Hey,

With Africa not really a possibility in my near future this is more a curiosity question for those of you have been there and done that.

Just re-reading Pondoro's book the other night for giggles and noted the similarities between the .350 Rigby Mag/No.2/.400-350 and the Whelen as far as paper ballistics--they are, for all intents and purposes, identical. Taylor spoke so highly of the Rigbys' performance (almost gushing in his praise, really) on almost everything (even elephant and buffalo in the hands of some--not that I would try!)that it seems the Whelen would shine on the Continent.

I noticed that Boddington in his safari book #2 mentioned he has never taken a Whelen to Africa (although he admits he should have).

So, has anyone here used the Whelen and with what load and what were your results?

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity!

I'm interested in this topic, as well. I'm recoil-sensitive and am wondering what might be the "biggest" rifle I could take to Africa might be.

I know I can handle a .338 Federal, and am hoping I can handle the .35 Whelen and 9.3x62.

We use only one caliber in Africa for this need (similar to .35 Whelen) and that is 9.3x62 (Mauser) It is almost exactly the same but the bullet is .366 inch instead of .358. Many have questioned why Col Whelen developed the .35 Whelen when the 9.3x62 was so well established in Africa. I have asked his grandson, Townsend Whelen Boling, and he does not know.

The .350 Rigby Magnum was only a 225gn (SD .251) bullet at a claimed 2625ft/sec a good bit faster than the .35 Whelen. And it had many spectacular failures because of it low SD. On the other hand the standard 9.3x62 has a 286gn bullet with an SD of .305 the same as the load that made the .375 Magnum famous (300gn SD .305). Rigby got by with his .35 Rigby because and only because his steel bullets were the best at the time.

The .400/.350 Rigby had a 310gn bullet for a sensational SD of .346 and a velocity of 2100ft/sec.

Teh Mauser in 9.3x62 was THE most common medium bore in Africa because it cost a third what a Rigby or other English rifle cost.

I have only used the metric Whelen, the 9.3x62. But I essentially used a Whelen load, with a 250-grain bullet, and it worked great.

Thanks for the insight. Do you find SD to be a somewhat less reliable indicator of performance in recent years due to the development of bullet technology? It would seem reports of great penetration by lighter Barnes TSX bullets are now commonplace.

If you go to my website in the articles section you can read some about the 338/06 and the 358 Whelen there.

Suffice to say they are both a "booming" success and may be among the two finest plains game rifles every made.

SD was only ever a functional and dependable measure of penetration when solids were used. Since the dimensions of the bullet determine the SD any soft point has a completely different SD shortly after impact.

So I agree completely that a TSX with a lower SD will far out penetrate a Bonded Bullet of a higher SD in nearly every case. Which proves that the whole SD theory was only functional with a solid

We are moving to heavier than normal bullets in Africa. The hot .375 H&H Mag loads are 350 (SD .356) bullets. In 9.3x62 I use 320gn (SD .341)

At the PH School in East Cape Province, S Africa (where I teach ballistics twice a year), we recommend an SD of MINIMUM .300 for all PH use. Of course we are not hunting, but stopping wounded animals for our luckless clients. The Kudu wounded and 'going over the hill' is of course ass end on to us and we have to penetrate the whole legnth of the aminal to stop it. Hunters have more leeway to chose or pick their shots. It is easy to stop an animal standing sideways to the hunter with an SD of .271 (a 180 gn .308)for instance.

Yes the newest non lead bullets have advantages when they expand and do not lose weight.

BY THE WAY; NON LEAD BULLETS ARE THE FUTURE FOR HUNTING IN ALL OF AFRICA AS THE INTERNATIONAL REGULATORS AND MOVING TO BAN LEAD BULLET IN AFRICA, it is only a few year away.

SD is THE BEST way to deterine penetration of all bullets. Identical spitzer in .308 diameter the longer (heavier) will penetrate further 150 < 165 < 180 < 200 < 220gn PLUS the lower speeds (.30-06 220gn bullet at 2400ft/sec) will expand less and penetrtate even further.

John,

May I ask why you used the 250 gr in the 9.3? Most I know usually espouse the 9.3 b/c of its heavier bullets and greater S.D. Did you use a homogenous bullet such as the Barnes? What animals did you take with it? Obviously, it worked great, I was just curious why you opted for the 'non-standard' type of load in the 9.3x62. Thanks.

JJHack,
Great article! Thanks for the link!

While the 9.3 is fantastic and has over a century proving that I thought it would be interesting to hear tales of Whelen use by the guy who, perhaps, already had a Whelen and didn't want to go out and get its slightly bigger sister. Having said that, I am getting ready to do some selling of other unused rifles so I can pick up the new Ruger African in 9.3! This despite the fact that I already have a No.1 Whelen. Like I told my buddy, I need to fill that huge hole between my 9.1mm (Whelen) and my 9.5mm (.375 Holly)! I'm thinking a aperture-sighted African in 9.3 would be awesome elk medicine here in the mountains of Idaho--of course so is the Whelen...and the Holly...

How does one choose?!

Agreed that in identical spitzers the penetration advantage goes to the heavier bullet. However, I'd lay odds that a 165gr .308 TSX will out penetrate most 180gr soft points and I might even wager you a wee dram or two of Laphroaig 15 year old that a 150gr might do it, too. Have you seen this in your travels?

The .35 Whelen in Zimbabwe
by Al Borchardt
http://www.cybertorpedo.com/africanhunter/firearms/35_whelen_zimbabwe_01.htm




Cheers!
-Bob F.

Thanks for the link, Bob! Good stuff.

I took my .35 Whelen to South Africa in 2006, and shot a gemsbok, impala and kudu with 250 gr Woodleigh bullets. They worked extremely well, though in retrospect I'm not sure they would have been "better" than Hornadies, but they did work just fine. As far as the cartridge itself, I've owned a 9.3x62 and the only virtue I can find is that some countries in Africa will let you shoot the 9.3x62 when they won't let you shoot the 9.2 (.35 Whelen) at buffalo et al. I've worked on handloads side by side, and found I could essentially equal the 9.3x62 rounds with the .35 Whelen -- 286 gr 9.3 and 275 gr .35's go up to about 2400-2450 fps, and I can't quite imagine that 11 gr's will make a lot of difference. Dropping bullet weight to 250 gr in either cartridge will add 100 or so fps, but again, they will match up. So I sold my 9.3x62... .

For shooting anything in Africa it's legal for, I can't imagine any cartridge better than the .35 Whelen. And, having shot my Cape buffalo with a .404 Jeffery, I'm not too interested in going witrh a 9.3 anything against them, were I ever to go after them again.

I think the Whelen works just fine, thank you, and have done so since 1993... .

Couple of picks, starting with the "I won't use the Whelen" buffalo...



But it worked fine on these...





Have shot several elk and caribou with the Whelen too, and it seems to work just fine...

Dennis

Took my Whelen to RSA in 2009. Took all the game from impala to kudu with it. One of the other hunters had a 7mm mag and wounded a kudu. I was sitting in the lodge at the time, and the PH ran in, looked at his personal rifle and mine sitting side by side. He hesitated, then grabbed MY rifle and ran out the door and ended up useing it to finish off the wounded kudu. In all, my .35 accounted for 6 of my trophies, 3 of my cousins, and 3 more from one of the other hunters in camp, and all with the 225 TSX.

MojoHand,

The reason I used a 250-grain bullet in the 9.3x62 was mostly to test it, because I'm a professional gun writer. Also, it was strictly a plains game hunt.

I had already tested the 250-grain Barnes TSX on quite a bit of game, so used the Nosler AccuBond instead, loaded to 2650 fps or so. It shot quite flat, allowing me to take several animals at 300+ yards, yet penetrated plenty on angling shots, even on a very big kudu and a bull gemsbok. The same bullet had penetrated from one end to the other of elk here, and did the same on the kudu.

I also used it with perfect performance on a nice grizzly in Alaska two years ago. Once in a while one will be recovered. The second, unecessary, shot on the grizzly entered behind the shoulder and ended up halfway up the neck, under the skin on the far side (neck skin is quite tough).

The same bullet expanded very well on smaller game such as blesbok even at long range. In my experience it's a great all-around bullet for the 9.3x62, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use it on eland or Alaskan moose.

absolutely 100% spot on. SD is a thing of the past with monometal and even some bonded bullets. I can GUARANTEE you that all else being equal, a 30 cal 168gr TSX will out penetrate a 200gr cup and core any day, same goes for a 458 class cal, 450gr TSX will outpenetrate a 500gr cup and core all day long. jorge

Mr. B,

Thanks for the info. I should've guessed it had to do with your testing for writing. Doh! Did you do a write-up in any of the reloading/hunting mags on that load? I've always leaned toward heavy-for-caliber bullets, but with the results you just cited it sounds like that Accubond would be worth a shot if I get that Ruger African. I've always been a fan of the Accubonds and they've always shot well in all of my rifles.

Thanks to John and all for sharing your knowledge and experience. I appreciate it.

Mojohand,

I have published several articles that mentioned the performance of the 250 AB in the 9.3x62, though nothing just on that bullet. The 9.3x62 works very well with a wide variety of bullets, one of its virtues.

If hunting game over 1000 pounds I'd probably select one of the 286's, whether the Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, or whatever. I've used several and they all penetrate very well.

But for general use on game from deer-sized up to 1000 pounds, in my experience it's hard to beat the combination of flat trajectory, easy expansion and penetration of the 250 AB.

Is there a comparable bullet that would give similar performance in the Whelen?

I used a .35 Whelen in Zim in 2001 on a plainsgame hunt. Took eland, kudu, zebra, wildebeest, bushbuck, impala and steenbok, all with one shot.

The load was the Federal 225 gr. TBBC, which chronoed right at 2600 fps from my rifle. I didn't handload at that time.

My PH was very impressed with the performance. He had never seen the Whelen before but felt that it was all that the .375 H&H was on the game we took.

Most shots were inside of 100 yards, but the kudu was taken at about 215 yards or so. I have since taken a moose in Alberta at a laser measured 410 yards with the Whelen.

Can's say enough good things about the Whelen. I like the 225 gr bullets for general use. If I was going after big bears or something dangerous, I would use the 250 gr. slugs.

DakotaDeer,

The 250 Nosler Partition.

I had great luck with the TBBC from my Whelen, but I don't necessarily think that a super premium bullet is required. I have used Partitions with great luck and think they may just be about the perfect "all around" bullet in the Whelen. I did have a 225 gr. Sierra separate on a smallish black bear at about 80 yards, so while they group wonderfully, I pretty much just use them for deer-sized game now.

I have taken my 35 Whelen 3 times to Africa. I have used the Barnes 225 "X" or "TSX" each time with complete satifaction. Chronographed velocities are 2625 fps out of my 22" barrelled 1903 Spingfield. I have taken mountain zebra in Namibia at over 300 yards and eland at 15 yards, along with possibly another 20-25 head of game. An oryx I shot too high required a finisher and I put another in the eland for good measure, but most were finished by the first shot if I did my part and placed the shot properly.

Thus far I like the 35 Whelen better then my CZ550 in 9.3x62 due to its handiness. The CZ is a bit heavy for the caliber IMO. On a sleeker rifle (like the Ruger Hawkeye) I may like it better. I have also been toying with the 338-06 in a Win Mod 70 with 210 Nosler Partitions and 225gr Accubonds and have been very happy with load and range results. No blood on the rifle yet but hopefully soon.

IMO any of the medium bores between 330 - 375 would be just perfect for carrying on a general hunt. Mate that with a 416 or better and you have good hunting battery for most any plains game and dangerous game task.

I used mine in Botswana in '09. Cleanly took eland, kudu, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest 250gr. Northfork over RL-15, clocked at a modest 2480fps. Ranges from approx. 125 to 260 yds.

Interestingly, the Midway catalog that I received the other day had Federal loading the .35 Whelen in the Cape Shok line with a 300 gr. Barnes solid and 300 gr. Swift A-frame. Both listed at approx. 2400 fps. Now those loads would work for even buff, I would think.

That is intersting b/c you can get 300+ gr bullets for the Whelen yet it seems most folk stick with 250's or smaller and go with a larger caliber (i.e 9.3x62) if they want the bigger bullet. This depsite the fact the .400/350 I cited in my OP that Taylor loved used the excellent 310 grainer. I read threads questioning the stability of the 300+ grainers out of a 1-16" twist but you have to figure anyone using that load would be doing so at 150 yds or (considerably) less.

Still, interesting that someone would actually load up factory ammo that heavy for the Whelen (you would think with Africa in mind) when the 9.3 is quite a bit more popular in that vein. It's especially surprising considering the Whelen isn't all that popular on the factory ammo front with 'standard' loadings.

I must say I've been quite pleased with the responses to my question here. I admitted it was more a curiosity question and yet a surprising number responded, politley and helpfully, with personal stories and links. It's quite refreshing compared to a lot of the junior high level trolling, name calling, etc. that goes on in a lot of the threads. I appreciate all those who took the time to respond.

I might try one of those heavier loads if I needed to use the Whelen on buff or big bears, although given the performance that I have seen personally and what others that I have spoken with regarding the Whelen with 250 gr. or even 225 gr. bullets, may not even be needed.

I'm with you, duckster, I plan on using the Hornady 250 gr Interlock SP this year on elk (if I take the Whelen--choices, choices, sigh..) as I've heard nothing but good reports on it. It is cheap to shoot (I shoot a lot in practice) and it is very accurate in my No.1. I may get a box of Nosler Partitions to try but I would have to order them (my Sportsmans Warehouse has NO Nosler .358 caliber bullets!) and they are over twice the cost.

As an aside, I noticed Double Tap ammo loads the 310 woodleighs in the Whelen but only up to the 280 A-Frame in the Norma Mag. Obviously, the A-Frame is adequate but I found that odd, nonetheless.

Did you also notice Federal is listing that 300 gr Whelen load at 90 fps faster than their 9.3 286 load? If you did have Buff on the menu for a Whelen, I'll bet that load work do quite nicely!

I would agree with that, if those velocities are correct. I didn't see that listed load on the Federal website when I looked there. Maybe a typo in the Midway catalog?

I used my Remington 700 35 Whelen A.I. with Barnes TSX 225's. It worked great. It has a nice light Shilen trigger and an ER Shaw barrel. I took a Kudu, a Zebra, a Impala, two Blesbok and a Gemsbok all with seven shots. I missed a wounded Blesbok with one shot. The PH kept yelling "Texas, Texas". It didn't click that he wanted me to shoot it up the backside just to put it down. I then took a long shot which slapped into a rock. The poor creature then popped later while I was waiting for the PH to get back with the truck; One shot, down.

I had a lot more trouble with the 6.5-06 I brought. I suspect that was the lack of a really good trigger on that rifle. Well, that and those springbok are tiny.....and far away.

One other suggestion, gets some tri-pod sticks like Bog-Pods. Practice with them at the range, dry firing at pictures of African animals and take them with you. My PH had some lousy shooting sticks. They were a trial.