Yes, I'm disappointed Winchester have abandoned heavy bullets for the 338 mag, too.

I think it's got something to do with wariness of game since rangefinders as well as recoil.
What value 165-grain .338 cal bullets would have at long range compared with a 7mm mag's beats me, though.

I have fired a couple of those Remington 7600s in .35 Whelen and I liked them. I guess flinches are formed at the range but I can't imagine feeling any recoil when shooting at close-in critters you really want to get. Suggesting gel pads etc to people who've already decided they're chicken, may not help the .35 Whelen now but it's a great cartridge, esp. for anyone wanting a bear-worthy pumpgun or to rebarrel a rifle from another calibre based on the '06 case.

What shape were those .35 cal 275gr WTC bullets Elmer Keith liked so much? Assuming the Remingtons feed round-nose slugs OK, maybe Woodleigh could be prevailed upon to knock up some stumpy 275-grainers, short enough not to react to slow rifling within bush distances.