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SAFs
No, I have both 400 and 450gr. SAFS for my 1964 vintage Browning FN-LE in .458WM and shot some 400s in my Browning 1886 SRC .45-70. I am most impressed by them and also by the company, as one of the execs. personally rerturned a phone call and spent about an hour on the phone giving me load data and tips on using their bullets.
But, I have loads with 250 NPs that do 2750-2800 fps-mv from my rifles, with under a m.o.a. consistent accuracy and have driven these bullets right through good bull Elk, so, see no reason to change.
On the Whelen, that velocity is doable, but, higher than many rifles will do; however, my experience with them is limited as I have only chronoed three. The trajectory of my .30-06 loads is fairly flat as I get close to 2800 fps from most of my rifles and even my 1971 vintage Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine with it's 20" tube does 2725 with 180 NPs. I have owned a whack of .'06s over 40+ years, only have four since I sold off a lot of guns, but, I don't see a Whelen being quite as flat as the parent round.
But, it's what WORKS for YOU that really counts, eh? Among the best mountain men, old guys and new I have ever seen is a head guide for Barry Thompkins and former outfitter who has killed a HUGE amount of game; his choice in rifles is a .35WAI given him by a rich and grateful client.
For 95% of what I have ever or would ever do, or even WANT to do, as I have always been more of a bushwhacker and worker in solo wilderness than a gung-ho trophy hunter, the old Whelen or, especially, the 9.3x62 are close to ideal. The big bullets at moderate speeds work just as well today as they did a century ago and the 4+1 capacity is a comforting thing in Grizzly country. Still, I consider the larger rounds slightly better for the serious hunters, each to his own.
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