Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 338-06 vs 35 whelen

I currently have a 338-06 but am wanting to hear your opinions on the 2 calibers side by side. Which one kills quicker and has more knock down for bear,deer and moose?

shot placement is everything

Got quarter? Give one side the 338, the other the Whelen. Toss it in the air, let it land. Whichever side comes up is the best. You're splitting paper ballistic hairs. There will be zero difference on game. 'Course that holds true for several hundred cartridges.

Just like today’s kids. They all win!!!!

Finn Aagaard wrote an article on the two. IIRC he chose the 338-06 but admitted there was very little difference between the two.

I think I remember that article. Didn't he choose the .338-06 because there was better bullet selection?

Just my opinion , but I think there is a threshold of increasing caliber where frontal area starts to make a difference in killing power , and maybe that starts at some wheres between 35 caliber and 375


at any rate , the Whelen will mostly drive bullets of equivalent sectional density to the same speeds as the corresponding lighter bullets in the 338 , for example , the 225gr 35 caliber will equal the speeds of the 210gr 338


the extra weight and frontal area should result in somewhat of an increase in hitting power


on the other hand the superior b.c. of the 338 bullets may result in more retained energy at distance


so , would really be hard to say there is a clear cut winner......

if i recall, layne simpson also wrote an article comparing the 2.
his conclusion too was that the differences are not great

WHELEN +100 Bigger bore and a great selection of mono-metals and 250 gr conventionals.

(if only because I have one)

.338-06

.35 whelen

Ah shucks, I dunno.

-Jake

I went with .35 Whelen over 338-06 simply because my donor rifle has a short, 19" barrel and I think the .35 Whelen is probably a smidge better out of a short barrel.

I have a 338-06. It works great, kills very well. So does my 30-06 so, you just need to make yourself happy.

Dance with the lady you brought to the party. I'm sure she will make you happy.

I have had both. I am in the 338-06 camp and currently have two, with another on the way.

I like the better selection of bullets for the 338 caliber. On paper the 338-06 has slight advantage.
180's have worked great for deer, 200-210's have worked great on antelope, deer, and elk. Have never used the 160's or heavier than 210's on game. Can't imagine them not working.

I have used a 210gr TSX quite a bit at 2800 plus and feel very confident that it will handle almost everything the planet has to hunt with a couple of exceptions. I feel that it might be a little too hard for deer sized game. But it works. If/when I go back to Africa, it will be with a 338-06 and 210gr TSX's.

With that being said, hand me either one for hunting and I would not have any issues.

This

338-06 simply because you have a better selection of bullets to handload with. However if you held my feet to the fire I'd take a 9.3x62 over either of the two you're writing about.

35 Whelen all the way. The bullet selection is more than adequate for big game, you can tinker with pistol bullet plinking loads, and last but not least, you can buy factory ammo in 35 Whelen.

I have both & like them equally. My 338-06 is stainless/synthetic while the Whelen is blued steel /wood so it depends on the weather... or my mood. The 338 may reach out a little better with equal weight bullets.

I have owned both and in my small sample of using them on elk and moose, I could not see any difference. Peddled the 338-06 that was built on a VZ24 Mauser and McGowen barrel and kept the Ruger 77.

Had both, multiple copies. Much rather have either a 30/06 or a 375 depending upon the task.

I have those too!

I have both but have only hunted the .35. It has performed great but the 338-06 would likely have done as well. I only got the 338-06 this year so that's why I've not yet blooded it.
I think the "better bullet selection" argument for the .338 died a happy death over 20 years ago - plenty of great bullets in each these days.
IMO, the advent of Power Pro 2000-MR powder has been a game changer in favor of the 35 Whelen. Speer has published data for the 250 HotCor at 2700 FPS, and Sierra has published data for the 225 SGK at 2900 FPS. I have not pushed my Whelen this far but 2650 and 2850 FPS respectively are easy to hit without the pressures even breathing hard. This represents a good 100-150 FPS advantage over the .338-06 at the muzzle, and that larger frontal area previously alluded to. The .338-06 retains an edge in BC and SD but many argue in the age of monolithics SD is not as valid as it was in the days of cup and core. Either way they are kind of peas in a pod - darned awesome peas at that. I'm hoping to hear of a new uber-powder that will do for the .338-06 what PP 2000 MR does for the 35 Whelen. I have been playing with PP 2000 MR in the .338-06 and am getting 2700 FPS with the 225, but with what seems to me a touch more pressure than I experience getting 2850 FPS with 225's in the Whelen.
And now I'm about to muddy the waters with my new rebored 9.3x62, in which 2000-MR seems to be a winner too. Medium bores are fun.
Enjoy whatever you choose,
Rex

Here are some unscientific observations of elk kills with both.
35 Whelen one cow elk at the shot the elk visibly rocked and staggered/died 20 yards later. I think the guy was using 225gr bullet of some type.

338-06
cow elk shot at approx 125 yards, visibly rocked and took off and lost in the herd and only made it 30-40 yards. 210gr NPt
cow elk shot 90 yards, DRT 210gr NPt
cow elk shot 175 yards, spun in a circle and tipped over. 210gr TSX
cow elk shot 40 yards, DRT. 210gr TSX
bull elk shot 275 yards, stumbled and fell within 5 yards. 210gr TSX
bull elk shot 170 yards, jumped took off with the herd peeled off and died 80 yards.

Yes, that is essentially correct. I have that article handy and checked, he said that if he wanted on one rifle for NA game and wanted more than a .30-06 he'd opt for the .338, but if he already had a good deer rifle he'd choose the Whelen. Then he said that if he really wanted more thump than the Springfield he would step up to the .338 WM. But then in another article, he said the 9.3x62 is a bit better than either.

I have had several of each. My current favorite is a 338-06 firing 210 Partitions, match made in heaven.

.338 and .358 calibers are probably my favorite. I have owned quite a few over the years. 338-06, 338-06AI, 338 Winnie, 35 Whelen, 350 Rem mag, 358 Norma.

I think the .338 variant will shoot a little flatter if you are into that, but despite what the ballistics show on paper I have gotten way more DRT's with the whelen and 350 rem.

Truly a pick'em. No wrong answer, though some claim they are both wrong answer's.

I currently have a 357rem max which shoots 180gr bullets at 2200fps from a 21” tube but for some reason I’ve always liked the 35whelen which can launch that same bullet at 3000fps. I currently have 7mm rem mag, 270,30-06,338-06 but I feel the need to either add the 35 whelen to the mix or go with a 375ruger. Why? Because I like my rifles and can never have to many lol.

Spoken like a true Loony...

BTW, look at the numbers now on the Fire. I guess us "shut ins" are getting a bit bored...

DF

Remingtonman I have the same urge. Our (my daughters) 357 Max is pushing a 180 Speers at 2325 out of a 26” encore. My 357 Rimless with 180 SSP at 2600 out of 26” Encore. I have two 7 mags, 25-06, 450 Bushmaster 26” Encore pushing a 250 gr. At 2580 FPS. and I’m wanting a 35 Whelen.
I just picked up a 30-06 to rebore to the Whelen and now found a 35 Whelen for what I paid for the 06. Does a guy carry on with the rebore project or keep the 30-06 and add the Whelen. Flipping quarters in my head. Help guide me. Lol

+1

Me, too.

A msn's gotta be prepared.

DF

To have a rebore job done it’s $250. To have my gunsmith build my small shank 35whelen barrel is $205 shipped to my doorstep and it’s a much better barrel that has been indicated to 1/10thousands of an inch concentric to the bore for a superbly accurate rifle barrel. I’ve heard there are a lot of factory barrels that are out .020 thousand off the centerline of the bore resulting in poor accuracy. If I where you I’d consider the 9.3x62 but you also couldn’t go wrong with the whelen. I will be getting one of the three (9.3x62,35whelen,375ruger) in the future lol.

My reasoning for Whelen is two fold. Bought a allotment of .358 stuff this past fall that had bullets I wanted for my 357 Maximum and Rimless. With the package came 35 Whelen dies and Remington Brass. Also if this economy doesn’t fall right apart I have plans to go on moose hunt in Maine. I don’t have anything for the 30-06 but it wouldn’t take long to round up. 200 gr. Nos partitions would be my direction on the 06’

None of us have bought reloading supplies before the rifle, have we?

So close together that any inherent difference, if it exists, will be swamped by other uncontrolled variables.

BTW, you couldn't hang onto a rifle launching a projectile capable of knocking down a moose.

On my reloading bench right now I have 50 pieces of new Hornady .35 Whelen brass, my press is set up with Hornady Whelen dies, about 125 pieces of .30-06 brass have been resized to .35 Whelen, there are several boxes of .35 rifle bullets and a pound of Power Pro 2000 MR.

I currently do not own any rifle chambered in .35 much less a 35 Whelen.

Very nice lol. What flavor are you thinking of going with?

Reminds me of my brother's truck being better than my truck.

Because it's HIS....

Now, just because his is new, mine is old doesn't matter, it was that way before he got this one.

So, the round I have is gonna be better than the one you have, even if ballistics are too close to call...

Just 'cause...

It's the way it is...

DF

I have a Rem 700 ADL originally chambered in .270 Win at JES right now that will be rebored to .35 Whelen. I have Speer 220s and 250s to start working up loads.

Better yet, ream it out to the Ackley Improved or 35 Gibbs ("maybe" a 35 Sherman)!

Kind of went that progression myself until I got to the 375 H&H. Just a little too snooty for my liking. Backed off to a CZ550 FS and found my sweet spot. It actually kicks less than my ruger american 3006. The CZ and Ruger are both sub moa shozoters.

I just picked up a 7600 to send out to JES to get it bored out to a .35W.

I'm excited.

-Jake

Guilty as charged over here too.
I got a screaming closeout deal on a pile of 9.3x62 components so off went a 1934 vintage '03 Springfield sporter to JES to become a 9.3x62. It's now back and shooting great so far.
In the same deal I scored 400 Jamison .256 Newton cases. I've since acquired a set of custom dies (already had plenty of 6.5mm bullets on hand). I still have to pick the donner rifle for this one. I was kicking around a .256 Newton build with a buddy about 30 years ago, but never got around to it. Better late than never, I suppose.

Cheers,
Rex

Just get both and enjoy. I will never sell my .338-06. Accurate, easy to load, and will kill anything you aim it at

I won't go from 308 bullets to 338. I want more medium so I would go for the extra 0.050". Or just go on up to 400 Whelen with 0.458" shoulder. It seems silly to go to 338 but the 8x57 has been rechambered to 8mm-06 and seems to get a bit more oomph. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

I’ve killed about a dozen moose with the Whelen and 250 gr. Speer Hot Cors (MV ~2500 fps) at ranges from about 50 to 250 yards. None took more than 3 or 4 wobbly steps before cratering. Would a 338/06 do the same? Probably.

Laughing...

I have .284, .358 Win and 416 Rem Mag brass.

Have no rifles in those calibers.

OP, if you were hoping for a consensus this thread has not helped.

Which caliber scratches the bigger itch?

You can always add the other later.

They all scratch a big itch because I’m a gun looney 😂.
Can never have to many guns. 😜

I rather like my 375 Whelen. I shoot nothing but hard cast bullets using the same loading data I found for the 35 Whelen with the same bullet weight. The rifle has never had a jacketed bullet put down the barrel

What kind of velocity are you getting with your 375 whelen? Also any kills with it?

I have no idea of the velocity, basically, a case full IMR 4064, a 265-grain cast bullet from a RCBS two-cavity mold, sized 378, using LBT lube. I hit the deer as he ran up the hill from me. The bullet smashed the spine and I'm guessing that bullet sent such a shock up his spine that he dropped right there. He was dead when got up to him. A hunting buddy used a 375 Whelen on elk in Colorado with one of my cast bullets and smashed the front shoulder and broke the leg bone on the other side. The bullet kept on trucking. If you go after larger game there is a 300-grain bullet. I'd this bullet would be equally deadly.

And... did it again:
I've had a .375 H&H-length Mark X Whitworth action sitting in the closet for 20 years. Just the other day I scored a NOS Douglas M-98 threaded, short-chambered 375 H&H barrel for $100 shipped.
I immediately hit SPS for 200 300 grain Partition Blems and I have 100 cases coming in the mail. No telling when I'll ever get the rifle made, but I'll have ammo ready when I do!!
Cheers,
Rex

Either one with the right load, is a really good all around Alaskan cartridge.