I am waffling back and forth on which of these chamberings in a nice FN 98 action would be the best. Would be used for elk and on the next trip to Namibia in a year or so. Second rifle would be a 30-06. Your thoughts and opinions either way would be appreciated.
BJB

Peas in a pod.

I went with the 338-06, but they are very close. You could flip a coin... I know I certainly like mine!

I'd take the 35 W.

Personally I can't fathom bringing either to Africa both being essentially wildcats over there. Be that as it may, I have a soft spot for the 338-06.

For Africa or any traveling hunt for that matter I would stay with the parent case the 30-06. Neither of the cats significantly outpreforms the 30-06, and the the 06 is more flexible. from 150 grs on the light side, to 220 grains if you want a heavy round.

I'm not a big fan of 35 cals I admit, and although the 338-06 tickes my wildcatting funny bone ( I am aware of the Weatherby ammo ) the 30-06 is a lot mor practicle.

Have you considereded the 9.3x62? I went through a similiar mental exercise a ways back, and although I have bought the action from a fellow member I haven't bought the barrel yet. But a 9.3x62 built on a FN would be a darn nice rifle. And is at least worth consideration.

If I just had to do a 35 cal why not look into the improved version of the Whelen, or a 375-06? Still cats, and really no better for traveling but a little better performance, and these start edging ahead of the 30-06 at least at shorter ranges.

I usually get shouted down on this subject all the time, but I consider both of these chamberings to be a waste of time. They are feel-good cartridges, and a semi-anemic effort at getting the 30-06 case to perform past its capacity with bigger, heavier bullets than it was ever intended to deal with. Evidently most rifle buyers agree with my position, because every time a factory has tried to introduce the 35 Whelen and 338-06 as standard factory cartridges, the effort has fallen on its face.

The '06 case is at its best as a 30-06, 280 Rem., 270 Win., or 25-06. Case capacity is nearly ideal across the board with those chamberings.

Bigger, heavier bullets are at their best in bigger cases. I consider the 338 Win. Mag. and the 358 Norma Mag. to be the best balanced .338 and .35 caliber cartridges in existence, and they very closely parallel the 30-06 ballistically. They will do everything that the 35 Whelen and 338-06 will do, plus a good deal more.

Wildcat, obsolecent, or off-beat factory chamberings are never a good idea in Africa to begin with, and in Namibia especially I'd want more reach than the Whelen and the 338-06 provide in the first place.

If you want a good, solid medium-bore, just get a factory Model 70 in 338 Win. Mag., get it tuned up, and go hunting. Forget reworking that Mauser. There's no practical economy in it..........

AD

My choice was 35 Whelan. It is still being built.

BJB,

I am a very big fan of the 35 Whelen, but I must admit they are very close in performance and if you were shooting 225 grain bullets out of each of them I doubt the animal would know the difference.

I do not know what is available in factory loads for the 338-06, but for the 35 Whelen there is only Federal 225 gr TBBC that takes full advantge of the cartidge capacity. (the Rem ammo sucks) I think that getting into either is a handloading proposition for optimum performance.

I have taken the 35 Whelen to Africa 3 times now for plains game and have been very happy with the results. I like the moderate velocity and recoil that this cartridge provides with heavy bullets.

Yes, you will not find any 35 Whelen ammo in Africa. But most likely when you go to Namibia you will take a second rifle for back-up in case your primary rifle dies. Make this second rifle a 30-06 or 375 H&H and you will still be able to hunt with no troubles. This is how I have worked it and really have not needed the second rifle, but I would always bring it just in case.

BigBullet

quote:

For Africa or any traveling hunt for that matter I would stay with the parent case the 30-06.

Now here's a man that knows Jack Shit.....

I, personally, am a .338-06 fan and will drool all over the place until I build one. However, there ain't a plains game animal in Africa or a moose size critter here in north America that won't dive hard to a good 180 or 200 grain hit from a 30-06.

Today's North Fork, A-Frame.....etc bullets give a little better edge to the old -06 and reloading can also spruce it up too.

There's no such thing as a "deader" Kudu. If you can't do it with the .30-06 you're not going to do it with either of the offspring either.

quote:

that knows Jack Shit

???????

quote:

If you can't do it with the .30-06 you're not going to do it with either of the offspring either.

OK Vapodog you confused me.

WTF???? It seems to me that Schromf is saying exactly the same thing that you are, that the old '.06 is actually a better choice than either the .338 or the .358 on it's case. Overall, I think that he, Allen, you and Brad are correct about this in real terms, so, why the comment about ...Jack Shit... Maybe I am just missing the point?

must I clarify?....to know Jack Shit is to know what you're talking about.

He knows Jack Shit.....means he knows what he's talking about.

quote:

He knows Jack Shit.....means he knows what he's talking about.

I understand now. I was always of the impression Jack Shit means your full of " XXXX"

Here in B.C. the term "know Jack Shit" means exactly thhe opposite and is generally considered an insult, that's why I was confused...and I ain't too bright anyway! Now, I see and, BTW, a week ago today, I saw a very nice 6x6 Elk whacked with one shot with an .'06 by a guy from my home town. It makes me wonder why I bother with anything else, but, then being a gunaholic, I know there is no rational answer to that question.

I have a S&W imported Husqvarna that was rebarreled to 338-06 and I think that it is a great all around cartridge. The 210 grain BTs and Partitions shoot to the same POA in my rifle and offer 2 good bullets for different sized game.

That said, I wouldn't take any wildcat chambered rifle on a long trip for fear of losing the ammo and being unable to get any. If you're building a rifle with Africa in mind, I'd think that a 9.3x62 sighted to use European factory loads would be a better solution. I took a 6.5x55 and a 375 H&H when I went to Botswana. Shot everything except a warthog with the 6.5x55 and 156 grain Norma factory loads. The only animal that required 2 shots was the Eland, but only because it stayed on its feet for more than 5 seconds. It isn't what you shot them with, its where you shoot them that counts.

Jeff

I won't join in on the 338/06, 338 Mag, 35 Whelan pissing contest that always takes place...

I own all three... when it comes to Elk hunting the 338/06 goes Elk hunting.. the 338 Mag sits in the guncabinet... and the 30/06 stays in the truck just incase the 338/06 has some malfunction....

the 35 Whelan never was in my possession because the 338/06 was already doing its job...

I still don't think the average Schmoe needs a magnum for anything except impressing his buddies and for things that can eat YOU if you are not watching your own fanny in the environments where such creatures live....

the 338/06 and the Whelan are bobsey twins to me.. the 338 Mag etc, is more gun than you really need except for the above reasons...

the 30/06.. you can never go wrong with an 06... if I didn't like to have something a little different than every other guy in the woods, then I would just hunt with the 06...

cheers
seafire

In Africa and Specially in Namibia 9.3X62 is a common caliber, very accurate,it has a mild recoil and it is very efficient. . With this caliber you can manage the entire game of this country, (Namibia). You can get ammunition in any place, meanwhile 35 Whelen is much more scarce and 338-06 inexistent. The efficacy of 9.3x62 is so big that some game writters (Kevin Robertson or Roy Vincent, for example) recommend to subload the 375 H&H to reach the velocities of 9.3x62 in buffalo hunting, because they says that the efficiency of killing of 9.3x62 at its normal loading, is better than the standard loading of 375 H&H.

If you have a 30-06 indeed, almost all the hunting situations, can be managed with a very efficient gun, from grysbok to eland, at almost any "normal" range.

I've also lost my fasination with wildcats and obscure cartridges, I re-chambered my 35 whelen ackley to a 350 Rigby, which was enough to well and goodly cure me of them.

If you want to stick with the .473" case head, then I'd say skip both and go straight to the 9.3X62, but more practicle still would be making it a 338 win mag.

I have taken my .338-06 to Africa & it performed beautifully on everything from Duiker to Zebra w/ the 210grNP @ 2750fps. I think the Whelen would be much the same & I think both kill a bit quicker w/ sim. placed shots than the parent 06, but that's JMO.
If I were building a companion rifle to an 06 for Africa, it would be a 9.3x62. You can stretch it for use on buff., good softs & solids are available & for those that lose their ammo , factory ammo is available across the pond.

Gadzooks! Here we go again. The 338-06 vs .35 Whelen donnybrook. Both kill game well withinn their parameters, and properly handloads, maybe a bit more.
In the .35 Whelen, I have to agree, Remington's factory ammo sucks. Trying to find any with the 250 gr. bullet requires the services of Sherlock Holmes. The 200 gr. load isn't much easier to find and most of my local gun shops don't seem to even want to order it for me.
But that is not the fault of the cartridge.
I have friends in Canada who use it for moose with great results. last year, one of the fellows drew a grizzly tag and the Whelen was his choice to hunt the bear.
I sometimes think that those who so vehemently oppose the existance of the .338-06 or .35 Whelen have done something similar the what Elmer Keith did, so many years ago when he backed himself into a corner in favor of bigger bore cartridges for all game and putting the .270 and 30-06 down as hard as he did.
If I were to somehow be able to afford an African hunt, I'd take my .35 Whelen and never look back. But I'd also that along either my 30-06, .300 Win. Mag. or .338 Win. Mag. for back up. Hell, I do that even for a deer hunt in my home state in an area only 70 miles away. That's only common sense to my way of thinking.
Paul B.

Bjb,

My choice between the two was the awsome 35 Whelen. But! if I were intending to use it in Africa I would choose the 338-06, because I believe that the potentially tougher line of bullets with their higher SD would be more suitable for an expensive plainsgame hunt with the potential of some very tenacious animals.. Probably splitting hairs though, hard to go wrong with either one.

Listen you guys:

Vapodog and I have gone over this before. He likes the 338-06 and I like the 35 Whelen!

Ther is one other factor that comes into play here, I REALLY DO KNOW JACK SHIT. He is one of my closest friends, LOL. If you think you can beat up one of these cartridges, without beating up upon the other, you just don't know who the FXXX you are.

Jerry

Consider the 9,3x62.
Shoot 286 Woodleigh softs and solids, and 286 Nosler Partitions.

338-06 or 35 Whelen
Thats easy, the answer is 9.3x62.

oldun:

No thanks, if I need to shoot a bullet heavier than 250grains, I'll just get out the old trusty 375H&H.

Regards

Jerry

quote:

Originally posted by BJB:
I am waffling back and forth on which of these chamberings in a nice FN 98 action would be the best. Would be used for elk and on the next trip to Namibia in a year or so. Second rifle would be a 30-06. Your thoughts and opinions either way would be appreciated.
BJB

We/ve been criticized for evading your question.....so let me try to do so directly
I'm assuming you're going to do one or the other.....and you have a .30-06 as a back up.

As already said.....I'm a 338-06 fan but if you are also carrying a .30-06 the .338 caliber is still close enough to be of little difference.

Go with the greater difference.....go with the 35 whelen.

Folks keep bringing up the 9.3 X 62.....and it's a powerful round.....but is not a .375 H&H and I'd far prefer the old H&H.

Here's the good news.....no matter what you decide...it'll be a good decision....everything mentioned here is a first class cartridge for African plains game.

Thanks to all for your input and especially to Vapodog for boiling this down into something manageable. Won't poke that hornets nest again! I am fully aware that neither the .338-06 or Whelen is available in Namibia, hence the 30-06 for backup. Yes the Nosler 180 grainers in the .300 Win. Mag dispatched everything with one round per, except for an Oryx that was still breathing and the tracker didn't want to get too close until it was DEAD DEAD.
BJB

Well, I took a 35 Whelen to Namibia last year and it did everything perfectly. There would be no difference if you took 338/06.

Now, for my next trip I will take a new 9.3x62. Why? I like the 35 but...my PH had a couple of boxes of 9.3x62 on hand but had never even heard of a 35 Whelen or a 338/06 for that matter. (He also had loads of 30-06, since that was his favorite caliber as well as a bit of 375 H&H (no surprise).

Frankly, I would suggest that you take a 9.3x62 and a 30-06 for backup.(I took my 270 and probably will again. 270 wasn't on hand but it was available.) There is a great deal of sence with only taking commonly available calibers on trips. When I was outfitting a had a couple of clients show up with odd-ball factory caliber rifles and no ammo but we were able to find ammo, eventually... Pure wildcats that require fireformed cases and such should be left to trips where you drive a couple of miles to the hunting area, not fly 18 hours.

quote:

Originally posted by BJB:
I am waffling back and forth on which of these chamberings in a nice FN 98 action would be the best. Would be used for elk and on the next trip to Namibia in a year or so. Second rifle would be a 30-06. Your thoughts and opinions either way would be appreciated.
BJB

BJB, I own both the 35 Whelen and the 338-06 and they were arrived at by winter projects for something to do. There isn't enough difference between them or even the 9.3x62 to worry about, all three are equally effective. When I haul mine out it is usually by what strikes my fancy on a given day. Either one would make a good project. That being said, there isn't anything you can do with them that a plain vanilla 30-06 can't do. It's been around a hundred years for a reason.

If I were going to hunt where the ranges are long then a magnum might be an advantage. Otherwise for most game the 30-06 is the standard of the world being right in the middle of just right.

On the other hand we all like something special and having a personal cartridge or two is fun.

I have shot regular weight rifles in 375 Whelan Impr. and 9.3X62 and the recoil is quite mild. It's nothing like what you get from those belted cannons. For moderate ranges a 9.3 would be so sweet.

See this old gun below. It's a 1949 FN. Copy it but in 9.3 X62. Mine is a 270. If it did't shoot so well it would be a 9.3.

Don't forget to bushing bed it. As I said copy the gun just as it is.

What other have said about both, plus the 9.3x62. These three use similar cases. I will add that there is an African version of the .338-06, and that's the .338 Sabi.

Search the net for the ".338 Sabi," and see what the people who build it in Africa have to say about it.

Actually Nosler is now making some pretty good ammo in both the Whelen and the 338'06. Yeah, they are awfully proud of it but it does shoot pretty good. Try some you might like it.

338-06.
I am extremely happy with mine and how it has performed on antelope/deer/black bear/elk.

I believe a very small edge goes to the 338-06 in the ballistics category. With that being said. Throw both cartridges in a hat, draw one out and go hunting.

I own a 270, 338-06, 375 H&H.

quote:

Originally posted by Savage99:
See this old gun below. It's a 1949 FN. Copy it but in 9.3 X62. Mine is a 270. If it did't shoot so well it would be a 9.3.

Don't forget to bushing bed it. As I said copy the gun just as it is.

Savage99-
I luv FN's!! Have 3 and hope to get more. That's a beautiful specimen you have...

Back in the day when a rebore was cheap and the poor man's way to salvage a gun, either was a great choice. I have both and use them pretty regularly.

Nowdays I like the 9.3 x 62 and the 9.3 x 57 just because I like the rifles I have in those calibers.

Back to point, if I have to build another, it would be a 338-06 because I think there are is still better bullet selection in that caliber.

I used the 35 Whelen until the 338-06 became the ultimate wildcat, then I used it until I discovered the 9.3x62 and 9.3x64..Hunted a lot with them....which one finally captured my soul??

The .338 Winchester, Mine is a Chilean 1935 M-98 Mauser action, with metal by Jack Hogue, barrel by Obermeyer, and stocked by me...I have hunted the world with it...

My reason for choosing it: a 210 gr. Nosler at 3005 FPS ( shoots as flat as my 300 Win or H&H), a 250 gr. Nosler at 2700 FPS (same trajectory as a 180 ge. 06) and last but not least a 300 gr. Woodleigh at as much as 2500 FPS and thats where I load my .375 H&H but the .338 has more sectional density. All this at the same recoil of the others..This makes a good case for the wonderful .338 Win IMO..

The 338 Win is the last rifle I would part with in my gun cabinet..

I have a good old FN actioned rifle with a 24 in. Douglas barrel in .338-06 and like it a lot. I also am a fan of the old 9.3x62, you'll not go wrong with either of these rounds, I think they are the ideal for all round African plains game hunting. There actually may be more good hunting bullets available for the 9.3mm than for the .35's and I think these will increase more in the future. Why won't Ruger make a 77 in .338-06 or 9.3x62 instead of some oddball like that Frontier rifle that most gun stores won't even have a suitable scope for. Investment is pretty minor when all you have to do is chamber a barrel and screw it onto a .30-06 action.