35 Whelen, Do I Really Need Another Caliber?

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sisyphus

sisyphus

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I just bought a Ruger Hawkeye in 375 Ruger and I still have an itch, as often happens. I'm a little limited on bolt actions because I'm a lefty and I'm tired of compromising with righty rifles, so left handed action is mandatory.

Anyway I'm not seeing much out there for left handed in current production, and what I am seeing I'm just not really excited about the caliber offerings. Then I landed on Shaw's site and started playing with their rifle configurator, and all of a sudden I think I need a 35 Whelen. Of course this lead to looking up ballistics info and wait a minute maybe I really need 358 Norma. But now we're getting close to what the 375 Ruger does and does better, so let's stick to 35 Whelen.

So here's my question. I have a 44 magnum lever action to pair with my 44 revolver. I have a 7.62x39 for end of the world general purpose fun, which is also an amazingly accurate and reliable rifle inside of 200 yds. I have a 6.5 Grendel for stretching out and hitting things I can barely make out in the scope. I have a 375 Ruger on the way because I wanted an apex predator for my small collection.

Everything I read about 35 Whelen I like, but does it really fill a gap for me or is it just my obsessive compulsive disorder driving the bus again? Am I really thinking about another gun that I could kinda sorta replicate for nothing by loading my 375 light? Do you read my short list of rifles and see a different gap than a 35 Whelen?
As you can see I am really trying to talk myself into or out of this, and I really do kind of want one more bolt action, appreciate any feedback you have and I know how vague and hard to respond to this sort of forum thread is so apologies.
 
I am a huge 35 whelen fan. If you really want it then it can absolutely fill the gap there. However, I think you'd be better suited overall with a plain 30-06 in that case. Cheaper ammo, more bullet selection and more rifles available in it. But if you are set on 35 to fill the gap by all means go for it.
 
adcoch1 said:
I am a huge 35 Whelen fan, but it is eclipsed by the 375. What I really see missing in your lineup is a 280ai. If you want a STOMPER in a lighter rifle the 35 whelen is great with big heavy bullets. It can also be downloaded to about the same level as the 7.62x39. So yeah you NEED one, but not that bad...
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I can also get behind the 280ai, don't really have much experience with it but those who use it seem to LOVE it.
 
There is nothing between 30-06 and 375 mag that will do anything a 30-06 won't do as well or better. I mean, we've got people killing elk now at 1/2 mile with 243's and Alaskan brown bear with 9mm pistols It's not that I approve of such stunts, but it proves to me that there is no real NEED for anything bigger than 30 caliber for North American hunting.

If you just WANT a 35 Whelen they kill stuff and do it at ranges farther than most people can shoot. But, I've had 45-70, 338-06, and 35 Whelen in the past. I figured out that all those rounds did was kick harder and offered no advantage on big stuff over my 30-06 loaded with 200-220 gr bullets. I came to the conclusion that if I ever had a NEED for anything bigger than a 30-06 I'd skip everything in between and go straight to one of the 375's.

If you want to add another rifle you can choose just about any cartridge between 26 and 30 caliber and hunt anything in North America. Several suggestions for 280, or 280AI. I wouldn't argue with that choice, nor would I argue against 6.5CM, 7-08, 308, 270, or 30-06. I think something in this class of cartridges fills the gap you have in cartridges better. Any of the above will take game from deer to elk at ranges up to 400-500 yards. With 1/2 to 1/3 the recoil of your 375. These are proven all around cartridges. Your 44 and 7.62x39 are good close range cartridges but don't offer much versatility.
 
I'm kind of wondering now if the 280ai does what I wanted the Grendel for but only better since the Grendel was hamstrung by the limitation of being designed to run in the AR platform. Maybe instead of adding a caliber, a 280ai should replace the Grendel I have.
 
I have 2 Mauser actions waiting for projects.

One with a magnum bolt face is going to be chambered in 300 PRC

The other is a standard bolt face and I'm all but decided on making it a .35 Whelen. I have a .358 Win but would like to have something that can push a 225-250g .35 cal a little faster

The second option on my list was 280 AI, so I understand the decision making dilemma you're going through.

BTW, I need another deer rifle like a need a hole in my head, so "need" isn't even a factor
 
well you guys really pushed me the direction I needed to go. After looking at ballistics tables I think the 280AI is a much better fit for me than 35 Whelen, and I also think it would be a superior choice for what I got Grendel for in the first place. Granted the Grendel shoots cheap Russian steel ammo, which is a big plus if you were never going to load your own, but from what I can tell the 280AI does it faster, flatter and puts nearly twice as much force on target. Your suggestions were, once again, super helpful, so thank you.
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mlankton said:
well you guys really pushed me the direction I needed to go. After looking at ballistics tables I think the 280AI is a much better fit for me than 35 Whelen, and I also think it would be a superior choice for what I got Grendel for in the first place. Granted the Grendel shoots cheap Russian steel ammo, which is a big plus if you were never going to load your own, but from what I can tell the 280AI does it faster, flatter and puts nearly twice as much force on target. Your suggestions were, once again, super helpful, so thank you.
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The way I look at it is that the grendel is a toy that can be pressed into a lot of useful jobs. The 280ai is a powerhouse hunting cartridge that can also be a toy. Advantages to both...
 
The big advantage of the Grendel is it works in an AR platform. If you take that factor away there are other cartridges that are superior from a ballistic standpoint. Including the 280 AI.
 
I love my .280AI, with 160 class bullets I'm getting within 100fps of 7 rem mag velocity with top end loads.
3050 for the .280 and 3100-3150 for my 7Mags.

I think I still like the 7mag better, but that's just because of personal history. Function wise the .280AI really dosent give anything up, and you get an extra round in the magazine.

It will actually deliver more energy than a .264 running normal loads. Im looking forward to see what the new powders like retumbo or the slow RLs will do in a .264 tho.
 
Good choice on the .280AI!

I am of a similar mindset...I want another bolt rifle. I have bolts in .350 Remington Magnum (kills elk like lightning!), .270 Winchester, .25-06, and .243. I am thinking of a 5.56 now, even though I have ARs in the caliber. What to do?!
 
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