Ruger m77 stainless in 338 or 350 magnum?
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
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somewhere there was an ''efficiency'' evaluation of various cartrdges-and the 35whelen came in on top-I was thinking given the 350 magnum is so closely matched-it might be the better choice-and ruger doesn't make a 35 whelen in its m77 allweather model
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- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
350 , more spankey for the crankey bear, in the tangles of the Alaska bush. (Diameter) , at short to medium range , its got the goods.
I agree a 338 would likely have better long range statistics-but I venture most of the actual hunting shots in the area I hunt are well with the 200 yard mark[probably under a 100 for that matter]and if I could get a very efficient cartridge that would deliver a solid punch out to 200 yards with a larger diameter bullet-without getting my shoulder pounded,that would seem to be a good consideration
ratherbefishin said:
I posted a thread about this a couple years back, maybe that's what your refering too rbf?. It was an article in one of the gun rags where the author compared weight of stick type powder used to energy levels in various cartridges. I think the comparison chart was energy (ft/lbs) per grain of powder..
It was actually the 35 Whelen ackley improved that came out on top with the most energy per unit of powder. But the 35 Whelen obviously wasn't far behind. IIRC the 350 Remington was near the top too.
Now back on topic, I would go with the 350. Partly because I like the short action idea and partly because it can do pretty much the same thing with less noise, recoil, powder etc. In fact I'd argue at shorter ranges the 350 has more 'smack'.
Why not buy a stainless 30/06 or 270 SPS and swap out the bbl for a Whelen? The factory stocks are decent or sometime down the road, you can put it in a McMillan or Bansner. I have a 270win SPS in a Bansner that may get the same treatment someday.
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I have a 350 RM in a Rem7 Mannlicher Stock and love carying it around for anything BUT if I was going for a moose rifle exclusively I would go for the 338 WM, you have alot more reach and alot more punch with higher SD bullets, as much as I like the 350 and have taken game with it I would not call it equivalent to the 338 unless the ranges could be kept below the 250 yd mark, so if you are disciplined enough to pass up long shots because of the looping trajectories go for it. Another matter is the rifle itself, I personally would not carry a 350 unless it was something short and light, on a 7-7.5lb rifle it doesn't make sense to limit yourself ballistically go for a 338WM or a 358 Norma. IMHO
bigbull
bigbull
350RM/35 Whelen.......225gr @ 2700 fps........200yds zero....-8.89@ 300yds
338 WM....................225gr @ 2800 fps........200yds zero...-7.65@300yds
About 1" difference in trajectory at 300yds and 4" at 400yds. The 350RM and 35 Whelen are not sniper calibers but their are not short range bush cartridge either, not in my opinion anyway. I you want to bring the SD advantage, I"ll bring the bigger caliber advantage .
The .338WM has an edge (on paper anyway) over the 350RM and 35 Whelen but not by much.
338 WM....................225gr @ 2800 fps........200yds zero...-7.65@300yds
About 1" difference in trajectory at 300yds and 4" at 400yds. The 350RM and 35 Whelen are not sniper calibers but their are not short range bush cartridge either, not in my opinion anyway. I you want to bring the SD advantage, I"ll bring the bigger caliber advantage
.The .338WM has an edge (on paper anyway) over the 350RM and 35 Whelen but not by much.
bcsteve said:350RM/35 Whelen.......225gr @ 2700 fps........200yds zero....-8.89@ 300yds
338 WM....................225gr @ 2800 fps........200yds zero...-7.65@300yds
About 1" difference in trajectory at 300yds and 4" at 400yds. The 350RM and 35 Whelen are not sniper calibers but their are not short range bush cartridge either, not in my opinion anyway. I you want to bring the SD advantage, I"ll bring the bigger caliber advantage
The .338WM has an edge (on paper anyway) over the 350RM and 35 Whelen but not by much.
Would you share your source for the data you posted & bullet types/shapes?
bigbull
bcsteve said:350RM/35 Whelen.......225gr @ 2700 fps........200yds zero....-8.89@ 300yds
338 WM....................225gr @ 2800 fps........200yds zero...-7.65@300yds
About 1" difference in trajectory at 300yds and 4" at 400yds. The 350RM and 35 Whelen are not sniper calibers but their are not short range bush cartridge either, not in my opinion anyway. I you want to bring the SD advantage, I"ll bring the bigger caliber advantage
The .338WM has an edge (on paper anyway) over the 350RM and 35 Whelen but not by much.
Splitting hairs but, with both using 225gr. Accubonds it's more like 2" difference at 300yds and 6" difference at 400yds. 338wm with 225gr. is more like 2900fps.
bigbull said:
Barnes manual #3 using X flat base bullets for both.
Using the Hornady 6th Edition manual and their Spire point bullet, they show an 8.2" drop at 300yds and the same 200yds zero for a 0.69" difference in drop. This one compares the 225 Hornady SP IL to the Barnes XFB because Hornady doesn't have a 225gr bullet in .35 cal.
Spitzer, you might be right, I don't have or load for a 338 WM, just going by the reloading manuals and they show max loads at 2800fps.
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