I would opt for the Whelen simply because Remington is the only producer of .350 mag. ammo and if they decide to stop producing it (again), there is no easy way to make brass. It can be done but form dies are expensive and fire forming is a pain.

On the other hand, as long as we are allowed to own guns there will be .30-06 brass to make Whelen brass. I had a 700 Classic in .350 and loved it but the Whelen just seems to make more sense when you consider long term usage.

DC300

9.3x62

Just got a 7600 in 35 Whelen. This is intended for an alaska trip. Loaded a Hornady 250 gr RN with IMR 4064 and last night shot an honest 3 shot 3/4" grp at 100 yds. Have to admit the trigger isn't very good and hope a smith can get rid of the creep. I put a 3-9x40 scope but it seems a little large aesthetically. Might go with a 2-7. So far it has been a good gun. Good luck.

I carried a custom FN 35 Whelen in SA this April and could not have been more pleased with it and its performance on game from impala up to an old 1500 pound eland. I will take it again. My PH was very impressed with its performance especially on wildebeest, 1 shot kill dropped at the shot on a straight on shot, Zebra, 1 shot kill complete penetration through shoulders, and eland over 4 feet of penetration on a quartering away shot. The whelen will still be a classic long after the 350 fades(again).

Where are you in NY? I'd be happy to let you shoot my Whelen and see how you like it.

The comparison is so close it is in my opinion one of those chocolate or vanilla choices. However I am very pleased with my .35 Whelen, and would highly recommend it to anyone. Take care and God bless.



cordell

EricG:

As it turned out, while I was successful with my Rem 700 in .350RM in Africa and subsequently bought a .35 Whelen, I've since decided in favor of the 9.3x62 (and the .376 Steyr) for the larger diameter and heavier bullets. There's really no question about the performance on game of the 9.3/286 or the .375/300 at modest velocities, even on DG like buffalo, whereas the .358/250 is not a long-proven performer in that regard.

I have both on Winchester CRF actions and if the 350 is seated out it will beat the Whelan by 100 f/s at least. As far as brass goes, Remington makes both of the rounds. I do not know of any other offering for 35 Whelan or 350 Rem. Mag.. The good news is that you can form the brass should the Manufacturer decide to quit making it. I have a form and trim die form Redding that makes it out of short belted mag cases so all is not lost.

Thanks to all for all the replies. Putting it all together I guess it just comes down to the gun. I really liked that Remy custon shop, nice and short and light. As for the cdl, it dosnt have irons and as nice as it looks I really want irons on it. Is the 7600 legal in Africa? Without digging up all the papers if I remember rightly I think only a semi was illegal, and I can rework the trigger myself.



As nice as that custom Remy was I think I am leaning towards the 35 Whelen. Remingtons rule around here as I am only about a 1/2 hour from the factory, but I really think I would like reloading the 35 more, and I have plenty of 06 brass hanging around to experiment with.



Thanks again for all that info. If I get one I'll be back looking for some good loads

Remington is advertising a 700 Classic from one of the wholesale houses on their website for the 35 Whelen. Not sure if they still have any in stock, but might be an option. I have an NEF in 35 Whelen and love it. The cartridge will do what it's meant for and I'm lucky enough to be able to shoot from 200 to 250 grain bullets with minute of angle accuracey and better. I am going to switch to Swift or Barnes bullets from Hornady. I had a "failure" with a 250 gr round nose on a whitetail. The bullet came apart on a shoulder shot at 15 yards. Probabley just a fluke, but I'm not taking any chances. I love the mild recoil, or at least less sharp recoil of the whelen than some of the magnums. I also love the fact that it's larger diameter bullet, along with good shot placement performs on animals of all sizes. I'm able to use RL15 which is what I use for my dad's 375 H&H, just one less powder I have to keep on hand.

lb,

Federal makes 35 Whelen rounds with 225 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. My Ruger loves them. Most accurate and reliable rifle that I have. My reloads look like a shot gun pattern compared to the factory rounds.

It was my plains game rifle. I took everything from two warthogs to an eland with it. At one time, I had all of the pictures here. I love that rifle and round.

Those of you w/ the Rem 7600, how reliable is the feeding/extracting?

I have a 7600 35 Whelen -- works fine, feed and function are excellent. I also have a .350 mag 700 classic. I can not tell the difference in performance between either cartridge. Do you like coke or pepsi? It is about the same difference-- both are great colas!!

Sorry about that. After I posted, I thought you might have meant that. King's X!

I misspoke, Federal does not sell the 35 Whelen as reloadable brass. There are several custom shops that sell the ammo in both 350 and 35 Whelen.

G'day,
glichti, I have used the 7600 (35 whelen) for a while now with no problems feeding or extracting, provided the magazine is in good shape. Any damage to the feed lips and all bets are off! But, my 760 (270 win) is the same, so no real suprise there.
Anyway, hope this help you out.

Cheers, Dave.

quote:

Originally posted by Slingster:
There's really no question about the performance on game of the 9.3/286 or the .375/300 at modest velocities, even on DG like buffalo,

>>>>whereas the .358/250 is not a long-proven performer in that regard.<<<<<

Not to mention the fact that the .358/250 is ILLEGAL for game like BUFFALO, and the 9.3 is not!

I am infavor of the 35 whelen imp. Best of both worlds

quote:

Originally posted by DC300:
I would opt for the Whelen simply because Remington is the only producer of .350 mag. ammo and if they decide to stop producing it (again), there is no easy way to make brass. It can be done but form dies are expensive and fire forming is a pain.<br /><br />On the other hand, as long as we are allowed to own guns there will be .30-06 brass to make Whelen brass. I had a 700 Classic in .350 and loved it but the Whelen just seems to make more sense when you consider long term usage.<br /><br />DC300

9.3 x 62. It outdoes the Whelen in a 30-06 sized action, and is also legal for dangerous game.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
I have a 7600 35 Whelen -- works fine, feed and function are excellent. I also have a .350 mag 700 classic. I can not tell the difference in performance between either cartridge.

I too have a 7600 .35 Whelen.

Using a pump shotgun my whole life I just figured it was the "up close and personal" bear gun for me. I think the Whelen and .350 Rem Mag are even closer than colas. I guess my biggest kick on the Remingtons is that I think their twist is too slow for either IMO....

I have been thinking about reboring my 7600 to .400 Whelen for some time now and go with 350 and 400gr bullets. Ol' Elmer Keith sure toted the .400 Whelen highly and he used both. (.35 & .400)

BigRx

quote:

Originally posted by BigRx:



I have been thinking about reboring my 7600 to .400 Whelen for some time now and go with 350 and 400gr bullets.
BigRx

The result of that re-bore, and throating, to .400 would also make the rifle legal for Dangerous game in Africa! The minimum for a DGR in Africa, is 9.3, in some places, and .375 in all other places!

I've used a 35 Whelen in Africa on plaines game and for elk and bear here in Montana. Works great.

I have a buddy that had a 350 Rem and then bought a Whelen, sold the 350 because reloading is the Whelen is a snap. I've picked up enough new once fired 06 brass at the range to keep me going for years. I bought some correct head stamp stuff to keep everyone happy in Africa and save it for that.

I'm having a 9.3x62 built on the same action, old style M77 with tang safety. I'll keep the Whelen because we're good friends now, but if I were to do it again I'd opt for the 9.3.

Reloading wise the 9.3 is generally more expencive, however, Graf's is making brass at a reasonable rate now as well as importing some very inexpencive 286 bullets from Yugoslavia or Poland that would be OK for practice ammo or maybe deer etc.

Since actual preformance on game is about the same and the two rifles are identical except for caliber I will probably start shooting 225's or less in the Whelen and stay with 286's in the 9.3 and use whichever one is more suitable, or legal in the case of DG, for the game being hunted.

The 350 Mag and the 35 Whelen are the same ballistically. Once upon a time I had a 350 in a Rem Mod 7. My choice would depend upon which rifle I liked the best, as they are offered in different models.
For NA use there is no difference.
For African use the 9,3x62 is a better choice.

In America it seems VELOCITY IS KING. However after using my 9,3x74R double rifle for a lot of game, I must say the medium bores deserve to be way more popular.

I really like the 9.3 round and have shot a bit of stuff with it now, I doubt there is much real world difference between the 9.3 and .35 whelen, as for the .350 mag well I have no idea about that one and in Oz it seems it would be hard to get stuff for it.

Nosler is now making custom ammo for the 35 Whelen. Took some to the range on Saturday and they shoot just outside MOA in my Ruger 77. A welcome addition to the factory fodder in this caliber. This particular one was the 225 gr. Nosler Partition bullet. A keeper for me for certain.

I'd go with the Whelen!

I sold mine some time back and replaced it with a .338 but it is a fine caliber, brass is easy to make and hits hard.

I've never fired a .350.