I have built all 3 several times for various customers and owned both the 358 Norma and the 9.3X62. As an experiment, I shot the nilgai five or six more times with different bullets, then hauled the carcass back to the cleaning station intact and carried out a necropsy. In rifle cartridges, we usually take the safe route and .30-caliber has emerged as the American shooters choice. So, if you have an interest in carrying an ultra-rare cartridge of impeccable pedigree, you either roll your own or have someone load it for you. If the .350 Rigby Magnum was effective in the golden era of safari, modern premium bullet designs will make it even better. In 1987 Remington made an honest cartridge out of the .35 Whelen. Thinking of a medium bore with a bit of thump.9.3 x 62 holds some exotic mystique for me being its use on African large game but I am thinking realistically .366 cant be that much of an advantage over .358 can it? but it does have the 22" barrel and the irons , looks and feels like a MTN rifle to me. has been offered in just about every rifle action type ever conceived and a few handguns. From there, you can work up until you find a load that gives you the accuracy and velocity you want. Hornady has a Superformance load with a 200-grain SP at 2910 f.p.s. The .358 in a bolt-action rifle with a good scope is as accurate as any hunting cartridge available. PerH AH fanatic Joined May 8, 2021 Messages 536 Reaction score 813 Location Norway Articles 2 Jun 4, 2021 #5 The fortunate few who own them want to keep them, and these are the core admirers who make it worth Normas while to continue offering brass and loaded ammunition. pushes a 200-grain bullet to just more than 2000 f.p.s. Theres also a mindset difference. I say that because so many reasonably successful yet hard kicking cartridges have been introduced in the last few years. X-Vision Optics long-range ImpactThermal Scope (TS300) boasts a 640 x 480 thermal sensor that can detect big game well past 3,000 yards. I took it to Texas in 1989 and decked a nilgai at about 90 yards. Sure, we experiment a bit with other bore sizes, but in the end it always comes back to the .30 caliber. For example, take the most powerful of the factory standardized .35's, the .358 Norma Magnum. All rights reserved. In addition, for stopping the big predators of the world, it's hard to beat a suitable .35 caliber rifle. So are the .350 Remington Magnum and .358 Norma Magnum. In the 80s, when Jack Carter was making his Trophy Bonded Bearclaw bullet by hand, I did some elk hunting with the 240-grain .375 version. The .350 can drive a 250 grain bullet to a MV of 2500 fps. The Norma factory load, with Normas own 250-grain bullet, performed poorly, coming apart in the chest cavity. It was introduced in the bolt-action Model 70 in which it was trustworthy, but boring. My vote is for the .35 Whelen. I have needed to reach 400 yards, but never a whole bunch farther. was included in that party is a mystery, as it had no Winchester counterpart. But there is no compelling reason to consider a caliber larger than .35. By coincidence, in that same year, Norma Projektilfabrik of Sweden introduced its own heavyweight champion, the .358 Norma Magnum. Your rifle is your most important hunting tool, and knowing how to properly clean and store it when hunting season comes to a close is critical in keeping it in tip-top shape. The big case certainly made its reputation with the 250-grain bullets, as their sectional density gives excellent penetration on even the heavy-boned animals, and the .358 Norma can push them to a muzzle velocity of 2750 fps. is a wonderful cartridge, but nobody buys them. Powders such as IMRs Trail Boss, Accurates 5744 and IMRs discontinued SR-4759 all work with lighter bullets, and sometimes accuracy is very good, even if the gas seal is not. In any mass-production rifle, either the .375 or .338, or both, will be found as a standard chambering. Ruger briefly chambered the M77 rifle in .35 Whelen. So we see that even with a one pound lighter rifle, the .358 recoils slightly less than a .300 magnum. I could get brass easy from each by forming parent cases, 308 and 30-06. How it would have done on a live animal is impossible to say. Compare the .308 Winchester and the .358 Winchester, which are based on the same case, and the .358 wins hands down. Essentially a .338 Magnum with a bigger mouth, the .358 Norma can push 250-grain bullets faster. As a comparison, the .358 Winchester with a 250 grain bullet at 2300 fps delivers 25.4 foot-pounds of recoil from a 7.5 pound rifle. But in 2003 Remington decided to attempt a resurrection. is on the threatened list, this one is on a path to extinction. Essentially the .338 Winchester Magnum necked up to hold .358-inch bullets, the .358 Norma Magnum made all sorts of sense to a hunter in pursuit of large game, such as elk, moose and the great bears of the north. The .357 Magnum revolver cartridge has also gained considerable popularity as a combination rifle/pistol cartridge and lever action rifles for the .357 Magnum sell pretty well. These include some of my favorites, such as the .358 Winchester and .45-70. Real world, the Norma bitchslaps brown bears and moose as convincingly as the 375H&H. 358 Win vs 35 Whelen | Graybeard Outdoors For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; that is one of the physical laws of our universe. to achieve its potential. For a while Savage chambered it in the Model 99, and I am still looking for one I can afford. [1] Compare the Queen of the .35's, the .350 Remington Magnum--the original short (.308 length) magnum cartridge--with the new generation of short action magnums. The .35 Whelen has a relatively simple design: it's a .30-06 Springfield case necked up to use .358 instead of .308 bullets (the exact opposite of the .270 Winchester in other words). You get the shot you get, and within sensible limits, you must be able to take the shot offered. Gun guys recognize the potential in the .358. Ruger made a few bolt-actions some years back, and Remington made rifles in the 700 Classic line, but they are long gone. Hornadys LEVERevolution pushes the performance up a notch with a 200-grain pointed bullet at 2225 f.p.s. For this reason, anyone acquiring a .358 Norma should start low with every load and work up slowly and carefully. My 8mm Remington Magnum was stocked in dense walnut and had a long barrel. Its also worth noting that, in spite of its relative obscurity, the cartridge appears in many of the most recent loading manuals, including Normas own, a worthwhile addition to anyones reloading library. The .358 is vastly underated as the Whelen. This raises the obvious question: Why, with so many modern cartridges around of more or less equal power, chambered in readily available rifles, is there this lingering interest in, and loyalty to, the .358 Norma? The .356 Win. Released in 1908, the .350 Rigby Magnum is an entirely original design, with no parent cartridge. It, as you know, can be loadeddown to be a 35 Whelen but the reverse is not true. Enough Gun: Elk Stopping Power - Petersen's Hunting Boltface would have to be altered for the Norma. This wonderful efficiency of the .35 calibers is especially remarkable when one considers that most all of these rounds are verging on obsolescence today. I would never argue that a .243 Winchester with a good bullet placed well, or certainly a .25-06 with a tough, heavy bullet, cant do the job. The cartridge is closely related to the .308 Norma Magnum. They include both the AccuBond and the Partition 225-grain bullets with a muzzle velocity of 2800 f.p.s. Sometimes you get a point-blank shot; other times you need to stretch it a bit farther. was also the only cartridge of that original Remington family that was based on a different parent case. It was recovered in bits and pieces. 9.3x62 boots 320gr Woodleigh protected points and weldcore round noses out at 2400 fps with RL-17. At 400 yds., the .358 Norma impacts 3.1 inches lower than the .300 Win. as a way to boost the power of the Model 94 lever-action rifle. in a rimmed cartridge that would work in a lever-action rifle. I will go with the 35 Whelen BUT 9.3x62 will be cool due that you already have a 350 Rem mag, if you're opening the bolt face the 358 STA better option than Norma and 338-06 could be a nice choice too. when fired in a 7.5 pound rifle. necked up to .35 caliber. While the American mainstream wont accept the .35, they are not unloved. Publisher of Petersen's HUNTING magazine, Kevin Steele is at the Steiner Optics booth with Alberto Corbetta to discuss the Predator 4 and Predator 8. If we compare the .300 Win. Kevin Steele of Petersen's HUNTING is with Dawn Wehunt of Rock River Arms INC. learning about the new Ascendant platform. The classic .350 Rigby Magnum load pushes a .358-inch diameter 225-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2625 fps for 3,440 ft.-lbs. Follow along to see exactly how. Mention the Rigby name to any rifle aficionado, and odds are that the famous .416 Rigby cartridge will come quickly to mind, and with good reason; it is an undeniable classic. Mag. To return to our boxing analogy, the .358 Norma Magnum not only has the Hammer of Thor, but it also offers an excellent jab, a good hook, a wicked uppercut and a variety of feints. He, too, could have been one of the greats. Introducing the Veracity PH from Burris, the perfect combination of reliability, quality, and technology delivering a simple aiming solutiona tool for the hunter that just works. The .35 Rem. There are several reasons. Opening up a boltface on a standard action is NOT a difficult job for a decent gunsmith and does not affect the strength or viability of the action one WHIT. There have been many others, such as the .35-30 Maynard (both in the 1865 and the 1882 versions) and .35-40 Maynard. offered the performance level of the .358 Win. exlcusive user. Out of stock View Details . .470 Nitro Express. In more recent times, the 1994 release of the .450 Rigby gave dangerous game hunters a bit more bullet weight than the .416 Rigby and has developed a small but devout following among both professional hunters and their clients alike. The .35 Win., .35 Newton and .350 Griffin & Howe Mag. .500 Nitro Express. Does the power of the magnum offer much over the whelen in real life terms? .35 Whelen - Wikipedia is still not burning up the sales records, so maybe ahead of its time is the wrong description. It never got up. Equal in importance is that you can hit the elk. On those gray, moody November days when I am feeling blue I take my Remington Model 141 pump-action rifle in .35 Rem. As it was released in the first century of the 20th century, when the common boundaries of cartridge usage were being defined, the .350 Rigby Magnum was considered an all-around cartridge, especially in the more open terrain of British and German East Africa, known today as Kenya and Tanzania. Got a nice .270 Win MTN Rifle donor 700. Don't like Rugers much had my fill of them and now they are gone down the road. It will kill farther than that, of course, but that is its optimum range. 35 whelen vs everything else - Mississippi Gun Owners Whelen's Northwoods Trails 35 caliber site - 35 Whelen, 358 Winchester Have a .350 Rem Mag, building a .358 Win currently, would prefer to do the .358 Norma if possible but not sure if this action can handle it.Anyone? The .35's are just plain superior for CXP3 class game. In 1968 the 600 Magnum was replaced by the Model 660 Magnum, which featured a 20-inch barrel, but it was never a big seller, and Remington dropped the rifles. Sure, you can get away with it, especially with todays extra-heavy bullets, but I think its foolish. Of the three, only the .358 Norma has not become a standard chambering. in its NoslerCustom line with a 225-grain Partition bullet at 2550 f.p.s. Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line in 2023. With its spitzer-pointed bullets, the .358 is a good medium- to long-range cartridge with capabilities out to 250 yards on big game. from my E.R. Where the .338 Winchester drives its 250-grain bullet to 2650 fps, the .358 Norma beats that figure by 100 fps or so, delivering over 4,200 ft.-lbs. 200-grain bullet to almost 2500 f.p.s. Faster 6.5sthe new 6.5 PRC, the old .264, or the super-fast .26 Nosler and 6.5-300 Weatherbywill deliver more energy and open the range envelope a bit. was introduced in 1955. With a 200-grain bullet the .35 Whelen actually shoots a bit flatter than the .30-06 Sprg. Also H&R 1871, Inc., offered single-shot rifles in .35 Whelen from 1994 to 1996. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Bertram Brass from Australia is a good source when you can get it, and Quality Cartridge makes a run of .350 Rigby every few years, but you could be waiting a considerable amount of time. The 35 whelen and 358 winchester were the two I was torn between. The numerous magnum .30s are also excellent, but they deliver more recoil. We've got you covered. .450 Nitro Express .17 Hornet 7mm STW 6.8 Western .375 Ruger .223 Remington6.5x55 Swedish .416 Remington Magnum .300 Winchester Short Magnum 28 Nosler 6.5 PRC .22 WMR .458 Winchester Magnum .204 Ruger .22 Hornet .280 Ackley Improved .240 Weatherby Magnum .458 Lott.264 Winchester Magnum.348 Winchester.33 Nosler.260 Remington.30-30 Winchester.416 Rigby.358 Norma Magnum.22 LR7mm-08 Remington8mm Remington Magnum.338 Federal.224 Valkyrie.338-06 A-Square9.3x62mm Mauser.257 Weatherby Magnum.45-70 Government.300 H&H Magnum.25-06 Remington.30-06 Springfield6.5 Creedmoor.300 Remington Ultra Magnum7mm Remington Magnum.470 Nitro Express.280 Remington.300 Winchester Magnum.270 Winchester.222 Remington.45 ACP.404 Jeffery.44 Remington Magnum.41 Remington Magnum.243 Winchester.338 Winchester Magnum.357 S&W Magnum6.5-284 Norma8x57 Mauser.38 Smith & Wesson Special7x57mm Mauser9mm Luger.35 Whelen.454 Casull.375 H&H Magnum.45 Colt.22-250 Remington10mm Auto.308 Winchester. Of course, it took the .338 Winchester Magnum many years to catch on, and it took the .243/6mm cartridges over a half century after the introduction of the 6mm Lee Navy cartridge to gain popular acceptance, so perhaps there is still hope for the .35's. The origins of the .35 Whelen are controversial even today. Can Coolers | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. Federal loads the 225-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2600 f.p.s. Recoil was completely manageable, and it inspired me to begin the journey of having my own .350 Rigby rifle built. There are specialized situations where close shots are the norm, but most often, the ideal elk rifle should have enough versatility for shots out to 300 yards and change. Sadly, my favorite bullet diameter, the .35 caliber, doesnt even rate a blip on the American shooters radar screen. Quite honestly, the .350 Rigby isnt a cartridge Id describe as practical, but if you are looking for something quite left of center, this may be for you. The Heavyweight .358 Norma | Handloader Magazine Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Throw a belt on the .35 Newton and you couldnt tell the difference three feet away. You bet they worked! In fact, the recoil of the .358 Norma Magnum, at about 35 ft. lbs. Spl. Petersen's HUNTING Publisher, Kevin Steele is in the CZ booth with Dylan Rice at SHOT Show to talk about CZ 600 Series Trail rifle. Heres a detailed look at each step of the process. Mag. Is there a way to find out what year it is by serial #? I'm sending my 270 tikka off to JES rebore to get it punched out to 35 whelen. Mag. Whelen would not. Pet Loads and Handloader are registered trademarks of Wolfe Publishing Company. Theres more to success than merely landing a good one on the chin. Lyman lists 47 different moulds that were available at one time or another, ranging in bullet weight from 70 to 282 grains. A failed product is often said to be ahead of its time, which is usually just a polite way of saying nobody wanted to buy it. But have owned multiple 9.3s and Whelens. It also notes that the reconstituted Schultz & Larsen company is offering the chambering in its Model 97 takedown rifle. Mag. Hunting Shack 35WHELEN1N Game King 35 Whelen 225 gr Sierra GameKing Spitzer Boat-Tail - 20rd Box. was simply a .308 Win. For anyone with an experimental or fanciful turn of mind, the .358 Norma and the many .358-inch diameter bullets are a gold mine. Kevin Steele, Publisher of Petersen's HUNTING talks with JJ Reich of HEVI-Shot about the new offerings for 2023. I have one, and I like it a lot. Norma offers factory ammunition, E.R. The .358 Norma Mag. Mystery of the .358 Winchester - CHUCKHAWKS.COM .35s That Survived - BUCKMASTERS Why the .35 Rem. It is very accurate, easy to carry and fast on the target. The H-4895 load given in the table is not from any manual but was worked up with the assistance of Hodgdon ballistician Ron Reiber.