35 whelen and the 338 win mag

Longwalker said:
The .338 looks "better" on paper, but the .35 whelen performs a little "better" in the field in my opinion. The Whelen kicks less, with less muzzle blast so is easier for most people to shoot accurately. Whelens do fine with 22" of barrel. .338 mags do not. I find the .338's 24" or 26" barrels less handy. Of the animals I've seen killed with both, no detectable difference in effect. But then, I do not shoot at animals that are more than 300 yards away. That's why it's called big game hunting, not shooting.
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I agree 100%. In addition, in the bush, 5 rounds in magazine, feels much more comforting, than 3. Geting faster followup, second shot, beacuse of less recoil, is also important to me. And please...what is the big deal, about 400fp and 2" more drop at 300 yards? At that distance, from field position, from hunting rifle, anybody who shoots 6" grups, is an expert rifleman in my book!
 
gunrunner8 said:
I agree 100%. In addition, in the bush, 5 rounds in magazine, feels much more comforting, than 3. Geting faster followup, second shot, beacuse of less recoil, is also important to me. And please...what is the big deal, about 400fp and 2" more drop at 300 yards? At that distance, from field position, from hunting rifle, anybody who shoots 6" grups, is an expert rifleman in my book!
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It's interesting that you should mention that. With my .35 Whelen, 6" at 300 yards is about what I can do from an unsupported prone position. I practice in my future in-laws farm fields and Barks has seen me do it often. Now, I don't bring this up to brag, but to reinforce the previous posters point. Would I be any better off with a .338? Not at all because you won't see me shooting at an unwounded bear or moose beyond 300 yards. And, when you are shooting at 300 yards, holding at the top of the back to allow for 9" of drop isn't the hard part.
 
Of the two cartridges the 338 is probably more capable past 300 yards. Having said that it recoils harder and being effective past 300 yards takes a lot of practice.

A friend and hunting partner of mine shoots a 35 Whelan and I shoot the 338wm. I doubt Bambi, Yogi, or Bullwinkle will ever know the difference.

It really comes down to personal preference and application rather than one being "better" than the other.
 
I would take a .338 simply because it's available in a wider selection of guns and the ammo is easier to find. It has a slight advantage in velocity with same-weight bullets and the narrower .338-calibre projectiles will have a higher BC than the shorter .358 bullets in the Whelen, translating to higher retained energy and flatter trajectory - but it isn't a huge difference and a confident Whelen shooter can make up the difference over a .338 user with no experience.

But since you already have a .35 Whelen, I don't see any huge benefit in buying a .338. I would only do so if you had a nice walnut and gloss blue .35 and you wanted to limit its exposure to crappy weather, a stainless .338 would be the ticket for a powerful "beater" gun for heavy game.
 
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