Which is more practical for North American big game. Moose elk caribou and black bear. Is it the 35 whelen the 9.3x62 or the 375hh? I know all 3 will do the job with correct placement of the shot but which is the most practical/versatile of them. Things like reloading components available easily. Cost of shells and rifle itself a friend and I are looking for a short barreled bolt action. I'm leaning toward the 375 but haven't found a rifle I like so chambered. The cz550 is nice just to long for thicker brush. The 35 whelen I'd use a donor stevens 200 action and a shilen barrel if I were to go that route. This will be a hunting rifle not a queen for myself my buddy well he likes nice walnut and no scratches.
which is more pratical
- Thread starter brybenn
- Start date
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
I think you could find 375 ammo a little easier at a gun shop, I would rather have a 35 Whelen, my friend has a 9.3x62 and it shoots clover leafs with a lot of authority. Any of the guns will shoot the hell out of a moose. if you reload, the whelen or 9.3 will work nicely.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
While there isn't really a wrong answer considering your cartridge choices, of the 3, the .375 H&H is the most versatile. It has a selection of bullet styles and weights that exceeds what is available for either the 9.3 or the .35. The .375 also produces a little more velocity across that range of bullet weights which since 1911 or thereabout has resulted in it becoming one of the most versatile and sought after big game cartridges in the world. To my way of thinking, if you need more than a .30 caliber rifle, the .375 represents the next logical step upwards.
Your rifles and your choice, but personally I wouldn't go beyond .308 or .30-06 for several reasons. A. Either one properly loaded (and properly placed) will take down anything in North America. B. Ammunition is much less expensive and easier to obtain. C. A day at the range will not hurt either your wallet or shoulder as much. I've seen guys show up to hunt camps and realize they forgot their ammo. Off to Canadian Tire or Home Hardware, and they're good to go after a few sighting in shots. Try that with .35 Whelen or .257 Roberts or many other good, but less common calibres. As I said, it's not a criticism, just an observation. Ultimately, you have to go with what you like and want.
You don't really need either of those 3 to do what you want, but they'll all do the trick just fine. The .375 and .35 will be much easier to come across than a 9.3x62, but I think I'd pick either the .35 or 9.3 myself. Doing a barrel swap on a Stevens 200 makes it a pretty simple choice. If that's what you're happy with, then the .35 sounds like the winner.
375 have much better ammunition and bullet choice
I would choose 375 H&H because of ammunition and bullet selection:
everything for dangerous, non-dangerous and even long range hunting!
If you're only planning to hunt in North America, 338 "Choose your favorite brand" Mag is a much better cartridge for medium game and long range hunting.
Still 375 H&H is the ultimate all-rounder and is far superior for dangerous game (not an issue in Eastern Canada).
Alex
I would choose 375 H&H because of ammunition and bullet selection:
everything for dangerous, non-dangerous and even long range hunting!
If you're only planning to hunt in North America, 338 "Choose your favorite brand" Mag is a much better cartridge for medium game and long range hunting.
Still 375 H&H is the ultimate all-rounder and is far superior for dangerous game (not an issue in Eastern Canada).
Alex
If the cost of brass and the rifle itself is an important factor, then the .375 H&H will be less practical for you. Both the .35 Whelen and the 9.3x62 can be easily formed from cheap and readily available .30-06 brass. There are no "cheap" .375 H&H rifles to be had - it is one of the reasons, imo, that the .375 Ruger has become fairly popular. My friend purchased an Alaskan, brand new, for $800.
Both the Whelen and the 9.3x62 could be built on the Stevens action, as you pointed out already. The recoil will be significantly less in a light rifle with these two when compared to the .375 H&H.
All three are great cartridges. Maybe you need to consider the .375 Ruger in an Alaskan - they have a 20" barrel and cost only a little more than a Stevens project, plus the Alaskan is stainless steel.
Both the Whelen and the 9.3x62 could be built on the Stevens action, as you pointed out already. The recoil will be significantly less in a light rifle with these two when compared to the .375 H&H.
All three are great cartridges. Maybe you need to consider the .375 Ruger in an Alaskan - they have a 20" barrel and cost only a little more than a Stevens project, plus the Alaskan is stainless steel.
For my .02 375 is the way to go. There was a very nice Win stainless w/ a Leo scope at Hanna show for $1200. I would have liked to take it home! 
You can shoot cast bullets >2000 fps. All 3 cal.s will work well and do what you need. There was a 35 in EE and Tradeex (sponsor above) has some reasonable 9.3's
You can shoot cast bullets >2000 fps. All 3 cal.s will work well and do what you need. There was a 35 in EE and Tradeex (sponsor above) has some reasonable 9.3'sThe 338 mags do to much meat damage on shoulder shots at closer ranges so I've noticed. Most of the shots will be inside 100 yards in thick cover and personally I like heavier bullets. My buddy just follows my example I guess. I like to anchor big game with a shoulder shot if possible. A large slow bullet breaks thru and penetrates the vitals well while not wrecking a lot of meat The stevens as fugly as it is fits me beautifully and I love my 25 in it. By expensive rifles I meant over 2 grand. $1200-$1500 is reasonable to me for a decent rifle ( the stevens would be cheaper) as I'd still need a decent scope and rings and such. I have a double in 45-70 with open sights so a scoped rifle throwing 225-300 grain death sentences will allow me to take longer shots more precisely while staying with the heavy slow bullets. I can't see myself taking more then a 200 yard shot I'd love the 375 but I didn't enjoy the feel of the ruger alaskan. It just didn't shoulder right for me. Tradeex seems to have a large supply of everything 9.3. I'm just getting into reloading rifles now. And I always make sure I have my gun and a #### load of ammo. I have forgotten just about everything else but I'm paranoid of leaving camp with out bullets
I don't like the stock on the Alaskan either - I suspect many don't given the number of McMillan stocked Alaskans out there. A Sako Kodiak is the closest in a new .375 H&H. You can also look for an old Sako carbine as they were chambered in the H&H too.
The .338 is a great cartridge - I have one and have also used the .300 Win Mag, .375 H&H and .416 RM. Breaking shoulders messes up lots of meat, but the bullets you use will also make a big difference. I just posted this on another thread, but here is the link to an interesting article regarding very high velocity, mono bullets and meat damage:
http://www.gsgroup.co.za/22x64.html
The .338 is a great cartridge - I have one and have also used the .300 Win Mag, .375 H&H and .416 RM. Breaking shoulders messes up lots of meat, but the bullets you use will also make a big difference. I just posted this on another thread, but here is the link to an interesting article regarding very high velocity, mono bullets and meat damage:
http://www.gsgroup.co.za/22x64.html
It mostly depends more on what kind of rifle you want to use. All three will do good service on moose.
The 35W and 9.3 rifles would tend to be the lighter of the three and would have another round in the mag. Less recoil would be another advantage as well if it's a consideration. The 35W would offer the most versatility for smaller deer sized game with the largest variety of bullets and easiest to find brass. Reloading for the 35W would be cheaper as well. Brass is easy to find in factory form and easy made from 30/06.
The 35W and 9.3 rifles would tend to be the lighter of the three and would have another round in the mag. Less recoil would be another advantage as well if it's a consideration. The 35W would offer the most versatility for smaller deer sized game with the largest variety of bullets and easiest to find brass. Reloading for the 35W would be cheaper as well. Brass is easy to find in factory form and easy made from 30/06.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Everything does damage on shoulder shots. That's why you shoot them behind the shoulder. That and behind the shoulder hits 'em right in the heart which always makes them dead.
I have a 9.3x62 because it's cooler than the Whelen and lighter the H&H but will do pretty much everythign the heavier magnum will do.
When hunting;
pack three separate bundles of ammo into three separate destination bundles.
When considering survival;
pack the above x2.
= no plombrem with ammo availability.
I would suggest a 9.3 or 35 Whelen, as they come in rifles that are appropriate in carry weight and fit your criteria of game getting cal. balance to a T.
In my head anyhoo
ds
pack three separate bundles of ammo into three separate destination bundles.
When considering survival;
pack the above x2.
= no plombrem with ammo availability.
I would suggest a 9.3 or 35 Whelen, as they come in rifles that are appropriate in carry weight and fit your criteria of game getting cal. balance to a T.
In my head anyhoo
ds
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
I found my friends 9.3 to not recoil much. I liked it a lot.
This year I think ill take my 2506 for a longer shot but I will most likely have a stevens rebarreled for the 35. Thanks for the replys. I see tradex has woodleighs up to 310gr for the whelen. I still want a 375hh but that will have to wait I guess. As for my buddy he choose a 3006 with 220 grain load
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
The 35 Whelen is a proven big game killer in NA and brass can be easily made from 30-06. The rifles can be pretty light, it's not real expensive to reload, and you can plink with pistol bullets if you like.
The 9.3x62 is proven game killer in NA and Africa, and is just a slightly bigger brother to the 35 Whelen (6 grains more powder capacity and generally bigger bullets). Rifles are generally medium weight, it's not real expensive to reload, and bullets heavier than 300 gr are available. Downside is there are not lots of bullet choices out there, but probably 15-20, which is still pretty decent, and they do include premium bullets like partitions and Barnes TSX. 9.3 bullets tend to have a better BC and SD than most people realize too; better than either the 35 or the .375.
The 375 is more rifle than the others are, period. It's a proven game killer everywhere, period. But it costs more to shoot and hits the shooter harder as well, and the rifles tend to be heavier (Always in my personal experience...) and hold one less round. The rifles usually are a bit pricier than the 35's or 9.3's, since, for some reason, used .375's still sell for almost new prices, but you can get a good used 9.3x62 for $400 any day of the week. Bullet selection with the 375's is better than the 35's or 9.3's.
Based on what the OP stated, mostly shooting under 100 yards, I'd get a $400 used Husky in 9.3 x 62, run some 1F 30-06 brass through my dies, throw some BL-C2 powder in the case and top off with a Prvi 286 gr SP (Only $48 per 100!) and be good to go. This setup (rifle and ammo) would cost about HALF of th .375 option, weigh less, hold one more round in the rifle, and no way any moose or other big game will tell the difference at the ranges discussed.
The 9.3x62 is proven game killer in NA and Africa, and is just a slightly bigger brother to the 35 Whelen (6 grains more powder capacity and generally bigger bullets). Rifles are generally medium weight, it's not real expensive to reload, and bullets heavier than 300 gr are available. Downside is there are not lots of bullet choices out there, but probably 15-20, which is still pretty decent, and they do include premium bullets like partitions and Barnes TSX. 9.3 bullets tend to have a better BC and SD than most people realize too; better than either the 35 or the .375.
The 375 is more rifle than the others are, period. It's a proven game killer everywhere, period. But it costs more to shoot and hits the shooter harder as well, and the rifles tend to be heavier (Always in my personal experience...) and hold one less round. The rifles usually are a bit pricier than the 35's or 9.3's, since, for some reason, used .375's still sell for almost new prices, but you can get a good used 9.3x62 for $400 any day of the week. Bullet selection with the 375's is better than the 35's or 9.3's.
Based on what the OP stated, mostly shooting under 100 yards, I'd get a $400 used Husky in 9.3 x 62, run some 1F 30-06 brass through my dies, throw some BL-C2 powder in the case and top off with a Prvi 286 gr SP (Only $48 per 100!) and be good to go. This setup (rifle and ammo) would cost about HALF of th .375 option, weigh less, hold one more round in the rifle, and no way any moose or other big game will tell the difference at the ranges discussed.
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