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brybenn

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35 whelen or 358 norma?
Looking for a new project and will be hunting moose in quebec next year likely. Ive always liked the whelen but the norma has sparked my interests and now i must decide which so i can source an action. Looking for insite for either.
Side note i have two 300wm and im currently working on a 416 taylor.
 
The upside to the 35 Whelan is the availability of factory ammo at reasonable price compared to the 358 Norma.
Regular long action vs magnum boltface long action.
35 Whelan cases can be made from necking up 30-06 cases a little easier than necking up other magnum cases to the 358 Norma.
35 Whelan uses less powder, therefore recoils less. As we get older, less recoil is a nice thing! 358 Norma does burn more powder, gives more velocity and will provide more energy and penetration on bigger game. The 35 Whelan will give good velocity/trajectories at most common moose hunting distances. Given your other rifles, recoil is not the main issue here! LOL
Moose just are not that tough, and the moose in Quebec are not as large as the Alaska/Yukon variety, so the 35 Whelan will perform admirably. Also, it not that tough to get close to a bull moose, so the extra reach the velocity of the Norma is usually not needed.
But if a guy really wants the 358 Norma, then get it! It is a great cartridge.

Side note; if you are a lefty, I do have a new stainless Montana 1999 LH action with magnum boltface for sale... needs a new good home!
 
Whelen... it is all you need for Quebec moose... and just about anything else with 250 Partitions.
 
I have built both. Either is excellent and brass is not really an issue either way as 338 WM brass is plentiful and easy to neck up. 358 Norma brass (headstamped) is bloody expensive and hard to find. What do I reach for more.... My Whelen. Cannot go wrong either way.
 
It's kinda like comparing the 30-06 to the 300WM. Both are excellent choices with some minor advantages over each other. I would contact the outfitter and ask him what typical ranges you can expect but I would lean toward a M700 22" lightweight Whelen topped with a 2.5x8.

Side note i have two 300wmxand im currently working on a 416 taylor.
OTOH .......... One of those 300WMs loaded with 200gr NPs would be perfect for the task and a lot less hassle.
 
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Since I'm member of the, "if a little is good, then a lot is better" club, my vote is for the .358 Norma. If you have a rifle built for this cartridge, a big case .375 becomes redundant, not that redundancy is a bad thing, after all you have 2 .300s. The .358 Norma nicely fills the gap between your .300s and the .416, in a cartridge that some suggest is better suited for North American game than a .375, although that's not an argument I'd ever make. A ballistic truth is that greater powder capacity provides greater versatility, in that a lessor cartridge can do almost as much, but not quite, where the greater cartridge can do everything the lessor cartridge can do, plus a bit more.
 
35 whelen or 358 norma?
Looking for a new project and will be hunting moose in quebec next year likely. Ive always liked the whelen but the norma has sparked my interests and now i must decide which so i can source an action. Looking for insite for either.
Side note i have two 300wm and im currently working on a 416 taylor.

35 Whelen ! jmo Now tell me about the 416 Taylor ? :d RJ
 
The 416 has kinda taken a stand still since my daughter was born but its just a rebarreled savage. Need the barrel yet. Boyds stock. I want a working gun will be fitted with a 1-4 scope and express sights.

I wanted a traditions single shot in 35 whelen but they now come with brakes and im not sure id like it that way so i may source an action and barrel up the whelen in a bolt gun. Thats the thought that got me rolling if im goibg to source an action and barrel why not got to the 358 norma. I like variety but the wife says only her and only 1 truck soooo thats basically permission for yet another gun
My only other 35 is a 9x19 carbine.
I often lend my 300s out or keep them as camp guns nust in case. I usually carry a 4570 or 458wm so the 416 taylor was to be a balance of a do everything work horse while remaining uncommon. If the wife knew a 3006 could do everyrhing...well i dont want to think about that
But having a 35 that will go the distance and smack a moose might just be handy when i want a lighter rifle while stalking clear cuts
 
There is a nice Schultz & Larsen Mod 65 DL for sale right now on the E/E at a very reasonable price. Comes with some brass too. I hunted for years with a 358 Norma & loved it. Very Accurate (sub 1" groups @ 100 yds.) and any animal I shot with it got an immediate dirt-nap!
 
35 Whelen ! jmo Now tell me about the 416 Taylor ? :d RJ

Do not mean to hijack this thread...

I built a 416 Taylor on a LH Ruger Modell 77 with pepper laminated stock. Bevan King chrome moly barrel finished at 22" with NECG banded front sight and rear peep sight made to fit Ruger actions. It wears a Trijicon 1-4 scope with the green triangle post reticle. Shoots the Barnes TSX 350 gr at 2400 fps with 69.0 gr of Re-15 in Quality Cartridge properly headstamped cases with Federal 215 primers, into 1/2" groups at 100 yards. Not the hottest load, but is not that hardon the shoulder either! Now to go on bison, brown bear and cape buffalo hunts!
 
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