35 Whelen VS 358 Win

duke1

duke1

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I need a big bore rifle for my new deer hunting area. Most of the shots are less than 75 yds and the area is quite bushy. This is a new hunting situation for me and most of my hunting firearms are not really suited for this kind of terrain. I have decided that what I need is either a 35 Whelen or a 358 Win and would like to hear the pros and cons of both of these calibres.

I do handloading but would prefer to buy my hunting ammo commercially.

All input is welcome,

Duke1

PS. I already have such calibres as the 270, 308, 30-06, 300 WM and the 338 WM
 
If you must buy another rifle, and for the conditions described, I would go with the .358win. I have yet to kill a deer with mine, but I am sure it will with authority!

Have fun in your search.

:D
 
The Whelen is the better cartridge of the two, the same as the 30-06 is better than a 308. :wink: I do have a 35 Whelen A.I. and it is deadly on deer with the Remington 200 gr PSP bulk bullets, no need for premium bullets on deer.
 
A lightweight (7lbs scoped) 35 Whelen w/22" bbl will fit the bill nicely, yet still allow you a great rifle should you chase moose and other large beasts in wide open areas.

Just please, please don't build it on a decrepid old unsafe dinosaur of an action such as the P 17..........there is a reason not "everyone" uses them :wink: !

280_ACKLEY
 
I dont have whelen yet, but I have a 356 model 94 win. same ballistically to the 358 Win.
Either will let all the air needed out of a deer in your neighborhood.

If only the CDL was available in a LH Whelen...
 
Whelen is the better cartridge,they are a good all around cartridge.It is still a fairly rare cartridge compared to most.I have had 5 or 6 of them through the years ,they are always near the top of my list.
 
Choice of calibre

Thanks a lot guys for the very useful feedback.

From what I have read here and doing a bit of research, I'm leaning toward the 35 Whelen.

I only need one more bit of information that is somewhat important. For those that have fired the 35 Whelen, what does the recoil compare to? Seeing that the cartridge is a 30-06 with the neck expanded to take the 0.35 bullet, is the recoil compared to the 30-06?? I feel very comfortable firing a 300 Win Mag but not fuzzy with the type of recoil you find in the 375 H&H Mag. and higher magnums.

Thanks again,

Duke1
 
If it were me (and it isn't :) ) I would worry more about the details of the rifle. If shots are going to be 75 yards there is not much difference between the two cartridges.
I like a real short gun in the bush. So the advantage of the 358 in a short action could play a part. Say a 13" lenght of pull and a 22" bbl. That sounds right.... But then again you could just build a 35 whelen on a long action with a slightly shorter 21" bbl and they would finish at about the same lenght :lol:
 
280_ACKLEY said:
Just please, please don't build it on a decrepid old unsafe dinosaur of an action such as the P 17..........there is a reason not "everyone" uses them :wink: !

280_ACKLEY
Click to expand...

Spend some time on AR or 24hr and you'll see how many huge africa bound cannons are built on these actions :idea: a magnaflux to check integrety is a must, but providing they pass they are very strong and very safe :p weatherby used them to create many of his first rifles, before he started making his own actions :p

in the relm of .35 cals it does seem like everyone has a whelen, not saying they don't do a damn good job, but sometime it's nice to have something a little different 8)
 
Neither are particularly easy finding ammo or brass. Especially in smaller places. If you get off into the bush and find you've left your ammo on the kitchen table, you likely won't be able to pop into Crappy Tire and buy either.Go with what you can find in Crappy Tire. Most of 'em carry the same stuff. Can't say as I've ever seen either the .35 Whelen or .358 Win in any Crappy Tire.
I have seen .444 Marlin and .45-70 though. Both come in handy lever actions and will drop a deer with no fuss.
 
I have both - as well as a .356 Winchester, .35 Remington and a .358 Norma. I guess I must have a thing for the .35s :twisted: .

I carried the .358 for many years for both deer and moose, and I guess I must have shot about a dozen deer with it. The performance was always good, even when I had to settle for inferior bullets.

It's primarily a reloaders cartridge - which I do -, so I can't give you any reports on the performance of factory ammo in the .358. However, I wouldn't expect that there would be a problem.

I never managed to shoot a moose with it, but I wouldn't expect there to be a problem with that either. A few years ago, I picked up my Whelen with the intention of extending the range a little, though my main thought was to be able to shoot moose with heavier bullets at similar velocities and ranges.

I don't think you can go wrong with either cartridge, so I'd advise you to pick whichever one is chambered in a rifle you like.

One piece of advice (that's clear from my signature line) is that if you're hunting in the thick stuff in Ontario's central range, I'd advise you to get a rifle in a Lever, pump or autoloading action. The liklihood of losing shots to unseen intervening brush is just too high in this part of the world to trust anything slower. Shooting opportunities in this area are usually very short in duration, so if you lose your first shot (or wound the animal) you may not get a second if you use a bolt or single shot.

Whelens are available in Remington 7600s and 7400s. 358s are available in Winchester 88s, Savage 99s and BLRs. The BLR is the only one currently manufactured (other than some special run 7600s available only in the US).
 
duke1 said:
I.

All input is welcome,

Duke1

PS. I already have such calibres as the 270, 308, 30-06, 300 WM and the 338 WM
Click to expand...

I don't know if you just want anew rifle, but any of these would work just fine for what you describe! :shock:
 
30/06 VS .308 :roll:

I like them both, but if Remington made a 7600 in .358, I'd have one of those instead of the Whelen.


SC........................
 
For hunting deer in thick bushy area with % of your shots being under 75 yards ?358. awesome calaber as well as the 35 whelen. :idea: Ever consider the Deerdield Ruger 44Mag. I use my Ruger 44 mag . Really does the job on whitetails 75yards and under . Semiauto for quick follow up shots . Also very short light gun. Nice to handle in the bush. Good luck :!:
 
Have owned both and shot deer and moose with both.
Currently have a 7600 in .35 Whelan ( prefer a pump for
the thick bush ) Wouldn't hesitate to get either in a bolt
but prefer the Whelan. Wicked-good moose caliber,
but if a lever is your thing, by all means go with the
.358, either an old Win. 88 (good luck finding one) or
the Browning BLR.

To me it's very much like comparing the .308 to the .30-06,
only in 35 cal. The gun writer's have been making way too much
off that for years. Both are great cartridges. Pick one for whichever
reason or reasons you like !!!

As to recoil, the Whelan I find a little
healthier than the '06, particularly with lively 250 gr. moose loads.
I hand load 220 flat points for deer, down around the 2200 fps level,
not bad at all to shoot and very effective. Find Reloader 15
and H335 both work to my liking.
 
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