next hunting caliber

next hunting cal

  • 338-06

    Votes: 43 21.6%

  • 35 whelen

    Votes: 69 34.7%

  • 9.3x62

    Votes: 87 43.7%
  • Total voters
    199
I had the same dilemma a few years ago when I ended up with a .30-06 donor. There isn't enough ballistic difference between them to make a difference in the field. I ended up with the .35 Whelen for the easier availability of brass and velocity appropriate bullets. It's now my dedicated moose rifle throwing 225gr TSX at 2700fps.

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bcsteve said:
I had the same dilemma a few years ago when I ended up with a .30-06 donor. There isn't enough ballistic difference between them to make a difference in the field. I ended up with the .35 Whelen for the easier availability of brass and velocity appropriate bullets. It's now my dedicated moose rifle throwing 225gr TSX at 2700fps.

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Curious, and a few quick questions if you don't mind. What scope did you go with, what stock and what does the package weigh? On my Husqvarna I have a leupold 3x9, a 2x7 Leupold on the Schultz and both weigh a touch under 8 1/2lbs empty.
 
gerard488 said:
7mm-08 is my next choice, I know that a lot of hunters will tell me it is too small but does anyone wanna tell me what north american animals I can`t kill with it?
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Wood bison. At least one jurisdiction has minimum calibre requirements, can't recall at the moment whether it's Yukon or NWT.

If you have any respect for tradition, go with a 9.3x62. There are two good threads farther down the list in this forum that make interesting reading.
 
All three are good cartridges no question about it. I'm voting 35, spitting out 250g spitzers. I think it will give you more thump then the 338, and be easier to find then the 9.3. No question the 338 will have better sectional density, but then so does a 30-06 launching 200g. Oh yeah, I'm biased, I shot a Whelen for years, it's got mid range thump in spades, treading very hard on the 338 win mag, out to 200yds. Let us know what you end up with.
 
I have a 300 Wm for long shots. But for bear it really makes a mess at under 75 yards. I like to hunt in a way that puts me close to the game which is why I decided against a Magnum. I've got my double in 45/70 zeroed at 60 yards so I feel I need something that can punch thru any north American animal without a lot of jelly meat being created. I prefer heavy for caliber non magnums for hunting. That is how I came to choose the 3 I have. All are capable of a 200 shot for moose or bear and all will perform when the shot is only 20 yards as well. I've seen results from a 300 Wm at 20 yards. It was a quick death but a real ##### on meat. With only a 2.5x20 scope on my double and the rainbow trajectory I don't feel confident shooting past 125 yards. Thank you all for the responses. It seems like the poll is almost even across the 3
 
9.3mauser said:
Wood bison. At least one jurisdiction has minimum calibre requirements, can't recall at the moment whether it's Yukon or NWT.

If you have any respect for tradition, go with a 9.3x62. There are two good threads farther down the list in this forum that make interesting reading.
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Alberta requires more muscle for Wood Bison, wisely, as well. I hunted them in Alberta and haven't read up on our BC regs, likely a minimum here as well.
 
Well, I've got 2 of the 3, the last (actually 2 of them) is (are?) 9.3x57 instead of 9.3x62. Loaded to 48,000 cup MAP, they'll do darn near anything a factory 9.3x62 will do (they actually exceed the original 1906 ballistics of the Bock's 9.3x62 cartridge) & what that won't do, my .375 or my .458 darn sure will.

The momentum of the 9.3x57 285 grain bullets at ~2,100 fps exceeds either of the other 2 calibers out to 75 yards, which is a long shot for me in the Canadian Shield black spruce swamps where I hunt.

The other 2 are certainly flatter shooting & exceed the 9.3x57 bullet's momentum past 75 yards, so your choice would depend on the distances you hunt.

The other nice thing is that you don't need premium bullets in the 9.3x57, given its velocity levels. I have yet to see a difference between the PRVI 285 gr. RNSP bullets & Nosler Partition 285 grain bullets. Course, that also holds true in the .338-06, at least for 250 grain + bullet weights, as most of the 0.338" diameter bullets were designed for the .338 Winchester Magnum's velocity levels.

I'm hoarding the last of my Hornady 275 grain RNSP .358" bullets, as, other than Woodleigh, there are no N.A. made heavyweight bullets left for the .35 caliber rifles & I long ago ran out of the 250 grain Norma RNSP Tombac bullets. Ditto for my .338" 300 grain Winchester PP bullets.
 
SuperCub said:
Only if it's a push feed. ;)

Truth be known .... I wouldn't go with a 375 again. One of the three listed is more than enough for most of us here in Canada.
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Fair enough, still wishing I'd just manned up the $ and bought your M70 SS .375 and stock. Ended up buying the same rifle later, for more, no aftermarket stock. For me, .375 H&H feels the same as the others posted here, but the big caveat would be rifle weight, most are heavyish. I've lugged mine up mountains (believe it crested 10,000', still have to google earth to be sure) so they're not too heavy. One thing I'm likely guilty of is pushing my ideas on others, whatever works for the shooter himself is the right gun. I do believe he'd appreciate the ammo availability, and extreme versatility of a .375 H&H however, it's a gun that will literally do anything well and look at home doing it.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Curious, and a few quick questions if you don't mind. What scope did you go with, what stock and what does the package weigh? On my Husqvarna I have a leupold 3x9, a 2x7 Leupold on the Schultz and both weigh a touch under 8 1/2lbs empty.
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The scope is a VXII 3-9x40, the stock is a McMillan MKII Classic in GAP camo and it weighs slightly over 8 lbs. It has a 22", 1:14 twist Bevan King barrel.
 
Ardent said:
Fair enough, still wishing I'd just manned up the $ and bought your M70 SS .375 and stock. Ended up buying the same rifle later, for more, no aftermarket stock. For me, .375 H&H feels the same as the others posted here, but the big caveat would be rifle weight, most are heavyish. I've lugged mine up mountains (believe it crested 10,000', still have to google earth to be sure) so they're not too heavy. One thing I'm likely guilty of is pushing my ideas on others, whatever works for the shooter himself is the right gun. I do believe he'd appreciate the ammo availability, and extreme versatility of a .375 H&H however, it's a gun that will literally do anything well and look at home doing it.
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It really does depend on what and where you are hunting as well. If I lived/hunted where the moose were big and the bears might be a problem, a 375 would make a lot more sense that owning one here in NB. Fact is that anyone east of Manitoba would never be undergunned with a 270.
 
I have recently been tossing around the idea of a rifle in a medium bore and these three calibers are exactly what I was considering. I have pretty much settled on a 35 Whelen. All three seem to be perfect for the largest of (North American) game out to three hundred meters for sure. I guess if I didn't have a strange tendancy to want odd calibers I would just buy a 338 Win Mag, since they can be had in just about any configuration of rifle made. Not to mention you can buy ammo and components anywhere. But there is just something magical about a 35 Whelen on a cold misty morning when you hear an elk bugel as you exit your wall tent. If I was a more pragmatic person I would hunt with a 30-30, 30-06 and a 338 WM instead of a 348WCF, 280 Remington and 35 Whelen. I recently missed a 35 Whelen Ruger M77 which was on Prophet River's web site. By the time I realized it was exaclty what I want, a much more desisive customer had bought it already.
 
.35 whelen is my choice, more rifle options and cant find whelen brass make your own from .270,.280,30-06 which you will find tons. Check out new reloading info nipping at the heals of a .338 win mag. I have one in a 750 autoloader. There is something I like about this power in this package.
 
My vote was for the 35 whelen for all the reasons previously mentioned. The other nice thing about the whelen is that you can load it with 357 pistol bullets for some close range chicken/rabbit opportunities. To the best of my knowledge this cannot be done with the other two.
 
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