35 Whelen of 338-06?

My vote is 35 Whelen, I own one and have killed game with it. Just plain knocks them down. If I need more HP I’ll grab my custom 358 Norma. I’m kinda a 35 cal fan. It just has more appeal to me than the 338-06. The Whelen just seems to hit HARD on game. Just my 2 cents......Digger
 
bearhunter said:
Fox, I've had both in the past. I recently sold the last 35 Whelan I had. I have kept three 338-06 rifles though. Two built on Winchester Mod 70 actions and one on a Ruger #1.

The 9.3x62 isn't a bad cartridge by any means but it's usefulness is a bit limited IMHO. Not because it isn't capable of clean kills or accuracy out to 400+meters. Bullets are very difficult to come by if you hand load is mostly the reason.

I stayed with the 338-06 mostly because of the great bullet selection, the rifles I have are very accurate/predictable/dependable. I also have a 338-08 which is almost as effective.

Just remember, the heavier the bullets at decent velocities the heavier the recoil.

The one drawback of the 338-06 is that cases nor loaded cartridges are available. The 35 Whelan can be purchased off well stocked LGS shelves. I checked out several different gun shops last summer and only one, Del Selin's in Vernon BC, carried loaded ammo. two others carried 35 Whelan brass and only three carried 35 cal bullets suitable for the cartridge.

Not a big deal because all of the above utilize the 30-06 case as a parent. All are easily necked up and fire formed.

Ballistics comparisons show very little REAL difference between all of them.

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Bullets are hard to come by? But they're easily found on the internet... Tradex has 25 varieties on their site (not all in stock, but most are.)
 
Suther said:
Bullets are hard to come by? But they're easily found on the internet... Tradex has 25 varieties on their site (not all in stock, but most are.)
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Yup but with the added expense of shipping and wait times.

I wouldn't feel the least bit undergunned with either cartridge. Basically we're comparing apples to apples as far as capabilities go.

I like being able to walk into my LGS and pick up a box of 338 bullets that my rifle likes, when I need them, rather than go online and wait.

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GMC403 said:
I like the 35 Whelen, nothing wrong with the 338-06 though.

Many of my Whelens have had 1:16 twist barrels and I found no issues with stabilizing bullets from 125gr to 250gr as fast as the case will push them.
Plenty of Factory loads available for the Whelen, reloading it IME has been very forgiving. Recoil can be stout in a light platform, but it’s managable with a good stock design, it’s more of a heavy push than a snappy kick.

Lots of people comment about the advantage of using 357 bullets in the Whelen and I agree, it makes for economical practice rounds and has recoil similar to a 22wmr.
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My 7600 has a 16" twist. It shoots everything I put through it from 158s to 250s. I have even shot 310gr NOE? Thumper cast bullets out to 100 yards with no eveidence of keyholing.

If you want to shoot 275 or 300 and up, go for a 14 or better yet a 12" twist barrel.
 
As for proper headstamped brass, you will pay a slight premium for that. Remington .35 Whelen brass is about $2 more per bag than the same brand .30-06.

I have around 500 brass for my Whelen, with slightly under a hundred being proper headstamped. The rest is necked up /06 and .270

My original 100 brass came from 5 boxes of zremington ammo I bought with the rifle in '92. I have only lost 2 or 3 to split necks in that time. My Whelen is very good on brass, but it is a factory chambered rifle if it makes any difference.
 
GMC403 said:
I like the 35 Whelen, nothing wrong with the 338-06 though.

Many of my Whelens have had 1:16 twist barrels and I found no issues with stabilizing bullets from 125gr to 250gr as fast as the case will push them.
Plenty of Factory loads available for the Whelen, reloading it IME has been very forgiving. Recoil can be stout in a light platform, but it’s managable with a good stock design, it’s more of a heavy push than a snappy kick.

Lots of people comment about the advantage of using 357 bullets in the Whelen and I agree, it makes for economical practice rounds and has recoil similar to a 22wmr.
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I think I am sold on the Whelen, going from .358 lead pistol bullets all the way to 250gr partitions. I can load .358 FTX bullets down to 2200fps, down to 35 Remington velocities for deer hunting and then load it hot with a Partition or accubond for large stuff with the pistol bullets for plinking/small game popping.

The 338-06 can be loaded down with the 338 Marlin express bullets but there are not bullets that will expand below 1800fps so custom cast would be possible for plinking but not as many options as the 35 in my mind.

Hornady cases, 35 Whelen is $57/50, 30-06 is $52/50, 338-06 proper head stamped cases are not as easy to find.
 
"Practicing" with light pistol bullets will not equip you to shoot better groups with the much heavier bullets you'll use for hunting.

You need range time with each bullet.
 
Fox said:
I think I am sold on the Whelen, going from .358 lead pistol bullets all the way to 250gr partitions. I can load .358 FTX bullets down to 2200fps, down to 35 Remington velocities for deer hunting and then load it hot with a Partition or accubond for large stuff with the pistol bullets for plinking/small game popping.

The 338-06 can be loaded down with the 338 Marlin express bullets but there are not bullets that will expand below 1800fps so custom cast would be possible for plinking but not as many options as the 35 in my mind.

Hornady cases, 35 Whelen is $57/50, 30-06 is $52/50, 338-06 proper head stamped cases are not as easy to find.
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In my experience, Hornady interloks are very good deer bullets. I have not had a deer escape when shot with one.

I find also that shooting 250s has more comfortable recoil thsn shooting 200s. Something others have noted as well. Something to keep in mind.
 
A few years ago I looked into the same comparison of the 338-06 and the 35 Whelen. In my summary the 35 Whelen came out on top. The reasons were related to proper head stamped cases, the larger diameter bullet and rifles that are chambered in the 35 Whelen. After completing my comprehensive study I surmised that the 35 Whelen with 250 grain bullets were going to be most suitable for that caliber. As far as I know there may only be one company that produces head stamped cases for the 338-06. And who knows how often the 338-06 will be produced - so the availability is definitely more limited. However if I was going to select the 338-06 I would look for a bullet that would be weighing in the neighbourhood of 225 grains.
 
Why the fascination with "properly headstamped cases"?

All I have ever used and will ever use for 35 Whelen (and 9.3X62) is 30-06 brass. Fortunately I'm not an idiot and won't be firing 30-06 in either rifle, and if another person did, they'd just get a quiet "poof" and a wave of embarrassment. If the same person tried to chamber the 35 Whelen in a 30-06, they couldn't.

To me, it's a non-issue.
 
I had a 35 Whelen and got a moose with it. DRT

An advantage is that if you fly to Newfoundland or BC for a hunt and find that the box of ammo you packed is the wrong caliber (or you forgot the ammo, or it got stolen from your bag, or ....) is that you have a chance of finding some in a local store.
 
Andy said:
Why the fascination with "properly headstamped cases"?

All I have ever used and will ever use for 35 Whelen (and 9.3X62) is 30-06 brass. Fortunately I'm not an idiot and won't be firing 30-06 in either rifle, and if another person did, they'd just get a quiet "poof" and a wave of embarrassment. If the same person tried to chamber the 35 Whelen in a 30-06, they couldn't.

To me, it's a non-issue.
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I agree, Andy. No possible way to chamber a Whelen into a .270, .30-06 or even .338/06.

Are there certain provinces where ypu must have proper headstamped ammo? Seems to be a federal jurisdiction to me.
 
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