Since no owners are coming forward to bring it up, I'll do the dirty deed....
Between 2008 and 2010, there was a production run of .35 Whelen Handi-Rifles that had bad chambers. They were cut with a worn chamber reamer that had the wrong shoulder dimensions.
In addition, there was a run of receivers that had transfer bar issues.
There were a lot of problems encountered with the bad receivers, but the bad receivers with bad .35 Whelen barrels were a nightmare for their owners (often times being worthless right out of the box).
The older rifles and newer rifles don't suffer from the same problems. So, if you want a .35 Whelen Handi-Rifle, make sure it's of recent production (or used and preferably 2006 or older).
You'll want to look for a serial number prefix of P through Y for used models (P, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y - they skipped Q). Receivers with anything prior to a P prefix is not rated for .35 Whelen and should be avoided like the plague if there's a .35 Whelen barrel on it.
For new models, serial numbers after 2008 are prefaced with "CBA". You can ask your dealer how long they've had it, or call H&R for a production date.