338wm or 35 whelen , why?

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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Hey guys it always gets me wondering if i should of gone 338 or the 35 whelen.

Would like to hear your thoughts on them an which and why, for say up to big deer or antlered critters.

Cheers

WL
 
35 Whelen baby,
Load up a 250gr For elk/moose. Load down a 200gr RN for deer. Load some 158gr pistol for pinking.
 
Slooshark1 said:
.35 Whelen. It hits harder and kills faster. And it's in a handier package than any. 338 Win.
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How's that? Maybe 2" less barrel? Action is the same.

Besides, the 9.3x62 is really the one to get. Heavier and better selection of bullets and, a greater selection of rifles. Unless your heart is set on a Jerk-O-Matic there's no reason to go with the Whelen.
 
The answer on CGN, as always, is 9.3x62. What was the question again? :p


Joking aside, I'd opt for the 338 due to it being more versatile. If you need something bigger, skip the Whelen and go for a 375. But judging by your name, that's probably not what you wanted to hear. :)
 
I went to the 35 Whelen, primarily for moose as where I hunt is thick going .... seldom a shot at over 100 yards .... and I already had a 25-06 so lazy, not having to set up the trimmer again!
At the time I went for the "Jerk-o-Matic" as BUM calls it ... although we refer to them around here as the (no disrespect intended) the "Mennonite Machinegun" - A 7600 Remington I've mounted with a 1-4x Leupold VX-II in X-Low QR mountsIt's been super reliable over the past 20+ years, and several bullwinkle have perished in front of it ! None made it more than 25 yards, and none have taken more than a single 250 gr. Hornady RN ahead of 58 grains of RL-15. A few have not taken a step ! Works good on Bambi too (different seasons) with 200 gr, RN's, down-loaded
a bit to 358 Win velocities.

Once one gets in to the 225 - 250 grain stuff, the options to me are 338-06, 338WM, 348 Win., 358 Win., 35 Whelen, 358 Norma Mag, the 9.3's and the 375 H&H.

If I were in the west or above "60", it would likely be the 338 WM.
If in the areas where bigger bear were common, likely the 375 H&H.
Here in the east, the 348, 358 & 35 Whelen are plenty, but would certainly consider the 358 Norma Mag. or the 9.3x62 IF I wanted a bolt action.
The 338WM would likely get the nod if I regularly had longer range shooting like further up in Shield country.
For fun ... I'd like to have a 9.3 x 74 in a Ruger No. 1 ... think it would work just fine too ! ( and if I felt really flush, I'd get another rebarreled to 6x70 just to be weird ! )

Of the two, the 338WM I think is a little more versatiele than the 35 Whelen, although both work pretty good at 200 yards or less for most game !
 
all the medium bores are nice. i have the 325, 8mag. 338 06, 338wm,35 whelen and a 375H&H. all i'm missing is the 9.3x62. its on my want list. i think the nicest to shoot are the 338 06 and 35 whelen.
 
spooksar said:
35 Whelen loaded with 225gr Accubonds and don't look back
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Exactly, having hunted with a 35 Whelen since the early 1960s and since have owned a score of 338s, in Win. mag, a 338 RCM, and three 338-06s, not to mention three 9.3s, seriously I have yet to hunt something with the old Whelen that it cannot handle.
Despite what some may say bullet selection for the Whelen is excellent and in most cases the Whelen will shoot very well with a cast load of which there is a huge selection of both cast bullets and / or bullet moulds if one desires to cast his own.
Maybe I sound biased.... so what ? In fact my latest 9.3 is going on the block very soon.
All of the above mentioned cartridges are excellent and as such will serve a hunter well anywhere so I think its a matter of personal choice...
 
spooksar said:
35 Whelen loaded with 225gr Accubonds and don't look back
Click to expand...
This is NOT bad advice. Before you make a decision between the 35 Whelan the 9.3x62 or the 338 Win you may want to give some consideration to what conditions you are going to hunt in. If there will be a lot of shooting over 300 yds the 338 will shoot flatter with 225 or 250 gr spritzers than either of the 35W or the 9.3x62. However if ranges are 300 yds and less you may want to consider the other two. A 35 W or 9.3 can be built a couple pounds lighter WITHOUT recoil becoming a huge factor. The 9.3 is a powerhouse with 250,270 or 286 gr bullets certainly adequate for anything in NA. The 35 W can be had with a 1 in 16" twist, 1in 14 and even 1 in 12. Some claim the 1 in 16 twist will not stabalise any bullets heavier than 250 gr. The 1in 12 or the 1 in 14 will handle heavier bullets. The 358 cal Swift A-frame 280 gr bullet is quite a stopper and puts the 35 W in the same class as the 9.3. Besides being a little lighter the 35 W or the 9.3 will hold at least more round down in the magazine. Also the 338 achieves its performance out of a 24 in barrel. the 35 W or the 9.3 do nicely with a 22 in barrel and will be handier in the bush. I have and shoot all 3 of these calibres. There is very little if any difference in knock down power or effectiveness. My 35 is the Ackley Imp version of the 35 Whelan and it shoots 225 gr Accubonds or Partions and 225 gr TSX bullets all into about 1 1/2 inches @ 200 yds. If the shots may stretch out to 300 yds no problem. If the bush is thick and shots are going to be less my Tikka 9.3x62 gets the call. It shoots everything pretty well but it will group 270 gr Speers into tiny little groups. These two rifles are so effective that I seldom use my 338 anymore. All this being said to get the performance out of the 35 W or the Imp and the 9.3x62 you pretty much have to be a handloader. If you have to rely solely on factory ammo the 338 wins.
 
I really like my whelen (smack dead). There really is not much difference between the whelen and the 338. But as stated earlier, over 300 yrds, the 338 will have an edge.
It is a very low percentage of times that I need to shoot beyond 300 yrds when hunting.
 
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