Got (3) 358’s and (1) whelen. Love both chamberings
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
I was thinking of a .35 cal for medium and occasional big game also to allow use of 357mag projectiles for plinking of which I have many. Wondered how popular the calibre is these days and what the main offerings are? I know of the 35 remington and 35 whelen from readings mostly. I like economical cartridges. would consider bolt, slide action, lever action but would like accuracy to 150 yards at least so a scope if preferred.
I really like .358 (.308 necked up) and have killed many deer with mine. That’s my recommendation unless you want to hunt elk, then a Whelen might make more sense.
It's the 308 case necked up to 0.358" with no other changes. Accurate and deadly. Pushes a 200-grain bullet around 2,500 fps or a bit better depending on barrel length.
Not much more to say...
Okie John
A fair bit better than that. Mule Deer did some good work with the .358 and .338 Fed for a comparison piece a few years back. See the attached. I loaded that back a little, only getting 2700 FPS with the 200 TTSX in my Savage 99.
Originally Posted by OSU_Sig
effective hunting range?
A solid 400 yard rifle with the load I mentioned above, at least at the 7300' elevation where I hunted elk with it. Still doing over 2000 FPS at 400 yards. See the attached dope sheet.
No particular reason other then I see 3 boxes of .35 Whelen ammo on a shelf in my gun room and I haven't owned a Whelen in, oh, I dunno, 5 maybe 6 years.
i have the whelen, 35 rem, 350 mag and 358. the 35 rem is in a class by itself. if i was to pick one of the others i'd probably go with the whelen. depends on the gun as well.
35 Whelen or 358 Winchester. The Whelen is a bumped up 06 and the Winchester is a bumped up 308 the Whelen holds an edge with heavier bullets much like an06. Both are quite capable out to 300+ yards and will handle anything on this continent. Both will be a build or a lucky find in the classifieds. You can also have JES rebore a 308 or 06
I love my 35 rem, but its also a pump. Buddy had a 700 classic in .35 Whelen. It was a hoot.
If I wanted a long action Id get a Whelen. If I wanted a short action, .358 win.
Think rifle type an important factor in cartridge selection. Some dont.
If 7600s werent silly priced a JES rebore in either would be cool.
What is driving the crazy prices in the 760/7600? Used to be that you couldnt give one away out west here. Now I see the prices going through the roof. I found a kind of rough, 760 with the tootsie roll pattern forearm in 270 for $350 in the local gun shop. I was thinking it would make a good Whelen rebore.... Wish it was a short action because I would like to get the .358 rebore.
This guy raises some question marks.Seems to have a hunting opinion on a lot of bullets. Just in 357 calibre he refers to the effects of 40 different loads on game..44 cal about the same. 30-30, 8x57, 307 winchester, 30-06, 8mm-06, the list goes on. A lot of shooting for one person if he is speaking from personal experience....
Also he talks handgun hunting but appears to be in New Zealand where they cant use them for hunting...
I love my 35 rem, but its also a pump. Buddy had a 700 classic in .35 Whelen. It was a hoot.
If I wanted a long action Id get a Whelen. If I wanted a short action, .358 win.
Think rifle type an important factor in cartridge selection. Some dont.
If 7600s werent silly priced a JES rebore in either would be cool.
What is driving the crazy prices in the 760/7600? Used to be that you couldnt give one away out west here. Now I see the prices going through the roof. I found a kind of rough, 760 with the tootsie roll pattern forearm in 270 for $350 in the local gun shop. I was thinking it would make a good Whelen rebore.... Wish it was a short action because I would like to get the .358 rebore.
If that was me I'd probably break my arm trying to get my wallet out right now.
They say everything happens for a reason. For me that reason is usually because I've made some bad decisions that I need to pay for.
All the .35s mentioned are excellent field cartridges. The 358 Win is a better build if you want a handy SA killer that pretty much duplicates 30-06 energy and lethality with 225 gr loads inside 300 yards except the .35s typically offer more dramatic wounding. Both 35 Whelen and 350 Rem Mag offer more velocity and are better on very large game at extended ranges. Finding an older WSM or Rem SAUM action and barreling to a 350 Rem Mag would be a nice compact powerhouse. The 358 Norma is in a whole different class and will handle any size game anywhere with 250 gr, 300 gr and 310 gr loads.
Sounds like you may be better served with a 350 Legend or 357 lever carbine if wanting to use revolver bullets. Both are real capable on woods range deer out at 125 yards, the Legend loaded with spitzer bullets will reach much further.
I've owned a bunch of different .35's including a 9x57. IMHO the .358 is the pick of the litter. Find a good short action bolt gun and send it to Jess for a rebore and cut the barrel to 20" and you have great, versatile rifle in a handy package.
This is my Sako L57 that Jess rebored. It shoots great with a wide range of bullets from 150gr Rem psp to 220gr speer flat points. Never tried any pistol bullets.
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![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/tmoNlWh.jpg)
