Nolo contendere. Go with the .338.

Which would you recommend? I've run the numbers and the 35 don't give up much engery or velocity to the 338. It also looks like you could build the 35 to weigh 8.5 pounds, total, and have some what less recoil than a 9 pound total weight 338. Since I don't like 26" barrels I'd use a 24" on either, if that matters.

There's no contest. Not really, except maybe in the realm of wishful thinking. The .338 Win. Mag. is a much more useful and versatile cartridge, and has a surprisingly strong following in the Dark Continent. I doubt you could find a single .35 Whelen cartridge in all of sub-Saharan Africa..........

AD

Mark,

Allen is right in everything he said but I can't imagine an eland would know the difference if hit with a 250 Nosler or similiar controlled expansion bullet within a couple 200 yd.from either round. Actually I would highly recommend the Nosler Partition if you are really thinking about leopard.

I've had very light rifles in both calibers. The 338 recoils considerably more but I think if I had to choose one I would go for the 338. I believe it is the best all around caliber for anything smaller than a cape buffalo.I personally have shot more animals with the 338 than any other chambering and never felt over or under gunned.

I have gotten very good results from 22" barrels in both calibers you mentioned. I certainly don't think 26" is needed at all.

Regards,

Mark

Look at it this way if you walked into a store... more 338 choices or 35 whelen...Also if luggage lost any ammo in 338 is better then no ammo for 35whelen...

Mike

I suggest you go to
www.african-hunter.com/the_firearm_files.htm
There's an interesting article about a guy taking several heads of game in Zim a few years ago and was completely satisfied with the results. Since the 9.3 seems to be an all-time favorite over there, the 35 Whelen is so close ballistically that they could be brothers. I'd say the 35 probably edges out the 9.3 by a wee bit.

All of the above plus the fact that cats are especially succeptible to hi velocity rounds, the 338 has it all over the Wheelen. Mind you, I own a Wheelen and it was deadly on a 320lb black bear last Sept, but for eland and Leopard, the 338s the only way to go. jorge

Fact is with 250 grain Nosler Partitons you couldn't go wrong with either one. You can go pound or more lighter with the Whelen and 22" barrel is enough. 8 lbs is do able. My preference would be the Whelen actually. If I were going back to Zimbabwe I would take my Whelen instead of my .30-06. The ammo is a factor so don't loose your handloads. Guess you could use .30-06 ammo and let em get close

Rich Elliott

What would you shoot for cheap, no recoil practice ammo? Dirt cheap 38 caliber pistol bullets? Not in the 338 you wouldn't. I don't really think there is enough difference between the 338 and the 35 to matter.

H. C.

I much prefer the 338 Win. over the 35 Whelen, but it will not make one bit of difference in the game fields of Africa, unless your shooting beyond 300 yards and even that is theroritical

If I were shooting Buffalo, Elephant or Lion, Id say the 338 has a good edge and for 400 yards on elk I give it a good edge, but for what you listed the 35 Whelen, 338-06 or 9.3x62 are all great guns..

Why not just use a .308 caliber 200gr bullet at 2700fps +/-? At 50 yards it has 3000+ foot pounds of engery, more than enough for the Leopard and has 2500+ at 200 yards which should handle the Eland. Seems it should work, but the question is which bullet? I'd think you'd need a tough bullet that penetrates deep, say Barnes X, for the Eland but for the Leopard you'd want a bullet that open quick on it soft skin. Seems like your hunting two very different animals that call for different bullets.

I have both calibers. But, I will take my 35 Whelen any day over a .338. It does not have near the recoil of a .338 yet it does a fantastic job. I took it New Zealand to hunt Sambar. I dropped my Sambar with one shot if I remember correctly at 315 yards according to a range finder my friend was using. I would not have attempted the shot if I had know it was that far. But, the 225 grain trophy bonded did a fantastic job. I have killed Eland, leopard, elk, grizzley, and most of my plains game with the 35 Whelen. A friend of mine who uses Barnes X bullets even downed Elephant and lion with his, tho I would not recomend it. According him they were all one shot kills. Yes, I know it was illegal for him to use that caliber on Elephant and lion. Reloaded it is fantastic round.

Yes, there is the draw back if you lose your ammunition in transit, you do have a problem. But, what is the difference if you lose your rifle. God forbid if that ever happens.

Either but make sure you choose the right bullets. For 35 Whelen, you are slower so use a softer bullet. For 338 use tough bullets. A tough bullet in a slow ctg will act like a solid unless it hits a major bone...and that's not good as you won't find your eland. A soft bullet in a fast ctg won't reach the vitals on an Eland (good for a cat though).

The point about lost ammo is valid. Remember, your ammo and gun are likely to be in separate luggage. So you might arrive with rifle and no ammo (or the other way around, in which case you are screwed whichever caliber you choose). Chances are, your PH has or can get you some 338 ammo, but not 35 whelen.

The recoil point is also valid. In my experience, a 338 kicks more than a 375. But this is based on a Ruger 77 that kicked like a mule from prone or the bench. It was mild from standing or sitting though.

The 338 Win will be better simply because of ammo problems if it gets lost over here, you will not see any thing diifference between them out hunting, put the bullet in the correct spot and they all will go down. Like I said I have never seen 35 whelen ammo in any gunshop I have been to.

Cheers

Flip

I'd go with the Whelen. Either will kill well at African distances, which are almost never over 200 yards. If possible, I like to shoot from a prone or other well braced position when possible, and the Whelen has the edge on allowing you to recover from the recoil just a bit faster. I've got a 25" barrel on my Whelen and get my 250 grain round nose Hornady interlock bullets to leave the muzzle at 2624 fps. That produces quite the thump when it hits, and I doubt that the slight increase in velocity of the .338 is worth the extra recoil. Either will work, and work well, but I prefer the Whelen.

I have shot the 35 Whelen, 338-06 and 338 Winchester and if there is one bit of difference in recoil I can't tell it..Perhaps that has something to do with the gun not the caliber....Then if one cannot handle recoil, thes Africas big 5 may not for you, recoil goes with that territory, its a given.....

I do find a difference in the recoil. Neither hurts to shoot, but that wasn't my point. Most PHs of my acquaintance like, if possible, for a second shot to be administered to a leopard. Reacquiring the target is faster with a rifle with less recoil than one with more. If the leopard is punched properly with the first shot, there's a second or two when he hits the ground at the base of the tree when you can sometimes get in a second shot (plenty of time if the first one did what it was supposed to, but hunters tend to shoot a bit poorly at leopard for some reason ). The faster the recovery, the faster the second shot goes out.

As for whether I choose to hunt the big 4, that isn't the point of the thread.