Robie,

I owned both a .338-06 (in a Weatherby) and a .35 Whelen (in a Ruger M77 MkII) before I got my 9.3x62 in a CZ 550 American. I sold my 338-06 and my .35 Whelen after I started playing around with the 9.3x62. I just recently took my 9.3 to South Africa and had a great run with it. (See the thread: Back from RSA - photos ) My handloads push a 286 gr Woodleigh RN at 2390 fps (and that's a conservative load) which generates approximately 3600 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. That's a lot of power from basically a .30-06 size case. I don't have anything against magnums as I also own a .338 Win Mag and a .375 H&H, but I REALLY like my 9.3x62!! It's a great cartridge.

Just my two cents worth...
-Bob F.