Win 250gr. 35 calibre power Points

[northcountry]

I would like input and/or impresions of how the above bullets work in;
the 358 Winnie, the 35 Whelen and the 358 NM, too soft, just right ,
accuracy. how game responses ..you know all the details thanks gays & gals.
appreciate any and all input. Cheers Northcountry

[Cariboo]

What are you planning on hunting and what distance is your typical shot taken from?

[northcountry]

Cariboo. Don't have any of these right now but am trying to make up my
mind as to which one or maybe all three. Have a Sav. 99 to make the 358 Win.
have a Browning to go for the Whelen and 308 NM to go for the 358NM. I am
just looking for what others have experienced and their impressions as to what
the various calibre's have done with this type of bullet. Just their observerable
experiences with these bullets and calibres. Cheers NC

[Cariboo]

I have shot both the 358 and the 35 Whelen.

The shorter cartridge will work well on animals up to the size of moose within 175 - 200 yards. The charm of this round is that it can be chambered in light lever actions like your '99 or a Browning BLR. I personally think it never got really popular as the recoil can be stiff, especially in a light rifle like the BLR.

The .35 Whelen is one of the most underrated cartridges ever developed. It is not overly fast or particularly sexy and doesn't have the magic "magnum" word in it's name. It has an honest 300 yard reach on moose-sized animals which BTW is 150 yards further than the typical hunter's ability. Big heavy bullets at moderate velocity penetrate better than faster, lighter projectiles contrary to what the fans of Roy Weatherby claim.


The 358 Norma runs about 150 - 175 fps faster then the .35 Whelen. This is a fairly significant step up in both performance and recoil. Good quality bullets are a must especially if there is a chance to encounter a heavy animal at very short ranges.

[kutenay]

I have never been a huge .358 cal. fan as I was largely influenced by men who were personal friends of Elmer Keith and I bought my first .338 WM in January, 1968, an unfired P-64 Mod. 70.

I think that, due largely to marketing and gun writer factors, the .338 bore got a head start on the .358 and the fabulous .358NM never really caught on here in BC, one of the few places where cartridges of it's power actually are worth having.

The .366 bore is one I now am enamoured with, typical "gunaholic" desire to experiment and, IF, the guys building my two new 9.3s would get the bleep off their butts, I would be shooting them alongside my original Obie sporter in 9.3x62, a rifle over 70 yrs. old that I have shot cloverleafs with using it's iron sights.

To me, the .338WM, 9.3x64 Brenneke and .358NM are THE best rounds for serious big game hunting and even as "defence" rifles for working in the bush, especially alone, far from help.

I would prefer the NP bullets in all of these and load 250 NPs in all five of my .338WM rifles. I would use 270 North Forks in a .358NM, IF, they DO come back and someone would import them and I use 286 NPs in all my 9.3s as does my buddy with a x64 Brenneke built on a ZG-47 action from my stash, by Ralf Martini.

I would TRY the Powerpoints, but, I am a rather conservative chap and tend to stick with what works for me, quite consistently.

The Whelen is not a round that I care for as the NM is much better and can be used in the same actions. I also do not care for the .358W. as I prefer full-length cartridges and Mauser or Mod. 70 type CRF rifles.

If, I were younger, I would build a .358WM, 1-12 twist using a CM Krieger tube, factory cut FN short mag. action and Micky stock, with Recknagels and Talleys. I would have it about 8.5 lbs. and load as above; this would be a fine BC rifle, IMHO.

[westcoaster]

Kute,

Have you tried the Swift A Frames in your 338's?

I'm currently shooting 250 grn NP's with good results but I'm always turning over rocks for better performance.

[35 Whelen]

As Kutenay says...

If you decide on a 35 and are going to use 250 grainers...do yourself a favor and INSIST on a 1 in 12 twist, otherwise you will not stabilize the bullets. Slower twists of 1 in 14 or 16 are made for the light 35's not the 250's

I have a Kreiger barrel on my 35 Whelen that Cliff Labounty installed, he squared of the action, turned the bolt face, lapped the locking lugs and lapped the barrel. It is a shooter for sure. And don't let anyone tell you the 35 is a short range cartridge. Mine is loaded to 2543 fps and my longest one shot kill on a bull moose was 400m....it has basically the same trajectory of a 180 grain bullet in a 30/06. At 300 meters its -8 inches low and at 400 it is -20 inches low with a +3 inch high impact at 100 m. At the muzzel it producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 3700 ft lbs of energy. My confidence rifle for sure.

[kutenay]

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.

[.358 STA]

Originally Posted by 35 Whelen

As Kutenay says...

If you decide on a 35 and are going to use 250 grainers...do yourself a favor and INSIST on a 1 in 12 twist, otherwise you will not stabilize the bullets. Slower twists of 1 in 14 or 16 are made for the light 35's not the 250's

I have a Kreiger barrel on my 35 Whelen that Cliff Labounty installed, he squared of the action, turned the bolt face, lapped the locking lugs and lapped the barrel. It is a shooter for sure. And don't let anyone tell you the 35 is a short range cartridge. Mine is loaded to 2543 fps and my longest one shot kill on a bull moose was 400m....it has basically the same trajectory of a 180 grain bullet in a 30/06. At 300 meters its -8 inches low and at 400 it is -20 inches low with a +3 inch high impact at 100 m. At the muzzel it producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 3700 ft lbs of energy. My confidence rifle for sure.

1:14 twist will stabilize 250gr bullets with no trouble at all! I shoot 280gr Aframes out of my 1:14 35cal rifle with very good accuracy...

[35 Whelen]

1 in 14 will stabilize in a 358 Shooting times Alaskan, as you will no doubt get much better velocity; therefore higher rpm on the bullets. But if you are doing a whelen and want to shoot 250 grainers, I highly recommend a 1 in 12 rate of twist.