I recently bought a book called The Perfect Shot II written by Kevin Robertson. In the chapter 39 he writes: "This is not a popular African caliber class. Neither fish nor fowl best describes them. They are too small for most of dangerous species and overly large for the majority of the antelopes. There are better options for both categories, so skip this one. Ammo is nearly nonexistent in Africa".
On the other side he writes that in South Africa, the 9.3x62 has almost fanatical following…???
If the .366 is fine for all plains game I do not see a reason why the .358 should be underestimated or maligned. From various sources I learned that the classic 350 Rigby or 400/350 NE were popular in Africa even after the collapse of the British Empire. To my understanding both are very useful and particularly the 350 Rigby is very versatile cartridge – loaded with 250 grain it can be used clearly for open country, the 280 grainer can be used in heavier cover and the 310 grainer may work for a buffalo.
The 350 Rigby is well thought cartridge with sloping case and long neck and a powder capacity that exceeds the 9.3x62. What should not work here?
The same can be said about 400/350 NE. Is it worse than 9.3x74?

CZ

With the right bullet, the 350 Rigby will kill anything on Earth.
The problem for them probably stems from the minimum caliber for DG in some countries being 9.3mm. So, like you said, the 9.3X62 has become the darling of the medium bore calibers. It is great, but so are the .35s IMO.

You're preaching to the choir. I have a .35 Remington, a .358 Winchester, a 9X56 Mannlicher Schoenauer, a 9X57 Mauser, a .35 Whelen, a .35 Brown Improved Whelen, .350 Rigby Magnum, a .358 Norma Magnum and a .358 Griffin & Howe Magnum. I also have a 400/350 Rigby in the works.

Unfortunately, as noted above, none of these meets the standards for DG in most countries, so they have stayed at home, while their big brothers got to go to Africa. They get plenty of action around the homestead, however.

I'd use my 358 win in the bushveld any day and be happy!!!

I would love to use my .350 Remington mag. Now I just need to schedule that hunt!

I have a .35 Rem, 350 Rem Mag. and 35 Whelen. With the right bullets the Whelen or Rem. Mag. can do just about anything you like for plains game.

check out aussie custom projectiles, they have a great little pill 185gr, perfect for those longer shots.....

33, 35, 36, 37
peas on a pod.

But the 37 is legal in TZ. So my wife got one of the leftie 375 Rugers.

33,35, 36 would have all been good hunting rifles for her, but the 37 is all-around legal.

For whatever reason the 35 caliber has never had any real popularity anywhere in the world, sales have failed and guns and ammo discontinued from time to time, thats the history of the 35 caliber..Too bad its a decent caliber..

Having used the 35 Rem, 358 Win, 35 Whelen both std. and IMP, and owned a 358 Norma mag or two over the years, all of which I liked and no complaints, but once I used the 9.3x62 on game I was sold and became a believer, It IMO loaded properly is as good as the .375 H&H.

The 320 gr. Woodleigh or 300 gr. Swift at 2400 give or take a 100 FPS is deadly on anything that walks and a 250 gr. bullet at 2700 FPS is as flat as a 180 gr. 30-06 and hits harder when it gets there.

I like the 338 Win. in NA so well that I, like most, have lost any desire for the 35 caliber.

Just my take on the 35 caliber, and that takes nothing away from the 35s, they are great calibers IMO..

I'm currently trying to work up a load for a .358 WSM. I think it would be a fine light rifle for Africa with a 225-250 grain bullet. A great leopard rifle. And great for any plains game. I'd probably use my heavy for eland. Unless, that wasn't what was in my hand at the time.

I went to Africa with a .358 STA for plains game along with a .416 Rem for Buffalo. Both performed flawlessly. I realize few people use the .358 caliber of any chambering but as far as the STA is concerned it would be fine. My PH said he would not mind using it on Buffalo as he has seen many use the .338's with good results. With 185 grain bullet up to 310 grain bullets it has many applications. I used 270 grain Northforks at 2950 fps on Kongoni, Zebra and Impala. Yes, the .375's will always rule, but something else is quite interesting. Good shooting

I don't think its a question of whether the .35s will work or not. I'd say that its a matter of whether its a good idea.

There's usually an easy way to do something, and a harder more complicated way to almost do it. Its all well and good to say that a .35 Whelen should be legal buffalo cartridge but the fact is that it isn't. Its fine to say that it should be more popular but once again it isn't. Its own lack of popularity pounds a few more nails in its coffin. (I pick the .35 Whelen partly because of its similarity to the 9.3x62 and partly because I have one that will never get to Africa)

The line has been drawn; and whether its a man-made line or not its still a line. The .375 makes it over the line and the 9.3 sometimes does. The .35s don't.

I could complain that if heavier bullets were common, and if those components and factory ammo were available to the locals, and if it were legal in the first place that my .35 Whelen would be fine. Whether or not I actually believe that is another thing. Instead of crying about the injustice of the situation its just so much easier to take my .375 and be done with it.

As usual the folks that own 35 cal. guns post about their attributes, that is because they love their gun!

the question was not that they are good decent caliber, they certainly are but why they have historically been unpopular int he USA..

Simple, the American hunters never have accepted the 35 in saleable numbers, never! Probably the most famous of the 35s is the 35 Rem thats dead as a door nail for the most part and the great 35 Whelan that has struggled to survive for many years now and still seems to hang on to its share of the market, nothing spectacular, but its still around and kick'en.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
For whatever reason the 35 caliber has never had any real popularity anywhere in the world, sales have failed and guns and ammo discontinued from time to time, thats the history of the 35 caliber..Too bad its a decent caliber..

Having used the 35 Rem, 358 Win, 35 Whelen both std. and IMP, and owned a 358 Norma mag or two over the years, all of which I liked and no complaints, but once I used the 9.3x62 on game I was sold and became a believer, It IMO loaded properly is as good as the .375 H&H.

The 320 gr. Woodleigh or 300 gr. Swift at 2400 give or take a 100 FPS is deadly on anything that walks and a 250 gr. bullet at 2700 FPS is as flat as a 180 gr. 30-06 and hits harder when it gets there.

I like the 338 Win. in NA so well that I, like most, have lost any desire for the 35 caliber.

Just my take on the 35 caliber, and that takes nothing away from the 35s, they are great calibers IMO..

I agree.
To me the .35 caliber sort of falls between two chairs.
Nothing wrong with it and it does a good job, but personally I see no point of a caliber between the .338 and the .366(9.3).

I think the 9.3x62 is a better cartridge overall than any of the .35 ones and it is very easy to get factory ammo for it and the ammo, bullet and gun makers are increasing their offerings in 9.3x62 every year as they see the increase in its popularity as more and more people discover what a great cartridge it is.

The 9.3x62 is very popular in South Africa and other African countries because they have experienced how well it works on all game with a rather low recoil, and many thousands have put food on the table for their families for generations with it.

Well, guys you can dance around the chair all night long if it suits your needs, don't have an axe to grind:

In the USA .35 is an oustanding caliber globally it becomes a .366".

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
Well, guys you can dance around the chair all night long if it suits your needs, don't have an axe to grind:

In the USA .35 is an oustanding caliber globally it becomes a .366".

You nailed it Gerry,,, I'm not about to rebore my 358 Norma or 9X57 .008's because of "new" retro caliber. I've never been much of a hair splitter anyway.

The buffalo that could tell the difference between a 280gr and a 286gr @ 2450fps is quite the critter!

quote:

The buffalo that could tell the difference between a 280gr and a 286gr @ 2450fps is quite the critter!

The guy writing your licence, the game-scout looking to shake you down, or the PH that is a stickler for rules are more likely to be able to tell the difference. If you carry your wallet in a holster you can pull it out faster.

Dogleg,, I don't imply going afoul of the law,,just ballistically speaking about calibers. A 9.3 would be a great caliber for Alaska!

I am a fan and lover of the 358 caliber. My wife and I hunt elk with our 35 Whelens. I also own a 358 STA.

In Africa however, it's hard to pick the 35 Whelen when you can use the 9.3x62.

It's hard to pick the 358 Norma when you can use the 375 Ruger.

It's hard to pick the 358 STA, when you can use the 375 H&H.

For whatever cartridge size/length/power one chooses in 35 caliber, for Africa, there seems to be a better choice caliber of similar size/length/power that is legal on DG and more available over the counter.

Many on this thread have pointed out that the 35 is not legal for DG. I'd say 'fine', use it as a great PG rifle, as the 350 Rigby was used mostly(yes, many 35s can be used successfully on DG, if not legally). There are worse things than being over gunned for PG. So on this point, IMHO, I disagree with Mr. Robertson. The 35 caliber is not too much for PG. If it is, then certainly so are the 9.3s and 375s. He is correct however, that the availability of 35 ammo over there is probably pretty slim.

I thought this was the year I would finally take my 35 Whelen to Africa. I am hunting in Zambia, and my three rifle battery was going to be: 404 Jeffery, 35 Whelen, and 30.06. When my PH told of his past client taking a Sable at 300 yds., and realizing that Kafue Lechwe are sometimes taken at 300 or even 400 yds., I decided to take only two rifles: the 404 and a 338 Win.Mag. Once again, my Whelen stays home. For me, the problem with the Whelen, is what a previous poster has already pointed out. With a flatter shooting 338 WM on one side, and a 9.3 on the other (or 375), it's hard to pick a 35.

Still, I remain an absolute lover of the 358 caliber. Love is hard to rationalize.

Still, I remain an absolute lover of the 358 caliber. Love is hard to rationalize.[/QUOTE]

Well said, Surefire!...

Let's see whether my 400/350 NE single shot loaded with 275 gr Woodleigh PP will prove its capabilities during my next African safari...

Good luck CZ. Be sure to post us the results!