The .356 Winchester, greatest lever caliber of 'em all

[Sweetwater]

Not sure when all this started, but I was lucky enough to get a nib 356Win BB94 back in 2002, obviously new old stock. I lived in Wyoming then and the local gun dealer was a pro at finding discontinued weapons and ammunition. I worked in the Uintah Mtns along the border of Wy/Ut for better than 3 years and lived in Sweetwater County 18 years. Most of my game was taken with an 8mm Persian Carbine. Nothing exotic for sure, just a solid rifle. It took antelope at 350yds, elk at 300yds, and everything else in between. I am positive my 356Win would duplicate that performance, given the chance. I moved to California and then on to Idaho, close enough to Canada to go for lunch. I love my 356, but my 8mm is my 'best girl'!
Regards,
Sweetwater

[Lloyd Smale]

I have to smile at this post. I have a .356 big bore that has the barrel cut to 18.5 inch and its a killing little machine. Its probably the most versitile round made. It will kill anything in the US with proper loads and is a handloaders dream. It can be loaded with up to 250 grain premium bullets and tackle even big bear and loaded down with 357 pistol bullets for plinking that if a guy casts his own is about as cheap to shoot as a 22. Its a .35 cal so it makes my cutoff for big game hunting with cast bullets. Lots of guys use cast in .30s to kill game but ive allways noticed that the .35s do much better at it. Sure the .358 can use pointed bullets but the guns best purpose is smacking animals out to about 250 yards and the round nosed bullets give up very little to the pointy ones at that range. Its extreamly accurate in a winchester and that cant be said for some 3030s ive shot in winchesters. Mine will shoot close to an inch at a 100 yards with many loads. Heres another thing i dont understand. Marlin comes out with the .308 marlin and everyone thinks its the greatest thing since sliced bread but the .307 allread did the same thing and died. Another thing is all the lever guys that are screaming praises of the leverevolution ammo that takes a lever gun out to 250 yards. Well im here to tell you winchester did the same thing years ago when they introduced these two rounds and nobody wanted them. I guess i could care less that there discontinued. Ive got one and 3 or 400 rounds of brass that will keep it shooting till i die. If the budget ever allows it id like to pick up a browning 358 too. Some guys done care for them but dad has a 308 and i think its a dammed fine rifle. Ive got a slug of guns in my house but if tommarow i was asked to go on a once in a lifetime hunt in the continetal US for any big game animal and they wouldnt let me bring a sixgun, I know which rifle would come along. i smile looking at that tiny little carbine that looks so sweet and inocent knowing that it hits like the hammer of thor!!!

[Majbg]

I know this is an old subject, but does anyone remember that article some moons ago about "converting" a Marlin 336 35 Rem into a 358 Win?  I may have it in my files somewhere, but I believe the easiest/least expensive way to get a 356 Win is this conversion.  I personally didn't think that the Marlin could handle 358 Win pressures (somewhere I read that it was highier than 52,000), but I know SSK will do the conversion to a 356 Win.  Gun show this weekend in Denver and I'm always looking for a good deal on an extra 35 to play with.  bg

[Majbg]

My mistake.  I just checked a couple reloading books and the pressures for both are 52,000.  I see no reason that anyone could have a Marlin 336 converted to either 356 or 358 Win from a 35 Rem. bg

[Chris Potts]

Great old post.  Its not levergun related but I have been thinking about getting a 358 jdj for my tc encore.  It looks like the 356 would do everything that I was looking for with standard brass and dies.  I know that the 35 whelen would work but I prefer a rimmed cartridge for the encore.

Chris

[Sweetwater]

Just a quick note on the 35Rem to 356Win/358Win conversion. There has been a lot of talk about the pressures and all the past several years and somewhere I read that the Marlin 336 and the Marlin 336XTR are in fact the same strength; the 336XTR being the 356Win model in the Marlin. To wit, the 35Rem conversion is totally viable bearing in mind your overall cartridge length has to stay in the 2.54inch area per the 356Win, not the 2.78inch of the 358Win. The action isn't long enough to cycle a 358Win at it's proper length. A sidenote: using 358Win brass may reduce cost of conversion as it is rimless like the 35Rem. JD Jones has the real answers.
Good luck with your shopping and project.
Regards,
Sweetwater

[Sweetwater]

Chris- I have a book entitled "Shooting Steel" from back in my IHMSA days and it has some great writeups on the 358Win in a Remington XP100; all testing and conversion performed by JD Jones. The 356Win in your TC should be a real winner.
Regards,
Sweetwater

[Sweetwater]

Lloyd - Share some of your wisdom -
1) I've tried some of the revolver bullets in my 94BigBore 356Win and it simply doesn't want to cycle anything less than 2.47inches overal length, and most of the revolver stuff comes in the 2.35inch area. These shorties just stovepipe. Have I got a lifter problem in the Winchester, or a "media" problem as nobody has bothered to say anything about feeding issues when using revolver bullets?

2) I'm conversing with Veral Smith of LBT on getting a mold cut specifically for BIG game with the 356Win. My mind is thinking something bigger than 250gr and a neat meplat. Do you have a "weight" preference?

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Lloyd Smale]

mine runs pistol bullets just fine. Only exception are the swcs. But most all jacketed bullets and lfn  and rf cast bullet run like butter in it. I personaly think the ideal weight for a cast bullet is about 250 grain. Pushed to 2000 fps they will kill anything. Even the rcbs 200 rf loaded to 2000 does real well on game. thing is you can do that in a 35 remington so your not gaining anyting unless you step up the weight. Frank at mt baldy bullets sells a real nice 250 rf bullet. He gave me a pile of them to play with a  while back and ive got to get back to him and see what mold they came from. Its a real accurate hard hitting bullet. I only killed one animal with that bullet. A small 8 point buck but i shot it on a trot and it absoulutely decked that deer! you want to have fun with the kids! I take mine out loaded with the 150 lee rf and 7 grains of unique and the grandkids just cant get enough of that gun. Its so small and handy that it fits them well and its the gun they allways choose when i ask them what to bring to the range.

[dpastordan]

Well I purchased a Model 94 in .356 in 1984.  I was stationed in Germany and had orders for Ft. Carson, CO.  I thought it would be the right rifle and caliber for that country and the elk and bear there.  My uncle who hunted elk every year had determined that the best elk cartridge was the similar .358.  I put a 4X Weaver scope on it and then...the Army in its mysterious ways, changed my orders to Maryland.  I sold swapped this rifle for a Remington 7400 Carine in .30-06.  Wish I had the old .356 back.  It was accurate, the recoil about the same as my '06.