Never fails, here I thought this had died and then today my inbox is full of "response to favorite thread" emails. Well if it ain't gonna die then let me once again try to redirect it back to the REAL QUESTION HERE. Why do SOME (Col Boddington) say that the 35 Whelen is a better killer than the 300 Winchester Magnum?
This is how this all started, if I may I will quote what got me to ask this question.

Quote from SAFARI RIFLES by Craig Boddington regarding 30 cal magnums

"Whether a magnum or a "standard" .30 is chosen, it's a cartridge that will provide yeoman service on a tremendous range of African game. It is ideal on game from Impala up through Kudu and Zebra, and in a pinch, with the proper bullets, it will do the trick even on the massive Eland. It will turn the lights out on a leopard much more quickly than a heavier rifle. And it's been used with success against Lion and Buffalo much too often to say it can't be done. But I can say that it shouldn't be done. To find sensible absolute minimums for such game, we'll need to take another step up in caliber."

same book same author regarding 35 Whelen:

"At a recent sportsman's show, a guy asked me what I thought about the 35 Whelen for Cape Buffalo. As must be obvious, I'm a heavy-caliber proponent-especially when it comes to dangerous game. But this guy had a ligitimate problem. He and his wife were headed to Africa, and she wanted to take a buffalo-but was uncomfortable with recoil, even at .375 H&H levels. I thought back to my first use of the 35 Whelen, on a very large Alaska-Yukon Moose. The range was about 60 yards, and that bull was as big as any Cape Buffalo that walks. At the shot he simply went over backwards, landing with all four feet in the air, lights out. Yes, I would use the 35 Whelen on a buffalo, provided I was close enough-but not too close-and could place my shot on or just behind the shoulder. I would use a good softpoint for the first shot, but I'd try to get some solids to back it up. Chances are, now that this .35 is so popular, Art Alphin will turn out some of his A-square Monolithic solids in .358 diameter. If he would, you wouldn't have a great buffalo gun-but you could sure get by if you had to."

Well I read that then looked at ballistic charts got confused and then I came here and now I don't care. As I stated several times I don't plan on hunting buffalo with either caliber, I just wanted to know what made the 35 Whelen so lethal. But now just LET THIS THREAD DIE.

Well, I guess I could say that your experience with the 35 Whelen is REEEEEEALY limited, but that, like your comment, would not be constructive.
Given an ideal situation most anything COULD "work".
The Whelen is closer to the 9.3X62, which some folks with a hell of a lot of experience shooting buffalos seem to think is "OK", than a 300 Win. Mag. SOOO, if there is no difference how come the 9.3 is legal and the 300 isn't?

By the way I'd sooner row a drift boat to Africa than deliberately hunt African DG with my 35, but it did a great job on plains game in the bush.

PS. Lighten up, this is supposed to be fun, BS, etc.

Well, SOMEBODY convinced the legislators to make 9.3X62 the legal minimum in a few places. I guess it was my assumption that a few PH's with hunting experience rather than the guy with the 9.3 ammo concession were who they asked.

Here's the point: Everyone's favorite caliber asside. In a "pinch", where you do not have your weapon of choice. What do you use? The weapon and caliber you are most familier with and have the greatest amount of confidence in because you have shot a bunch of stuff with it because you use it almost all the time. 300 Win Mag. works great, if it didn't it wouldn't still be a big seller. 35 Whelen works great, if it didn't hunters would not bother to build custom rifles and handloading ammo.

This is about as amusing as the infamous Keith, O'Connor and Fowler letters. Hilarious to the hilt to say the least with the chest pounding and all. Wildcats make no sense, Dakota rifles are crap, Remington 700's suck, only pre-64 M70's are worth owning, Ruger rifles are inaccurate, only one brand of synthetic stock is worth owning, only fine wood is worth owning and on and on... With all of this there are many happy and successful shooters/hunters using everything made out there including a neighbor using a Remington 710 with compete satifaction on deer and hogs here. So let's shoot what we want with want we want, eh? By the way I love my Whelen's.