Townsend Whelen summarized

[Bill in Oregon]

Found this brief sketch informative.

https://www.rockislandauction.com/riac- ... 2-pkMRRUo4

[earlmck]

Good find Bill. He's a historical giant of our shooting game.

I often think of his comment that "only accurate rifles are interesting" when I am struggling with one of my babies that is balking at giving an acceptable level of accuracy. Inaccurate rifles seem to have held my "interest" more than I can comfortably admit to.

[Bill in Oregon]

Agree, Earl. I have never read any of his books, but read many of his articles in back issues of American Rifleman. A man worth listening to. A great deal of wisdom and field experience is distilled in his terse comment, "A .30-06 is never a mistake."
There's an Alaskan guide feller named Phil Shoemaker who says the same thing, and those men are a pair to draw to!

[bcraig]

Agree, Earl. I have never read any of his books, but read many of his articles in back issues of American Rifleman. A man worth listening to. A great deal of wisdom and field experience is distilled in his terse comment, "A .30-06 is never a mistake."
There's an Alaskan guide feller named Phil Shoemaker who says the same thing, and those men are a pair to draw to!

I am thinking he is quite fond of a 9mm handgun as well after Killing an attacking bear with one not too long ago !

[Bryan Austin]

1920

The Outdoorsman's Handbook

The Accuracy of Hunting Rifles

…again from our favorite Mr. Townsand Whelen.

Townsand Whelen mentioned the use of a scope for some...but I have no idea which ones.

"In a number of cases a telescope sight was used to make certain of the aim and in the others an English orthoptic was used with open sights."

If I recall correctly, he used 5 or 10 shot groups, not 3


CLASS A

2 INCHES AT 100 YARDS
4 INCHES AT 200 YARDS

280 Ross

30 cal Model 1906
30-40 Krag and Winchester
30 cal Model 1903
256 Mannlicher Schoenauer
25-35 WCF (in single shot)

CLASS B

2 1/2 INCHES AT 100 YARDS
6 INCHES AT 200 YARDS

7 mm Mauser
8 mm Mauser
32 Ideal
303 British
303 Savage
25-35 Rem Auto (*)
25-35 Marlin
25-30 WCF Low pressure smokeless
25-20 Single Shot
25-21 Stevens
25-25 Stevens
28-30 Stevens
22 Long Rifle (in target rifle)

CLASS C

3 INCHES AT 100 YARDS
8 INCHES AT 200 YARDS

30-30 WCF
35 Rem Auto
35 WCF 405 WCF
45-70 Black and Smokeless
32-40 Low pressure smokeless
33 WCF
32 Winchester Self Loading
32-20
25 Rimfire
38-55
22-15 Stevens

CLASS D

3 1/2 INCHES AT 100 YARDS
12 INCHES AT 200 YARDS


32 Win Special
351 Win Self Loading
351 Self Loading
32 Rem Auto (*)
45-70
45 90 HV (1)
25-20 HV and Black powder
32-20 HV (1)
38 WCF (1)
44 WCF (1)
401 Win Self Loading (2)

(1) Over 200 yards grouping is irregular
(2) Over 150 yards grouping is irregular Many black powder rifles listed in
(*) Rem Auto cartridges will show equal accuracy in Remington or Stevens rifles. Classes B and C will rank in Class A when used with hand loaded ammunition loaded by an expert


By 1918, Townsand Whelen noted some nomenclatures.

Small Bore - .35 cal. and smaller
Large Bore - larger than .35 cal.
Low Power - up to 1,750fps
High Power - greater than 1,750fps - special steel barrels needed
High Intensity - Velocity greater than 2,400fps, special steel barrels needed

[Bill in Oregon]

That's a very interesting compilation. Surprised that .32-40 and .38-55 are in Class C.
Also note he mentions the .25, .32 and .35 Remington Model 8 calibers, but not the .30 Remington.

[Bryan Austin]

That's a very interesting compilation. Surprised that .32-40 and .38-55 are in Class C.
Also note he mentions the .25, .32 and .35 Remington Model 8 calibers, but not the .30 Remington.

The 38-55 and 32-40 could be loaded with hot, high pressures loads which required the special steel barrels. I wonder why he listed the "32-40 low pressures smokeless"...and I assume the 38-55 would be the high pressures loads, and not a comparison of all four options. Or note otherwise!

32-40 high pressure
32-40 low pressure
38-55 high pressure
38-55 low pressure

[oldebear1950]

Mr Whelan passed before I started shooting, but my brother and I , actually started shooting about the time he passed, as I was 10 and my brother was 8. that was in 1960, and our grandpa bought us a 22 single shot Winchester rifle.
Been reading about and reloading from that time on. We read two guys more than any other, C0L WHELAN and JACK O"CONNOR.

When I got stationed in Kodiak, AK in 1975, went to the Library on base, and in town and dug out all the articles and books I could find on these two men.

[Bill in Oregon]

My 10th or 11th birthday, '63 or '64, my grandmother gave me a subscription to Outdoor Life. Once started on O'Connor I never wanted to stop - and didn't until college.