Can someone please settle a debate I'm having with a friend of mine, he is into the megamag mania and is lookin for a new rifle,

[rudyglove27]

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[rudyglove27]

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[rudyglove27]

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[rudyglove27]

Agreed with Beekeeper answer above and A + 1 for you sir!!!

[AlaskanExile]

Federal and Remington each offer 2 loads for 35 Whelen, that's it. You won't find 35 Whelen on the shelf at K-Mart or the Bush Store in Naknek. 338 Win has been the mid-bore standard since 1958. Winchester, Remington Federal, Hornady, PMC all make 338 Win ammo, from 185 grain up to 250. Component (hunting) bullets run from 160 -300 grains.

You can kill anything in North America with the 338, but you will pay dearly for that extra power; in ammo cost (cheap ammo is more than $40 per box) and recoil, and it will take a lot of shooting to get used to that recoil.
I have a 6 pound 338 with a 20-inch barrel that is nothing short of a "Religious Experience", even for the spectators. I don't like it, but sometimes its necessary.
Most people will do a lot better with a 30-06, I wish I had bought one first. It has all the power most people can use, the ammo is really cheap and available all over the world. You can afford to shoot it a lot, and it won't beat you up too bad either. Shot placement trumps raw power every time.

[DakotaMan]

You are "dead" right... "dead is dead" and in typical hunting situations, they will both do about the same job on whatever they hit. The .338 would be advantageous if you had to hit something at 1,000 yards but we really don't hunt that way too often. The .338's are new and sexy with some great bullets to choose from, the .35 Whelen is nostalgic and effective, with a good enough selection of bullets for most purposes. Each of us might have different values and as long as your buddy is happy, he will like his investment and enjoy it much.

[shane]

Del - tell 'em about your .350 Rem. Mag and what it does to things.

[MLH]

I also don't consider a .338 Magnum a mega-magnum. That I would reserve for the .338-378/RAUM/Lapua and Lazzeroni Titan.

I shoot a .35 Whelen - 225 grain Barnes TSX bullets at ~2,600 fps. You might get 100 or more fps out of it but my gun likes this load and it fits the purpose. I use a 1-4X scope so it's only good for me out to 250 yards. Worked nicely on a bull elk last year.

A TSX .225 grain .338 Mag is good for about 2,800 fps. Does 100 fps make a difference in a 225 grain bullet? Not so sure. 200 fps? I'd say yes, in recoil and hitting power. The .338 has a superior ballistic coefficient so will maintain speed a bit better, but still has only a a few inches less drop than the slower .35 Whelen at 300 yards. Both bullets should still expand at 500 yards if you're willing to dope for that. The .338 also has superior sectional density so might provide better penetration. The faster .338 might hit harder, but both these bullets should still take down whatever they hit at even long ranges.

Interesting that Barnes makes a 250 grain TSX and solid in .338 but not the .35 I figure it is because of the versatility of the .338, but it sure doesn't hurt that the .338 Mag is the owner's favorite round.

I'd say if he wants a .338 Mag and can deal with the recoil then great. Does he need it? I don't know. I'd sure like a Lazzeroni Titan even if I really don't need one. But I'd also like a little ole .260 Rem.

[CPT BRAD]

Same as Clay the 35 Whelen will not do the same as a 338. Secondly a 338 is great, if he is really into megamagnum mania then a 338-378 Weatherby will smoke most everything except maybe lazz but you will pay 100-120 dollars a box for it.
The 338 win mag is probably the best mag out there. Its been there for 50 years and the new kids can't unseat it from the throne.

[Jim in Mo]

If your friend is into the magnum recoil craze tell him to take the awesome 338, it does the job with 225-250gr bullets. If he's going to use 210gr and less weight bullets tell him to get an '06. I'm not into the recoil thing anymore so I'm looking to build a Whelan, if I could find an action. Not as much range, but I'm into hunting not long distance shooting. 300yds long enough for me.

[bonnier-admin_2]

First of all, the 35 Whelan will not have the knock down power and the range of a 338 Win Mag and I've witnessed a monster Bull Moose drop just as dead with a 30-06 using Remington 180 grain Core-Lokt® as if I shot it with my 338 Win Mag 250 grain Nosler at 2850fps, saying that

ken.mcloud said it best!

“So, I think that the superior killing power of larger rounds is largely in our heads.(likely testosterone induced) A flat-shooting round that you can accurately place will produce as many if not more "bang-flop" kills as a heavy caliber round.”

[idduckhntr]

He lives in Wisconsin.

[shane]

Unless he really needs to go long range, like over 300 yards, he doesn't need a .338. I would venture that the Whelen will knock them flatter at shorter ranges. Have him shoot both.

If he really insists on having the word magnum printed on his cartridges, tell him to get a .350 Rem.Mag.. It's practically the same as the .35 Whelen, but with a tiny smidgen more juice.

[Beekeeper]

P.S. Weatherby chambers it in a factory rifle.

[Beekeeper]

Tell him to take a look at the .338/06. It is a great cartridge and is only about a step behind the .338 win mag in all but the heaviest bullets. Not much more recoil than the 30/06.