doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com **OFF TOPIC** SAKO 75

Cameron, the 35 Whelan improved is a great cartridge and very little difference between that and the 338-06 or the 9.3x62. I would keep the 338-06 as the last rifle "they" would let me keep because I can easily make 338-06 ammo from 30-06 and plentiful 338 bullets. Not so with the 9.3x62 or 6.5MS. I have always favoured slow fat bullets of good construction for humane kills on game deer size and up. I did originally defend 300 Mags on this site as woods cartridges as the devil's advocate, mainly due to hack writers in gun magazines, which I no longer buy, telling me I can't use a 300 Whoppenstomper Magnum in the woods, oh, really. FWIW I inadvertently shredded the front end of a small deer when it stepped back as I pulled the trigger on a 243 Win. Too fast, cheap bullet, a Sierra boatail. A Barnes or Nosler partition bullet would have not done that damage, so it's all down to the bullet, use cheap ones for practice, use premium bullets for the hunt.
Mike

Hey Jerry - I also have taken many, many deer with a 32 Win. Special in Model 94, as has my father before me. Great gun! I stopped using it a few years because the eyes started to go, but now that I got my eyes corrected I may use it again this year.

After my eyes declined, I decided to get a gun with a scope that would take elk and deer. I went with a 7MM mag. Tried and true with a number of bullet choices. Nice gun for elk and not bad for deer but more than I need for the later. I also feel the 300's are more than you need for deer unless you want one gun for deer and bigger game like elk. Why take the pounding and weight of a larger caliber than needed? The 7MM kicks like crazy and is somewhat heavy to carry even in the synthetic stock and stainless barrel. I may look for a longer lever action next with a little more beef than the 32 for deer hunting in northern Wisconsin where shots of 100 yds are rare. Maybe a 35 or 444.

Last years gun was the Winchester 401 Self-loader that I restored. 220 grain, very slow bullets had no problems putting down a doe. Talk about heavy!