The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Be honest with me, if I have the 35 Whelen do I need an 06?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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All right guys, I have a dilemma.... I am in a position where I don't NEED money, but would like other toys that I can't get without parting with other things. I also came to the realization that I don't do enough hunting, of enough variety, to warrant my cluster of medium bores. I have a 35 whelen ackley improved that was a gift, I would never get rid of, I need about 350 to finish it up (stock work) and also need to scope it. I have an 06, springfield, it'll shoot 1/2" 3 shot groups if I do my part, but other than that there is nothing special about it. The scope on it is the perfect scope for my 35w so I could put it on there.... I'm already selling my 308 norma (trying to) but what I'm wondering is, do I really "need" an 06? I have a 375 H&H too and next year should have a 416 taylor, so not short on rifles, just have been brainwashed that an 06 is best all around NA rifle, and it is a flatter trajectory than my 35 (in the bullets I use for them). Just curious the opinions of my esteemed web buddies. Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | ||
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Do you need an '06, no! If you want to shoot varmits light weight bullets are available. It would probably round out your battery better. JJK | |||
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You'll never go wrong with a .30-06 and it is more versatile than the Whelen. I have both and if push come to shove, the .30-06 isn't going anywhere. For the record, mine is a Remington 7600 synthetic carbine with 2x7 Burris Timberline using 180 gr. A-Frames.  | |||
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If you have a 35 Whelen you don't need an 06. The 06 would be a touch more versatile on the light end. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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I would far rather compliment a 35 Whelen with a 280 Remington than a .30-06 FWIW /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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Hell yes you need an '06. The real question is, if I have an '06, do I NEED a .35 Whelen? Especially since you have the .375. Yes, a .280 would be a nice compliment but you already have an '06 and if need be it can be a pretty flat shooting cartridge compared to the Whelen. I for one would never be without an '06, never.  Aut vincere aut mori | |||
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Nope, you can only use one at a time. | |||
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Yes, you need both. The 06 works for most conditions and is perfect with 180 gr bullets. A great caliber for most NA game. The 35 comes in where things get up close and personal.A good 250 gr bullet in heavy timber or brush. Wheather deer or a bear at 50 yds. But, at those ranges I would lose the scope. Some good open sights or reciever sights are a lot faster to use. Aaron "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. To front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived"- Thoreau | |||
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I started off many years ago with one big game rifle, a 30/06. Now I have four, a 25/06, 7mm-08, 7x57, and 270WSM. I don't own a 30/06 anymore because it takes away the excuse to buy so many other guns.  | |||
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Yup and add in one of the 6.5's chucking 125-140 grain bullets and life is about perfect for anything you would be looking to do for keeping the BBQ going strong.If you are going to shoot varmints a smaller caliber is in order versus getting away from the 06's design. I used to have 7 30-06's sold the last one 2 months back. I still see a lot of folks thinking the Whelen is a brush cartridge only. Well load some 225AB's over Rl-15 or what ever powder your rifle prefers in the same burn range. I bet a lot of people might be suprised. I was giving up 1 inch of drop at 300 yards versus a 180 in my main 06. When the 225 hits home you really notice a difference. So you can come pretty close to the 06 180 trajectory ( not enough to make a difference on deer sized game and up) and you get a bigger hole and some more horsepower. If you can justify getting a Whelen get it you will not be sorry | |||
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I always will have a 30-06, always..If forced to choose then I would sell the 35 Whelan and keep the 06... But to answer your questions! Do you want one! Hell I know hundreds of professional hunters who only own one gun..but only you can make that decision. NOTE: There is very little practicle difference in any of these med. bore rifles to make one iota of differnce under any circumstances, they all do exactly the same thing. If you think the 250 gr. Whelan has any practical advantage over a 220 gr. 06 on game your sorely mistaken..I guess the difference gets noticable perhaps at the .338 level and thats a maybe, the .375 is the next step and then its good to the 600 N.E. IMO....but now I have busted a bunch of bubbles I suspect! oh my!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Nope...my .02 | |||
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Red, There's not much logic to this gun business. Truth be told, I'm sure most of us don't "need" at least 80% of the rifles we own. But many of us get as much pleasure from our rifles as we do from hunting with them. But if you see a rifle as merely a tool, then yes, you probably don't need that many. | |||
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Nope | |||
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 And I suspect the person above who rephrased the question as "If I have an '06 do I actually need a .35 Whelen?" had it right. The answer for me is "No." Now, if you want one, that is an excellent reason to have one. But "need" if you have an '06? Well, not in my lifetime of shooting and hunting, and considering the other rifles you already have. If you didn't have a .375 H&H, I'd suggest a .358 Norma Mag just to have a good whomper that was a bit off the commonly beaten road, but the .375 is better (especially if you want to be able to buy factory ammo), so the only thing left after that which you might actually "need" someday would likely be to buy Ray's .404...  | |||
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If your going to be hunting larger game with heavier bullets in the 30/06, id keep the 35whelen and forget about a 30/06. Some here here once said, bigger[bore] is better, bigger and faster is better again, in killing effect. A .35cal 225gn barnes tsx 2700mv, is what I would prefer over a slower 220gn /06 load. That modern .35 Whelen TSX load hammers harder than what John Taylor used in Africa in his 350Rigby....which he considered the equal of the 375hh out to 150yd. | |||
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Never trust a man without a 30-06, .22, 12 gauge and a 1911. Just sayin' Hunting: Exercising dominion over creation at 2800 fps. | |||
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NO, and buy a varmint rifle or scoped AR15 if you need something lighter...from a guy who has hunted more than just deer from his trailer in Missouri. | |||
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Here in Utah, or anywhere else in the Intermountain West for that matter, a 25-06 and a 35 Whelen make a great combination. Those 2 chamberings will cover everything from varmints up through antelope, mule deer, goats and sheep, bears, elk and moose. I've owned 243s, 270s, 308s, 30-06s, 7mm, 300 and 338 Mags and have whittled them all down to a 25-06 and 35 Whelen. | |||
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 DR, it sounds that you are trying to find some justification to keep the 30-06. No you don't need it but if you are not hurting for cash don't give yourself a guilt trip for keeping it.  If you do sell it remorse is sure to follow; if not today , some time in the future.  I'll bet the majority of us have been there.  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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Yeah I'll hold onto it, I don't shoot anything light in it but the variety of factory loads and the fact that this one is a tack driver make it a keeper. this whelen has a 26" tube and does over 2700 with 225's, though I need to redevelop load for it since the notes I got with it are a bit sketchy on the final load, and there are newer powders now to try. As I said before, it was a gift, and I wouldn't part with it. It was my favorite rifle to hunt with before I started messing with it and didn't finish thanks guys. I may put this 06 on the chopping block some day, but it'll be to replace it with one of those lightweight 6lb savages Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | |||
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Don't sell it man! Everybody needs an 06 and a half inch factory sporter is a rare beast indeed. Sell a kidney if you must sell something, you've got two of those!  | |||
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Since you also have a 375H&H, I regard the 30-06 to be a perfect partner to that. The one you really don't need in my opinion, is the 35 Whelen, but I understand why you want to keep it  | |||
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NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS. Shoot & hunt with vintage classics. | |||
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The real question as others pointed out is do you need a Whelen if you have a 30-06? But you happen to have a Whelen with sentimentel value. The 30-06 is a keeper--1/2 groups. The 30-06, even with 110 grain bullets kicks too much and too much blast for a varmint gun. Sell/trade the .308 Norma and get a .22 centerfire--that area is void in your battery. Keep the Whelen as a back up to the 06 with open sights. | |||
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"need" is a silly thing to think about with regard to guns. If you really wanted to pare things down to just what you need, you could sell everything but the .375. You can hunt the entire world with it. Having said that, I personally own a 6.5x55, a .308, .30-06, a .35 Whelen, and a couple of 8x57s. There isn't a whole lot of difference in terms of performance on game between any of them. I'd prefer not to sell any of them, but if I have to the .308 will be the last to go, because it holds special value to me since its a Savage 99. With guns, I'd say personal value should take precedence over practicality. After all, if we were totally practical people, we'd be buying beef at the store instead of freezing our butts off hoping to shoot a deer. | |||
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A .30-06, especially one that shoots 1/2" groups, is an honest 300, and in a pinch, 400 yard deer and antelope rifle. A .35 Whelen, with its bigger, slower bullets, presents a challenging trajectory for shots beyond about 250 yards. So, the question is, are you more likely to need to shoot deer at 300 yards, or moose at 100 yards? Even if your answer is moose (which would be about 1% of all hunters), the .30-06 will do virtually as well as the Whelen. Bottom line is that the .30-06 is MUCH more versatile. Whether your needs justify that versatility is another question. | |||
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You sound just like my wife, always complicating gun discussions with words like NEED! | |||
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Townsend Whelen: The .30-06 in a quality rifle is never a mistake in North America. | |||
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Funny the comment about the kidney, they're really hard to sell! (legalities) and even difficult to trade. I've probably offered recipients choice of kidney half a dozen times, a good dangerous game safari is all I ask. Yeah, I knew that was the right decision. Thanks for the input guys. Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | |||
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The simple truth is and some hate to admit it and some just don't know is that a 220 gr. Nolser from a 30-06 in the chest cavity of any animal will kill that animal as well and as quickly as a 250 gr. 35 Whelan and probably as fast as a 270 375 H&H..That has been my experience..I have seen the 220 gr. 30-06 kill elephants and I have killed buffalo with it, both with solids and Nosler partitions..Never underestamate the old Springfield, it has been there and back in all the hunting fields of the world..Every African PH shot his first elephant, buffalo and Lion with it or so they tell me and I have doubt they did... Nobody loves nice rifles more than I and I have owned most of them in many calibers off and on, and I have killed game with all of them. To me that,s part of the game and a good way to aquire knowledge and after you try and use them all on game and with all the different bullets and loads you to will come the conclusion the 06 with good super premium bullets can get er done. May not be the best choice but it will work if you do your part..same for the 505 Gibbs, you still have to do your part. I reserve my right to change my mind at any time. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I have both and intend to keep it that way.. But realisticly, no! You should not be wanting with only a Whelen in any way. That is assuming you handload.. YOu can load up a 200 gn Hornady @ 2800 fs and there is nothing an 06 will do that it wont, and if you feel you need a bit more bullet the Whelen is awsome for that.. Personally I just added a 2nd 06 though.. If I had to get rid of all but one gun, the 06 would quite possibly be the keeper, it would be VERY hard to part with.. AK-47 The only Communist Idea that Liberals don't like. | |||
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Good thread rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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Tough too beat 225 gr TSX's or Partition's at 2700+ fps. Just sayin... I know what I would pick, oops I already have. | |||
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Damn! Ya beat me to it.  I have both. My do it all load in the Whelen is the 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS. My do it all bullet in the 30-06 is either the 180 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter at 2700 FPS or the 180 gr. Nosler Partition at the same speed. They'll do it all for all my big game hunting although I have several rifles in other calibers as well. Life would be pretty dull with only two rifles. Paul B. | |||
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A friend of mine once said never sell a gun. If you have to save for it do that, but guns you sell you regret later and they cost a lot more to replace. He was right. I've sold or traded so many guns I wish I had now. | |||
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Red, Never let an accurate rifle get away!!! Cause one day you WILL regret it. ________ Ray | |||
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Need doesn't have a dang thing to do with it! Keep them both. | |||
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I think there's more overlap with the 35 whelan and the .375H&H. If you have the .375 H&H, why do you need the .35? If I were limited to a few centerfire rifles, my order of preference would be .30-06, .223, .375H&H. Not much you can't do well with those three and ammo to feed them is available worldwide. Tanzania in 2006! Had 141 posts on prior forum as citori3. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Be honest with me, if I have the 35 Whelen do I need an 06?
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