It is a bit of a mystery to me as to just why .358-caliber rifle cartridges have been such a red-headed stepchild in our country.

The .35 WCF in the Winchester Model 1895 levergun was a somewhat popular choice up north for moose and bear. The .35 Remington has always been common in thicker deer hunting country like we see on both coastlines.

The .358 Winchester in any rifle is a coveted prize among collectors. Even in handguns, the .38 Special and .357 Magnum are top sellers in revolvers while the .380 and 9mm Luger continue to be top sellers in semiautomatic pistols.

Yet, for some reason, the .35 caliber has generally never been very popular in hunting rifles.

In the 1920s, American hunters wanting a rifle chunking a heavier bullet to take to Africa or north to Alaska had limited choices.

The aforementioned Winchester 1895 chambered in .35 WCF or .405 WCF were the easiest routes to take but lacked the reach of the more potent European calibers like the 9.3x62mm Mauser and the .375 H&H Magnum.

The issue with those choices was nobody stateside was chambering rifles or manufacturing ammunition in either of those cartridges. In the case of the .375, it required a long Magnum action to be built upon. The more well-heeled Yanks could afford to build or import both rifle and ammunition, but the regular working Joes could not do so.

Answer? The .35 Whelen.

There is some dispute as to just who is responsible for the design of said cartridge, but largely the thanks must go to James Howe of the custom rifle firm Griffin and Howe, along with the man whose surname is attached, Col. Townsend Whelen.

At the time, Whelen was in charge of cartridge development at the Springfield Armory. Griffin and Howe made their money converting surplus Springfield 03’s and Mauser 98’s into highly custom sporting rifles.

Together, in 1922, they introduced the .35 Whelen, which is the .30-06 Springfield case necked up to accept .358-caliber bullets. Now American sportsmen could have a regular standard-length action converted to .35 Whelen for a fraction of the cost of an imported 9.3 or .375.

The Whelen remained a proprietary and wildcat cartridge until 1988, when Remington finally standardized it. Available factory ammo runs from 185-250 grains in weight.

Handloaders can truly make the most of the .35 Whelen. Originally given a 1-16” twist, the Whelen can also be loaded light to use .357 cast lead or jacketed handgun bullets for plinking or small game.

Hornady’s discontinued 275-grain roundnose bullet was a great bullet on large-bodied game. The 225-grain bullet weight seems to be about the best all-around choice; handloaded, it can achieve 2,800 fps in a 24” barrel.

I haven’t had occasion to take any game with the .35 Whelen as of yet, but I have no doubt that a certain lovely J.P. Sauer und Sohn Mauser 98 will be put to good use in the not-too-distant future.

Are you a fan of the .35 Whelen? Write to us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com today!