I have heard and read many good things of the .35 Whelen and ive always had the urge for a .338-06 for some unexplanable reason ??

Yet i have only vaguely heard of the 9.3x62mm yet if understand correctly the metric calibre beats both the imperial calibres ??

How do they do the compare in suitability for different game species ?? How do they compare in killing range ?? And tradjectory ?? Popped any game with your 9.3x62mm ??

It would seem that .338-06 and .35 Whelen seem to win in the bullet selection steaks ! Loads and loads of different bullets to choose from but 9.3mm ?? Ive not been looking but im sure ive not seen much ?

Im also a cast bullet fan and whilst i know of moulds for the .35 Whelen what of the 9.3mm ??

I would be most interested in any practical experince you may have of 9.3x62mm and the other too but its the metric calibre that has my interest at present. Many thanks...........

Englander

Do a search of the forums. This subject has been done (nearly to death).

A summary of the cogent points is:

• All are about equal in effectiveness.
• All provide like recoil in like weight rifles.
• All use different bullet weights. The 9.3 to the heavier end of the range and the .338 to the lighter end of the range.
• Often, modification of feed rails/magazine lips is non necessary.
• Only the 9.3x62mm is "legal in Africa" but, YMMV.
• This is a great subject to write/talk about. (Apparently, a LOT of time was spent on it.)
• Components are readily enough available for all that it isn't a factor in the choice.

Also dis"cussed" were:

• .358 Winchester
• 9x57mm
• 9.3x57mm
• 8x57mm
• .35 Whelen AI
• .338-06 AI

Interested myself, I came to the following conclusions:

• If I could find a gun in any of these chamberings with a good price, that would be good for me.
• If I built one, I'd build a .35 Whelen or 9.3x62 based on which was easiest to find components for, at the time.

Best of luck.

I made a similar decision a few years back. Of the three cartridges, the 9.3 is the only one that enjoys a past, present and future. It has been around for a hundred years and will stay in production for a hundred more. Components should be even more plentiful on your side of the puddle.

.30-06 based cartridges are effective, and served a useful purpose in the days before UPS, telephones, credit cards and the internet, when one was limited to using local components. However, they are not as efficient as cartridges based on the 62mm case. The big names have given up on the .35 Whelen and the .338-06 never really made it past the wildcatting stage.
I blame it on marketing, as neither has the word "magnum" in it.

Just my two shiny pennies. The 9.3x62 is slowly gaining a foothold in this country, and has been a popular African cartridge for more years than I've been around on this planet. The .338-06 is, in my opinion, a semi-wildcat, having been legitimized, more or less, bt A-Square and being manufactured by Weatherby at an exhorbitant price. Of course, us handloader can get around that little problem,
Then we come to the .35 Whelen. Remington legitimized that round but did it little favor, in my opinion. First off, they did the same screwup as they did with the .280 Remington, downloading it to be usable in pump and semi auto guns. Also, they kept prssures down, I'm thinking, because of all the old 1895 Winchesters and 1903 Springfields that were either rebored or rebarreled to the Whelen. And last of all, they handicapped the round with a 1 in 16" twist in their rifles. Ruger followed suit when they brought the Model 77 out in .35 Whelen. IIRC, the original Whelen came with a 1 in 12" twist. The 1 in 16" twist just barely stabilizes the 250 gr. bullets, which, at least in my area are almost impossible to find. 200 gr. loads aren't much easier to find, but at least they're around.
AFAIK, nobody is even building a rifle in the Whelen today with the exception of limited runs from Ruger.
Well, like the .358 Win., I can make brass for my Whelens and .358 Win.s till hell freezes over from readily available .308 and 30-06 brass.
Someday, I might just fool around with a .338-06. I've always kind of thought it was an Americanized version of the old .318 W.R., a classic round in itself.
Paul B.

Englander

At this very moment the 9,3 has become famous in USA and therefore the selection of bullets and other stuff is bigger than for the 35's

I have a 9,3X62 and would never trade is for a 35 whelen or something like that.

The 9,3 are popular in Europe and you can find a good selection of ammo and reloading stuff. Finding 35 whelen ammo and componentes in Europe is hard and expencive. I'm not sure of the selection of factory ammo and which rifles are camberd in the caliber. The 35 whelen wil never be popular in Europe, but the 9,3X62 has been here for around for more than 75 years.

/ JOHAN

[ 05-24-2003, 21:54: Message edited by: JOHAN ]

I can't understand why one of these cartridges should be much better than the rest, if they use the same case. If I was going to build one of these rifles, I would primarily take into account the type of game I intend to hunt, and bullet selection. For example, both the .338-06 and the .35 Whelen have similar ballistics. If you are into bullet SD, the .338-06 has a little advantage in that category, while if you are into larger diameter bullets, the .35 has a little advantage in that category. There are plenty of bullets for both, lots of .30-06 cases to choose from, and cheap. Or one could buy head-stamped .338-06 or .35 Whelen brass from Cabela's and others.

Both of these cartridges are here to stay, and there will always be a following for them. Weatherby makes the .338-06, and Sabi has its own version of an African .338-06. The same can be said about the .35 Whelen.

When I look around town I can see .338 and .35 bullets, and lots of .30-06 brass, but not those components stamped with mechanic's socket numbers.

[ 05-24-2003, 21:41: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

The metric numbers are getting a little more common, but that really isn't saying much. It's not like the majority of us are going to walk into our corner gunshop and find 9.3 X 62 components. 338's and 35's on the other hand are usually easy to find. I have a 338-06, 35 Whelen, and a 9.3 X 62. The 33's are the easiest to feed. Period. After that the 35's and last in popularity are the 9.3's. As for which is better, well, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? FWIW - Dan

I have chosen to purchase a 9.3x62 cz 550 simply because evryone here was talking about them so much It should be here in 3-4 weeks (special order for Oz. But I would choose the 9.3x62 from the cartridges you mention even though I have no real experiece with any of them mentioned but just from what I have read it seems to be the best of them for me at least.

Having owned all three, I can say that trying to pick between them is like trying to pick between the 270, 280 and 30-06, and making a case for one over another is beating a dead horse.

The 338-06 has a mystique all its own--I got mine because of the 318 Rimless Nitro Express and 333 Jeffrey. Load data was scarce back then, but components were not. My rifles shot superbly, but I took no game with either one.

I had a Ruger 35 Whelen for a while, and I agree with Paul B. that Remington's attorneys probably ruined it forever. There are tons of components and data for it in the US. Curiously, data from powder makers is much hotter than data from bullet makers. Unfortunately, the 35 Whelen will probably remain a North American specialty item. I took no game with my 35 Whelen, but I'm sure it would have been fine.

Given the worldwide economic situation, the best rifle bargain in the US right now is the CZ 550. The fact that it comes in 9.3x62 and the buzz around the rifle and cartridge on this board are the main reasons I own one. It's a true heavy-duty rifle. You have to fiddle with the rings a bit, but otherwise it's ready out of the box. It's priced like a Remington or a Ruger, but is far more rifle for the dollar. I don't know if this would be true for a man buying his rifles with pounds sterling, but in the US, right now anyway, that's the case. Now I have to contradict the honorable Johan: it's far from famous here. Components and data are getting more common, but the words "9.3x62 Mauser" still draw a lot of blank stares in American gunshops.

How is it on game? In April, I shot three feral cattle with my 9.3x62. As far as I can tell, each weighed about 600 lbs. Ranges were roughly 30m, 80m and 150m, and all three took just one shot. The first ran about 15 feet after the bullet hit. The other two had no chance to run; it was all they could do to stay on their feet for the last few seconds they were alive. Not to piss in the medium-bore soup, but as I drove home that night, I couldn't help but think that I could have done the same thing with any of several cartridges, most of which Hobie listed in his post. At the top of my list was the 30-06 with a handloaded 220 gr. Partition.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

Well here a small list of offered 9,3mm bullets.:
15Gramm Vulkan, 16,0 Gramm KS,14,6gr Doppelkern,16,7gramm H-Mantel, 18,5Gramm SP,18,5gramm FMJ,19gramm TUG,18,5gr CDP,18,5 Pro Amm, 18,5 gr Solid, 18,5gr Barnes X,18,5gr Partition and Ballistic tip,Woodleigh SP from 16,2 up to 18,5gr,Swift A-Frame from 16,2 up to 18,1gramm, and so on...

I used the H-Mantel, TUG , DK and KS and they all did their job, but in 9,3x62 H-Mantel did best.

The 9.3x64 is the worlds most versitile caliber, setting the grand old 375 H&H in 2nd place in the all around catagory...

Its only problem has been brass availability over the years in the USA...so I have used the 9.3x62 as a result of that...but that has changed to a great degree as of late and anyone who uses the 9.3x64 gets a new lease on life!

With light bullets that still have decent BC and SD it will compete with the 300's and with heavy 320 gr. bullets that duplicate 300 gr. bullets out of a 375 it covers all the bases better than anything else out there...AND it does all this out of a standard length action...

I shot a few Cape Buffalo and some plainsgame with a 9.3x64 rifle some years ago and I was impressed, so I built myself a couple of them over a period of time, but always sold them over the brass issue...I suppose I'm going to have to build another now that Horneber and Huntingtons marketing the stuff..

As far as effectiveness on big ugly animals the 9.3x62 and 9.3x64 both compete with the 375 H&H and are a good deal more effective than the 338-06 and/or the 35 Whelen IMO...The 338 Winchester competes with the 9.3's on big animals but not quite..On animals like elk, moose, I wouldn't be concerned which one I had.

I think it's fair to say all three rounds are effective on non dangerous game up to 500 kg out to 250 meters. There are pro's and con's of each, and I favor the 35 whelen, though secretly desire a CZ-550 9.3X62 with the full length stock.

I still don't understand what the big deal is about the 338-06 when you can buy a 338 win mag for less then building a 338-06, down load it to 338-06 levels, or push it full speed.

SB is irrelevant, because the 338-06 and 35 whelen aren't long range rounds! The 338 win mag is a fine round, but the 358 Norma is better

i say the only question to answer is this: which chambering is coolest?

this is a hobby for the vast majority of us, right? people have hobbies because they are relaxing, right? cool=relaxation; ergo, pick the coolest one, the one guaranteed to draw the most quizzical looks - or the most knowing looks - from your hunting and shooting buds.

but what do i know?

Fish I refer to your post as being "Fashions In The Field". What discerning wild boar or deer or whatever would wish to be killed by a hunter with no style, no cahrisma or no taste.....

Ray;

quote:

---

The 9.3x64 is the worlds most versitile caliber, setting the grand old 375 H&H in 2nd place in the all around catagory...

---

That comment, sir, could get you drawn and quartered for Heresy! (even if it just might be right...) Now go wash your mouth out with soap!

[ 05-29-2003, 03:01: Message edited by: Tumbleweed ]

I still don't understand what the big deal is about the 338-06 when you can buy a 338 win mag for less then building a 338-06, down load it to 338-06 levels, or push it full speed.

Come on Paul, what fun would that be. I love my .338-06. If it were a Whelen or 9.3 I would probably feel the same, but what do I know. I could have bought a .338WM but decided to have a .338x74 made instead. Same ballistics, an out of date case (long & thin) but it looks just right when paired w/ Ruger #1S.

Englander, whichever cart. you decide on, you'll be happy. The over .30-06 rounds are all great rounds. Choose the one that you can most easily obtain components for in your local.

[ 05-29-2003, 08:59: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

pc:

you are absolutely correct. the game simply does not care because it cannot care.

i live in alabama, a whitetail deer crazy state.

there are two broad classes of deer hunters: those who consider a rifle no more glamorous than hammer - just a tool to do a job - chambered in .270 winchester or .30-'06 it it is a bolt, and .30-30 if it is a lever; and those who wear the latest camouflage while sitting in their elevated shooting houses, armed with the latest high-velocity chamberings, topped with the most fashionable big-belled scope, scanning the greenfields with german or austrian binoculars.

then there is a narrow sub-class of hunters here who insist on hunting with a rifle - be it a bolt, single-shot,lever, maybe even a handgun - chambered in something unnatural to the hunters in the broad classes, something like .45-70 or 8x57 or .444 marlin or a wildcat.

and the deer still don't care what they are being shot with, only that they are being shot.

man, what a cool hobby.

I find this to be a highly subjective debate and no one who gives an edge to this one or that one is going to do it without some bias sentiment. Their capabilities are similar enough to not matter. The final analysis is going to depend on what you specifically want from your gun, brass availability, pre formed brass, higher sd, load data, 25 to 50 more fs. That is about the only real difference in the three.

[ 05-29-2003, 23:09: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ]

You guys are way to sensitive You should remember that I built a 35 whelen AI, and had it re-chambered to 350 Rigby, which requires me to take 375 H&H brass, turn off the belt, cut down the rim, cut the extractor groove deeper, fl size to set the shoulder back (if I'm lucky) then trim to length.

That said, I think we all get carried away with the attributes of our pet rounds when 1/2 dozen others will do the same darn thing in the field.

Oh yeah, I still think the 35's are better.

[ 06-10-2003, 19:51: Message edited by: Paul H ]

PC, that was a hilarious post. And you're quite right, of course.

The 35 Whelen has cheaper brass, cheaper dies, and more bullets available. I do like the CZ-550 in 9.3x62, it's a great buy if you want a new rifle. I just put a Whelen barrel on a M98 action I had.

I considered all three last year. Went with the Whelen for no particular reason other than the thought of having one has always given me a chubby.

To: Englander

Re: 338/06, 35 Whelan, 9.3 x 62.

I have a 338/06 on a rebarreled Winchester Model 70 action. I always wanted one in that caliber, In fact the only wildcat I shoot. I already owned 2 338 Mags when I had it re barreled.

I have not used the 338 Mags in the field since.
One will get rebarreled some day because it came with a beautiful stock. The other is a Browning and at 100 yds all the bullets just go thru the same hole over and over.

Because of bullet selection, powder efficiency, I have not seen a need for anything larger here in North America. Its velocity is about 100 fps behind the 338 Mag and the magazine also holds 5 rounds as opposed to 3. Brass is a lot cheaper also. I use Winchester 280 nickel brass for my 338/06, basically because I don't shoot a 280, so I know the brass is earmarked for the 338/06.
I also have several 30/06s.

A 338/06 has bullets with high sectional density for penetration capabilites, can give faster velocity with the same weights of bullet as compared to the Whelan. A 338/06 can develope right at 4000 footpounds at the muzzle, how much horsepower do you need.

Originally after the 338/05 I was going to convert a 30/06 into the Whelan, because I just wanted to "have" one of those too in my collection.

However after using the 338/06 for one season, I saw no use to build the Whelan. In fact based on performance out of my 338/06 and others I have seen, I see no real need for a magnum at all until one gets to the 375 H & H. I would like one of those also, but have really no need for one with what I hunt and where I hunt.

Few magnums will give over 4000fps at the muzzle, minus the weatherby's or the 338 Lapua.
Why use all the extra powder and suffer the extra recoil and price of the brass. Instead of spending a lot of money on brass and powder, just spend it on bullets for the 338/06. so you can shoot it more, and hopefully know it better when you use it for real in the field.

My old buddy Brett showed me a sale on .338/06 barrels from Midway. I'd always been a fan of the .35 Whelen (own about everything Whelen wrote), but the cost of a prechambered, threaded barrel for a Savage 110 I had sitting in the back of one of the gunsafes made up my mind. This past elk season, both of us got our elk with the .338/06. Wouldn't have been any better with the .35 Whelen or the 9.3x62. We wouldn't have minded having either of these calibers if the barrels were as cheap either.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Atkinson:
[QB]The 9.3x64 is the worlds most versitile caliber, setting the grand old 375 H&H in 2nd place in the all around catagory...

Well I thought old Ray had finally slipped off his cracker and we would all have to set him right! So I got out my trusty Nosler book and ..... Dang the old boy's right again!
How come there aren't more of these guns around. This round has it all, good bore size, will penetrate as good as a 300 grain 375, and is plenty flat shooting for most hunting.

Got me thinking....What would happen if you necked down the 416 Rem to .336???

Thanks as per usual Ray!

Jamie

If you neck down the 416 to 338 you will get 340 Weatherby.
To answer the orginal question, I have a 35 Whelen AI and I am very happy with it. I have not used a 338 06 or a 9.3x62, but I am sure they will do just as well as my Whelen. The 9.3x62 is most likely the best of the three,but I can drive over to town and buy a box of 35 Whelen any day and I have yet to ever see a box of 338-06 or 9.3x62 for sale anywhere I have shopped here in Texas. And of course, if you can't buy it in Texas you don't need it.

Dale M,
you have put in evidence the most importan part of the problem, Englander, looking at his profile, lives in Scotland,and by my opinion he has to decide taking in consideration the availability of cartridges or of reloading components.
Living in Italy, I choosed for this reason the 9.3x62, that in Europe has a good diffusion and I am interested in a 338-06 choice.
Probably I will not have any rifle in.35Whelen, it had not success in Italy and the cartridges are rare.

bye

I went through this selection process late last year, mainly tossing around the 35 Whelen vs. 9.3 x 62. I went for the 9.3 x 62 in a CZ 550 Lux, and I have been positively impressed with both the rifle and its caliber. The supposed paper ballistics give the 9.3 a slight edge, but I think both are pretty close in terms of the types of game the cartridges can harvest humanely and the ranges at which those species can be engaged.

A few observations--35 Whelen brass forms the basis for my 9.3 x 62 cases, and 35 Whelen bullets can be paper-patched to fit in my 9.3 caliber rifle. 9.3 mm molds are a little scarce, but with a little searching they can be found. Dan at Mountain Molds built a VERY NICE 260 grain mold for me in this caliber.

Deputy Al

Sorry!

I intended to say...What would happen if you necked down the 416 Rem. to .363.

I think you would get a 340... With a bad attitude that is.

Jamie

I think you would have essentially a 9.3X64 performance using a belted case.

I don't see how one can compare the 35 Whelen and 338-06 to a 9.3x62...The 9.3x62 is right there with a 375 H&H...I shoot a 26" barrle adn I get 2475 FPS with a 320 gr. Woodleigh, now I don't think a Whelen or 338-06 can catch that. I get 2520 with a 286 gr. Nosler...It is max in my gun, but case life is good...

Not knocking the great 35 Whelen or 338-06 but the 9.3x62 is in a different class IMO...and the 9.3x64 that also fits nicely in a std length action is a bunch more of the same good stuff.

DaleM:

I love it "If you can't buy it in Texas, you don't need it!" I love Texans even when I don't agree with them. If anyone else but a Texan would have said that, I would have thought they were an idiot. God Bless Texas!

To Englander:

Of course you have always wanted a 338/06.
It is a handloaders cartridge tho. It is the only wild cat I own, but the only one I want to own. Brass is easily formed out of '06 brass which can be bought anywhere! Even in Russia I bet.

And you wanted one, but did not know why?
Sort of the same thing as a beautiful naked woman appeals to blind man, even if he doesn't know why? It is nature and proves that you are a man of astute knowledge and impeccable taste!

Paul, Ray, and others

I have never seen a 9.3x64. After looking at the drawing in Noslers manual I assumed it was a little smaller in capacity than the .338 win.

What baffles me further is that Ray says he is loading his 9.3x62 with 320gr. bullets to 2475fps. I would have topick the right powder and go full throttle with my 375 H&H to beat that. Now am I stupid or is the 9.3x62 a glorified 30-06 case??? Is the 320 Woodleigh a super fast bullet or something? And aren't we comparing a case with 60gr.+- capacity to a case with 80gr.+- capacity?

Could somebody shed some light on this dim Bulb?

Jamie

To: Cacarno91;

Mein Herrn:

the 35 Whelan was influenced by a German cartridge?

Maybe this way, the USA developed the 30/03 after meeting the 7 x57 in Cuba in the Spanish American war.
This later had the case shortened a little and the load changed and it became the 30/06.

However I find it hard to believe, in the days that the 35 Remington and a few others were popular, that Townsend Whelan and Griffith or Howe, who were also responsible for its developement were just sitting around and said "Lets develope a 35 caliber cartridge based on something in Germany, the 9 x63."

They must have forgotten that they could just neck up a 30/06 case, which they must have had a few laying around, to 35 caliber.

even tho the 9 x63 or 9.3 x 63 has been around a long time, American wildcats seem to be based on American cartridges already around. Even if that parent cartridge was based on the 7 x 57.

Case in point the 6 mm Remington is said to be based on a necked down 257 Roberts, not on a necked down 7 x 57. Europe thinks European and we Americans tend to think American.