Experiences 358 cal rifles: 35 Whelen AI, 358 Norma Mag, 358 STA (Shooting Times Alaska).

D

D.Pagenkopf

Member
Rating - 100%
8   0   0
I've wanted a 35 Cal rifle since I got into reloading over 15 years ago. I would like to build one.

The contenders are 35 Whelen AI, 358 Norma Mag, 358 Shooting Times Alaska.

I'm not considering other calibres. 35 Whelen is funner to say than 9.3 x 62, just saying.

What have your experiences been with the mentioned rounds?

What rifle do you have in these rounds?

What kind of reloads are you making?

How fast are the rounds going?

What barrel length and twist rate do they have?

What were your expectations before you had one of these rounds and after?

What was the recoil like?

What do you like and dislike about it? How would you improve yours?

This is a hunting rifle build for myself. Basically hunting deer. It would be used on Elk, Moose and Bears if the opportunity happened. Maybe a sheep.

I'd like some sort of walnut wood stock. Pillar and glass bedded.

Not sure what I will build the rifle from.

I may have the donor rifle bored out and have a gain twist rifling put in it. Gain twist is another little custom feature I've wanted to have.

I would have the build made by Gerald Smith/ RKS gunsmithing out of Wimborne AB.

Thanks
 
More like 9.1x62 at .358 than 9.3, which is .366 diameter. Both have identical results.

Now ask yourself how much you like recoil and how much you like to shoot your rifles.

35 Whelan/9.3x62/338-06 = real life, almost identical results on targets.

35 caliber bullets can be difficult to find at times, and 9.3 can be next to impossible, other than online.

The 35 Whelan is a great cartridge with manageable recoil, even on the bench. It will cleanly take most animals on the planet, other than Pachyderms and Hippos, and even those with solids at close range.

I've shot Deer, Moose, Bears, and Elk with the 35 Whelan, but none were over 300 yds, which is just my personal limit for dependable bullet placement under "field" conditions.

IMHO, it should be much more popular than it is.

In reality, it has more felt recoil than many folks can handle.

If you're reducing bullet weight to dampen felt recoil, you might as well stick with a 30-06, and 180 grain bullets.

Lighter monolithic bullets, which are longer can be a step up, but they're hard to find, and selection isn't great.

Factory cartridges are available at some shops, and it's a very simple cartridge to reload, with lots of info published.

Most modern rifles can easily exceed published maximum data with all bullet weights.

I don't know if any of the big manufacturers are still building the 35 Whelan
 
Have a very tidy Husky 1651, love it, good dependable rifle and accurate. Reload for it using 225 Sierra Game Kings doing a tad shy of 2900fps. 358 is a bit too much for nearly all game here in NZ, but I have shot deer with it. And have shot steel out to 600 metres, just cos I could. Im not recoil shy, but this does let you know that you have pulled the trigger. I find the Husky aint hard to shoot cos of its comfortable classic stock, and the barrel is 65cm rather than the 60cm on the smaller calibres.
 
I'm a big fan of the .35 caliber. I've had a .35 Whelen built on a Ruger MKII for about 20 years. Shot a bull moose with it. Two years ago I had the barrel removed and reinstalled on a Tikka T3X to save some weigjt. I built a .35 Rem with a profit barrel on a Savage action. Shot a mulie and played with the .35 Rem for a few years. I sold the .35 Rem last winter and bought a .358 Win Ruger Frontier.

I'm shooting 225gr TSXand 200gr TTSX in my Whelen and 225gr SGK and 200gr Hornady IL in the .358 Win.
 
I have had a few custom 35 whelens over the years and really love the cartridge. I have taken mountain goat out to 369 yards and elk at 20 yards. Every animal shot hits the dirt instantly.

If you are only going to own one .358 cal rifle I think the Whelen is the way to go.

All bullets from 200-250 grains work great, even the cheaper gamekings and hotcors work like premium bullets.

I think a good barrel length is 22” but would not be afraid of going to 20” for handling.
 
boxhitch said:
just do it, there is no wrong way

Ruger short action , 350 mag, Wildcat stock, as an option
Click to expand...
Just like Nike. Alright. That sounds like a nice rifle. I'll consult Dr.Google :)
Thunderhog said:
This!.....:)

350 Remington Magnum, short action rifle........:love:
Click to expand...
Nice
bearhunter said:
More like 9.1x62 at .358 than 9.3, which is .366 diameter. Both have identical results.

Now ask yourself how much you like recoil and how much you like to shoot your rifles.

35 Whelan/9.3x62/338-06 = real life, almost identical results on targets.

35 caliber bullets can be difficult to find at times, and 9.3 can be next to impossible, other than online.

The 35 Whelan is a great cartridge with manageable recoil, even on the bench. It will cleanly take most animals on the planet, other than Pachyderms and Hippos, and even those with solids at close range.

I've shot Deer, Moose, Bears, and Elk with the 35 Whelan, but none were over 300 yds, which is just my personal limit for dependable bullet placement under "field" conditions.

IMHO, it should be much more popular than it is.

In reality, it has more felt recoil than many folks can handle.

If you're reducing bullet weight to dampen felt recoil, you might as well stick with a 30-06, and 180 grain bullets.

Lighter monolithic bullets, which are longer can be a step up, but they're hard to find, and selection isn't great.

Factory cartridges are available at some shops, and it's a very simple cartridge to reload, with lots of info published.

Most modern rifles can easily exceed published maximum data with all bullet weights.

I don't know if any of the big manufacturers are still building the 35 Whelan
Click to expand...
Recoil- I'll be adding a brake. I have a pain condition and require good pad, stock and brake to manage it. I can't shoot like I used to with big mags... That being said I do lean towards a Whelen for that reason.
I was planning on stocking up when and where I found some in a good supply. I'd like to at least be using 200 and 225 gr bullets. If I wanted to shoot 180s I'd stick to 30 cals.
It'd be a custom job I'm sure, that is what I anticipated.
Backcountryal said:
Have a very tidy Husky 1651, love it, good dependable rifle and accurate. Reload for it using 225 Sierra Game Kings doing a tad shy of 2900fps. 358 is a bit too much for nearly all game here in NZ, but I have shot deer with it. And have shot steel out to 600 metres, just cos I could. Im not recoil shy, but this does let you know that you have pulled the trigger. I find the Husky aint hard to shoot cos of its comfortable classic stock, and the barrel is 65cm rather than the 60cm on the smaller calibres.
Click to expand...
One of my favourite rifle designs. The schnabel stock and reliable action. Balanced and a great weight. Are you packing it up hills? What calibre are you using?
dan belisle said:
I've owned all of those. Plus a few others. Still have the 358 Norma and 350 Rem Mag (ballistic twin to the 35 Whelen). 358 STA with good bullets is a serious long range killer. Recoil is very stiff. Not the worst 35 I ever had in that regard, but second place for sure. - dan
Click to expand...
Nice. I'll have to check out the 350 Rem Mag too. I am drawn to the 358 for the long-range aspect. I'd rather have it and not need it! In terms of reliable bullet expansion too, it would pack a good punch.
bcsteve said:
I'm a big fan of the .35 caliber. I've had a .35 Whelen built on a Ruger MKII for about 20 years. Shot a bull moose with it. Two years ago I had the barrel removed and reinstalled on a Tikka T3X to save some weigjt. I built a .35 Rem with a profit barrel on a Savage action. Shot a mulie and played with the .35 Rem for a few years. I sold the .35 Rem last winter and bought a .358 Win Ruger Frontier.

I'm shooting 225gr TSXand 200gr TTSX in my Whelen and 225gr SGK and 200gr Hornady IL in the .358 Win.
Click to expand...
Not familiar with the mkii. Have a wide breadth of knowledge on the 35 range. Do you have a preference when your grabing one out of the safe to go hunting?
Bare said:
I have had a few custom 35 whelens over the years and really love the cartridge. I have taken mountain goat out to 369 yards and elk at 20 yards. Every animal shot hits the dirt instantly.

If you are only going to own one .358 cal rifle I think the Whelen is the way to go.

All bullets from 200-250 grains work great, even the cheaper gamekings and hotcors work like premium bullets.

I think a good barrel length is 22” but would not be afraid of going to 20” for handling.
Click to expand...
I like it when they drop on the spot instantly. I'll always remember my cleanest coyote with a 270, 150 gr ABLR 3100 FPS- way overloaded. 80 yards and the results spoke for 20 yards... vaporized the exiting side... it was spectacular.

I've been wondering about barrel length. I want to balance weight, velocity and handling. It gives me comfort hearing about a 369-yard goat shot. I plan on topping it with a custom dial from Leupold.
 
D.Pagenkopf said:
Not familiar with the mkii. Have a wide breadth of knowledge on the 35 range. Do you have a preference when your grabing one out of the safe to go hunting?
Click to expand...
The MKII is the predecessor to the Ruger Hawkeye, basically the same action. The Whelen is my favorite and in the Tikka I'm much happier carrying it around.
IMG-7977.jpg
 
I have a 350 rem and a 358 Norma and they’re both great. If I wanted any more stank than then Norma I would probably step up to a 375 H&H instead of bothering with the STA

One I would really like to try is the 35 sambar (WSM)
 
In 1978 I built a light weight 358 Norma Mag on a Sako action. The recoil was right up there. Sold it in 1980 to a fellow who wanted lots of punch.

I built several .350 Rem Mags... popular 'little' round. The owners all loved them.
 
D. Pagenkopf (Pageheader) wrote: "I was planning on stocking up when and where I found some in a good supply. I'd like to at least be using 200 and 225 gr bullets. If I wanted to shoot 180s I'd stick to 30 cals.
It'd be a custom job I'm sure, that is what I anticipated."

Well, at higher speeds recoil will be much less and penetration will equal anything the 200grain offering in 35 cal will do.

I encourage you to pursue your needs/wants/fantasies, so no diss meant. Any excuse for a new rifle, commercial or custom, works for me.
 
My 35 cal experience has been with the 35 Whelen. I wanted a close to midrange hammer and it does the job. Fast forward a few decades and I learned what else hits hard at close range. Brace yourself for this. Damn near everything hits hard at close range. Many of those also work a lot better at extended ranges than any of the mild mediums. The only medium I need in my stable is. a .375, and realistically although it is about as versatile as a caliber can get for various sized game, are you really going on hunts with one rifle that include buffalo and up sized animals? If not, a big 30 or 7 will likely work better. If you want to go heavier and hedged your bets with a big 338 you won’t get a lot of argument from me either.
 
I chronoed some loads that I've shot a tonne of Sambar deer with an was surprised at only 2200fps ,
Mild recoil an good thump on the other end.

Of course it can be hot rodded or AI'd but no real need unless setting it up for something other than point an shoot big game hunting to 250m say
 
I owned a Shultz and Larsen in 358 Norma for one moose season. Didn’t get anything. Recoil was a bit challenging but limiting sitting range sessions to 40 rounds helped.

I shot factory Norma 250gr ammo and planned on reloading once I had enough brass to make a batch.
But the 35 cal is ultimately the reason I got rid of the rifle. 35 sectional density and ballistic coefficients were worse for the same bullet weights in .338 and more available. While .366 and .375 bullets were more available and in heavier weights.

Availability wise. This was in northern bc. It felt like shops stocked .338, .366 and .375 bullets. They might happen to have a box of .358 bullets. But were happy to get rid of them and would not restock.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom