Jon
I have a 35 Whelen built on an 03A3 action. I shoot nothing but 225 gr Noslers.
As one of the posters mentioned the NEF is pretty light. Iffn' I were you I would suggest a recoil reducer. But I'm a stock crawler. Also if you can don't shoot off the bench a bunch. I learned that handy trick when I got my 458 Win Mag and my friendly? gunsmith gave me 500 Grain bullets to try it out. I had previously had Laser Eye Surgery for Glaucoma a couple weeks before I got my new rifle. Loaded a round and snuggled up and touched it off while sitting at the bench. After the round went off all I seen was two white flashes, I thought I detatched both retinas, and found myself half a zipcode away from the bench. But wet from the shower I weigh 150#.
My next shot I stood on my hind legs and it wasn't a big problem. The Whelen is not a really hard kicker but the recoil is noticeable over an '06. Just be aware.
My only problem with my Whelen is it has BAD karma. Everytime I used it for deer hunting and removed it from the case ALL deer within 3 counties disappear. So far the only animal I have harvested with it is a Coyote. I was angry and Wiley offered his body as a sacrifice and I was upset at not seeing any deer so I shot it. Like to tore the poor little booger in half. Hypothesis: The Whelen is not a good varmint rifle.
The NEF should serve you well for the type hunting you do. Just get familiar with it.
Best wishes, Bill
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