Let's raise this topic a bit.

I have been a fan of "9mm family of rifle cartridges" for a long time. I've used 9,3x62, .375 H&H and .35 Whelen on moose and I have lately come to like the .35 Whelen the best. I'm from Finland, so here 9,3x62 is one the most popular moose cartridges and .35 Whelen is somewhat anomalous cartridge. Majority of the moose is hunted with .30-caliber guns but the next most popular caliber group is 9,3 mm. I think it should be .35 Whelen.

Personally I like .35 Whelen the best for several reasons. First of all, you have endless supply of brass and you can choose the best brand from large number of manufacturers. Second very important factor is that the most common bullet weights are a tad lighter than in 9,3 mm - this brings .35 Whelen to the general purpose cartridge range. It is therefore more useful than slower bullets.

I personally think that .35 Whelen suffers a lot from the anemic loads and load data of the past. When using modern powders and common sense in loading a bit hotter loads (still safely, of course), this cartridge throws bullets at very respectable speed. My current loads are 225 gr Nosler Accubond, 225 gr Sierra Gameking and 250 Nosler Partition. 225's are at the same velocity range as standard .30-06/180 gr factory loads and 250 gr Partition is at the same velocity range as .308/180 gr factory loads. To me, this means enough punch and very good all around usability.

When it comes to bullets, I prefer .35 over 9,3 because of this reason. 225 and 250 gr .35 bullets are real big game bullets as in 9,3 mm most of the lighter bullets are meant for roe deer size game. This means that in 9,3 mm cartridges one has to use 250-286 gr bullets to get the same terminal performance as in .35 Whelen. In my experience this means a bit less velocity and more challenges in cartridge reloading. By no means I say that 9,3 mm is not good, I'm just saying that .35 Whelen is a bit more generally useful and practical in diverse hunting situations.

My favorite .35 Whelen powder nowadays is Hodgdon Varget. It has proved to be very accurate and it provides very good velocities with sensible pressure levels. It is also easy to reload as one doesn't need to use compressed loads with it. It also performs very well in cold weather which is important in places where I hunt.