Hello AtilLaw.
Please note the context of my remarks, which were limited to the exterior ballistic performance of the two rounds when loaded to the same muzzle velocity. My “2 peas in a pod” referred only to that performance. As you can see they are very close if not identical, from a pragmatic point of view.
My comments was to address the remarks by 5Redman8:
“If it were me, I would go 338-06 only because of the selection of bullets. Also I enjoy open range hunting, so the flatter trajectory would help a little.”
“The flatter trajectory?” What flatter trajectory? The .2” advantage of the 338-06 at 300 yards is a country mile from being a useable difference.
I also responded to these remarks by saying, “As to bullet selection, check if out at
www.realguns.com. They both have a wide selection of bullets.”
I would add, they both have enough bullet selection to keep the most adventuresome experimenters among us busy for a very long time if one tried all of them for both rounds.
Both of 5Redman8”’s comments are myths from another time.
I did not address the terminal performance of these rounds but did note the Whelen’s advantage in bullet diameter, which in my mind partially addresses terminal performance, and in a positive way.
I did not claim, nor provide enough evidence to claim,"Not enough to mean anything" as you inferred from my remarks.
Drilling Man has subsequently come down on the side of the 338-06 claiming bullet performance to be the difference. I have my doubts about that, not to demean his experience.
Finn Aagaard reported on the experience of his pal Joe Phillips of Anchorage using the Whelen on brown bears with a 250 grain Speer Spire Point and says Joe always got “more than adequate penetration.” That Speer is a relatively soft Hot Core bullet.
Phil Shoemaker mentioned Finn’s own performance with the Whelen reporting Finn anchored a wounded brown bear with it after another hunters poorly place shot allowed the bear to attempt escape. I asked Phil and as he recalled Finn was using a 250 grain Nosler Partition.
Nor do the two anecdotal comments above prove a great advantage for the Whelen. I will say my next rifle build will be a Whelen influenced in part by exactly the advantage you mention, bullet diameter. I will gain that without giving up velocity, energy, or trajectory to the 338-06. At least that is true if I use 250 grain Nosler Partition bullets.
Actually my decision has more to do with hunting with a historic former wildcat used by the likes of Elmer Keith, Finn Aagaard, Phil Shoemaker (who has said the Whelen performs every bit as well as the 338WM in his experience) and Townsend Whelen.
Aagaard and Shoemaker claim the 98 Mauser is thee action for hunting rifle and my will be on a newly acquired left hand version.
Thanks for responding.
Roger
