35 Whelen. WDM Bell. Col. Whelen

[C.W. Richter]

Rubbing a newly budded mopane leaf between thumb and index finger. And smelling the tupentine.
Witnessing the birth of a new day. Very early on.
The sound of a fish eagle. The Nightjar's "Good Lord deliver us" call.
The snorting of impala rams. Day- and night time during the rut.
Looking through your binos. At seemingly nothing. For ten minutes. And only then see an eland cow's eye blink.
The menacing of a pesky go away bird.
The alarm bark of a Kudu cow. Still a long way off.
The smell of leadwood or mopane smoke from a fire.
Also the silence of a night. After the fire goes to calmness. To rest in coals and ash.
So has every country it's own beauty.
And all the pictures. Are taken to heaven.

i adore the sound of the Brown Hammer Kop in the a.m. Most common in Zim. so relaxing and pleasant to the ear!

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Flint, as a certified 35 Whelen nut, I'll be following the answers to this one. What year did WDMB quit hunting?

@Shootist43
WDM Bell kept hunting until his death. But the last time he hunted in Africa, was in 1924.

Now, to answer the original poster’s questions. First, some background information is required. WDM Bell used several makes and calibers of rifles on elephants and other game. Here is what they were.

Not mentioned in the list, are:
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .318 Westley Richards
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .450/400 Nitro Express ( 3.25”)
- In later life, he also grew fond of the pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70 in .220 Swift for taking neck shots on red stags

He used these two firearms very briefly.

WDM Bell used (according to his own writing) four main calibers on African elephants:
a) 7x57mm Mauser ( Rifle was a John Rigby & Co. Model 1. Ammunition was DWM manufactured 173Gr military surplus round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids.)- Approximately 800 out of his 1011 elephants fells to this caliber. But Bell didn’t actually prefer this caliber the most. He only used it because the ammunition was far more reliable than British sporting ammunition. He also cites it’s drawbacks when taking quartering away brain shots at elephants.
b) .303 British (Rifle was a sporterized military surplus Lee Enfield. Ammunition was British military surplus 215Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- He killed an unspecified number of elephants with this caliber, but didn’t fancy the rifles too much as they were inaccurate.
c) 6.5x54 mm Rimless Mannlicher Schoenauer ( Rifle was an original Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903, which was stocked by Daniel Fraser. Ammunition was Austrian military surplus 168Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- Bell killed EXACTLY one dozen elephants with this caliber. All on one day. But he gave it up after a round misfired and jammed in the breech of his rifle. The Austrian ammunition had loose necks. Also, the 168Gr FMJ solids which he recovered from those 12 elephant were all bent into long hook like shapes. So he stopped using it on elephants, henceforth.
d) .318 Westley Richards (Rifle was a Westley Richards take down model, which was interestingly enough built on a Springfield Model 1903 action. Ammunition was ICI Kynoch 250Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- This was Bell’s favorite caliber of all time. But until 1912, he was unable to acquire any good consignments of reliable ammunition for this caliber. From 1912 ownwards, he was able to source reliable .318 Westley Richards ammunition. From that moment onwards, he ditched his 7x57mm Mauser in favor of the .318 Westley Richards exclusively ( for his African safaris, anyway).


To conclude, the .318 Westley Richards was Bell’s preferred caliber for elephants. But the 7x57mm Mauser is the caliber with which he successfully downed the bulk of his elephants. If you study the pattern in his ammunition choices, then it becomes evident that Bell was always fond of using military surplus ammunition. Mainly because it was more affordable, widely accessible and available in bulk (it must be remembered that Safari Outdoor didn’t exist in Africa in the early 1900s!). At least, this was the case until 1912 … When he finally started getting access to reliable stocks of .318 Westley Richards ammunition. In his first book, he also specifically voiced a strong distrust towards British sporting ammunition. He found that barring .303 British military surplus ammunition, all other makes of British ammunition lacked 100% reliability.

Towards the end of his life, he speculated that if he were to return to Africa again… He would take a Winchester Model 70 in .308 Winchester. Along with a spare barrel in .318 Westley Richards. He would take along monolithic solids for the .308 Winchester barrel. And traditional cupronickel jacketed 250Gr FMJ solids for the .318 Westley Richards barrel. The tried and true .318 Westley Richards barrel would be his backup, in case the .308 Winchester was not performing satisfactorily. He preferred the .308 Winchester to the .30-06 Springfield, because of it’s shorter bolt throw.


In the end, WDM Bell was an extremely pragmatic hunter. I don’t see him using a .35 Whelen for multiple reasons:
- Ammunition would have been virtually impossible to source in Africa
- No solid bullets were made for the .35 Whelen at the time.
- Bell wasn’t a hand loader and the .35 Whelen was not available as a factory loaded round until 1987 ( Remington was the first company to start loading factory ammunition for this caliber)

 

[CoElkHunter]

Damn!! (Somone's shooting small-hole solids through my truck!) I just chased him off by appeasing with what appeared to be moly-coated .358 solids (ebony plugs to hide the TP roll holder screws)

You could have just chased him off by holding a two forty three calibered rifle in the air? LOL

 

[CoElkHunter]

@Shootist43
WDM Bell kept hunting until his death. But the last time he hunted in Africa, was in 1924.

Now, to answer the original poster’s questions. First, some background information is required. WDM Bell used several makes and calibers of rifles on elephants and other game. Here is what they were.
View attachment 451900

Not mentioned in the list, are:
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .318 Westley Richards
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .450/400 Nitro Express ( 3.25”)
- In later life, he also grew fond of the pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70 in .220 Swift for taking neck shots on red stags

He used these two firearms very briefly.

WDM Bell used (according to his own writing) four main calibers on African elephants:
a) 7x57mm Mauser ( Rifle was a John Rigby & Co. Model 1. Ammunition was DWM manufactured 173Gr military surplus round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids.)- Approximately 800 out of his 1011 elephants fells to this caliber. But Bell didn’t actually prefer this caliber the most. He only used it because the ammunition was far more reliable than British sporting ammunition. He also cites it’s drawbacks when taking quartering away brain shots at elephants.
b) .303 British (Rifle was a sporterized military surplus Lee Enfield. Ammunition was British military surplus 215Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- He killed an unspecified number of elephants with this caliber, but didn’t fancy the rifles too much as they were inaccurate.
c) 6.5x54 mm Rimless Mannlicher Schoenauer ( Rifle was an original Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903, which was stocked by Daniel Fraser. Ammunition was Austrian military surplus 168Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- Bell killed EXACTLY one dozen elephants with this caliber. All on one day. But he gave it up after a round misfired and jammed in the breech of his rifle. The Austrian ammunition had loose necks. Also, the 168Gr FMJ solids which he recovered from those 12 elephant were all bent into long hook like shapes. So he stopped using it on elephants, henceforth.
d) .318 Westley Richards (Rifle was a Westley Richards take down model, which was interestingly enough built on a Springfield Model 1903 action. Ammunition was ICI Kynoch 250Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- This was Bell’s favorite caliber of all time. But until 1912, he was unable to acquire any good consignments of reliable ammunition for this caliber. From 1912 ownwards, he was able to source reliable .318 Westley Richards ammunition. From that moment onwards, he ditched his 7x57mm Mauser in favor of the .318 Westley Richards exclusively ( for his African safaris, anyway).


To conclude, the .318 Westley Richards was Bell’s preferred caliber for elephants. But the 7x57mm Mauser is the caliber with which he successfully downed the bulk of his elephants. If you study the pattern in his ammunition choices, then it becomes evident that Bell was always fond of using military surplus ammunition. Mainly because it was more affordable, widely accessible and available in bulk (it must be remembered that Safari Outdoor didn’t exist in Africa in the early 1900s!). At least, this was the case until 1912 … When he finally started getting access to reliable stocks of .318 Westley Richards ammunition. In his first book, he also specifically voiced a strong distrust towards British sporting ammunition. He found that barring .303 British military surplus ammunition, all other makes of British ammunition lacked 100% reliability.

Towards the end of his life, he speculated that if he were to return to Africa again… He would take a Winchester Model 70 in .308 Winchester. Along with a spare barrel in .318 Westley Richards. He would take along monolithic solids for the .308 Winchester barrel. And traditional cupronickel jacketed 250Gr FMJ solids for the .318 Westley Richards barrel. The tried and true .318 Westley Richards barrel would be his backup, in case the .308 Winchester was not performing satisfactorily. He preferred the .308 Winchester to the .30-06 Springfield, because of it’s shorter bolt throw.


In the end, WDM Bell was an extremely pragmatic hunter. I don’t see him using a .35 Whelen for multiple reasons:
- Ammunition would have been virtually impossible to source in Africa
- No solid bullets were made for the .35 Whelen at the time.
- Bell wasn’t a hand loader and the .35 Whelen was not available as a factory loaded round until 1987 ( Remington was the first company to start loading factory ammunition for this caliber)

Hunter-Habib,
Thank you so much for the history of this! I really enjoy these posts by you regarding cartridges, rifles and hunting adventures in the bygone days. They really put in perspective the hunting experiences of the past compared to the reality in todays hunting fields.
CEH

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Hunter-Habib,
Thank you so much for the history of this! I really enjoy these posts by you regarding cartridges, rifles and hunting adventures in the bygone days. They really put in perspective the hunting experiences of the past compared to the reality in todays hunting fields.
CEH

Co Elk Hunter, just glad to be helping out.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Bell according to “Karamojo Safari” (which told the tale of only one Safari) he used a .256 Gibbs to shoot all the meat and skins for the trip, saving the 7mm for elephant only.
He also states that the 7mm was the only caliber that regularly exited the elephant.

 

[Longwalker]

Hunter habib - what a great write up! nice little history lesson and very informative.

 

[Flint]

i adore the sound of the Brown Hammer Kop in the a.m. Most common in Zim. so relaxing and pleasant to the ear!

What a privilege. It is. Or was. CW Ritter.
That. Specifically. Is when God says good morning to us.
How truly blessed.

 

[PerH]

Rifles And Shooting : Bell, Walter D. M. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Book Source: Digital Library of India Item 2015.462253dc.contributor.author: Bell, Walter D. M.dc.date.accessioned: 2015-09-22T15:36:46Zdc.date.available:...

archive.org

Bell of Africa book here, the complete and free one,

 

[Flint]

Thanks PerH!

 

[spike.t]

@Shootist43
WDM Bell kept hunting until his death. But the last time he hunted in Africa, was in 1924.

Now, to answer the original poster’s questions. First, some background information is required. WDM Bell used several makes and calibers of rifles on elephants and other game. Here is what they were.
View attachment 451900

Not mentioned in the list, are:
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .318 Westley Richards
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .450/400 Nitro Express ( 3.25”)
- In later life, he also grew fond of the pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70 in .220 Swift for taking neck shots on red stags

He used these two firearms very briefly.

WDM Bell used (according to his own writing) four main calibers on African elephants:
a) 7x57mm Mauser ( Rifle was a John Rigby & Co. Model 1. Ammunition was DWM manufactured 173Gr military surplus round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids.)- Approximately 800 out of his 1011 elephants fells to this caliber. But Bell didn’t actually prefer this caliber the most. He only used it because the ammunition was far more reliable than British sporting ammunition. He also cites it’s drawbacks when taking quartering away brain shots at elephants.
b) .303 British (Rifle was a sporterized military surplus Lee Enfield. Ammunition was British military surplus 215Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- He killed an unspecified number of elephants with this caliber, but didn’t fancy the rifles too much as they were inaccurate.
c) 6.5x54 mm Rimless Mannlicher Schoenauer ( Rifle was an original Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903, which was stocked by Daniel Fraser. Ammunition was Austrian military surplus 168Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- Bell killed EXACTLY one dozen elephants with this caliber. All on one day. But he gave it up after a round misfired and jammed in the breech of his rifle. The Austrian ammunition had loose necks. Also, the 168Gr FMJ solids which he recovered from those 12 elephant were all bent into long hook like shapes. So he stopped using it on elephants, henceforth.
d) .318 Westley Richards (Rifle was a Westley Richards take down model, which was interestingly enough built on a Springfield Model 1903 action. Ammunition was ICI Kynoch 250Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- This was Bell’s favorite caliber of all time. But until 1912, he was unable to acquire any good consignments of reliable ammunition for this caliber. From 1912 ownwards, he was able to source reliable .318 Westley Richards ammunition. From that moment onwards, he ditched his 7x57mm Mauser in favor of the .318 Westley Richards exclusively ( for his African safaris, anyway).


To conclude, the .318 Westley Richards was Bell’s preferred caliber for elephants. But the 7x57mm Mauser is the caliber with which he successfully downed the bulk of his elephants. If you study the pattern in his ammunition choices, then it becomes evident that Bell was always fond of using military surplus ammunition. Mainly because it was more affordable, widely accessible and available in bulk (it must be remembered that Safari Outdoor didn’t exist in Africa in the early 1900s!). At least, this was the case until 1912 … When he finally started getting access to reliable stocks of .318 Westley Richards ammunition. In his first book, he also specifically voiced a strong distrust towards British sporting ammunition. He found that barring .303 British military surplus ammunition, all other makes of British ammunition lacked 100% reliability.

Towards the end of his life, he speculated that if he were to return to Africa again… He would take a Winchester Model 70 in .308 Winchester. Along with a spare barrel in .318 Westley Richards. He would take along monolithic solids for the .308 Winchester barrel. And traditional cupronickel jacketed 250Gr FMJ solids for the .318 Westley Richards barrel. The tried and true .318 Westley Richards barrel would be his backup, in case the .308 Winchester was not performing satisfactorily. He preferred the .308 Winchester to the .30-06 Springfield, because of it’s shorter bolt throw.


In the end, WDM Bell was an extremely pragmatic hunter. I don’t see him using a .35 Whelen for multiple reasons:
- Ammunition would have been virtually impossible to source in Africa
- No solid bullets were made for the .35 Whelen at the time.
- Bell wasn’t a hand loader and the .35 Whelen was not available as a factory loaded round until 1987 ( Remington was the first company to start loading factory ammunition for this caliber)

Photo looks familiar

 

[Flint]

@Shootist43
WDM Bell kept hunting until his death. But the last time he hunted in Africa, was in 1924.

Now, to answer the original poster’s questions. First, some background information is required. WDM Bell used several makes and calibers of rifles on elephants and other game. Here is what they were.
View attachment 451900

Not mentioned in the list, are:
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .318 Westley Richards
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .450/400 Nitro Express ( 3.25”)
- In later life, he also grew fond of the pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70 in .220 Swift for taking neck shots on red stags

He used these two firearms very briefly.

WDM Bell used (according to his own writing) four main calibers on African elephants:
a) 7x57mm Mauser ( Rifle was a John Rigby & Co. Model 1. Ammunition was DWM manufactured 173Gr military surplus round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids.)- Approximately 800 out of his 1011 elephants fells to this caliber. But Bell didn’t actually prefer this caliber the most. He only used it because the ammunition was far more reliable than British sporting ammunition. He also cites it’s drawbacks when taking quartering away brain shots at elephants.
b) .303 British (Rifle was a sporterized military surplus Lee Enfield. Ammunition was British military surplus 215Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- He killed an unspecified number of elephants with this caliber, but didn’t fancy the rifles too much as they were inaccurate.
c) 6.5x54 mm Rimless Mannlicher Schoenauer ( Rifle was an original Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903, which was stocked by Daniel Fraser. Ammunition was Austrian military surplus 168Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- Bell killed EXACTLY one dozen elephants with this caliber. All on one day. But he gave it up after a round misfired and jammed in the breech of his rifle. The Austrian ammunition had loose necks. Also, the 168Gr FMJ solids which he recovered from those 12 elephant were all bent into long hook like shapes. So he stopped using it on elephants, henceforth.
d) .318 Westley Richards (Rifle was a Westley Richards take down model, which was interestingly enough built on a Springfield Model 1903 action. Ammunition was ICI Kynoch 250Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- This was Bell’s favorite caliber of all time. But until 1912, he was unable to acquire any good consignments of reliable ammunition for this caliber. From 1912 ownwards, he was able to source reliable .318 Westley Richards ammunition. From that moment onwards, he ditched his 7x57mm Mauser in favor of the .318 Westley Richards exclusively ( for his African safaris, anyway).


To conclude, the .318 Westley Richards was Bell’s preferred caliber for elephants. But the 7x57mm Mauser is the caliber with which he successfully downed the bulk of his elephants. If you study the pattern in his ammunition choices, then it becomes evident that Bell was always fond of using military surplus ammunition. Mainly because it was more affordable, widely accessible and available in bulk (it must be remembered that Safari Outdoor didn’t exist in Africa in the early 1900s!). At least, this was the case until 1912 … When he finally started getting access to reliable stocks of .318 Westley Richards ammunition. In his first book, he also specifically voiced a strong distrust towards British sporting ammunition. He found that barring .303 British military surplus ammunition, all other makes of British ammunition lacked 100% reliability.

Towards the end of his life, he speculated that if he were to return to Africa again… He would take a Winchester Model 70 in .308 Winchester. Along with a spare barrel in .318 Westley Richards. He would take along monolithic solids for the .308 Winchester barrel. And traditional cupronickel jacketed 250Gr FMJ solids for the .318 Westley Richards barrel. The tried and true .318 Westley Richards barrel would be his backup, in case the .308 Winchester was not performing satisfactorily. He preferred the .308 Winchester to the .30-06 Springfield, because of it’s shorter bolt throw.


In the end, WDM Bell was an extremely pragmatic hunter. I don’t see him using a .35 Whelen for multiple reasons:
- Ammunition would have been virtually impossible to source in Africa
- No solid bullets were made for the .35 Whelen at the time.
- Bell wasn’t a hand loader and the .35 Whelen was not available as a factory loaded round until 1987 ( Remington was the first company to start loading factory ammunition for this caliber)

Thank you Hunter-Habib.
Yes WDMB did hunt deer in Scotland for a long time.

 

[Shootist43]

Hunter-Habib, please add my name to the list of folks that really appreciated your detailed post. It was most informative and your assessment of why he didn't use a 35 Whelen is "well-reasoned." I borrowed the term "well-reasoned" from a talk given by Supreme court Justice Clarence Thomas, a man that I deeply respect.

 

[PerH]

http://corriemoillie.com/ No hunting there now,but rooms and such for rent as a resort.

Would have been a good spot for a Rigby event .

 

[PerH]

@Shootist43
WDM Bell kept hunting until his death. But the last time he hunted in Africa, was in 1924.

Now, to answer the original poster’s questions. First, some background information is required. WDM Bell used several makes and calibers of rifles on elephants and other game. Here is what they were.
View attachment 451900

Not mentioned in the list, are:
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .318 Westley Richards
- A Thomas Bland & Sons Boxlock Ejector in .450/400 Nitro Express ( 3.25”)
- In later life, he also grew fond of the pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70 in .220 Swift for taking neck shots on red stags

He used these two firearms very briefly.

WDM Bell used (according to his own writing) four main calibers on African elephants:
a) 7x57mm Mauser ( Rifle was a John Rigby & Co. Model 1. Ammunition was DWM manufactured 173Gr military surplus round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids.)- Approximately 800 out of his 1011 elephants fells to this caliber. But Bell didn’t actually prefer this caliber the most. He only used it because the ammunition was far more reliable than British sporting ammunition. He also cites it’s drawbacks when taking quartering away brain shots at elephants.
b) .303 British (Rifle was a sporterized military surplus Lee Enfield. Ammunition was British military surplus 215Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- He killed an unspecified number of elephants with this caliber, but didn’t fancy the rifles too much as they were inaccurate.
c) 6.5x54 mm Rimless Mannlicher Schoenauer ( Rifle was an original Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903, which was stocked by Daniel Fraser. Ammunition was Austrian military surplus 168Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- Bell killed EXACTLY one dozen elephants with this caliber. All on one day. But he gave it up after a round misfired and jammed in the breech of his rifle. The Austrian ammunition had loose necks. Also, the 168Gr FMJ solids which he recovered from those 12 elephant were all bent into long hook like shapes. So he stopped using it on elephants, henceforth.
d) .318 Westley Richards (Rifle was a Westley Richards take down model, which was interestingly enough built on a Springfield Model 1903 action. Ammunition was ICI Kynoch 250Gr round nosed cupronickel jacketed FMJ solids)- This was Bell’s favorite caliber of all time. But until 1912, he was unable to acquire any good consignments of reliable ammunition for this caliber. From 1912 ownwards, he was able to source reliable .318 Westley Richards ammunition. From that moment onwards, he ditched his 7x57mm Mauser in favor of the .318 Westley Richards exclusively ( for his African safaris, anyway).


To conclude, the .318 Westley Richards was Bell’s preferred caliber for elephants. But the 7x57mm Mauser is the caliber with which he successfully downed the bulk of his elephants. If you study the pattern in his ammunition choices, then it becomes evident that Bell was always fond of using military surplus ammunition. Mainly because it was more affordable, widely accessible and available in bulk (it must be remembered that Safari Outdoor didn’t exist in Africa in the early 1900s!). At least, this was the case until 1912 … When he finally started getting access to reliable stocks of .318 Westley Richards ammunition. In his first book, he also specifically voiced a strong distrust towards British sporting ammunition. He found that barring .303 British military surplus ammunition, all other makes of British ammunition lacked 100% reliability.

Towards the end of his life, he speculated that if he were to return to Africa again… He would take a Winchester Model 70 in .308 Winchester. Along with a spare barrel in .318 Westley Richards. He would take along monolithic solids for the .308 Winchester barrel. And traditional cupronickel jacketed 250Gr FMJ solids for the .318 Westley Richards barrel. The tried and true .318 Westley Richards barrel would be his backup, in case the .308 Winchester was not performing satisfactorily. He preferred the .308 Winchester to the .30-06 Springfield, because of it’s shorter bolt throw.


In the end, WDM Bell was an extremely pragmatic hunter. I don’t see him using a .35 Whelen for multiple reasons:
- Ammunition would have been virtually impossible to source in Africa
- No solid bullets were made for the .35 Whelen at the time.
- Bell wasn’t a hand loader and the .35 Whelen was not available as a factory loaded round until 1987 ( Remington was the first company to start loading factory ammunition for this caliber)

Just a truly exellent post.