35 wapiti vs 8mm ultra mag

[Autumnsjaeger]

Has anybody play'd around with either of these cartridges. I don't want to build an edge because I already have invested in the Lupua. So I was thinking of building either the 35 wapiti or the 8mm ultra mag... Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for any advise.

 

[HARPERC]

Kind of depends what your going to use it for. How's the rifle going to be set up? Start from the bullet and work backwards is usually a good way to start. I can say magnum type type 35's are devastating performers on game. Bullets available at that time did not lend themselves to achieving long range potential.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

A well known gun writer/guru by the name of Bryce Townsley experimented with necking one of the Ultra Mags to 358, calling it the 358UMT (ultra mag Townsley). Terminal performance was touted as being exceptional (imagine that!) but with a caveat. Most available bullets (save Barnes) were literally torn apart as the velcity potential of the UMT was approached

You might google the 358UMT? See what you can dig up... would make a serious medium range elk stomper for sure.... Heck my 358STA will launch a 225grn TSX @ 3100 without much trouble, I can't imagine what an Ultra Mag case would produce... BBL life should prove pretty good too!

 

[Top Cat]

The choice of caliber would largely depend on what you are trying to accomplish here, but in general my advice would be that it isn't a great idea to pick from these less popular calibers that have limited bullet selection choices.

Other than the fact that those bores don't do anything that 30, 338 and 375 don't do as well or better, and while there is nothing wrong with those bore dimensions per se, bullet makers haven't been inclined to invest in tooling and marketing for calibers for which there is less demand.

I happen to like both bores, and have long been a fan of the 35, but the 338 outperforms both; so these days, for a heavy hitter I would just pick up a 375 Ruger, and as a complement to a 338 Lap, I would want something on the lighter end like a 7 WSM.

In a sense, the marketplace is the final arbiter for ballistic performance...if you can't buy it, you can't shoot it.

TC