I would- A 30/06 would be my first choice, but I would take the 7/08 over the 35 Whelen. In the short time I was around one, the thing that surprised me the most was how little those 35 caliber bullets penetrated. One stopped on a the neck vertebrae of a cow moose. The big blood trails that the 35 caliber bullet was supposed to produce never happened, either. One little black took a round through the chest and there were only a few small drops of blood where he was standing.
All told, there were three or four elk, a moose and a bear shot with the 35 Whelen and I was not impressed at all with terminal performance. It took a lot of swallowing my pride because that rifle was to have been my "dream rifle" that I would use the rest of my life.
Please bear in mind, all I am saying is that I have no confidence in the 35 Whelen based on a very small number of experiences with it. It might be the world's best cartridge, but
I would- A 30/06 would be my first choice, but I would take the 7/08 over the 35 Whelen. In the short time I was around one, the thing that surprised me the most was how little those 35 caliber bullets penetrated. One stopped on a the neck vertebrae of a cow moose. The big blood trails that the 35 caliber bullet was supposed to produce never happened, either. One little black took a round through the chest and there were only a few small drops of blood where he was standing.
All told, there were three or four elk, a moose and a bear shot with the 35 Whelen and I was not impressed at all with terminal performance. It took a lot of swallowing my pride because that rifle was to have been my "dream rifle" that I would use the rest of my life.
Please bear in mind, all I am saying is that I have no confidence in the 35 Whelen based on a very small number of experiences with it. It might be the world's best cartridge, but
I would- A 30/06 would be my first choice, but I would take the 7/08 over the 35 Whelen. In the short time I was around one, the thing that surprised me the most was how little those 35 caliber bullets penetrated. One stopped on a the neck vertebrae of a cow moose. The big blood trails that the 35 caliber bullet was supposed to produce never happened, either. One little black took a round through the chest and there were only a few small drops of blood where he was standing.
All told, there were three or four elk, a moose and a bear shot with the 35 Whelen and I was not impressed at all with terminal performance. It took a lot of swallowing my pride because that rifle was to have been my "dream rifle" that I would use the rest of my life.
Please bear in mind, all I am saying is that I have no confidence in the 35 Whelen based on a very small number of experiences with it. It might be the world's best cartridge, but
Fair enough! Thank you for being honest and forthright. THIS is what helps this board and people who are learning and making decisions.
I am brand spankin new to the Whelen fold or club, and have used it on exactly squat so your experience is greater than mine. I do plan to try mine out when I get well enough to hunt again but will do so with some good, heavy bullets. 225gr TSX Barnes and 250gr Hornaday Interlocks. Has to be SOME reason I have been reading about how awesome it is for all these decades. Hopefully we shall soon find out.
