Found Remington 'Woodmaster' semi-auto chambered in .35 Whelen with 18.5" barrel. Anyone have experience with this gun good or bad? I have looked for one a long time. Most I have seen were chambered for .270 or .30-06. Is 'Woodmaster' .35 Whelen worth buying?
Remington rifle in .35 Whelen....?
- Thread starter PabloJ
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swampcrawler
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No experience with it in Whelen, actually didn't know they were ever produced. Sounds interesting if nothing else.
I grew up hunting with the 742 in 308. My grandfather used the same and my dad used one in 30-06. They honestly, in my opinion, are kinda crazy guns. Not extremely accurate, not particularly well balanced, a bit heavy for what they are, and many say they are not reliable though I've never had that issue. They also say that the 742 can't stand up to a lot of use. Supposedly the locking lugs or their recesses chew themselves up in short order.
But, on the other hand, my pawpaw harvested over 50 whitetail with his, I have taken around 20 with mine and my dads is credited with another 40 or so. So in short my family has put a lot of meals on the table with a 742 but I wouldn't consider it an heirloom quality rifle or anything.
I grew up hunting with the 742 in 308. My grandfather used the same and my dad used one in 30-06. They honestly, in my opinion, are kinda crazy guns. Not extremely accurate, not particularly well balanced, a bit heavy for what they are, and many say they are not reliable though I've never had that issue. They also say that the 742 can't stand up to a lot of use. Supposedly the locking lugs or their recesses chew themselves up in short order.
But, on the other hand, my pawpaw harvested over 50 whitetail with his, I have taken around 20 with mine and my dads is credited with another 40 or so. So in short my family has put a lot of meals on the table with a 742 but I wouldn't consider it an heirloom quality rifle or anything.
jim in Anchorage
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I own 1 Rem 742 in 30-06. I use it as a loaner gun. But I can tell you with Rem safari grade ammo it will shoot 1 MOA all day every day and never jams. I can't top that with a $2000 AR10 or M1A.
But yeah the balance is, well, odd.
eastbank
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i own two right now, a ruger#1A and a remington 7600 pump. maybe a little much for regular deer, but for larger game its good, bear- mule deer-elk-moose. i shoot a 200gr bullet at close to 2800fps and a 250gr bullet at a little over 2500fps. i have loaded the ruger#1 higher, but it is not needed at normal hunting ranges. a good friend who quit hunting several years ago had a custom 03 springfield rifle made in 35 whelen and he gave his non hunting son the rifle and sold me his dies,cases and several hundred bullets. eastbank.
whatnickname
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An excellent rifle and one that history has not been kind to. Respect the ability of your rifle as well as the need for proper maintenance and you will not be disappointed. Keep the gas system clean. Spend the money on a flexible chamber brush and keep the chamber clean. Over tightening the forend will have a negative result on accuracy...just tight enough so that it's not lose and no more. Mine is a 270 that is in like new condition. I paid $300 for it five years ago on Gunbroker. If I let it cool down after every two shots she shoots one hole groups. I don't keep or waste my money on inaccurate rifles. I think so much of mine that a replaced the sear with one made by Timney...much better trigger pull now. The .35 Wheelen is an excellent round but one that will be difficult to purchase a wide range of ammo for...no problem for me because I reload. If you reload for this one, invest the money in a set of RCBS small base dies. You'll get a good bit of squawk about small base dies on this site. If you ever get a live round hung up in the chamber of one of these rifles, you'll have a special appreciation for small base dies by the time you get the round out of the chamber!
Remington semi-autos are spotty at best as to reliability. With 200-220 gr bullets a 30-06 does anything a 35 Whelen does, and does it better. In fact the Whelen gives you 300 WM recoil with no better performance than 30-06. I've never owned a Remington semi in 35 Whelen, but I've owned 35 Whelen in a bolt gun and Remington semi's in other calibers. I wouldn't go back to either.
stiab
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I think some responders are confused about what the OP has found, it is a 750, not a 742. The 742's sell very cheaply because of manufacturing flaws that Remington will no longer cover or repair. The 750 was chambered in .35 Whelen. They are superior guns to the 742, but still can be problematic. My 750 carbine in .308 would not feed well with either of 2 factory or 2 aftermarket mags. I sold it to my gunsmith.
d2wing
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Just remember the Remington semi auto is not a range toy or tactical gun. Repeated mag dumps will cause problems. Some do have feeding problems due to improperly seated clips and poor tolerances. They can be modified to feed better. Most are accurate and can be tuned a little. Cleaning and lubrication is important with these guns especially the action bars and bolt. The .35 Whelan is a good cartridge. Coveted by some as a big game thumper. I prefer the 06 myself but the .35 is more than enough for anything on this side of the world.
The 742's with the heavy bullets in .30-06 are reportedly the ones that get the bolt rail chew. Run 150s and they should last longer.
7400s have bigger lugs (lesser # too) and supposedly are not similarly afflicted.
Have had minor chewed rail guns work fine, and pristine ones cycle flawlessly.
Sold one to a guy who claimed it jammed on him constantly. He brought it to the range and I blasted it just fine.
He was a big dude, and soft...........yup, pillow shoulder was the cause of the jamming.
Note, one 742 was mint when I got it. Cold shot was 1" high at 100 yds. Next ones from hot bbl were 7 to 8" lower (the hot ones under 1.5" group).
Suspect the dreaded Mini 14 type of barrel warp.
Neat gun, sad it was jacked up.........proly why it was minty.
.35 whelen...............fun stuff. I'd like a pump in that. Shot a 700 classic when they came out in it (buddy had one). 250's at dang near .338 winmag V.
IIRC chrono was a little big in std dev, he used some filler to keep powder charge situated the same and things tightened right up. Do not remember what propellant he was using.
The 750 in that............sounds like fun
Dunno how the new stuff is design/execution wise.........if the $$$ worth it on such a platform.Heard quite a few 7600's have been rebored in the past to it. Evidently enough that they said they ought to do a factory version LOL
Deaf Smith
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Pablo,
They make 10 shot mags for the Remington Woodmaster in 30-06. I wonder if they will work with the .35 Wheelen.
I think that .35 Wheelen is an awesome cannon! Make a dandy bear gun.
Deaf
They make 10 shot mags for the Remington Woodmaster in 30-06. I wonder if they will work with the .35 Wheelen.
I think that .35 Wheelen is an awesome cannon! Make a dandy bear gun.
Deaf
Agree to disagree. The .35 Whelen runs around 100-200fps behind the .338 Win Mag for a given bullet weight. It packs more energy, mass, and frontal area than the .30-06. The .30-06 is a great round, and if your hunting conditions regularly require 300+ yd shots, it or the .300 Win mag might be the better choice, but for 300yds and under, the .35 Whelen is a great thumper for anything on this continent. Assuming your gun has the right twist, it can even launch 300+ gr bullets around 2100-2200fps.
Looking at selection of 250gr .35 cal bullets vs. heavy .30 cal ones like 220gr is seems that there is large selection of spitzer type for former while latter are for some stupid reason mostly round nose. It seems that if one reloads the .35 Whelen is better heavy game cartridge than the .30-06.
Vern Humphrey
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Bigfoot Wallace, my "heavy" rifle is a custom '03 Springfield in .35 Brown-Whelen, the most radical form of the Whelen. For elk, I use a 225 grain Nosler Partition Jacket at 2800 fps. The only bad thing about it is, every time I get the itch to buy a .338 Mag or a .375 Mag, I realize I don't need one.
tahoe2
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I had a Rem 7400 in 280 Remington w/22" barrel, total tack-driver; less than an 1" @ 100 yards.
I took many a deer & pronghorn with it. The reason I let it go, was the weight (heavy gun) 9 #'s with a scope.
I think any gun in a 35 Whelen is a worthy purchase (IMO). If the gun was designed from the factory
for the cartridge, than I would not hesitate, if you reload , don't load it "hot" they tend to over-react to hot loads.
I took many a deer & pronghorn with it. The reason I let it go, was the weight (heavy gun) 9 #'s with a scope.
I think any gun in a 35 Whelen is a worthy purchase (IMO). If the gun was designed from the factory
for the cartridge, than I would not hesitate, if you reload , don't load it "hot" they tend to over-react to hot loads.
Dr T
Member
It should be noted that the 35 Whelen with 250 gr bullets packs a punch at both ends. My threshold of tolerance for an extend range session is a 35 Whelen with the 225 gr bullet. Whelen developed the cartridge to provide a punch that could handle big game on the 1903 Springfield action. If you were to stumble across a big bear in brush, it would be useful to have (but so would an APC)--sort of like a guide gun without that pesky lever.
Cocked & Locked
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I love my .35 Whelen...definitly a thumper on both ends.
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1stmarine
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The 35 is a lot of horse power w/o getting into the magnums. On the short side for a 18.5 but still will get decent speeds.
It also puts the rifle in the thick forest / brush gun category with 225gr, 250gr-280gr bullets whereas the 30, 338 and below will start to fail at that role.
Also a faster killer due to the additional grain but specially the additional frontal section and the reputation of the 35 bore for massive
trauma and fast killing, just like the 375.
Definitely a big game gun but also very good on deer, small bears and anything. you can use 180gr-200gr for deer and hogs.
Another advantage of the 35 calibers is the capability to shoot affordable 357 pistol fmjs like popular 170gr, 180 and 200gr tmj for affordable and fun practice. Some are also good for hogs.
You might want to try this but with a light rifle embrace yourself...
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=247
It also puts the rifle in the thick forest / brush gun category with 225gr, 250gr-280gr bullets whereas the 30, 338 and below will start to fail at that role.
Also a faster killer due to the additional grain but specially the additional frontal section and the reputation of the 35 bore for massive
trauma and fast killing, just like the 375.
Definitely a big game gun but also very good on deer, small bears and anything. you can use 180gr-200gr for deer and hogs.
Another advantage of the 35 calibers is the capability to shoot affordable 357 pistol fmjs like popular 170gr, 180 and 200gr tmj for affordable and fun practice. Some are also good for hogs.
You might want to try this but with a light rifle embrace yourself...
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=247
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