.358" 250 Speer HotCor

[35 Whelen]

:grin: This is a great bullet there is no question about that. However in this world we live in there is a great temptation to buy the "premium" brand or the latest fad from the outdoor writers etc. The reality of it is that this bullet was the one that was picked from nearly two dozen outfitters in the Yukon Territories after a guy asked them to help out in a bullet performance study that I think was conducted over a 13 year period. The bullets were fired from everything from a 35 Remington up to a 358 Norma Mag. They used EVERY bullet made in the study and when the smoke all cleared this Speer Hot Core was the one still standing. So I guess in this case the most expensive isn't always the best??? They recovered many dozens of .358 bullets but NONE showed better quality's than the Speer. So spend your money if you must impress your friends but the bottom line is this bullet will kill Moose Elk and Bears with the very best of them! 8)

 

[gerry]

Good to know Earle, there are a few of us that would like to find out for sure wth some field testing this year The 250 gr Speer is pretty popular with guys that have Whelen's in Central B.C. from what the guy I ordered mine from told me, they like to keep them in stock there. Moose, elk and bear beware 8)

 

[35 Whelen]

:lol: Good luck on that Gerry ..................... I will bet you dollars to donuts that that bullet will work flawlessly in your gun for those species!
You know I guide a lot of fly fishermen in the summer here at our lodge and it never ceases to amaze me that they always show up with more and more expensive gear every year. They keep telling me that this new fly line is 60% slicker, than the last one they had, that was 60% better than the 2010 model .............................. well if that were really true then,fly lines must be 25,000 times better than the original Air Cel lines from the early 1960s .............. However I have noticed when they cast them, they have not gotten 60% better at casting, than the last time I viewed them the year before???????????????? I can cast all of a fly line, easily in three false casts, with about any old,fly line ....................... and I can cast a brand new super slick one 10-15 ft further until it gets dirty ......................... so what we are talking 5% further than a line that is filthy and 20 years old. Bullets are probably in the same boat............. I shot Bitterroot Bonded bullets in the late 1970s as young apprentice guide in Alaska ................. then Swifts from the mid 1980's; Are todays fancy packaged bullets, really that much better, than what you had back then 35 years ago?????
No they are not ...................... they may be marginally better, but like the fly lines it still MUCH more important, if you can put it in the right place . Like Granddad said "It ain't the arrow, its the Indian"...................... Americans love magnum calibers in rifles, and spending tons of money on goodies to go with it. And its all part of the game. And part of the fun of it all. Do you really need it NO ................. there probably isn't a better bullet on the market, than the Speer Hot Cores in .358 and 250grs.,Period.
I cant speak for any other bullets they make, or weights etc. But when you have a couple dozen outfitters in the Yukon, saving bullets from dead moose for 13 years and this bullet comes out at the head of the class.................. I dont care what your "favorite" bullet maker is, that sorta testing is pretty darn hard to come by . That is a real world unbiased conclusion from dozens of guys in the business, that had nothing to gain, or loose, with their results. No one can test better than that; with live animals! The bullet works flawlessly, on large thin skined game. IMHO.

 

[gerry]

Lots of great points Earle and very true especially about the fly lines I can't wait til spring, prime time black bear hunting will be in 2 months.

 

[nvbroncrider]

The same day , I was shooting the 350 RM, my Rem 700 XCR in 280 essentially one hole a trio of 160 gr AB.

Left me thinking, why do I need any other rifles?........what a nightmare moment that was

Post a picture of that target and go buy another rifle! Ever get that Swede tuned in?

 

[SJB358]

Man, I was just relooking at this thread.. Might have to give the Speer a try again. I always keep some of them around just cause they are a very affordable bullet for the Whelen and even the bigger rifles.

 

[truck driver]

I haven't seen any post from 35 Whelen for awhile and as wondering how he's doing I also had a PM I sent him that has gone unanswered.

 

[tddeangelo]

I also use this bullet, and hope to get to shooting it again soon. I have my Whelen pulled apart and prepped to do some bedding work, then I hope to see some happiness on targets. It was shooting 2.25" or so at 200 yards without any bedding in the stock, so bedding up that McMillan should dial it in a little tighter, I'd think.

I was always sort of interested in the Whelen, but after spending some time hunting with it, I'm very, very glad I own one.

Here's a pic of the exit wound made by a 250gr HotCor from my Whelen. MV should have been in the same basic speed as Trevor has here, and the deer was a distant 17 yards when I let the Winchester bark. The shot was at a quartering-on deer...hit him in front of the near shoulder, exited behind the far shoulder. He ran 20-25 yards stumbling and falling, and left a substantial blood trail.

Here's the deer:

 

[truck driver]

That will work.