99 in .358Win

[Anduril]

Since Model 99's in 358 are kind of hard to come by, would it make sense to rebarrel a beater 308 or 243?
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[wbm]

I would go with the .308 if you want a great deer rifle and long barrel life. Another consideration would be a 250...great round!

[Anduril]

wbm,
Agreed, the .308 and .250-3000 are excellent cartridges, but I have a .270 bolt gun that covers the same territory.
What I am after is a handy, short action, cast bullet hunting rifle for elk, so I'm looking pretty hard at the .358 Winchester.
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[Turkeyfeather]

The 99 in a 358 Win is an excellent choice.  I have a good friend with one and it shoots great. He casts bullets as well and I am convinced it is an all around gun. Lyman has a nice 204 grain bullet mold and they work well in this gun.  The challenge is finding one as you have mentioned. I too have been looking and they are selling for good money in nice condition. While residing in the midwest, I am told the 99 in 358 was commonly bought in New England where the 35 cal was more popular than other parts of the country. A friend of mine is from Maine and he tells me the 99 in 358 was common. Not as common as the 35 Rem in a lever or pump but they are available.

Keep up the search.  Good selection.

[Aardvark]

 Since the 358 is built on the 308 cartridge,Reboring might be an option...I know of a fellow in Michigan that does good work...I will see if I can dig up his name...

[Ron T.]

The .358 Winchester cartridge is an excellent choice if you need something a bit stronger than a .30 caliber round.  It is an excellent choice for all non-dangerous big game in N. America including elk, caribou and moose.

I'd frankly prefer something a bit more powerful (like the .338 Win. Mag. or bigger) for the big bears, but I've seen others say the .358 Winchester using the 250 grain bullet is a decent bear load. 

However, if I had 1,000 pounds of angry griz 40 feet from the end of my rifle's barrel, I'd personally want "more rifle" between the bear and me.  Jus' my 2¢...     


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[Doubletap]

    A good friend had looked for a 99 in 358 for years and had about gave up and thought of building one up from a 308.  The major problem with converting is that the rotor for the cartridges is calibre specific, like the magazine in a Mannlicher-Schoenaur.  He talked to a couple of smiths with excellent reputations for Savage conversion work and the end result was find a rotor for the .358 (and cartridge cut-off) and the rest of the build is just a barrel job.  Parts are virtually unobtainable for the .358 conversion unfortunately.  Ultimately he found a nice '59 or '60 vintage rifle that had been punched for a side mount and ended up with it for about 3 bills.  Patience pays I guess. 
  In terms of game performance it is a great round.  Kills out of proportion to it's size.  Had a good friend that spent a lot of time doing government surveys and timber cruising in Alaska in the late '60
s and 70's.  After getting tired of walking lopsided from carrying a .375 along with all the rest of his gear he had a good smith build up a very lightweight .358 bolt carbine.  Subsequently he had to dispatch 3 bear over the course of his career at very, very close range.  He stated that with a good 250 gr. slug the first shot stopped all 3 grizzly right now.  The second round was for insurance as usual.  Felt there was very little lost over a .375 except several pounds.