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 based on my limited experience, I lost faith in it.
Fascinating stuff there Royce. Most .35 Whelen owners I know are fanatical about their rifles. Which bullet were you using?
I went with the .375 H&H for my "big" rifle, figuring that I could load it to Whelen, or slightly more than Whelen power levels, should I so desire. Have done so, and used it on several black bears. Haven't had a shot at an elk with it yet. Someday!
Regards, Guy
