Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 35 Whelen to 338 WM, now back to 35 Whelen

I have 2 35 Whelens (Remington 700 CDL and Rem 7400). Thought I wanted a "longer range" rifle. Found a good deal on a 338 WM.
After getting beat up at the range, I am going back to the 35 Whelen. Once I feel my shoulder again, the 338WM will find a better home.

Magnumitis is cured for me.

Eric

Good choice... .

Dennis

Traded off a 338 Win many years ago for a 35whelen and never looked back.

The 338 is a fine cartridge, but I have come to much prefer the 35 Whelen. I'm not willing to pay the price for the little bit the 338 may do that my trusted 35 Whelen can't.

I am surprised that more people have not come to the same conclusion.

338 WM is most needed for 300-320 gr bullets. Most on these shooting forums that have WM's shoot 210 gr bullets because they can't stand the recoil either, but can't admit it.

I did the same thing years ago. It is odd how much more a 338 kicks pushing a 250 gr. bullet to a bit over 2600 fps compared to the 35 Whelen 250 gr. bullet at a bit over 2500 fps. In my cas the problem was the rifle, a synthetic stainless Ruger with a boat paddle stock. This rifle killed three scopes just sighting it in.

How much of the difference with a 338WM does the 35 Whelen Ackley version regain? I'm guessing 50-75 fps?

Same here. My 338 hangs out in the back of the safe now and only comes out when somebody wants to buy one. A couple of shots at the range usually makes them appreciate what they have. I will readily admit that the Whelen is not very far behind in recoil. Mainly because I lightened up the original BDL configuration as much as possible with turning off any metal.

My Whelen displaced the 338 as my prime elk rifle 9 years ago. Although the Whelen hasn't accounted for an elk since 2006. I like to mix it up with a few 308s, 30-06s, 45-70s and a 280. Next month it will be the turn of one of my 270s.

I have four 35s and have posted relentlessly about the virtues of this caliber starting all the way back in the Shooters era. Even with all the success and enjoyment that my 35s have given me over the years and knowing that I will own them until I die, I have determined that the .338 Win. mag. is a more practical caliber for my hunting needs. There is nothing that my 35s can do that my .338 Win. mag. cannot do as well or a little better. And I don�t find the recoil delta between the 35s and the .338 to be all that noteworthy. CP.

You could get the 9.3x62 which has a better big game bullet selection than the Whelen (I own both) OR you could load your 338 Winny to 338 Federal levels which will kill anything in the lower 48.

185 TSX through both shoulders of Elk and quite a way into the clay bank behind her (338 Federal Kimber 84)

Eric, (nice name BTW) I feel your pain... literally... it was with the same sentiment that I went w/ the 338-06 A-Square. Love it and can shoot the heck out of it w/out feeling like an abused child.

The Whelen is awesome... as oldman implies, the selection of bullets >250 gr is lacking, however.

I am pretty sure I'll do a 9.3x62 someday... working with a 9.3x57 right now...

.338 winnie is excellent in 250 grain and up, and will easily out perform the .35 whelen. You cant expect to kill much of anything over 400 yards with the .35. Some people just cant handle the recoil of the .338 winnie, I recently gave my younger brother the .338 and bought a .375 h&h, he is 17 and around 140 pounds and he loves shooting it, has no trouble with 250's and has it zeroed at 200 yards perfectly. I guess it just depends on what you can handle, and what you need. The .35 works well on many different game animals, but using it on moose or grizzly gets kind of sketchy..... It's just a 30-06 round with 35 cal lead.

In about 20 years you will likely understand how wrong you are about this issue -- but in the meantime, feel free to enjoy yourself. The .338 Win is functional, but I can assure you that it can't do anything -- in the actual real world of hunting -- any better or further away than a .35 Whelen.

Having done it a few times, I will also say that what either of these, or any other cartridges, might be able to do past 400 yards is pretty irrelevant in actual big game hunting in the real back country.

The ballistic info is really keen for developing hunting rifles and loads, but once you learn how to actually hit and kill something, it's pretty inconsequential which one you're shooting.

And if you think the .35 Whelen isn't suitable for a bear, yet the .338 Win is, then you clearly don't live in Alaska and really don't know anything about self-protection or hunting in the bear world. As far as moose go -- elk, mountain goats, and even big deer and caribou are harder to kill than moose. Moose are big, but easy.

I've killed a pretty good bunch of game, in a bunch of states and South Africa, with my .35 Whelen. Want to make some comparisons?

Here's one...


Dennis

Welcome to the Fire Schewe.

But I gotta say if you believe what you just said then I'd say you gotta get out and play more.

Real world, not much diff tween the 35W and the 338. I mean we're talking about 150 fps diff at most tween the two running 250's and that aint much for diff.

As for not expecting to kill much of anything past 400 yds, then once again you need to get some more experience. Tis incredibly easy to set up a 35 W to kill to 500. Just gotta have the know how as to how to do it. Dotz, turrets etc will get you there in a presto.

And dude, lastly if you truly believe that using the 35W is a bit sketchy on moose and griz then I'd say it's time for you to read less and hunt more.

About the only thing I concur with is that the 338 aint much to handle. Known more than a few youth and petite ladies that handled a well put together 338 with ease.

Merry Christmas.

Dober

Nice pic there Dennis, next time your my way lets grab some lunch and cuss and discuss why they 35 W is so lacking...

Dober

We ought to have lunch...it would appear that we share some viewpoints... .

Except I don't think most folks ought to plan on shooting quite as far as you would prep people for... .

I've only been shooting stuff with the Whelen since 1993, when I bought it specifically instead of a .338 Magnum. Nothing since then has changed my mind; I'd shoot nothing but it and a .280 to hunt, except I really like rifles, so I like shooting bunches of them.

Sorry I missed you when I was in Bozeman -- but we were headed to our elk hunt and had feet of snow to screw with.

Happy New Year!

Dennis

And the key word there is "prep" for. If they prepare, and I get it that most people won't and I'll try to keep that in mind. But, if they do their prep they'll have no issues working to these kinds of ranges.

I shoot my 338/06 quite a bit and with LR dotz and or the Burris BP I can kill on demand to 500 with a 250 Nozler @ 2500 fps. I could lean on the peddle a bit more and it will do 2600 when I do so but with dotz/bp I see no need to lean on it that hard.

How's your elky hunt go?

Dober

"Prep" is the key, for certain.

Elk hunt was very good -- four out of five killed cows, though we lost the first full day to snow. One of us couldn't work as hard in the woods as he wanted to, and had to leave a day early to head back to Missoula in order to fly to Seattle for chemo the next day. You can't guess which one of us that would have been... . But it was a good hunt and lots of elk; things just didn't work out to the point I got a shot in the day and a half I ended up hunting. I did end up with plenty of it shared with me, and at various points and times through the trip I killed three mule deer -- so, relatively speaking, I'm feeling very very good about all of it.

Dennis

Cool deal, hope 2010 is a super one for you and yours!

Next time, lets catch up..

Dober

Are you going to MDF or RMEF in 2010? Looks like we'll be at both once again.

And yes -- next time in Bozeman we'll get together.

Thanks...

Dennis