I have 2 357maxi hunting setups. One a cva scout with 14” rechambered to 357max and the other is a 21” encore ph 357max rifle. My question to you 35 caliber fans is there much of a gain in performance to go to a 358win with an 18” barrel or should I just go to a 22” barreled 35whelen or go up to the 375ruger? Also the only reason I would be doing an 18” barreled 358win is due to someone selling a custom barrel in that caliber for $100 which is a great price. Let me know your thoughts and experiences. Thanks

358 winchester is the bomb

Go shoot a 220 grain in a 30-06 before you get a 35 Whelen.... or borrow someone’s, that way you’ll find out how much you like it.

the 358 win did well for me.

ive had 35 whelen in 22 inch barrel and presently have a 358 with a 20 inch barrel. 358 is a pleasure to shoot, 35 whelen was not very fun. 35 traded to my brother, 358 still in safe and will be hunted this year.

I'd go with the ,35 Whelen. You can always load it down to the level of a .358 should you find the need.
Paul B.

358 win is way more limited in factory ammo than the Whelen is. The only real common load is the Hornady 200 gr spire point which should get about 2450 fps from an 18" barrel. It's relatively inexpensive and pretty widely available online and hits plenty hard. Just lethal on deer and pigs. Recoil is stout but it's only burning 45-ish grains of powder so it's not terrible.

By comparison the same bullet in the 35 Whelen Hornady superformance 200gr load will probably get around 2900 in an 22" barrel. Really a way thumpier load, recoil wise. Very noticeable difference.

If you're handloading it probably doesn't matter.

+1. That's what I do. I use H4895 and very accurate loads that are on the hot side of 358 WIN for my 35 Whelen. That's all you need for deer and such.

I went with a 19” .35 Whelen.

nice. What kind of velocities are you getting with the bullets you have fired through it?

I love the 35 Whelen. It is my favorite medium bore, and I own many medium bores.

I have taken Elk, Moose, Leopard, Warthog, Bushbuck, Oribi, Kafue Lechwe, Sable, and Sitatunga with mine, all with 250 gr. NP, except for the Moose with a 280 gr. SAF.

As stated before, you can download it to 358 levels.

You can also load up 280 SAFs or 310 Woodleighs, which is a challenge velocity wise for a 358.

Not saying a 358 isn't a great hunting cartridge, just that the Whelen holds more powder, and can handle larger bullets better.

Of course, you did not say what you are hunting.

Unless you are hunting large African DG, I don't see the need for a 375 Ruger. I do own (4) Ruger Africans in 375 ruger caliber and I hope to take one of them on my next African Buffalo hunt.

But I own (14) 35 Whelens....❤️

I had a cdl Whelan for a while that shot great with hornady 250sp's over a stiff load if rl15. It had a longer barrel, I think 24" but I could get 2600 fps with 250s. It's fairly efficient so I thought of cutting it to 20" and figured I could get 2500 fps there.

I also had an 18" 358 that was a rebored 788. It was fun to load 140g xtps at about 2900 and hunt rabbits with. It just didn't do well in a 788 mag box with pistol bullets.

I bought a M70 stainless classic in 243 thinking I would have it cut to 18 and rebored to 358 but it shoots too well as is.

I got rid of all mid bores except a 375 ruger a few years back to simplify but powder coated cast bullets have renewed my interest in a short 358.

Bb

I’ve got both, both great “hunting “ cartridges, especially in this part of the country

Do you want to hunt to three or four hundred yards?

You can always load down the Whelen

That would be my max distance. If I were to go further than that my 300win mag will come out. If under 150 yds I’ve got my 45-70 😁

Either will serve you well, full bore loads with the Whelen kicking 250gr Partitions out at 2700 fps is another realm.

No velocity data yet unfortunately.

The rifle arrived about a week before my governor shut down the state, so I have not had a chance for a range trip.

RemMan,
Let's keep this simple. I think $100 for a Encore barrel is a good price, no? You probably handload, yes? 358 WIN brass is readily available via necking up plentiful 308 WIN brass, or by Hornady. The 358 WIN does well w/ bullet weights from 180 to 225 gr. or 250 gr. even. I favor Barnes 180 & 200 gr. TTSX projectiles. Velocities close to 2900 fps w/ the 180 gr. & 2750 fps w/ the 200 gr. This is from a Hawkeye 22" barrel. Recoil is not bad at all w/ a Limbsaver recoil pad. I'm now working up loads for a 20" barreled Ruger American. You won't see much velocity loss from the 18" barrel. You would have a great elk timber rifle or deer setup good out to 2-300 yd., easy w/ a 1-4 or 2-7 X scope. And you can shoot the same pistol bullets from your 357 for practice reduced loads. i don't see a downside...
Have fun,
Mark & Belle

I had both 358 win and 35 whelen was able to load the shorter 358 WIN to nearly the speed as my 35 so it went down the road and kept the 358.

Why choose? You should have both. You will soon need a 358 Norma too. Think of it. A 200 or 225 gr. .358 spitzer flying along with .the trajectory of a 270/130gr , but with some real power when it gets there. 358 Win. has had its potential speed boosted almost to Whelen speeds by some of the newer powders. The Whelen too can be run right on the heels of the Norma. None of the newer loading manuals have new Norma Mag data though. It kills just fine with the usual speeds, but I'm sure it can be sped up with some more modern powders than 4064 or 4895. Maybe when the weather cools off this fall.

My 358 Winchester has a 21" barrel. I think the bigger bores only give up 15-20 fps per inch of barrel because I can match or get real close to book speeds (24" test barrel is common) with most powder/bullet combinations. The Whelen is a plain old Remington Classic from whatever year that was... 1988? I had 2 or 3 of them that didn't sell, so had one punched to the Norma case. They all wear older Leupold 1.5-5 Vari-X IIIs because I like them & my eyes were better 25 years ago.

At one time I owned a 358 Win, 35 Whelen and a 35 Whelen AI all at the same time. I now own 2 358 Win rifles. One is a 700 I had custom built, 21 inch barrel and the other is a Savage 99. I also own a 9.3x62.

Judge how much speed you need with the bullet you like and pick your chambering. As others say, you can load down a Whelen but can’t load up a .358win. Have to weigh that against cost of the two projects though.

I sold a WHELEN but keep several kinds of 358 Winchesters. I like the 99 as the most elegant but Rem 7600, and Browning BLR, as well as a Lone Eagle 15" pistol. Thinking about some more rebores by JES. I already own the 7600 and a 9.3X62 all rebores. Go with whatever you wish. All mine are pleasing for their own style of guns. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

I like the idea of the .35 Whelen. You can always load it down but you're limited with case capacity with the .358 win.

At one time I was going to build a Whelen but ended up building a 9.3X62 instead. I love it but it don't love me! Talk about a bruiser! Kicks da Chit outta me! LOL! But it puts everything down I point it at DRT!!! Bang Flop Dead on the spot!

That's a lot of guns to carry on a hunt. Do you have a caddy?

"Sir, I ranged that deer at 325 yards. Would you like your 300 Winchester or your 35 Whelen for this shot?"

Exactly 😂. Can never have to many firearms. Just makes it harder to decide which gun to bring when hunting 😆

IF you’re talking TC Encore only, and 400yards orless, with no big bears on the menu, then I don’t know that it matters for performance much, either way. I enjoyed my 358 encore setup in a 20”, and never lacked for performance, but that was my hunting. Mike Bellm did a rim cutout when he chambered that one, and it’d run 356 Winchester just as well. Both have a little better shoulder than the whelen, if that matters for headspace? Bellm seemed to think the 356/358 was better in Encores because of that...vs whelen and the 35 Remington. Regardless, it was super easy to load for, and not obnoxious on recoil or blast. If I had a deal on an 18” 358, it’d be no contest for my thinking, and I’d never look back.

LOL, I do that too, take two favorites, then a spare remains for myself or someone else in camp that may have a weapons/scope failure, HAVE to be able to complete the hunt.

Split the difference... 338-06?
35 Whelen has reputation for recoil. I never fired one. However, I did own a 358 Winchester and currently own a 338 Federal. Each based on the 308 Winchester case.
I can't say they I notice a recoil difference.
Reloading adds another dimension to the issue. You can easily load the 35 Whelen to 358 Win levels, but you can't turn the 358 Win into a 35 Whelen.
But the 38 Win does come in a short action.
My father had a similar issue with a 300 Weatherby that was used for several elk hunts in Colorado. Elk hunts found it loaded with Weatherby factory ammo as no reloads can match Weatherby ammo. Velocity, accuracy, or recoil. But for our PA whitetails, it was loaded down to 30-06 level.

I don't know where the .35 Whelen got its reputation for recoil, that's the first time I've heard that. Certainly recoil with 250gr. and heavier bullets can be brisk, but for whitetails I've always found 225gr. bullets to be adequate. As a matter of fact the last few years I have hunted with and taken whitetails with 200gr. bullets. They provide plenty of penetration and killing power, recoil is moderate and not a concern. I have also owned .358's but find the Whelen offers more flexibility. my Whelen is a rebored pre'64 M/70. I have often thought of reboring a .308 Featherweight to .358, if I were younger I would do it in a heartbeat.

"Split the difference... 338-06?
35 Whelen has reputation for recoil. I never fired one."

I would think that the .338-06 and .35 Whelen shooting a max load with 250 gr. bullets, or any other bullet would just about have the same level of recoil. I think stock fit it more important. I have three rifles chambered to the .35 Whelen. A Ruger M77 tang safety in a Ramline stock, Remington 700 Classic and a custom Mauser I found at a gun show. Of the three, the Remington shows the most recoil and the custom Mauser the least.
Personally my preference in bullets for the Whelen run to the 25 gr. Barnes TSX. The shoot sub-Moa in the Mauser at 2710 FPS. The other two rifles don't like that load and I haven't done much with the since I acquired the Mauser. Guess I should do something about that.
Paul B.

I prefer .358 Winchester or .356 Winchester because those can be had in more handy rifles. Don't worry, the 9.2x62 guys will be along shortly to tell you how wonderful and recoil-free this caliber is.

PJ was that the 225? Be Well, Rustyzipper.

If you reload and are using it to hunt in seasons which require a 35 caliber minimum I think you’d like it.
I use a H&R/NEF single shot which started as a 308 Winchester rebored to 358 Winchester to deer hunt in Mississippi.
Recoil is noticeably less than 35 Whelen but I do load a 200 gr. bullet so not as heavy a projectile either.

I know five guys that hunt every year with a .35 Whelen and hand loaded 225 grain Nosler Accubonds and they usually make several one shot gut piles every year. The one guy with the big fancy Burris scope and built in range finder dumped a big caribou at over 400 yards last year, his longest caribou shot is about 800 yards. He also has a short video on his phone of him hitting the 800 yard steel ram on the nose at the local range. Yes he was shooting at the nose.

His rifle is a tricked out Remington 700 action with a Lilja barrel and a scary to me light trigger.