I just ordered a couple of MRC left handed actions as they were on sale and one of them has the .473 bolt face and 3.4 mag box length.
Lately it seems all the buzz word is about the 338/06. This was what I was going to have built but then I started doing some reading on the 35 Whelen and it smokes the 338/06 in all categories except .35 caliber bullets are limited compared to .338 offerings.
Nosler reloading manual is reporting 200 fps increase (2,800 vs 2,600) over the 338/06 shooting 225 bullets. Factory headstamped brass is cheap, dies are cheap, it holds as many down as the 338/06.
I already own a .338WM and a couple of .375's so the .35 seems to fit right in the midde. Sight it in 3 inches high at 100 with the 225's and it is dead on at 200 with about 8 inches drop at 300. 99% of our shots are under 200 as it is.
This is ironic. Over a decade ago I hunted deer on Kodiak with a gent who used a Win 70 in 35 Whelen. I found his choice not in line with my tastes. And now in the last ten years I have watched myself sell off every centerfire Remington I owned to acquire mostly W70's (and MRC's) and the occasional Ruger. And now I think his choice in caliber is outstanding.
What do others here think about the 35 Whelen being a better round than the 338/06 for Alaska hunting?

Sounds like you've already talked yourself into it. I doubt a 35 is measurable better than a 338-06 but it will certainly do the job. Might as well get one if you want it.

i've gone through the debate over a 35 whelen/338-06 and found the 35 whelen to have better numbers within about 100 yards, but past that the 338 seems to have more energy. the 35 would make an awesome brush gun imo

It's a great, easy to shoot round that kills well. What's not to like about it?

The 338-06 will generate better numbers in reloading manuals because that round was standardized by A-Square with a SAAMI pressure of 60,000 psi. This reflected that the 338-06 was to be chambered in "modern receivers."

On the other hand the 35 Whelen has traditionally been downloaded to 52,000 CUP because of many of the older 1903 Springfields that were originally rebarreled into 35 Whelen.

Assuming a modern receiver you can load the 35 Whelen to pressures similar to the 338-06. The 06 parent case can certainly hold the pressure. When loaded accordingly, many of the "advantages" of the 338-06 over the 35 Whelen out to 300 yards simply dissappear.

Barstooler

I veto both and propose the 9.3x62 as it is superior to the others!

Well I have both and will take both to Alaska for a date with the big brown bear.

Currently working up loads in 250 A Frame and 225 TSX. Shot the 338-06 at the range with the 250 A Frame Saturday. Approximately +2 1/2 @ 100 deadon at 150 and - 2" at 200 should be Minute of Brown Bear for certain.

quote:

Originally posted by cewe:

I veto both and propose the 9.3x62 as it is superior to the others!

Another bald man fighting over a comb!

Barstooler

Never cared much for the .338-06, but the Whelen is a great old cartridge with a history.
However, I went for a CZ 9.3X62 for the following reasons: (1) a moderately priced steel and wood rifle with outstanding accuracy (2) bigger bullet (3) the 9.3's have an even longer history of their own.

Snowwolfe : What would you want one for ?. Lets see you have a .338 , .375 I'll assume an 06 possibly a 7 MM Mag of ?. 6.5 MM ?. What else have I over looked ?.

Where your at theres nothing you can't do with what you already have correct ?. So what's the point of having a .35 Whelen ?. Because you can is a poor choice IMO any way .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Why a .35 Whelen? To shhot cast bullets...if you want!

Fightin over the comb and the 375 H&H will top that Euro wannabe most any day. Nothin wrong with having multiple weapons for the same hunts. Who stopped with one woman?

I prefer hunting with my 35 whelen over my 338 win mag or 338 federal. I had a 338/06, but traded it, as I didn't need it whilst having a 35 whelen. A great round, and a real killer within 250 yards.

To the 9.3 injectors above:

"Originally Posted 26 Sep 2005 19:52

338-06 vrs ?

I like to follow the Medium Bore threads and I have noticed an unmistakable habit. Every time someone posts "anything" on the 338-06 and/or the 35 Whelen, the 9.3 crowd simply can't resist the temptation to inform everyone how messed up they are for not junking the 338-06 and/or 35 Whelen. The 9.3 is sssoooooo.... superior I guess. Oh, to be so certain of a few ft lbs of energy must be the true path Valhalla.

To confirm this trend, I did an advanced search in the Medium Bore forum from 1 Jan 05 to 27 Sep 05, and found the 9.3 bubbas trying to hi- jack 8 of 10 key 338-06 and 35 Whelen threads.

Conversely, only two 9.3 threads had any significant injects about 338-06 and/or 35 Whelen. (One was actually an inject by a 9.3 fan that contained a reference to 338-06 and 35 Whelen and preferred the 9.3 over the other two -- which the 9.3 crowd misinterpreted as praising the other two and jumped in the guy's s_ _ _ by mistake -- talk about zealots!)

At the same time, the 9.3x62 crowd have started some of the more infamous threads in this forum outright asking to Bury the 35 Whelen and Bash the 336-06. Fun to read, but aren’t these guys a little overly serious?

Myself, I would prefer the 9.3x62 crowd to generate their own threads. Have at it until the whole gun world recognizes the errors of its ways and all the major companies only build rifles chambered for the 9.3x62 and Congress passes a law declaring all other calibers obsolete!!!

I will read the 9.3 threads and I won't go out of my way to inject my unwanted opinions on the 338-06 or 35 Whelen. I won't take "bottom feeding" pop shots at you -- honest. And in return, I ask that when a thread opens on the 338-06 and/or 35 Whelen, that the 9.3x62 crowd demonstrate a little self-restraint. I, and probably most 338-06 and 35 Whelen fans, really don't give a damn about how the 9.3x62 has such "tremendous killing power" [BS] over the other two."

Barstooler

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
Snowwolfe : What would you want one for ?. Lets see you have a .338 , .375 I'll assume an 06 possibly a 7 MM Mag of ?. 6.5 MM ?. What else have I over looked ?.

Where your at theres nothing you can't do with what you already have correct ?. So what's the point of having a .35 Whelen ?. Because you can is a poor choice IMO any way .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Since when does anyone need to justify why they want another rifle?

But a 9,3 is out as I already have a Chapuis in that caliber.

quote:

and it smokes the 338/06 in all categories

Ballistically they are so similar that the differences are negligible. So I'm not sure what you mean by smokes...

I wouldn't just go with what the Nosler reloading manual states. There are many reloading formulas that can be applied to many different rifles and I'm sure you can find someone who has reloaded a 225g Nosler Partition (or a 250g partition) to within 10fps of the Whelen.

There are advantages to selecting the .35 Whelen (bigger bore, cheaper brass) as there are for the 338-06 (bullet selection, sectional density, shoots a bit flatter).

One thing is for sure: these are two of the best non-magnum calibers available in the world and can easily take anything in North America.

Snowwolfe,
I think the 35 whelen is a good choice for the reasons mentioned. It is the euro trash that like to think it will bounce off the sides of a bear. My lefthand 1999 is a 35 whelen so have fun choosing.

I could not disagree more with DR K
Beacuse you can is plenty of reason to do it.
I like the whelen. I have one and a .338 win too.
But my smith has a whelen built on a side safty FN , I would love to have. Of corse I don't need it.
If the timing is right I may very well buy the whelen my smith has.
Just cause i like it.
...tj3006

forgot to mention i saw a remington semi auto (new one, forgot model name) in 35 whelen. i was very tempted but told myself my next toy would be a stainless hunting rifle... i'd totally go for it for brush hunting. it was gone the next gun show though.

I decided to go with the Whelen. The only negative I could come up with is I need to add another caliber of bullets to the stock pile. Rifle will be built with a LH MRC action, either a Shilen or Lilja 24 in barrel and a McMillan stock.
Thanks for the tips everyone!

Snowwolfe: Good choice, I have been shooting the 35 Whelen since the early 1970's, and have always loved it.

A group of us just returned from Goodland Kansas, where we hunted buffalo. Several calibers were used, but I want to tell you what happened to a 1000lb buffalo, when shot with the Whelen, and a 250 Nosler partition. Here's what we heard, range about 70 yards, at the shot: bang, fawap, and zinggggg, as the partition went right thru, and skipped across the prairie. The buffalo hunched its back, and dropped. When we field dressed the critter, and as the gut pile was shaken out of the body, the heart fell out by itself. The OLD Whelen, had severed it for its attachments, pretty impressive. I could tell you about a number of elk, we have also shot with Whelens, but I think you already know how it performs.

Jerry

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
I decided to go with the Whelen. The only negative I could come up with is I need to add another caliber of bullets to the stock pile. Rifle will be built with a LH MRC action, either a Shilen or Lilja 24 in barrel and a McMillan stock.
Thanks for the tips everyone!

I'm thinking of building one too. What twist barrel have you decided on?

I've taken my 35 W to Africa twice and loved it.

I'm thinking of building one too. What twist barrel have you decided on?[/QUOTE]

1-12 or maybe 1-14

Good questions about the twist rate.
Lilja offers 12 and 16. Shielen offers a 14.
I hopefully will be shooting 225 grain bullets and maybe will try the 250's.
What twist would be recommended?

I have readed that the 1-12 is the twist you want for 250 grain bullets. Remington and Ruger get beat up for using the 1-14 twist.

The owner of SWIFT bullets said to use a 1 in 12 for his 280 grainers... go that route so you can shoot the 310 woodleighs too.

The modern whelen is a 350 Rigby equivilent so I like the idea of heavy bullets

I have the Shilen 1-14 barrel in my 35 Whelen (Ruger M77), and it performs exellent with both 225 and 250 gr bullets

In my neck of woods the Whelen is a strange bird, but I relly love this classic

I decided to go with a Lilja barrel and just placed the order for it. We already have a couple and they shoot great and don't foul.
I went with a stainless #4 and 1 in 12 twist.

I agree good choice, I have both the .338-06 and the .35 Whelen. I don't want to part with either one but if I had to make a choice the Whelen would go. Only because the .338-06 is a little heavier and has a better recoil pad, so it is easier to shoot from the bench. In the field you shouldn't see any noticable difference between the two.

Snowwolf ; You had already made up your mind before you posted !. on getting a .35 Whelen hadn't you !?.

That's anyone choice is to purchase what ever they Dam well please and I wouldn't have it any other way .

It generally takes me about 1-3 weeks to decide what if any New caliber I'm going to purchase .


Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

You have made a good choice going with the whelen. If I ever shoot the barrel out on mine(remington 1-16 twist), I think a 1-12 would be my choice. Right now I'm shooting 225 gr. TSX's at 2730 fps. I have taken one elk with mine. At the shot he lunged forward with no front shoulders left to hold him up, DRT. The shot was a little over three hundred yards. To me the 35 covers alot of ground. Plenty of power and plenty of range for big critters. I should get to work on the 250 gr load I started but those 225's shoot so good.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
Snowwolf ; You had already made up your mind before you posted !. on getting a .35 Whelen hadn't you !?.

That's anyone choice is to purchase what ever they Dam well please and I wouldn't have it any other way .
It generally takes me about 1-3 weeks to decide what if any New caliber I'm going to purchase .
Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Actually I didnt. To be 100% honest I ordered the MRC action with the intent of making it a 338/06. But the more I read the more open I became to hearing which was the better cartridge and performer. If I had made up my mind prior to opening this thread I would of already ordered a barrel. I just ordered a Lilja today. I learned some things that I didnt know that impressed me. Most important was that heavier bullets are avaliable for the Whelen. I had my heart set on using 225's from either the Whelen or 338/06 but have since decided to change directions and start off load developement with 250's.
Life is all good. I don't see how a person could go wrong with either.
Cheers

I've been hunting with my .35 Whelen since 1994, and have shot quite a bit of game with it -- including kudu and gemsbok in Africa. It's a dandy round, but is by no means the "short range" round that so many seem to think it is. I killed one bull caribou in the vicinity of 400 yards with mine, shooting 250 gr Hornady round-nose bullets. One simply has to know the trajectory of one's round, and hold accordingly. A 250 gr bullet started at 2500 fps will certainly have enough snap left to penetrate and wreck things at 400 yards.

A good choice, I think

I took 2 white tails at 350-400 yards with my 35 whelen imp. using 225 grn pills.

FWIW, if I come across a nice Sako in 30-06 or 270 it will become a 35 Whelen or 6.5-06. If I find a nice Sako in 7 mag, it will become 358 Norma. Lou

My Krieger barreled m70 is an awesome shooting 35 Whelen. Length of barrel is 23" long with a twist of 1:12. In my opinion a proper 338-06, 35 Whelen, or 9.3-62 are peas in the same pod. They will kill cleanly anything hit properly!
Thanks, Doug

quote:

Originally posted by J_Zola:
I have readed that the 1-12 is the twist you want for 250 grain bullets. Remington and Ruger get beat up for using the 1-14 twist.

Remington and Ruger use the 1 in 16" twist. I have both and while they shoot tolerably well, my custom mauser has a 1 in 14" twist and shoots better. I'll be doing up another one and it will have a 1 in 12" twist.
I recently read an intersting article by Col. Whelen the other day in a 1956 issue of the American Rifleman. he'd just had a new .35 Whelen built up with a 1 in 14" twist (The original Whelens were 1 in 12") and he felt accuracy was good even with 280 and 300 gr. bullets. Now I have the Hornady ffirst ed. loading manual and they show 2300 FPS as a max load with 275 gr. bullets and Whelen was getting 2300 FPS with the 300 gr. bullets. Kind of makes one wonder about all this stuff on twist rates for the .35 Whelen.
Now if I had my druthers, I think I would just go with the 1 in 12" twist. That would handle any bullet I'd care to shoot.
Paul B.

quote:

What do others here think about the 35 Whelen being a better round than the 338/06 for Alaska hunting?

Both will kill your moose or bear equally dead and you will not notice any difference in ballistics under field conditions. Maybe more bullets available in .338, but you can go up to 275 grains in .358. Personally I went with a couple of Whelens and have been happy with the performance of that cartridge on moose.

quote:

Originally posted by muledeer:
It's a dandy round, but is by no means the "short range" round that so many seem to think it is. I killed one bull caribou in the vicinity of 400 yards with mine, shooting 250 gr Hornady round-nose bullets. One simply has to know the trajectory of one's round, and hold accordingly. A 250 gr bullet started at 2500 fps will certainly have enough snap left to penetrate and wreck things at 400 yards.

A good choice, I think

Exactly, know your trajectory and use good bullets. The difference between 338/06 and the 35 Whelen is only useful in forums. I have and prefer the 35 because in my opinion the step from 30.06 to 338/06is to small to make sense.