changing 30-06 over to 35 whelen???
- Thread starter gregc
- Start date
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- Victoria,BC.
With my .35 Whelen I have successfully taken elk, Mule deer and a black bear using a 225 TSX handload. All under 185 yards. Love this rifle. In recent years I got a .338-06 also built on a pre 64 model 70. Hope to carry it this season to see how it compares. For me it's the more about the 'rifle' than just the caliber.
Good hunting gentlemen.
Good hunting gentlemen.
Solution:
1) Keep one of your rifles in its original .30-06 chambering
2) have the other re-barrelled to .338-06
3) buy another rifle
4) have that one re-barrelled to .35 Whelen
5) buy another rifle already chambered in 9.3x62
It all depends on where you hunt. When I lived out west, a .338-06 made sense, for its flatter trajectory & more available premium bullets. Where I live now, the shots are 35-70 yards MAX!. As a result, the '62 works, but then again, so does one of my 9.3x57 chambered Husqvarnas, or a .30-30, .308 WCF, .303 British, 8x57, &c., &c., &c.
1) Keep one of your rifles in its original .30-06 chambering
2) have the other re-barrelled to .338-06
3) buy another rifle
4) have that one re-barrelled to .35 Whelen
5) buy another rifle already chambered in 9.3x62
It all depends on where you hunt. When I lived out west, a .338-06 made sense, for its flatter trajectory & more available premium bullets. Where I live now, the shots are 35-70 yards MAX!. As a result, the '62 works, but then again, so does one of my 9.3x57 chambered Husqvarnas, or a .30-30, .308 WCF, .303 British, 8x57, &c., &c., &c.
What bullet/powder combo are you using in your 9.3x57?
The 338-06 does everything the 35 whelen does, except throw 35cal bullets. If throwing 35cal bullets is the goal the 338 is pure rubbish.
The 338 has the edge ballistically though - when comparing bullets of the same weight and cartridges of the came pressure the 338 will have higher velocity and more energy at range due to higher BCs. A similarly designed 225gr 35cal is simply less aerodynamic than the same 225gr in a 338cal, so even IF your 35 starts a bit faster it won't take that long for the 338 to come out on top.
Here's a visual. Even though it is starting 100fps slower, the 338 200gr fusion catches up to the 35cal at 200yds. (Note that is a 338federal load, Federal Premium doesn't list a 338-06 load)
But the 338 doesn't poke 35cal holes, nor am I aware of any cheap 338cal pistol bullets for plinking loads. If either of those are important then a Whelen makes sense.
Because I can is also a perfectly good answer to "why that cartridge?"
The 338 has the edge ballistically though - when comparing bullets of the same weight and cartridges of the came pressure the 338 will have higher velocity and more energy at range due to higher BCs. A similarly designed 225gr 35cal is simply less aerodynamic than the same 225gr in a 338cal, so even IF your 35 starts a bit faster it won't take that long for the 338 to come out on top.
Here's a visual. Even though it is starting 100fps slower, the 338 200gr fusion catches up to the 35cal at 200yds. (Note that is a 338federal load, Federal Premium doesn't list a 338-06 load)
But the 338 doesn't poke 35cal holes, nor am I aware of any cheap 338cal pistol bullets for plinking loads. If either of those are important then a Whelen makes sense.
Because I can is also a perfectly good answer to "why that cartridge?"
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OP, what's really important in this discussion is which cartridge do you want?
Both have advantages.
As for 400 yds, that's further than "most" people should be attempting to shoot at any animal.
When push comes to shove, there isn't an animal out there that would be able to tell the difference which caliber bullet struck it, as long as weights were proportional.
This discussion has been going on for close to a century.
The one real advantage the 338 caliber has over the 35 caliber is the availability of good bullets in just about all big box stores, which sell reloading components, as well as most local gun shops.
The 35 Whelan was accepted long before the 338-06, which has mostly faded away.
The reason for this is "most" common manufacturers chambered rifles for the 35 Whelan, but only Weatherby and Asquare, chambered rifles for the 338-06.
The same goes for cartridges with proper head stamps, to my knowledge, only Asquare and Weatherby had brass stamped with the proper designation, if that's important to you.
35 Whelan commercial loads are available from most North American manufacturers as is properly stamped brass for reloading.
It's very easy to neck down 35 Whelan cases to 338 or neck up 30-06 cases to 338, etc.
If your heart is set on the 35 Whelan, go for it.
I'm not a fan of ordering pre chambered barrels, so if you're going to get the job done, take the rifle to a smith, and the internet is your friend to find one in your area.
If you're expecting to have the job done for hunting this fall, good luck with that.
As far as spinning a pre chambered barrel on, don't worry about, headspace, etc, as you should be fire forming your cases to your particular rifle anyway.
If you don't plan on hand loading and only shooting factory ammo, then get it checked.
Both have advantages.
As for 400 yds, that's further than "most" people should be attempting to shoot at any animal.
When push comes to shove, there isn't an animal out there that would be able to tell the difference which caliber bullet struck it, as long as weights were proportional.
This discussion has been going on for close to a century.
The one real advantage the 338 caliber has over the 35 caliber is the availability of good bullets in just about all big box stores, which sell reloading components, as well as most local gun shops.
The 35 Whelan was accepted long before the 338-06, which has mostly faded away.
The reason for this is "most" common manufacturers chambered rifles for the 35 Whelan, but only Weatherby and Asquare, chambered rifles for the 338-06.
The same goes for cartridges with proper head stamps, to my knowledge, only Asquare and Weatherby had brass stamped with the proper designation, if that's important to you.
35 Whelan commercial loads are available from most North American manufacturers as is properly stamped brass for reloading.
It's very easy to neck down 35 Whelan cases to 338 or neck up 30-06 cases to 338, etc.
If your heart is set on the 35 Whelan, go for it.
I'm not a fan of ordering pre chambered barrels, so if you're going to get the job done, take the rifle to a smith, and the internet is your friend to find one in your area.
If you're expecting to have the job done for hunting this fall, good luck with that.
As far as spinning a pre chambered barrel on, don't worry about, headspace, etc, as you should be fire forming your cases to your particular rifle anyway.
If you don't plan on hand loading and only shooting factory ammo, then get it checked.
I can chime in, in either case the 35 vs 338 are 400 yard rifles maybe a tiny bit better but you get the idea. As per the chart, the 338-06 is not superior. Noslers latest manual and with CFE 223 I have hit 2900 fps with a 225 grain Accubond in the 35 Whelen. I chose my build based upon the data and then subsequent reloads. I have chronographed the loads for the 35 Whelen.
Most often the comparison on the 338-06 vs 35 Whelen is a 210 grain Accubond vs a .358 250 grain round nose. Hardly apples to apples. Either way the ballistic or energy advantages of the slightly more slippery .338 bullet only comes into play at 500 yards! Even then, the .358 is still shooting flatter and is close enough in energy it's not much. Then the magic sectional density comes into play, a theoretical that has tonnes of factors like partitions, bonding and bullet construction but with the ranges and game animals its mostly academic. None of these 2 rounds are hurting in penetration and tissue damage. I like them both. Pick one and enjoy but flatter and more energy??? nope
My 35 Whelen build. Started out as a Remington 700 Stainless in 30-06 (I already have 2) and had it rebored to 35 Whelen by RKS (Ron Smith) 1:14 gain twist barrel and added a Trigger tech trigger, one piece base and a Stockys laminate, will bed it shortly but it shoots 225 grain Accubonds/partitions under an inch already. The chrony shot is playing with CFE223 and 225s, the speed was cool but the recoil was wow! Settled on Varget and 2800 fps, its more than enough. Its a fun rifle to shoot and hits very hard.
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I've owned both. Guntech is correct, though the difference is slight. I lean more towards the bigger hole better theory. Having said that, I no longer have a 35 Whelen (it doesnt do anything my 350 Rem Mag wont do) but I still have a 338-06. - dan
