Why .358 in a 7600?

[DeerMeadowFarm]

I have read a few threads here where people buy a 7600 carbine in .35 Remington, then have it rechambered for .358 Winchester. I looked at the chart for the .35 Remington and honestly I really don't see the attraction. The .358 Winchester sounds interesting... IF you reload your own.

I'm not too familiar with a ton of hunting cartridges, mostly just those along the .30-06 line (.270, .280, .35 Whelen) but why wouldn't anyone think to take a 7600 Carbine in .35 Remington and rechamber it to .350 Remington Magnum?

From what I've read (limited) the .350 Remington Magnum is an excellent caliber for a carbine length barrel plus it is still factory loaded. Is the magnum case just too big to think of using in a 7600? The overall length is similar to the .358 Winchester and the throat diameter and length are nearly the same as well. Does the .350 Remington Magnum just suck as a hunting round?

I'm just curious and I thought it might make a good topic of discussion...

[Dave in WV]

I would guess to have something different with a bit more power than the 35 Rem. I doubt the barrel is thick enough to be chambered in .350 mag. BTW, the .350 mag doesn't do anything a 35 Whelen will and you can buy a new 35 Whelen.

[Rick Teal]

I've heard this asked before, and, as I recall, the problem lies largely with the base diameter of the .350.  I know the difference (from the .358) is only a little under .060, but I understand it is too much to allow the case to be properly picked up and extracted by the bolt.

Another more pragmatic reason would be that the .350's ballistics are similar to - if not a hair behind - the Whelen, so the Whelen becomes the more desirable option in this rifle.

[Lone Star]

It is probably possible to chamber a 7600 to .350 Magnum, but the conversion would be tough.  The bolt face would need to be opened up and that leaves a thin ring of steel for the extractor - maybe too thin.  Feeding would probably require modification to the magazine, and the capacity would be reduced.  A far better idea is go to the .35 Whelen.

The .35 Remington is an outstanding deer cartridge in spite of its rather mundane ballistics - almost 100 years of success is hard to argue with.  If it were mine I'd keep it in .35 Remington...I already have a M7600 in .338-06 I built before the Whelen was available.

[doetag]

As dave said earlier A lot has to do with just wanting something different I guesss. The 358 can be loaded right up to the Whelen power level, If you want the pounding, I had thought about getting a Whelen but there is a difference in recoil. And you are right about it being a reloaders cartridge, If i wasn't a reloader I would not have had the conversion done