Yote Buster - Both calibers you mentioned will work efficiently with either 24 or 26 inch barrels with very little velocity lost or gained to make much difference at most hunting ranges. Thus, you can make "a lot" about loosing or gaining 25fps per inch based on whether you like the "shorter" one for its "handiness" or the "longer" one for its ability to "milk" the most out of cartridge. I personally own two "Whelens" (22 and 24" BBL), and one .375 with a 24" BBL and do not like bolt action rifles with barrels over 24" because most handle like a "cane pole". As you can readily deduce, my logic is very "subjective" as most opinions are regarding length, weight, looks, and design of a given firearm. (I'm of average height and weight; someone taller or shorter will have a different opinion.) Most gun "loonies" (like myself) argue about the various aspects of our sport because we have enough knowledge to "split hairs" over any and all things regarding firearms and enjoy the "chase". I prefer the .35 Whelen (I particulary like the new CDL stock on the Remington) over the .375 for U.S. hunting because it is more comfortable to shoot, can be made in a lighter gun, and has more than enough power to take any animal in North America. Having said that, I'll take my .375 to Afica when I go again, and would consider it first if I won the lottery and could "book" a Brown Bear hunt in Alaska. Your opinion is the one that matters the most; I don't really think you can go wrong with either of those great calibers if the rifle fits you "naturally" (consider the balance difference with a scope and mounts) and comes to the shoulder as if it belongs there! Regards, Riley

 

either cartridge will work on anything in the USA that you can hit it with from bunnies to bears. The thing I thought of first was the .375H&H needs a long action at 3.60"COL. Add that to a 26 inch tube and you are looking at a long rifle. The 24 inch barrel on a 35 Whelan would be a good combination. What do you want to do with this rifle? Hunt open land or what?

I really like the .375H&H. I went that way over the 35 Whelan. It's a good cartridge too, I just chose the 375.

 

What are you planning on shooting with it?

 

mostly deer and elk maybe some bears soon

 

There really isn't a nickel's worth of real field difference between them. The Whelen is a lot easier to find cases for, obviously, and has the small advantage that you caould even load pistol bullets in it for plinking. The mighty 375 has all the macho bragging rights, if that matters. Both smack you pretty good with full-charge loads. The Whelen has more "deer friendly" bullets available, but the 235 Speer semi-point in .375 leaves little to be desired, either.

It's sixes.

 

Your talking about two different catagories of cartridges. The 375 H&H is going to give you a lot more recoil than a 35 Whalen.

If your not planning hunting in Alaska your probably going to be overgunned down here in the lower 48.

I do know a number of elk hunters whom use the 375, but they seem to be recoil proof. The 35 Whalen is much more pleasent to shoot.

My recommendation for the type of hunting your talking about doing is get the Whalen.

 

I'm looking for a big cal gun and was wondering what everbody thought I fould a Rem 700 CDL with 24in barrel is that a long enough barrel for a 35 whelan, and I found a browning A-bolt in the 375 H&H with a 26in barrel any help would be great thanks Mike

I own a 35 whelan, and its deadly on deer, but so is a 270 and it will shot a lot flater. In spite of what you might read some places, its a far cry from a 375 in power and recoil. I see 35 whelan is a moose, elk and black bear cartridge (not Kodiaks or truely dangerous game.) 375H&H as an african and dangerous game rifle. In factory loading for 35 whelan is exclusively a Remington deal and ammo is scarce and not that great 200 gr at 2400 fps. The best ammo for 35 whelan I found was a Federal prem 225 gr bear claw at an honest 2600 fps and this is rarer than hens teeth if they even make it at all any more. Handloading with 35 whelan can be tough due to the small shoulder, and I never really surpased Rem factory loads. With 375 factory ammo selection is much better.
The only advantages the 35 has is weight of the rifle,less recoil and the cost of the ammo, since you'll probalby have to reload.

 

With the right bullet I don't see any problems taking anything in North America with the 35 Whelen. I use 250 grain Hornady Interlocks in mine at 2450 fps. Never lost an animal, never recovered a bullet. It's accounted for 10-11 elk, a deer or three and even some prarrie dogs. Yup, they get big here in NW CO

A 375 H&H is likely my next rifle tho. Why? Heck I dunno!!
Why do I need a 300RUM in Sendero SF II. Because I can. I've shot 2 375's One in a Ruger #1 and the other in a Winchester pre64 M70. I didn't think either one was that bad to handle, but the Whelen is definately easier on you to shoot. Brass and bllets are likely easier to come by also.

RJ

 

Apples & oranges IMHO. The Whelen, although pretty ample medicine for NA big game, generates squarely 1000 ft/lbs. less energy than the H&H. No.....ft/lbs is not the end-all determination in performance on game. But we're talking a 30%+ difference between the two.....not an insignificant amount. The Whelen will be easier to carry (can be made in a lighter package) and more pleasant to do range time with, recoil-wise. I'd rather have the H&H against Alaskan moose and critters with teeth and claws. I'd rather have a Whelen for whitetails. The H&H gives you a better selection of available component bullets to choose from. The H&H gives you the option of African dangerous game. Totally confused???? LOL!!! I'll throw this into the mix. I just had my "ultimate do anything to anything" rifle built. I started with an A-Bolt Stainless Stalker 375 H&H and had it re-chambered to 375 Wby. Gains you another 150-200 fps over the H&H. Shoots a 260 gr. bullet with the same trajectory as a 30-06 shoots a 180 gr. Recoil is snappy in an 8 3/4 lb. gun. But it's not brutal or anything. The whole conversion cost me less than $300 (included chambering, a trigger job, mounting the scope & installing #8 screws and glassing the mounts on). Do I need this gun????? Heck no!!! Why did I do it?? Because I can!!!!

 

I'm looking for a big cal gun and was wondering what everbody thought I fould a Rem 700 CDL with 24in barrel is that a long enough barrel for a 35 whelan, and I found a browning A-bolt in the 375 H&H with a 26in barrel any help would be great thanks Mike

I own rifles in both calibers you mentioned but more importantly, I have taken big game with them as well.
The 35-Whelen is a excellent woods caliber for deer, black bear, moose or elk too at close to moderate (200yds) ranges. It's recoil is around the 24 pound range. It is NOT a hard caliber to deal with recoil wise, user friendly for most who shoot such a rifle.

However, the .375H&H is much more powerful indeed! It's recoil alone with Max loads is in the 42 to 45 pounds of recoil. Now a 5 pound jump up in recoil, is something that most shooters can identify with against their shoulder. It's energy at the muzzle is 4500lbs with a 270 grain bullet, while the 35-Whelen is closer to 3400pounds. If your going after those big brown bears, this is my pick of caliber to have in ones hands. It's true forte is when using those 300 grain bullets!

 

You may also consider a 9.3x62. It is an 06 size case with a stellar reputation in Africa, even on the largest of game. It is available in factory loaded form and offered by CZ in their rifles. It's performance quite similar to the H&H.

Bullet selection is adequate and are more robustly constructed (with African game in mind ) than some of the 35 cal counterparts which are designed for 35 Rem and the like.

The only thing the cartridge suffers from: is a lack of popularity over here.

The 375 will gain you, roughly, 100 yards over the other two, but with a modest increase in rifle weight and recoil.

 

I don't know where y'all shop but .375 H&H ammo and brass is a whole lot more common than the Whelan.

My vote goes for the .375 H&H in the A-bolt depending on what stock it's wearing. Light composite stock is likely going to beat the crap outta ya while a nice thick walnut or maple will be much more shoulder friendly... stock is easy to swap out.

The .375 is a real performer loaded light or heavy. The 200gr bullets will usually shoot very well with turned down loads and you're not giving up anything on thin skin smaller game up to 400 pounds. Reasonable loads with bullets in the 250gr range also won't beat you with recoil and are quite hard hitting. Getting into the 300gr bullet range and a properly constructed bullet for the job, you can put the fire behind them and take anything on the planet.

The .375 H&H is often under rated and over rated yet the fact that is such a versatile caliber is often ignored. Often time you hear the comment, "the .375 H&H is the smallest acceptable for africa hunts." yet more dangerous game all over the world has likely fallen to this round than to any other.

I wouldn't be opposed to the additional 2" of bore either. Gives you a little better performance with slower burning powders. More than likely, the little extra weight out front will balance out better properly proportioned wood stock giving you much better off hand control.

 

My vote is for the 375. It's interesting the reputation it seems to have here based on max loads but like Mark said, it can be loaded up or down for everything from white tail to elephant. A very versatile cart. As far as the recoil issue is concerned I don't have experience with the Whelen but I'm imagining it to be a little heavier than some of the '06s I've handled which would pretty much eliminate that factor from the equasion if we're comparing launches of bullets in the 200 to 250 grn weight class between the two.

 

If you want to talk about felt recoil...I'll introduce you to a little .308 win that is just about as leathal on the butt end as it is on the muzzle end. Combination of light weight and a very poorly designed stock will leave you with black & blue shoulder, cheek, eye & jaw with only 4 or 5 rounds no matter if you shoot it off hand or off the bench.

On the other side I shot a Krieghoff double in .470NE that was not displeasing at all to shoot. You definitely knew you touch off a man-portable howitzer but it wasn't anywhere near as nasty as that POS .308 I had! Then again there was that little matter of the $11,500 price gap too.... needless to say, the Krieghoff did not belong to me!

I've always loved the .375 H&H and I have always fancied the idea of having a SxS double in the flanged version. Just one of those "would like to have for no particular reason" things but, if I had one, I'd definitely hunt with it!

 

Yes, if I had an extra 100k lying around there would definately be a Royal Sidelock in my future and the reason would be just because. Like the one in the New York showroom with the dragons engraved in it. Sorry for the attempted hijack.
I think the saying goes: "One planet, One rifle, the 375 H&H."
A little cheese on a good point.

 

You may also consider a 9.3x62. It is an 06 size case with a stellar reputation in Africa, even on the largest of game. It is available in factory loaded form and offered by CZ in their rifles. It's performance quite similar to the H&H.

I agree with this like-minded individual. Its a mild-little round in the greater scheme of things. But then, I really don't think my 375 is that bad. I know from nothing about the 35 Whelan and openly admit it. If you are just doing deer and elk, take a good look at the 350 rem mag as well.

 

The only problem with the 9.3 plan is that in the states hunting and stalking the ammo for it is just as challenging as the big game you might take with it. Definately factor in dies, trimmers etc. with it.

 

I agree that ammo may be harder found for the 9.3, however, in my travels I've also found 35 Whelen to be somewhat scarce too. Abiet it is more plentiful that the 9.3 stuff. However, 9.3 components are showing up pretty regular.

The 375 is now nearly a staple many states. In fact in my area it is more prevelant that the Whelen. Go figure, since our big game is whitetail and we are limited here in Illinois to using shotguns for deer. (Thankfully they have opened the season to "firearm" and you may use shotgun, muzzleloader {even modern} and limited pistol [in pistol calibers] but alas, no rifles. Furthermore you can use all at the same time if you desire. hummmmmm????

well, enough cranking about the state of the state.

The 375 is a GRAND old cartridge, and it is a fine choice. No cartridge epitomizes the best of the best in sporting cartridges, save maybe the 30-06. They simply work. (These two work good in pairs too... an '06 and an H&H make a great pair)

But if you have a yen for those things just off the beaten path; have a fixation on the efficient, and a particular flair for doing spectacular things with under rated cartridges, the Whelen or the 9.3 may be for you.

 

I own a Rem. 700 Classic (22") in 35 Whelen. I've taken antelope, deer, mountain lion and elk with it. In practical terms it has a trajectory very close to an '06 with heavy bullets. Recoil is right at the threshold on my Fun Meter (ouchy on the bench, unnoticable in the field).

I reload for the Whelen and find it no more finicky or difficult than any other rifle cartridge.

I don't understand this "ammo scarcity" issue. If you can afford to buy a rifle/scope/case combo at a total cost of at least $750, you can afford to buy a case of factory ammo to have on hand. And how many of us go into the field for more than a few days at a time? And how many rounds does one actually fire during a week of hunting?

As they old man said, "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Forget ammo availability as a limiting factor on the rounds being discussed here.

Here's an interesting site

http://www.35cal.com/


Finally, a 338/06 or 338/308 would be excellent choices, too.

 

Naumann your common sence approach to this thread may scare some folks! LOL Nonetheless you hit the nail on the head once again.

PS.....Say hello to the ladies at the Harley Shop for me OK!

 

I loved naumann's post. I like to shoot oddball and wildcat cartridges and ammo availability is just not an issue with me. People ask me all the time "what are you going to do if you run out of ammo?". I'm not! I have literally thousands of loaded rounds of ammunition at home and I always take more than I need and it's never an issue. Most days of big game hunting my total number of rounds fired is 0. It's 1-5 if I'm lucky (or shooting poorly). Item number one on my hunting checklist is "ammo" (I left "gun" off the list because if I forget that I probably forgot to look at the list in the first place). If I travel across the country and forget my unusual ammo and can't borrow a rifle I'll just go into town and by a cheap 30-06 and still enjoy my trip.

 

I don't understand this "ammo scarcity" issue. If you can afford to buy a rifle/scope/case combo at a total cost of at least $750, you can afford to buy a case of factory ammo to have on hand. And how many of us go into the field for more than a few days at a time? And how many rounds does one actually fire during a week of hunting?

As they old man said, "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Forget ammo availability as a limiting factor on the rounds being discussed here.

Ammo availability can be an issue if the hunter travels by air to his/her destination, especially if that includes some remote outpost in Alaska or Africa. You will be able to find 375 H&H, but not 35 Whelen in those areas.

When airline regs dictate you can't put your ammo in your gun case, there is a good chance one or the other won't reach your destination. On a return flight to Alaska, my checked bag didn't make it for several days, including my ammo. So, if you are a traveling hunter, ammo availability does become a factor, in my opinion.

 

Let's just say availability isn't an issue. The 375 with lightest loads does everything the Whelen and 9.3 do with their max. At significantly less pressure and recoil, extending the life of barrel. brass and shooter. Then of course there is always the option of loading the 375 UP. 300 grn projectiles @ 2600 make reactive targets of most anything .

 

Well stated Mr. DaveJ.

 

Well,

Just to chime in I had both. The 35 Whelen and the 375 H and H were both built on the mauser actions. The problem for me is the belted cases and everything else I had was beltless. I made a .375 Hawk/Scovill this year and the problem is solved. I have all the power of the .375 H and H and, the beltless cartridges that can be fire-formed from a 30-06 or 35 whelen. 9.3x62 brass works well too if you can find it. It is cheap to make the cases for and, shoots well. Might consider that too. The 35 whelen would still take the nod for me just because of the ability as mentioned earlier to be made on standard length action and, when hunting in the rugged areas, weight may become a factor. The whelen and Hawk cartridges are much easier on your shoulder and your wallot due to their efficiency. My $0.02 worth.