358 norma magnum vs 35 whelen 358 norma magnum vs 35 whelen

Twenty years ago, I might have said .338 Winchester Magnum was the perfect choice for elk. I had the privilege of spending some time with a 1917 vintage take-down Rigby-Mauser rifle while on a hunt in Scotland, and the words sweet shooting came quickly to mind. Of the bullets used, several performed extremely well, including the Bear Claw and a Nosler 250-grain Partition. Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The .35 Rem. This is because it was discontinued in the mid-1970s, and reintroduced by Remington in 2003. 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. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. The Hornady Superformance load for the .35 Whelen launches a 200-grain bullet at a blistering. And Barnes makes a 200-grain TSX bullet designed for this cartridge that, when handloaded to 2850 f.p.s., allows the .350 Rem. The M700 has been a popular action for building a rifle in .358 STA, a wildcat based on the 8mm Remington Magnum. With a 200-grain bullet the .35 Whelen actually shoots a bit flatter than the .30-06 Sprg. Mag. Nosler has three loads in its Custom line. Yet, that bore diameter produces some of the best hunting cartridges available. Rifle Recoil Table. Real world, the Norma bitchslaps brown bears and moose as convincingly as the 375H&H. were to go head to head with the .25-35 Win., .30-30 Win. The most popular cartridges for hunting and even target shooting begin and end with the thirties. In fact, the recoil of the .358 Norma Magnum, at about 35 ft. lbs. 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? Energy figures have it knocking at the door of 375H&H. 1 Item (s) Show per page. Thats a question I just dont understand. Heres a detailed look at each step of the process. Winchester and Hornady both offer 200-grain loads at 2475 f.p.s. The .358 in a bolt-action rifle with a good scope is as accurate as any hunting cartridge available. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Got a nice .270 Win MTN Rifle donor 700. It has never failed me. 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. Three rivals: (1) .338 Winchester Magnum, (2) .358 Norma Magnum and (3) .375 H&H. Cartridges that in many cases cannot match the killing power, at normal hunting ranges, of comparable .35's. 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. Norma Projektilfabrik answered Winchesters designs with a pair of their own: the .308 Norma Magnum and its slightly older brother, the .358 Norma Magnum. They will also slap down lighter game like deer, feral hogs and black bear with authority, of course. However, the small bore cartridges from .24 to .32 caliber have proven quite reliable on these smaller animals, so I am not going to argue that anyone needs a .35 to hunt CXP2 class game. Synthetic wins over laminate because laminates, strongest of all, are also heaviest. The major problem with light loads is getting enough pressure to provide a good gas seal. Campfire 'Bwana. Back in 1983 Winchester introduced the .356 Win. Though still under construction, Im eager to take the classic cartridge into the hunting fields. The .358 has 24 percent more energy at the muzzle than the .300 Win. So when it comes to penetrating thick hide and heavy bone, one could see where the .350 Rigby could benefit from a heavier bullet, say a premium 250-grain with a SD of .279. A medium variable in the 3-9X or 2.5-10X range should be enough scope for elk hunting. Hunting Shack 358NORMA2N Game King 358 Norma 225 gr Sierra GameKing Spitzer Boat-Tail - 20rd Box. My vote is for the .35 Whelen. 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. For the next year, comparisons were inevitable between Johanssons Hammer of Thor and the .358s powerful 250-grain bullet. This is basically a deer and black bear (CXP2 class game) cartridge, although it is reputed to be superior to cartridges in the .30-30 class for game weighing over about 400 pounds. Hornady has a Superformance load with a 200-grain SP at 2910 f.p.s. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. 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. I say that because so many reasonably successful yet hard kicking cartridges have been introduced in the last few years. Released in 1908, the .350 Rigby Magnum is an entirely original design, with no parent cartridge. Todays Norma factory ammunition is loaded with the companys excellent bonded-core 250-grain Oryx. But there is another Rigby cartridge, vastly overlooked even among rifle cranks, but which was at one time as popular as the .375 H&H Magnum: the .350 Rigby Magnum. The .35 Whelen is a fine elk cartridge. All we do know for sure is that it was either Howe or Whelen, or both, who necked the .30-06 Sprg. I'm sending my 270 tikka off to JES rebore to get it punched out to 35 whelen. Of them all the one I still have is the 9,3X62. The .357 Magnum is ideal for light game like javelina and will do for the smaller species of deer and antelope at short range. the problem in this debate is we are crossing over in calibres, which means thrust on different sized pistons. Even the obscure .358 Norma Magnum is the most efficient of the belted-magnum cartridges [note - by the author's own data the 350 Remington Magnum bests the 358 Norma]. The .338-inch fans cite the advantage of the higher sectional density figures, while the .358-inch camp favors the better frontal diameter of the larger bore. Then come the .270s. Every time I use it I ask myself, Whats not to like? Beats me, but nobody liked it enough to keep it in production. Thier wouldn't be any action mods required to do the Whelen,just rebarrel and enjoy. The .350 Rem. I think Jack OConnor, the great champion of the .270, would agree. At the same time, it will do almost everything the .375 will but with vastly more versatility. The full spectrum of our many 7mms, from 7mm-08 and 7x57 on up to the fastest 7mm magnums, are also fine, but they are not magical giant-slayers. necked up to .35 caliber. There are many good choices, and shot placement is more important than case dimensions and bullet diameter. zero-we see that contrary to popular belief, a 35-caliber can be a long-range cartridge. Ruger made a few bolt-actions some years back, and Remington made rifles in the 700 Classic line, but they are long gone. Many western hunters annually take elk with 6mms and .25s. 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. 358 Norma runs 250gr partitions at 2810 with Norma 204 powder. Why the .35 Rem. Most were intended for .38-caliber handguns, but any bullet made for either the .38 Special or .357 Magnum can be loaded and shot in the .358 Norma Magnum with varying degrees of success. Kevin Steele stops by the Taurus booth to speak with Cody Osborn about the all new Raging Hunter platform from Taurus International. Looks like I'll do a Whelen. Tried and true. Im voting no. Where does the .358 Norma sit, in comparison to the more popular cartridges in its class? Norma offers factory ammunition, E.R. Moving down a notch and comparing the .35 Whelen (250 grain bullet at a MV of 2400 fps) to the .30-06 (220 grains at 2410 fps), which have nearly identical case capacity, we find that the optimum game range (OGW) on 1000 pound animals is 10 yards for the .30-06 and 100 yards for the .35 Whelen. It is, as you say, a thumper. The .35 Whelen fires a larger .358 bullet and is therefore right at the cusp of being a big game caliber and is capable of handling everything except . And the hunter must have full confidence in his or her choice. I bought it as a moose rifle but never got drawn in ten years. If you handload your ammunition, it will make feeding a .358 Norma that much easier, just realize you wont find ammunition at a general store, or even at most gun shops, for that matter. Shorter and more common than the magnum-length receiver needed for the .375 and .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, the Winchester Model 70s and Remington Model 721s gave a new level of performance when chambered for the new magnums. All Rights Reserved. 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. I rely on Roberson Cartridge Company out of Texas for projects like these, and their .350 Rigby brass is wonderfully uniform and properly headstamped. Heres a look at 10 of the most flexible long-range hunting cartridges. I'd go with the 35 whelen. The "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903," better-known as the M1903 Springfield, has become one of the most popular U.S. military small arms to collect. Then come the .30s, and now were talking business. The .35 Whelen is a powerful medium-bore rifle cartridge that does not require a magnum action or a magnum bolt-face. .35 caliber rifle cartridges have been around practically forever without ever really becoming popular. The cartridge would be championed by Denys Finch Hatton (of Out of Africa fame), John Pondoro Taylor and Pete Pearson, and would be used by Baron Bror von Blixen-Fineke as well. Winchester still offers ammunition, but the guns are history. Publisher Kevin Steele is in the Beretta booth with Logan Killam, the Shotgun Product Manager, to discuss the all new Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey. The original Schultz & Larsens were sold without iron sights, and they were installed on my rifle afterward. I have long been something of a .35 caliber fan, but I have to admit that I believe the reason for the general lack of public acceptance of all but the least powerful .35's is, in a word, recoil. with a 250-grain Oryx bullet-both with a 200-yd. With such a wide range of both cast and jacketed bullets available, and todays variety in powders, the .358 Norma has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to load possibilities. With todays interest in long-range shooting, big scopes are in, but powerful scopes add weight. 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. Perhaps, if the word gets out to the shooting public, the born again .350 may finally achieve the commercial success it deserves. But the .416 is certainly not the only cartridge to bear the Rigby surname; read the works of Walter Dalrymple Maitland Karamoja Bell, or Col. Jim Corbett and the .275 Rigbybetter known as the 7x57mm Mauserwill get all sorts of praise. Elk Venison and Root Vegetable Stew Recipe, Best New Thermal Optics from the 2022 SHOT Show, Venison Backstrap with Sweet & Spicy Peach Relish Recipe, Tested Tough - Modern Zeiss Sports Optics. Mag. The Remington Model 673 Guide Rifle was chambered in .350 Rem. It was predictable that the .356 Win. I am not into the current long-range fad, especially on powerful animals like elk. Don't like Rugers much had my fill of them and now they are gone down the road. Recoil was completely manageable, and it inspired me to begin the journey of having my own .350 Rigby rifle built. in its NoslerCustom line with a 225-grain Partition bullet at 2550 f.p.s. My favorite hunting round. They include both the AccuBond and the Partition 225-grain bullets with a muzzle velocity of 2800 f.p.s. 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. 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. With a 200-grain bullet at 2460 f.p.s., it is a heavy-hitter on whitetails. into the deer woods, and I pine for what could have been. This is in sharp contrast to the overwhelming success of the .357/9mm handgun cartridges, whose popularity dates right to the beginning of the self-contained cartridge era. Theres more to success than merely landing a good one on the chin. Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line in 2023. Quite a difference! Perhaps thats how it should be, the masses rarely embrace true greatness. was introduced in 1955. You bet they worked! Publisher, Kevin Steele is with Brett Marquardt from Streamlight Inc. discussing the new Streamlight Pro Tac 2.0, the latest edition in the Pro Tac series. I have used the .35 Whelen on critters from bobcats to moose. Well, it betters the velocity of the .35 Whelen by at least 200 fps, much the same as the .338 Winchester Magnum does to the .338-06. Most ammunition makers have a 200-grain load, and Remington also has a 150-grain load with a muzzle velocity of 2300 f.p.s. I am convinced there are better tools, and theres also that matter of mindset. That list, by the way, is in ascending order of power. I wont be ashamed to take it elk hunting, but today Im certain that level of power is not essential. figure of 0.300 is desirable, and comparing similar cartridges, youll see the .350 Rigby comes in a bit behind the other popular choices of the day. No, its not exactly easy on the shoulder, but its not terrible either. Perhaps thats why it has survived. I rely on, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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Griffin & Howe developed the semiwildcat .350 G&H based on the .375 H&H case, as well as pioneering the .35 Whelen. Bottles & 12-oz. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; that is one of the physical laws of our universe. Of course, not all .35-caliber cartridges approach greatness. 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. The .358 Norma established its reputation in high-end hunting rifles like this Schultz & Larsen Model 65DL. The long accepted story was that James V. Howe developed the cartridge in 1922 and named it in honor of his friend, gunwriter Col. Townsend Whelen. But have owned multiple 9.3s and Whelens. In the years since, the .35 Rem. [1] Follow along to see exactly how. I am often criticized for following the Elmer Keith school in suggesting powerful cartridges. I see no reason to shy away from it. Elk hunting can be extremely physicalnot only steep country, but also altitude and sometimes deep snow to buck. I have shot a few critters, including a tough South Texas Nilgai, and have been happy with the performance. So we see that even with a one pound lighter rifle, the .358 recoils slightly less than a .300 magnum. is still not burning up the sales records, so maybe ahead of its time is the wrong description. Had the .358 Norma Magnum been chambered in an American rifle, or at least promoted by an American company, the popularity of the cartridge may have been much greater than it is. The cartridge is closely related to the .308 Norma Magnum. Coming from me, this conclusion may shock you, so let me give you another surprise. While most of the .35 caliber rifle cartridges are powerful medium bore numbers designed for use on large (CXP3) game like elk and moose, the most popular .35 caliber rifle cartridge is the .35 Remington. You get the shot you get, and within sensible limits, you must be able to take the shot offered. My .375 H&H seemed quite adequate. Elk bullets must be tough enough to provide adequate penetration. The .308 Winchester is a fine elk cartridge, and the grand old .30-06, with a bit more velocity and energy, is better. Not so the .358 Norma. At 300 yards, it has 19 percent more energy than the .300 Win. Also, many of these hunters have the luxury of a long season close to home. The .358 Norma established its reputation in high-end hunting rifles like this Schultz & Larsen Model 65DL. From the Green Goblin (a bolt-action rifle I built on a Remington action), both will produce groups that are sub-minute-of-angle. 358 norma mag is a rarer bird but as I understand fire forming 300 win mag. and .35 Rem., it was an excellent woods rifle for hunting whitetails. You know the kind with the locking bolt. The Whelen is a more sensible choice, but the Rigby isnt about sensibility, its about nostalgia and a connection to a bygone age. 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).