The moose rifle selection: 35 Whelen vs. 9.3x62 vs. 375 H&H vs 375 Ruger

Kudu said:
Max Schmeling was the first man to knock out Joe Louis... Greta Garbo was justifiably known as The Mysterious Beauty and The Ultimate Star and is widely remembered for her role as Grusinskaya in the 1932 movie Grand Hotel where she delivered the sultry line, “I want to be alone.”

The 9.3x62mm Mauser, born in the same year under the same stars, is the only cartridge I can think of that embodies the spirits of both.
Click to expand...

So let me get this straight... you've got a thing for a cartridge that only wants to "knock you out" so that it "can be alone???"
 
Here canoetrpr..............just so you can drool a bit............



It's the one in the rear, CZ 550 FS in 9.3X62 AKA 366 WAGNER





This is my 35 Whelen in a Rem 700 Classic











And these are my 375 H&Hs, a Sako AIV Safari, my Rem 700 CDL and bottom is my Rem 700 Classic which I have yet to fire.

There is NO 3/8" Ruger offering in my rack, and I doubt there ever will be.
 
Last edited:
Kudu, I must Thank-you for a most interesting post, a totally enjoyable read.
Since we have identical rifles in the CZ, I would seriously enjoy hearing more about your load development and hunting success in the future.

Again, Thanks..
 
Kevan said:
Kudu, I must Thank-you for a most interesting post, a totally enjoyable read.Since we have identical rifles in the CZ, I would seriously enjoy hearing more about your load development and hunting success in the future.

Again, Thanks..
Click to expand...

Yes, X2 and thank you very much for sharing that info. Much appreciated.
 
(Being a .270 guy,) I would consider the .35 Whelan. If I already owned a .30-06, I wouldn't, as for the most part, the .35 Whelan simply drives a heavier bullet, than the .30-06. I'd look for something with a flatter trajectory, say in a 30ish caliber magnum. Honestly, I don't know anything about the 9.3X62, but I like the idea of a .338. That full wood 9.3x62 is a beauty! Have fun:)
 
Mike Webb said:
I had one experience with the .35 Whelen on moose. Large bull(900 plus on the hoof) at maybe 40 yards. Two shots through the lungs broadside, moose turned and began trotting up the powerline, third shot from the rear quartering just ahead of the chops, fourth shot a clean miss(nerves!) and the moose laid down in the brush and died. Load was 225 grain Nosler over 55 grains of 4320, none of the bullets exited the moose including the broadside shots. Although you shouldn't form opinions after one experience I was underwhelmed with the performance of the .35 Whelen on my moose. Although I ended up with a dead moose I thought penetration was lacking especially for a close range opportunity.
Click to expand...
I had the same experience on a small bull moose with a 375magnum. Two broadside lung shots at 80 yds with 260gr Accubonds. Neither exited the far side. Moose stated walking away until the thrird shot finally drropped him.

Don't blame it on the chambering, that's just the way moose die. Unless you hit them in the spine they are likely going to stand there with VG lung shots.
 
Dogleg said:
I've shot moose with everything from a .270 to a .338. My daughter popped one with a 50 caliber muzzleloader. My dad thought the world revolved around the 30-30. In the majority of cases it doesn't make much difference simply because moose are easy to kill. Enthusiasts are always looking for some new and novel way to make the simple complicated, and to create a oddball solution to a problem that didn't need solving. That's fine if you just want to be different but there's not any pressing reason for it. Anything between a 6.5 and a .375 should suit your moose killing needs.
Click to expand...

DogLeg, for a minute there you had me convinced you were in cahoots with my wife ;-).

I know you are right and it may make far more sense for me to save up for a used ATV for the hunt or save for a plains game hunt in SA in 2015.

But it is nice to fantasize in the dead of winter ;-)
 
The .375s either the H&H or the Ruger will trump the ballistics of the 9.3x62. The trouble is, the real world performance on game is so close, that the critter won't know the difference, even though the ballistics might suggest otherwise. Another advantage that the .366 Wagner has over its .375 counterparts is the cost of components. Brass for the 9.3, whether factory 9.3 or resized .30/06, is cheaper than brass for either .375, and bullets, even when the same weight, are cheaper in .366 diameter.

The .35 Whelen is decidedly a step below the 9.3X62. The shorter head to shoulder length of the Whelen results in less powder capacity relative to the 9.3X62, which has an impact on velocity, particularly with heavy bullets. The selection of .358 bullets pales in comparison to the .366 bullets that are currently available. That doesn't make the Whelen a bad choice, its a viable big game cartridge, but its just not quite as versatile as it might be.
 
Being an old guy and a gunnut.
I have had the pleasure of owning many fine rifles.
I had all types of calibers.
99% of my rifles were bolt action.
Seeing as you already have a 30-06.
Might I be so bold as to suggest a 338 Winchester Magnum.
Try one out before you buy it. To see if you can handle the recoil.
The 338 is one hell of a good caliber
I would go with a Savage or a new Weatherby.
I have just aquired a Weatherby an I'm pleasantly surprised on how well it shoots and feels.
I used to be a Remington 700 BDL Man, not no more.
As I get older I find that my 308 Win. is my main caliber that I use.
My latest purchase is a new Marlin336SS in 30-30 caliber. It will be my walking gun.
 
Hi Everybody,

Thank you for an interesting thread with some interesting comments, some emotional, some political, but all great to read.

Firstly, all four of the calibres should work on moose (from the guy who has never hunted moose, but I have used some on wildebeest in Africa). I have not owned a 35 Whelen, but thought highly of it while still living in Darkest Africa. I have owned a 375 H&H (my first bolt action rifle) and hunted with if from 1982 onwards, and have owned a 9,3x62 Mauser, and rented one from my PH, when back on hunting trips to South Africa. Both are great cartridges. I now own two 375 Rugers, one African and one Alaskan, and think the rifle and cartridge is a great combination. With this background out the way, let us look at some facts:

1) The 9,3x62 Mauser has been manufactured by an American company (..."No American factory has ever produced a single 9.3x62 rifle" ...), so the above statement is incorrect. Ruger has listed these.

2) Several companies are now building rifles in the 375 Ruger, including Ruger, Savage, Howa (each with more than one option), and others) so it is not true to say it is a fad.

3) Some African countries do have a bullet size as well as energy minimum limit for hunting buffalo, and most often it is specified as 375 calibre (is this bullet size?) and 4000 foot/pounds energy, so the 9,3x anything does not qualify. A pity, because often it can be fired more accurately, from a smaller and lighter rifle, than the 375 H&H.

4) If you are travelling to Africa you may find that of the four mentioned cartridges, only 375 H&H and 9,3x62 Mauser will have ammo quite freely available, both in stores, and from your PH. I have two well trained and experienced friends back in South Africa who during the last 18 months opted to buy a 375 Ruger and not 375 H&H (one in a Howa, on in a Ruger Hawkeye African), but both are experienced reloaders. PMP in South Africa produces good quality ammo for the 9,3x62 Mauser and the 375 H&H, but not (yet) for the 375 Ruger or then the 35 Whelen. This PMP ammo, some even loaded with Swift A-Frame and Barnes-X bullets, is available in many areas of Southern Africa.

5) If you reload, the 9,3 to my mind is a better option than the 35 Whelen, if not, then you have to go for the 35 Whelen. Look at the bullets produced by GS Custom ( www.gscustom.co.za ) if you want the ultimate for your 9,3 or 375. They have excellent (but expensive) HV (high velocity) HP (hollow point) monolithic (pure copper) bullets in both .366" (for 9,3 starting at about 185gr) and .375". (starting at 200gr), as well as FN (Flat nose) solids, and have producing these "Banded" bullets for at leas a decade longer than any of the American companies who have now "developed" this idea in the last few years!

6) Finally, look for the brand and type of rifle you want, as well as the cartridge, not only the cartridge. The Tikka T3 in 9,3x62 is a great "little" rifle, light and very accurate. My Tikka T3 in 9,3x62, as well as my Hawkeye Rugers in 300 Win Mag and 375 Ruger, were more accurate than the much more expensive Remington Sendero which I bought at about the same time, so do not be put off by people telling you that their Rugers will never shoot such small groups. For ethical hunting (not senseless sniping on animals at ridiculous long ranges) any modern Tikka, Ruger, Howa, Savage, etc. will be suitable for hunting, with my bet going to the Tikka for over the counter accuracy for rifles of about $1000 or less, or even the Savage.

Happy shopping and shooting.

RSA1
 
Doing it all again, and having all the calibers listed here and some larger and smaller, I would take a look at the Forbes rifle in 35 whelan for a hunting rifle of bigger game as moose and elk. With a nice light scope and a light rifle, able to put a few miles looking for the right animal. Since it sounds like you have a 3006 and reload, 35 whelan makes since since it is possbile to use the same powders and primers depanding on your bullet selections of each caliber.
Keith
 
wow, lots of Howitzers advocated for moose.

A friend has killed a couple moose with 145 Speers out of a Model Seven 7-08,...I think guntech has killed at least one with a 7-08.

The 270 Win has accounted for lots of moose, as has the 303 Brit.
 
Mike Webb said:
I had one experience with the .35 Whelen on moose. Large bull(900 plus on the hoof) at maybe 40 yards. Two shots through the lungs broadside, moose turned and began trotting up the powerline, third shot from the rear quartering just ahead of the chops, fourth shot a clean miss(nerves!) and the moose laid down in the brush and died. Load was 225 grain Nosler over 55 grains of 4320, none of the bullets exited the moose including the broadside shots. Although you shouldn't form opinions after one experience I was underwhelmed with the performance of the .35 Whelen on my moose. Although I ended up with a dead moose I thought penetration was lacking especially for a close range opportunity.
Click to expand...

That's moose for you.

They don't bang-flop unless they're spine hit.

Your results could have been replicated with a 378 Weatherby; it's not the Whelen.

Little story. Three years back my dad gets a special guide liscence and takes a buddy out moose hunting. They have a .375 H&H and a hot loaded 45-70. The call in a typical bull to 30 yards and he's standing broadside. The friend, who's kind of excited, puts three rounds (300 grainers at about 2550 fps) through the boiler of the moose with the .375 and bullwinkle is still just standing there. Friend grabs the 45-70 (340 grainers at 2200 fps) and puts FOUR MORE straight through the boiler before my dad can finally get him to stop. Finally a few seconds later, the moose crumples. When my dad showed me the pics and told me the story I congratulated him on setting a new world record; 2260 grains of lead to kill a moose at 30 yards! Moral of the story is any one of those shots and then taking a break would have had exaclty the same result.

For the OP. The moose probably won't be able to tell the difference between any of your cartridge choices if you shoot them in the lungs. Mind you, for a lung shot, the same could be said for a .270 win. (Actually a 270 with 130's @ 3100 + fps to the lungs is a bit of a firecracker on moose.) Even for a quartering shot or shoulder shot, 250+ grain bullets at 2500+ fps will slay moose forever, and all the other details are just window dressing.
 
If you really like the CZ with the full stock (and who doesn't - they are beautiful), then the 9.3 cannot be beat. I like the nostaglia of that caliber and if you are a handloader, then it will be an excellent choice.
 
SuperCub said:
I had the same experience on a small bull moose with a 375magnum. Two broadside lung shots at 80 yds with 260gr Accubonds. Neither exited the far side. Moose stated walking away until the thrird shot finally drropped him.

Don't blame it on the chambering, that's just the way moose die. Unless you hit them in the spine they are likely going to stand there with VG lung shots.
Click to expand...

From a 375 at 80 yds,:confused: that result really suprised me.
 
On moose all will be all but indistinguishable, .375 H&H is by far the most readily available and also the most capable of the bunch (.375 Ruger to my understanding will struggle with the 350 and 380gr loadings on account of OAL). If you're after versatility, there's only one "best", but if just after something different any will do.
 
Not so ironically, I have had half a dozen good bulls go down without taking five steps from ONE arrow through the lungs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom