Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What will a .338 win mag give me over my 35 Whelen?

There's a Sako AV in the safe and five tubes and a wrench/vise for it....one barrel is a 20" factory 375. Though the Sako action ain't light.

When the McMillan shows up I might weigh it. With the same diameter tube and a bigger bore, it'll be lighter than the other 4 tubes for it, no doubt the 24 and 25 inch barrels.

Dober, I got one you can borrow

An 8 lb 375H&H makes you forget all about 338's and 35 Whelens.

A headache and one less round (maybe 2) in the magazine.
And yes, I own one of each.

As much as I love the 338WM to bits, it certainly does recoil more than the 35 Whelen(& 9.3x62). But by geeeez does it knock the [bleep] outa em!

Here's my simple take on the 338 Win mag vs. 35 Whelen debate:

The bullets available in 35 and 33 calibers are in the same general weight range - roughly 180 through 250 grains. The 33 caliber bullets have a higher sectional density than same-weight 35 caliber bullets. This means they tend to penetrate deeper given like construction.

The 33 caliber bullets also tend to have higher BC than like-weight 35 caliber bullets, which means they retain velocity longer. This tends to increase effective range.

The belted H&H case of the 338 Win mag holds more powder than the 30-06 case of the 35 Whelen. This means that the 338 imparts more energy (velocity, power, oomph, whatever you call it) to the bullets than the Whelen. This also tends to increase effective range.

Probably the least important difference is the difference in trajectory. Yes, the 338 Win mag shoots flatter than thte 35 Whelen, but not as much flatter as most people probably think. All bullets start dropping the instant they leave the barrel. If you cannot learn to shoot well at long range with a 35 Whelen, then you will not shoot better at long range with a 338 Win mag.

Probably the most important difference between the 35 Whelen and the 338 Win mag is recoil. You can crunch all the numbers in all the formulas you want, but to me the 35 Whelen kicks about a third less than the 338 Win mag. With either cartridge you want a scope with plenty of eye relief.

It's on their website

I have a .338-06 and a .375H&H, and like both of them. But my .300WBY, oooh baby. You might take a ballistics comparison check of the .300WBY, .338Win, .35Whelen, and the .375. From coyotes/antelope to moose/bear, I believe the .300WBY may be one of the most versatile cartridge for North America.

What I want to know is what a 35 Whelen will give me over a 30 06?

Have a 35 Whelen, had a 338 Win, had a 375 H&H. If you got an itch, I would scratch it with the 375 and forget about the 35 and 338 comparison.

250 grain bullets @ 2600 fps..

About 100 more "cool factor" points!

A whelen shoots a 225 just as flat at 200yds as a 30-06 shoots a 180 and hits a lot harder when it gets there.

A cartridge no one can pronounce...Whalen, Wellen, Wallen...whatever.

RH

16% more cross section

30% more mass

at comparable velocity.

+1
And a rifle thats suitable for all North American Big Game,with the possible exception of the largest Bears( I have no experience with them) based on one of the most ubiquitous cartridge cases ever produced in the U.S. and has a trajectory similiar to the 30'06 at normal hunting distances.

Oh, yeah!

I drank too much Kool-Aid from the Whelen lovers here, and bought a CDL back when there must have been a glut of them. Flingin' 250's at a good clip took some getting used to vs. 180's out of an '06, but that rifle is one of the most accurate in the safe, & she handles like a dream. Power + great handling = confidence. Plus, the Cool Factor comes standard with every Whelen!

I'll echo the sentiments about trajectory: at the paltry ranges that my eyes will allow me to hunt, I don't see a very meaningful difference in drop between the bullet weights shown above.

No blood yet, but I'm hoping to remedy that on some hogs in about 2 weeks.

FC

Waylon

So a 35 Whelen is a 30 06?

Isn't that true......

An '06 necked up to 35 cal. delivering substantially more energy and bullet weight