This might not be the correct forum for this question but I am looking at either one of these for hunting plains game in Africa. I am a handloader so ammo is not a problem. The problems I am having is I cannot figure out which one of these is better than the other with compariable bullets. The only thing I found that made sense is that with 250 grain bullets the Whelen might be ahead because of the short length of the 350 would require deep seating thus limiting velocity.

As for guns, if I dont have one built I have 3 options from what I can tell. Remington makes a 7600 pump (not sure about that one), their new guide gun, the mod. 673, and also the cdl, the latter 2 being bolt actions. Anybody have any experience with either or both of these cartridges? TIA

I agree with Slingster the choice would boil down to one's preference in rifle configuration. I've used both quite a bit and can't say I've noted the slightest difference as to effectiveness on game. They're both great, as is their little brother, the .358 Winchester which would also do you proud as a general bushveld cartridge. Big brother, the .358 Norma Magnum, is one of the best designed hunting cartridges ever. In general the 35's were never as popular as they should have been. Great killers, all.

I have both rounds in Rem 700 classics, same barrel ect ect.
You might not think it, but the 350 beats out the 35 Whelen by 50 fps. I do file the tips off the 250 grn spitzers and make "mag tips" out of them. That lets me load them out a good bit more then they would otherwise. And no it doesnt hurt accuracy at all for general hunting. The 35 Whelen has a much smoother feed from mag to the chamber though.

Axter - I own a Rem 7600 in .35 Whelen and wouldn't part with it. It shoots 225gr and 250gr. close enough together to not require resighting at 200yards and is not finicky about cartridge lengh. My other .35 Whelen is on a Mark X action with a 1:14 twist Shaw barrel. I had it throated for the 250gr. Speer, but it seems to shoot bullets from 180gr to 250gr equally well (some under an inch); however it will not shoot the lighter bullets even close to the "heavies". My .350 Rem Mag is a 660 Rem and it is superbly accurate, especially considering the short, light contour of the barrel. Like the Mark X it will not group the lighter bullets with the heavier ones, but the 225gr and 250gr are within 2 1/2" at 100 yards. You are right on regarding the short 660 action (or model 7 action) makes seating a 250gr a "deep seated" proposition; however, one of my most accurate loads is a 250Spt (Speer) on top of 56.0gr of IMR4064 about 2450fps (over the "screens"). The 225SptBT (Sierra) is not much help because it too must be loaded rather deep (the boattail does that you know). I haven't tried a 225gr Partition, but suspect that it would be the best bullet for this caliber even if you lost a little B.C. and more important (in my estimation) S.D. Even loading the 250gr Spt you only lose a few grains of powder space which is still very close, if not the same, to the 35 Whelen in a very light and compact package. I believe the best option, depending on your taste, would be a Rem 700 CDL with that beautiful stock, 24" barrel, and the strong action of a "bolt". I was told not to take my "pump" to Africa when I went last spring because the "PH" might have a problem with it. Ask the outfitter about the action you can take; for it turns out my PH would not have had a problem with my pump or a "lever" as long as I shot it well. Good luck with your search. Riley