Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Compare the 35 Whelen with the 338WM and 9.3x62.

One.

What has been your EXPERIENCE with a 35 Whelen on elephant and Cape Buffalo?

Exactly! Thank you.

Lack of experience pretty clearly does show if you think .008" will make any difference whatsoever. And Woodleigh makes a 310 grain 35 caliber solid....

But that's not many.

Funny thing is a review on Midway for said bullet notes complete penetration on a Cape Buffalo from a 35 whelen.

Of course the Whelen ain't no 318 Westley Richards...

That's likely a review from someone that has SHOT a Cape Buffalo with one, not a guesser.

Thanks, I am looking for a 100 yd-150 yd bullet at most and if it shoots 2" at 100 that works for me. My only concern is it opens up even just a little.

I'm shooting over irons. No scope.

None, what do you have?

Then it should work fine. A-Frames tend to open up pretty easily, due to the pure lead and copper construction.

Same as you. So that proves that my opinion is good as yours concerning the effectiveness of the Whelen on said critters.

Of course a 9.3 is about the thickness of a piece of paper greater in diameter and difference in weight between common 9.3 rounds and Whelen rounds are this bullet.




I can clearly see the advantage.

Don't know 358, but don't think he ever wrote that your opinion was in error.

Really MOboy? The above appears fairly condescending to me.

John,

that is a very good news about those bullets because up to now the reports we had over here in Yukon was a little too soft.

all the best.

Phil

Phil,

I dunno how the 286 Hornady would work on heavy bone in a moose or grizzly, but it works pretty well on somewhat smaller game!

Hornady also apparently makes a monolithic 250 load for the 9.3x62, but only sells it in Europe. One of the guys on the same hunt used it on a big bull and a pig, and it worked fine.

Here is the current known min's:

Benin
� There is no minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Benin.
� Benin does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Botswana
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Botswana is .222 caliber for any game other than dangerous game.
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Botswana is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting.
� The maximum equipment allowed for rifle hunting in Botswana is .577 Nitro Express caliber.
� Botswana does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Burkina Faso
� There is no minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Burkina Faso.
� Burkina Faso does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Cameroon
� For Group 1 - Small Game, the equipment requirement for hunting is .240 caliber or less, shotgun may be used as well.
� For Group 2 - Medium Game, the equipment requirement for hunting is .240 to .354 caliber.
� For Group 3 - Big Game, the equipment requirement for hunting is .354 caliber or larger.
� Cameroon does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Central African Republic
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Central African Republic is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting.
� Central African Republic does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Ethiopia
� There is no minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Ethiopia.
� Ethiopia does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Mozambique
� There is no minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Mozambique.
� Mozambique does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Namibia
� Smallest caliber allowed 7 mm (.284).
� Minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity)
� Big Game
5400 Joule
(Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, etc.)
� Large Game
2700 Joule
(Greater Kudu, Cape Eland, Oryx / Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Hartmann's Zebra, Burchell's Zebra, Giraffe, Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, Leopard, etc.)
� Medium to Small Game
1350 Joule
(Springbok, Impala, Blesbok, Gray Duiker, Steenbok, Ostrich, Caracal, Black-Faced Impala, Red Lechwe, Damara Dik-Dik, Klipspringer, Black-Backed Jackal, Warthog, Cheetah, Nyala, Chacma Baboon, Game Birds, etc.)

South Africa
� Most provinces do not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting and rely on common sense.
� Some provinces require a minimum of .375 caliber for dangerous or big game hunting.
� No provinces require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Tanzania
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Tanzania is .240 caliber for any game other than dangerous game.
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Tanzania is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting.
� Tanzania does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Zambia
� Zambia does not have a minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting plains game and rely on common sense. Caliber in the .270 range will be well suited for some of the smaller plains game in Zambia.
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Zambia is .300 caliber for dangerous game such as Leopard and Lion.
� The minimum equipment requirement for rifle hunting in Zambia is .375 caliber for dangerous game or big game hunting such as Elephant, Buffalo and Hippo.
� Zambia does not require a minimum energy (Eo - muzzle velocity) for calibers used.

Zimbabwe
� Class A Game
5300 Joule
Minimum caliber 9.2mm in diameter
(Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo)
� Class B Game
4300 Joule
Minimum caliber 7.0mm in diameter
(Lion, Giraffe, Eland)
� Class C Game
3000 Joule
Minimum caliber 7.0mm in diameter
(Leopard, Crocodile, Kudu, Oryx / Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Wildebeest, Zebra, Nyala, Sable Antelope, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, etc.)
� Class D Game
850 Joule
Minimum caliber 5.56mm in diameter
(Warthog, Impala, Reedbuck, Sitatunga, Duiker, Steenbok, Jackal, Game Birds, etc.)
� Black Powder Rifles
Minimum caliber .40

Of course a .35 Whelen will kill buffalo.

Every dangerous-game PH I�ve hunted outside of South Africa with has killed a number of buffalo with cartridges like the 7mm Remington Magnum, .30-06 and .300 Winchester Magnum. This is because most PH�s have done plenty of control shooting (culling) at one time or another.

The most experienced PH I�ve hunted with got a job with the then-Rhodesian game department when he got of high school at 17. He killed several hundred buffalo with the .30-06, either on game-department or private-land csull, most with the 180-grain Nosler Partition. I found this out when we were BS�ing about rifles and cartridges one day, and I asked what was the largest African animal he�d feel comfortable hunting with the .30-06. He immediately said, �Buffalo.� He even used the 180 Partition on frontral shots on mature bulls, supposedly a very testing shot, according to some other PH�s.

On my last buffalo hunt one of the PH�s had used the 7mm Remington Magnum to do the same thing, and the son of the other PH had killed his first trophy bull at 15 with a .300 Winchester and one 180-grain Barnes TSX. The bull went about 75 yards and keeled over, from a behind-the-shoulder shot, which seems to be about average for buffalo no matter what the cartridge and bullet.

So yeah, a .35 Whelen will work fine, and there is no magic line between what will kill a Cape buffalo and what won�t. But what locals can legally use and visiting safari hunters can legally use are different, and I generally don�t consciously break laws when visiting foreign countries.

Of course anything will kill anything including rocks. I've seen DG killed with 30:06 with one shot. I've also seen DG shot five times with 458. But then again what do I know?