Welcome back to another edition of Fudd Friday. This week, we are looking at a cartridge with a dedicated fan base that many shooters have never heard of. The .35 Whelen uses common components to create an affordable American competitor to legendary safari cartridges like the .375 H&H or 9.3x62 Mauser.Fudd Friday @ TFB:Fudd Friday: Pedersoli Baker RifleFudd Friday: Rifle Cartridges in Revolvers - Why Keep Making Them?Fudd Friday: The Winchester 71 Is The Best Lever Gun You'll Never Own Background & HistoryFor most American hunters, there is little need to go above .30-caliber these days. With modern bullet technology and chamberings like the 7mm PRC and .300 Win Mag, moose, elk, and things smaller are well in hand. But there are a few places in North America, and many in Africa or other overseas destinations, where bigger bullets are advisable.Back in the pre-WWII era, American shooters did not have many options. The venerable 30-06 was everywhere. Rimmed cartridges originally designed for lever actions or single shots offered larger, heavier bullets, but were often handicapped in velocity. Uncommon loadings like the .405 Winchester bridged that gap but were hard to find and chambered in only a few guns.Moving to a European cartridge was often the best bet. The .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, .404 Jeffrey, and others of the sort offered a large bullet moving fast enough to handle basically any animal in the world. But these cartridges required a magnum-length action, which often meant using a commercial Mauser action or rifle imported at great expense. The 9.3x62 offered similar capability in a standard-length action, but rifles and ammo were uncommon in the United States.One solution came to be known as the .35 Whelen. Stories differ as to how exactly it came to be, but Colonel Townesed Whelen and James Howe of Griffin and Howe were both involved. The idea was simple: take a 30-06 case and neck it up for .358-inch bullets. Both cases and bullets were readily available, and a plethora of rifles could be adapted to this chambering with a barrel swap or even a re-bore. For shooters on a budget or with access to only what was available in American gun stores of the era, this was a compelling solution. CVA Cascade XT in .35 Whelen Loading the .35 WhelenFor much of its history, the only way to get .35 Whelen ammo was through reloading. This changed in the late 1980s when Remington standardized the cartridge and made it commercially available. Being able to buy it off the shelf from manufacturers like Remington, Federal, Winchester, Barnes, and Buffalo Bore is nice, but reloading remains the most economical way to enjoy the cartridge.Creating cases is as simple as it gets. Simply run a .30-06 case into a .35 Whelen full-length sizing die. As long as the case is lubricated appropriately, this is a low-drama operation. I have not lost a .30-06 case in the resizing process. Other cartridges like the .270 Winchester could probably be used in a pinch, but I have not tried it, and the resulting case neck would be thinner. Common loads for the .35 Whelen range from around 180 grains up to 250 grains, using common powders. 35 Whelen bullets (L to R), 180-grain Speer, 200-grain Hornady, 250-grain Hornady, and 250-grain Speer PerformanceSo how does the .35 Whelen stack up against other cartridges for this purpose? Well enough but not exceptional. The case simply does not have the displacement necessary to truly match a cartridge like the 375 H&H but it gets close enough for most things and certainly most things in North America.Let's compare some common loads across the three most comparable cartridges in this category: the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 Mauser, and 375 H&H. We will start with the oldest. The 9.3x62 standard load for this cartridge pushes a 286-grain bullet at approximately 2,600 fps. That is the standard load that you would find from most commercial outfits. Reloaders could move as high as a 350-grain bullet from a specialized supplier like North Fork.The 375 H&H is most commonly sold with a 270-grain bullet, again at around 2,700 fps. 300-grain bullets are also not uncommon and push slightly slower, closer to 2,600 fps. Bullets up to 350 grains exist as well, but are not generally available in factory ammunition.Most loads for the 35 Whelen utilize a 200-grain bullet, pushed slightly faster, often around 2,800 ft/s. Remington offers a 250-grain load, moving a little slower. At its heaviest, the 35 Whelen is still lighter than the standard offerings for the 9.3 or 375. Those differences only grow as handloading becomes an option. 250-grain .358 bullet (L) and 270-grain .375 bullet, both Hornady soft points There are several factory loads available. It is not as common as other options, but Remington offers both 200 and 250-grain options. Hornady has a 200-grain Superformance loading. Buffalo Bore offers a few choices, including a 225-grain monometal. Those four are pictured below. Winchester also offers at least one load, and there are other offerings from more boutique manufacturers. ConclusionSo then, is the 35 Whelen a true replacement for legendary mid-bore Safari calibers? Almost, and it depends on what you need it for. But the added performance at the top end from the other options is why they have been so successful for so many years.375 H&H and 9.3x62 are both regarded as the minimum for dangerous game hunting in Africa. There is some debate as to whether they are enough for all big game species there, as bigger options like the 416 Rigby or 458 Lott give an added margin of safety. Scaling down to the 35 Whelen gives up top-end performance that is best left on the table when pursuing big scary things in Africa.In North America, the question is a little different. Even the largest of our big game species are solidly within the envelope of the 35 Whelen's performance. And with the 250-grain bullet's sectional density, it has the oomph for good penetration. The cartridge does give up ground to flatter-shooting magnums and is not ideal if your pursuit of big game involves shots taken at great distance. Stick with those long skinny high-BC bullets for that use.Within realistic hunting distances, though, the 35 Whelen offers a hefty bullet at a reasonable velocity from guns that are very easily adapted to the cartridge. Any 30-06 or 270 that may be lying in your safe, gathering dust, can become a 35 Whelen and have a second lease on life as a gun for big critters in thick country. And if you are a reloader, it is very easy to create brass and load for it. So if you want to dabble in the mid-bore cartridges without breaking the bank, take a look at the 35 Whelen.