need a deer!

I want one of those Pattern 21 rear sights for my Browning 1895! Your posts tempted me to convert it to 35 Whelen, but I think I will leave it chambered in 30-06.

[vancelw]

When you buy the sight from Frank he includes the tap and drill bit you need. All you need is a drill (or press) and a transfer punch.

I installed this one myself since I figured I had nothing to lose after the "gunsmith " ruined my receiver.

I may order a front sight from XS to replace the coin I put on the front. It's awful shiny and a wee bit loose. Just enough to irritate me.

[BrentD]

Sweet!

That looks like beautiful country for mulie hunting.

[7.62 Precision]

This makes my day! Glad to see you got everything squared away and meat in the freezer with it.

[Nath]

Now and e are talking!

Excellence in the field

N.

[Blaine]

Sweet

[Les Staley]

Real nice Mulie..done right with an "old" Winchester.. You and I share the same philosophy on deer hunting..try to use a different rifle each season at least till the last few days, then when it's down to the wire, I've got a couple of "go to" rifles that get their turn..(I can almost hear the discussion in my safe...."lucky((as in Napoleon Dynamite))....you always get to go.....see you tonight...well, tell us the story...). Les

[firefuzz]

Nice deer and very nice rifle. Thinking about having that done to mine. I think that's the perfect short range (under 200yds) elk/bear rifle. My custom .35 Whelan '03 Springfield took 3 deer the first year I had it built. None of them took a step.

Rob

[BenT]

Great Buck ! I am glad to see that 35 Whelen worked even with the extra holes. I stopped worrying about big bucks years ago. I use a different lever gun every year till I shoot a deer with it and then move onto next one. I have this problem of keep buying leverguns. This year I will be trying the 1895 in 35 Win along with others.

[Dusty Texian]

Very Cool a good buck and taken with a classic rifle and cartridge . That gets me going ,Mule deer season starts in 11 days here in Tx. ,,,,,DT