Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Choosing Between 9.3x62 and .35 Whelen Ackley Improved

Of course, as handloaders, we can make both safely excel above factory ammo. With today's gun powders, 2700 fps from 250s is possible within sane psi from each. I went looking for another .35 Whelen a dozen years ago and couldn't find even one! I came home with a 9.3 x 62 and have never looked back... it has replaced all my former medium bore rifles from .338 WM to the .375 H&H. The 9.3 X 62 really shines in the use of heavy bullets with the same powders used to make the .35 Whelen much better than traditional results from the AI.

In my 9.3 x 62 Mauser I use RL-17 exclusively for any bullet weight from 250gr to 320gr. From my 22.44" Tikka that's 2700 + fps from the 250gr AB, 2600 + fps from the 286gr NP and 2400 + from the 320gr Woodleigh. The honest consensus of experienced PHs who have used the 9.3 x 62 extensively on Africa's largest, is that they could discern no difference in results between the 9.3 x 62 and the .375 H&H, which it preceded by seven years.

About a month ago I purchased my third .35 Whelen - it's a single-shot with a 22" barrel and muzzle brake. I 'll be mostly loading 225gr AccuBonds or Partitions of the same weight. That's an advantage in N.A. that's lacking for my pet 9.3 x 62. A 225gr with excellent BCs of +.400 at 2800 - 2900 fps is good for anything here to moose size at +400 yards. That's great! But my 9.3 x 62 is good for a mature bull moose to 500 yards with the right scope and handloaded 286gr Partitions! As I see it, the .35 Whelen complements the 9.3 x 62 by using lighter than 250gr projectiles.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I have a Whelen but I have noticed some pretty cheap .366 bullets for sale and available during the CCP virus supply chain disasters when 35 caliber bullets were hard to get.

CZ
I am amazed at the velocities you report for your 9.3-62. How long is your barrel?

Africa 9.3
NA Whelen

Given the choice between a standard 35 Whelen and a 9.3X62 I took the 9.3, but not because there is a lot it can do that the 35 Whelen can't. I like the 9.3 but have a very high level of respect for the 35 Whelen too.

However, the added pain in the rear of any AI shell is enough to make be choose something else. I have years of experience in making them and loading ammo for them professionally as a custom gunsmith, and in 50+ years I have never seen a single real advantage to ANY AI shell over what can be bough commercially, when we look at value.

Some argue about the longer brass life but when I look at the expense of fireforming and the price of custom dies and chamber reamers and compare that to a few extra bags of brass in a standard shells, the AIs come out way behind.

In my opinion the AI shooters all fall into 1 or 2 groups.


The first groups is made up of shooters that just love tinkering with shells and that's the only reason I can see to own one

The 2nd groups are those that want to be thought of as "real experts" and never learned the 1st graders story about the "Emperors New Cloths". They feel a need to be "special" and owning AIs makes them feel sophisticated.. So be it. It hurts no one, but it helps no one either and does nothing in the field any better then a similar commercial cartridge. A little more velocity seem to be 'god' to may, but having killed a LOT of game with ultra fast magnums and a lot with standard cartridges too, I can say with no hesitation that the small jump in velocity is of no real world value at all. None Zero. Nada Zip.

35 Whelan and 9.3 are cool as is any middlebore. I'd love to do one but I've got an 348 win Improved. Beside my 338's it's the closest I have to the 35 whelan. I just don't have the cool kid stuff.

If you are a handloader the Ai version of the 35 Whelen will certainly assist with reduced case prep. I have a couple of them and neither one has required case trimming after 5 or 6 heavy loads.
You wont see much velocity increase at all but the reducion in case trimming is a real benefit. The fact that it accepts std Whelen Cartriges and shoots them to almonst the exact same POI is another. If you handload, I would suggest the AI.

One of the best values of the medium bores is the 9.3x62. 286 grain prvi bullets and brass for the 9.3x62 are both cheaper than domestic components for the whelen.

I have never recovered one of the 286 grain prvi bullets from moose or caribou here in Alaska. Curious about this, I cut one in half. The copper jacket was almost twice as thick as a hornady interlock or speer hot cor. The deeply swaged double cannulure bit deep into the bullet. For these two reasons, they hold together very well.

They're also cheaper than hot cors and interlock 9.3 bullets.

With prvi components, powder and primers, it's less than $30 a box of 20.

This combined with a cheap jess rebore to 9.3x62, it is quite amazing what can be accomplished.

Interesting thread, older I get the more I lean towards not tearing out my hair over minute details and imagined differences. That is why I have both, had the 35 Whelen since 89 and picked up a used 550 in 9.3 awhile back so I would have no need to tear ny hair out. The point is simple you can have both so why justify 1 or the other . Been a long winter but the grass is greening..mb

IF you are going to Africa, avoid EVERYTHING with the suffix A.I. Come to think of it, any cartridge with that.

I chose the 375 Whelen AI. (I also have a 35 Whelen.)
I have a couple other 375’s and have molds for the 375.
For me the choice was easy. If I were to go to Africa and had to make the choice I’d go with the 9.3x62 because of availability and regulations. From what I’ve read the 9.3x62 has a great reputation.
But since I have a 375 H&H AI I wouldn’t have to make that decision.
I wouldn’t mind owning a 35 Whelen AI but at my age and having enough rifles in that range I’ll likely not own either a 9.3x62 or the 35 Whelen AI.

I own one of each and my measurements of my once-fired brass match the OP-quoted very slight powder capacity advantage to the Whelen AI when 250 grain bullets are seated to my 3.375" magazine length restriction in each case.
Which, from a potential velocity standpoint, is offset by the slightly larger cross-sectional area of the 9.3 bullet.
SAAMI max for the Whelen is 62K PSI. No SAAMI for the 9.3 but the CIP max is 57K PSI. Load them to the same pressure with the same weight bullet and same barrel length and they're peas in a pod.
My 35 WAI weighs 7.5 pounds and a 250 grain Partition at 2650 FPS (a bit below the max with 2000MR) is about the limit of what I do for fun from the bench. My 9.3x62 is over a pound heavier and is not at all unpleasant with a 250 grain Accubond at the same speed. I reckon both of these are right around 60K PSI (based on Mule Deer's 9.3x62 writings).
250 grain bullets are the heaviest I shoot in the WAI and the lightest I shoot in the 9.3. Last elk with the Whelen was a big bull with the 225 TSX. DRT with both shoulders taken out. Only elk with the 9.3 (just finished it last year) was and average cow through the heart (no bones) with the 250 AB and ran off a fair bit before dropping. I expect that had nothing but bullet placement been reversed, so would have the results.
These are both great, great cartridges and I agree with about all the points the other respondents have made about them.

Cheers,
Rex

Nothing compares to the 35 Whelen! OK just kidding but it's my favorite

I have both 35 Whelen and 35 Whelen Imp. and a 9.3 X 62 and like both but prefer the Std Whelen to the Improved, and think the 9.3 X 62 beats them all.

And, try to find decent 35 cal bullets anymore.

The 9.3 selection is pretty good. I got rid of my 35 Wh and went to the 9.3. I won't be going back. Inherent accuracy of the 9.3 is one reason.

Because I don't hand load, I would choose the 9.3x62. But if given a choice between it and a Whelen (with no A.I. suffix), I would choose the 35 instead. But only because I already have a 9.3x74r that I love & I like to have as much variety in my limited space as possible. Owning a .35 Whelen would be a really nice classic addition to my modest collection. So my choice would be based on purely non-technical reasons. Everything I hunt for would be unhappy to be shot with any of these rifles.

Plenty of shoulder. That said, make mine a 9,3.

I have both, a 9.3 Ruger African (non Lipsey model) and a Nosler Outfitter in 35 Whelen. The Ruger cloverleaf's 250 grain Nosler Accubonds as does the Outfitter with 200 grain Remington Core Lots. I haven't killed anything with either but that's going to change in the near future!

I will say the mediums like my x62 give very little meat damage while being incredibly destructive on the innards.

I have owned regular Whelan, The Ackley and the 9.3x62. The only problem I had with headspace was with the 9.3x62 ( same with the 404 Jeffery) which meant fireforming my cases to calm my OCD, ha. I never killed game with the 9.3x62, though owned three. I like the round, but may as well fireform the Ackley! I killed a wad of game with the 35 WAI, and my loads were more than likely 72K+, but in new fireformed brass. Never had an issue. I do not own either one right now.

I enjoyed messing with both rounds, but awhile back, I personally settled on the 338 win Mag for my Medium. Right now, I am looking at even replacing my use of a 300 Mag by using 175-200gr in the 338, and I have plenty of 225-282gr to mess with for heavies, but that's neither here nor there. I decided I'd rather save my money to put on hunts...at 70 ( and needing yet another low back surgery) I never know when I will have to slow way down....way down, ha. Right now I have the 338WM, a new Tikka 30-06 ( how can I NOT own a 30-06?) and having a 26" barreled 7x57 made up. Thats enough to keep me busy handloading/shooting and hunting for awhile. I love both the 35 WAI and the 9.3x62...and my pick? why the Ackley loaded to 72K+ in new fireformed brass, of course! lol