Author Topic: Can we talk about the .358 Winchester? (Read 5976 times)

Not the 10th Man · « **on:** March 25, 2012, 08:16:59 AM »

Warning: This thread is pointless, and nothing more than my own mental musings and idle speculation.

I've always had a thing for short, compact, short action rifles. I'm a pretty big guy, and can carry plenty of weight, but being as I'm not an accomplished rifle man shooting 600 yards and stuff, I generally never see a need for rifle to perform much past 250 yards or so. Heck, I usually scope in at 100, just cause most of my shots are within that range. If I aint a skilled long range hand, there's just not much need in a real long or heavy rifle.

I started out a few weeks ago thinking I wanted an over 30 caliber rifle. I came across a rifle that I had always thought looked neat since I was knee high to a Grasshopper- The Remington 600 chambered in .350 Remington Magnum. I found some great deals on Remington 600, 660, and 673 rifles, but then I got to looking at the price of brass, as well as the scarcity of it. That took the wind out of my sails real quick. I then pondered a .338-06, and a .35 Whelen. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion, that while both are mighty fine cartridges, they're both long action rifles that don't do anything my Ruger .338 Win. Mag. isn't capable of.

I did find the Ruger .338 RCM, which is also a very neat looking cartridge. It truly looks like a winner, but once again, brass supplies looked like they could get a bit unsteady.

I finally looked at the .358 Winchester more closely. brass is an ideal situation- I can just neck up .308 brass until the next Election Year Fear Buying Frenzy, and then I can just pay a few bucks more for factory .358 brass. I can plink around with .38 caliber handgun bullets, just for fun and hopefully make a really mild small game load with them. It will do everything a 30-06 will do, at the power levels I'm concerned with, except that I can push the .358 well beyond 220 grains.

For such a cute little cartridge, those things put out some of most impressive numbers I've ever seen on a ballistics chart. I really like the idea of using a fully jacketed 158 grain SWC for plinking, small game, 250 grain Spire Points for all 'rounder, and maybe some 280 grain A-Squares or 310 grain Woodlieghs for tight brush and ugly grizzly country.

I'll admit the cartridge does appear a little bit underwhelming when it comes to the big brown bears, but...on the other hand, at times when I've seen fresh bear scat, paw prints, smelled something dead, and heard something big moving in the woods, I don't think anything much short of an armored personnel carrier would have made me comfortable. Also, the truth is that bears aren't a big deal at all to me. I've never had issues with them. People on the other hand...they can make me a bit uneasy. I always tend to view the elements, and my own lack of navigation skills to be more potentially dangerous to me than bears. Just never been one to get all crazy and wrapped up in acute "Bear-anoia". I leave them alone, they leave me alone. If I decide to hunt one, I have other more powerful rifles for that specific endeavor. If a bear wants my moose or caribou enough to chew me up for it, I don't know that a more powerful cartridge is as much a factor as many would have us believe. I do believe it's probably adequate- especially since I'm choosing a cartridge I can afford to practice with....a lot. Bears just aint high on my list of caliber priorities, I suppose is what I'm getting at.

I did a good bit of shopping around. Mainly, I was seeing Ruger Hawkeyes, and Browning BLR's. Both of them looked like fantastic rifles, though Rugers never have quite...made a real soul connection with me. I looked very, very hard at the BLR though. Handled a few around town, and was right on the verge of buying one when I found a Browning A-Bolt II Featherlite. Weighs in at 6.5 lbs, with a 20" bbl. Sounds perfect for what I'm after. I really don't think I could have gone wrong with a BLR, but I just plain like the bolt actions. I should have my new rifle in by Tuesday. I have a 1.5-6x Burris Signature Compact Scope I'm hoping to mount on it. I think it'll make for a pretty sweet packing little hunting rig that can pretty much kill whatever needs killing.

I got way deeper into my toy allotment than I'd intended, so I only have one box of 200 grain Core-Lokts made by an Alaskan Ammo maufacturer, and one box of Hornady 250 grain SP's, but it should get me by for initial testings. I'll eventually find some more bullets to test. I'm really not much into the lighter loads though. If I wanted those, I could just keep my 30-06 and 308 rifles, pick up good factory ammo at Wal-Mart, and call it a day. As a completely separate note of interest, I saw some .358 Winchester for sale on Midway USA that is boasting some really impressive .35 Whelen/ .350 Remington like numbers. They can't be doing THAT and staying at 52,000 C.U.P?? I might buy some, if I can find a way to get 'em to Alaska

I'm still wondering what kind of loads to start with. I've got a decent smattering of Hodgdon powders, although I don't have any 3031 right now. I'm awfully intrigued about this TAC stuff everyone's talking about. As far as light loads, I have a fair amount of Unique to play with. Hope to get some Trail Boss or Red-Dot next month or so when I have money again.

Ironically, I'm already planning my next rifle purchase also- A CVA Scout single shot rifle in .35 Whelen.

Anyways, I'd love to hear anyones thoughts on the rifle and caliber. Tips, tricks, ideas, thoughts, hunting stories, pet loads, etc.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts shared!

cwlongshot · « **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2012, 08:51:16 AM »

I am a believer in the 35cal. I know what it can do, I know how it preforms and I would stake my life on it.

I bought a early BLR in 358 Win back in about '81-82. Its kept the freezer full for many seasons since. I have shot deer with a dozen different calibers, most all at close range and I can honestly say none has killed faster or more efficiently.
One deer, a small buck, was shot at about 40 yards, broad side. I like hi shoulder shots. At impact he "sucked" his legs up to his body, seemingly hovering in mid air and fell with a bounce on his brisket. As he came to rest he out streached his head and rolled onto his side... DRT.

Another shot at about 80 yards head on, had its 200G Hornady bullet travel the length of the body exiting under the anus. Ran straight at me and straight into a tree about ten yards from him. NO BONES hit with this shot, exit was bigger than a quarter. DRT on his feet!

I sold that gun...(dunno why) Bought a Savage '99 in same caliber, sold that one too...

I know I know... I just re-chambered a 35 Remington H&R to .356 Winchester... I ain't selling this one! My uncle has a tang M77 in 358 I found for him. It will be mine sooner than later. Once I have that one, IT ain't going anywhere but my safe and the deer woods with me!

You will NOT regret the 358 for ANY animal that walks this continent. With in its range with proper bullets and a seasoned hunter, its fine for all game.

CW

petemi · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2012, 12:36:35 AM »

Like CW, I have a Handi rechambered to .356/.358 and cut to 18 inches. Mine was done with a .357 mag barrel. The break actions, his and mine, shoot both interchangeably. The two rifles are new rechambers in the last few weeks. I'm more than pleased with the rifle's performance, flexibility and accuracy. I know you're going to like the .358.

I would seriously consider the Handi Rifle in .35 Whelen over the Scout. In my biased opinion they're a better rifle, made in the USA, and the cammo stocked version is on sale now at Cabelas in Dundee, MI for 229.00. If it didn't cost me almost that much for gas, I'd have one

I haven't a clue as to what they would cost in Alaska.

Pete

swifty22 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2012, 01:00:13 PM »

Not-Go to the 35cal.com site, lotsa 35 stuff-Muddy

Not the 10th Man · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2012, 01:52:17 PM »

Got my rifle in just this morning. Haven't shot it yet. My 1.5-6X Compact Burris Signature Scope seems to be mounting up on it quite nicely. I'm still getting used to the guns idiosyncrasies. I do love how the bolt works, I love the lightweight, and I love how the gun shoulders. The mag system is a bit retarded, and it's kind of a pain to load from the top. Trigger is pretty nice, right from the box. Overall, the rifle is such a sweet, balanced lightweight, attractive little thing, I'm gonna feel guilty if I don't let the wife or son use it if they go hunting with me. I don't think it's too easy to make a rifle that nice with the magnum, medium to long action cartridges.

I've got one box of loaded ammo right now. I'm hoping my new dies come in today, I can load some up and take 'er out to the range in the next day or two.

I was pretty worked up about what kinda powder and load to use, but to be honest, my first trip to the range with a new rifle usually sucks anyways, so I might as well shoot any powder/ .358 bullet that safely goes "bang", get the scope roughed in and call it a day.

I thought the CVA Scouts were American made as well, sans the Bergara barrel? It'll be a long time anyways, so I'll be able to do plenty of homework. I'll be stocking up on brass, primers, bullets, and other odds and ends for the new .358 for several months anyways. Not that I expect to ever have more than a couple hundred rounds (once I find the right load) I just have a very small allowance.

Thanks again for your thoughts and stories.

RevJim · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2012, 02:07:57 PM »

I think you did swell. My first .35 caliber was a Mod 700 Classic in .35 Whelen. I'm tall, and I prefer bolt guns with lonr barrels; heck, 22" feels very short, with 24" just about right. Anyhow, I had it reamed out to the Ackley Improved and that rifle/caliber spoiled me for everything else! I used other mediums for years, but always came back to this one rifle/caliber. I have shot all my game with either the old Barnes 250X or the 200X until last Friday; I used he Woodleigh 310 softnose on a pig, ha.
I had a BLR in .358 Win for a couple months, and realized I'd never hunt with it, I'm too crazy about my Whelen, "however", if I had started with the BLR in .358, I'd never had tried the Whelen. I like the .338 Federal too. BUT, my old .35 Whelen A.I. is just "peachy". I expect your little Browning in .358 will sctach your itch too. I used Imr 3031 behind the 200 RP spire point. I got an honest 2600fps from it. I also had great results with W748 and the 225 Sierra. Good luck to you, and let us know if that little rifle kicks bad!

336SC · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2012, 03:16:02 AM »

I'm a .35 caliber guy. I have one .350 Magnum, two .35 Whelens, three .358 Winchesters, and four .35 Remingtons. I hunt with all of
them (not at the same time). My go to caliber however is the .358 Win! Kills deer like the Hammers of Thor when smacked by a 200gr
RN bullet. Here lately I have been doing a lot of loading and shooting the HDY 200gr Flex Tip bullet they use in their .35 Remington factory loads. Killed a big doe with one launched at 2400fps. DRT and nice 1.5" exit hole. Bullet held up well to the higher velocity also. Since the integrity of the bullet has been "tested", I have since increased the velocity to 2500fps. When I first bought my Ruger
Hawkeye in .358 Win, I did an informal test with it using 200gr and 250gr HDY RN bullets and TAC powder. I was able to achieve 2671fps with the 200gr and 2404fps with the 250gr RN. Both speeds exceed the factory ballistics from my .35 Whelen rifles. If I can't put down anything on this continent with either load, then I'm staying home and playing Yahtzee with the wife.
As far as Bear are concerned, the .358 Win sure beats a rock or pointy stick for self defense against one! My favorite .358 I own is an
older 760 Remington pump carbine, circa 1979, that started life as a .35 Remington. I have killed 16 deer with it and only two of them moved from point of impact and both of them were dead on their feet and didn't know it. Neither death dash was more than 35
yards before piling up into a tree. All those deer were shot with 200gr RN bullets. I shot most with the RPCLRN 200gr bullet @ 2400fps. Bullets always exited and never found any fragments either. It's a great caliber and I hope you enjoy yours also.
336SC

Savage_99 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2012, 04:12:39 AM »

The .358 Win. is my favorite woods round. Got my first one in 1966 and most of my deer and other game with it. My rifle was been a 99F and a handloaded 200 gr Silvertip the bullet til they stopped selling them. After that we used the 180 gr Speer.

I practiced and even ran running deer shoots at our club and at other places. I also have shot rifle competition since the 50's.

I am not saying that the .358 Win is the only round that would have got the bucks. On the other hand its the big enough, extra blanket, that hangs over the bed that keeps us warm then things go unexpected. Roll over and your still covered.

While the report above on the flex tip bullet is interesting as I like such bullets the thing is that there are no deer left near my camp in Southern Vermont. My late dad even made a tool to swage a spitzer meplat on the 180 Speer. Don't think I am going to get those flex tips. Much of my hunting now is where the deer are and the .358 is not optimum there.

Some of my hunting rifles at the range. From the top the third and fourth are .358Wins.

oneoldsap · « **Reply #8 on:** March 27, 2012, 07:53:54 AM »

A friend of mine bought the same rifle you did last year . He asked me to give him a hand working up loads , since I have had a .358 for many years . If there is an easier cartridge to load than the .358 Win. , I don't know what it is . The .358 will shoot pretty much anything that is suitable for it well . My pet deer load is the Speer 220 over 50 Gr. of W-748 . I get around 2400 FPS out of my 20" Rem. 760 with that load , and deer don't go anywhere after they soak up one of them . The 225 Sierra shoots well with the same powder charge . I'm going to play around with Varget this year and see how that works , along with some Sierra 200 Gr. Pro-Hunters , one nasty looking bullet . I have never recovered a bullet from the .358 , but I guess they're working okay , the deer aren't complaining . We ended up loading the 200 Gr. Hdy. and IMR-4064 in my friends little Browning . It will keep them inside an inch for three shots , then the barrel heats up and the groups grow accordingly . George thought the 225s and 250s kicked a little more than he cared for , so of course he couldn't shoot them very well . I could tuck them right together though , so the gun shoots fine . You will absolutely enjoy the hell out of your .358 , and will probably find yourself reaching for it , more than any other !

Not the 10th Man · « **Reply #9 on:** March 27, 2012, 08:26:43 AM »

Since I've got the ears of some of y'all old .358 hands, I could use a bit of help with reloading.

I was told that .308 necks up to .358 with no problems. That much seems....sorta true. I've done about a hundred brass or so, and I didn't have any issue with cases splitting or anything, but I've found that every one of them is at least 4 thousandths below the minimum suggested case length of 2.005 once I've expanded it.

I've read a bit about fire forming it. I was pondering either:

Filling each case with a charge of Unique or whatever, filling the rest of the case with grits, cream of wheat, flour, etc., and putting a paraffin wax plug in it. They say that fire forms the case to the chamber pretty well.

Option #2 is to do a light pistol charge behind a 158 grain FMJ pistol bullet, going to the range, plinking the day away and having fun just making it go "bang" while dinging some of the swinging targets and punching random holes in paper.

I gotta admit, option #2 has much more appeal to me. Any of y'all have any experiences or suggestions in the matter? An option #3 perhaps?

Thanks. I've truly enjoyed reading your comments thus far.

AtlLaw · « **Reply #10 on:** March 27, 2012, 09:37:45 AM »

Any particular reason you want to fire form the necked up 308's?

I've been shooting 308's necked up 358 for years and never done so. Now you got me wondering if I missed something. $:-\$

Anyway, while working up a load for my 358 M-99 with 180 gr. Speers, I shot a group with some rounds I had loaded with the 200 gr. Remington RN. The powder & charge were arbitrary; the group just for grins. Turned out they went into the best group that rifle has ever shot!

it will be my bullet of choice the next time the Savage comes up in rotation!

Also give TAC powder a try. A member here, I think he posted to this thread

, turned me onto it and I like it a bunch!

Not the 10th Man · « **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2012, 09:56:26 AM »

Quote from: AtlLaw on March 27, 2012, 09:37:45 AM

Any particular reason you want to fire form the necked up 308's? I've been shooting 308's necked up 358 for years and never done so. Now you got me wondering if I missed something. $:-\$

Anyway, while working up a load for my 358 M-99 with 180 gr. Speers, I shot a group with some rounds I had loaded with the 200 gr. Remington RN. The powder & charge were arbitrary; the group just for grins. Turned out they went into the best group that rifle has ever shot! it will be my bullet of choice the next time the Savage comes up in rotation!

Also give TAC powder a try. A member here, I think he posted to this thread , turned me onto it and I like it a bunch!

I can promise, you aint gonna learn nuthin' from me on this topic! I'm a total neophyte at reloading rifle rounds, and I'm just kinda trying to figure out the best way to stretch my cases back to the 2.005 or 2.015 length I'm told they're s'posed to be at.

I keep on hearing about that TAC. The way everybody is talking it up, I might have to go ahead and buy a couple pounds of it when my toy money is replenished. Hopefully someone here in the last frontier has this magical potion. I wanna try it. (So much for simplifying my reloading room....here I go again!)

cwlongshot · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2012, 10:28:08 AM »

Fire forming is not required with this case/caliber.

It IS required when moving a shoulder or in creasing diameter. Like loading a "improved" case.

For instance, when making 7/30 Waters from 30-30's... The shoulder is forward and a different/sharper angle. These need to be fire formed to get the shoulder. More specfically, to get a full shoulder. The die makes a small shoulder as it necks the 30-30 case to 7mm. The true case/ fully formed case only appears once its fired for the first time.
I don't want to get you confused... When making 358 from a 308, is a simple trip thru the 358 sizing die. Load and shoot. Yes because your making the neck larger it will be shorter and a bit thinner than it should be... you have the same amount of brass used to make a 30 cal hole making a 35 cal hole...

IF you where to go smaller, IE making a 243 case, you would have a thick neck walls and likely too long, get it?

CW

AtlLaw · « **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2012, 10:44:24 AM »

Quote from: Not the 10th Man on March 27, 2012, 09:56:26 AM

I'm just kinda trying to figure out the best way to stretch my cases

Oh! Is that all!

Don't worry about it! Just do like Brie (CW) said.

In the same light I use 30-06 brass for my 338-06 and 35 Whelen and never worried about the resulting length being a little short. Just look at it like you trimmed your brass a bit to much and reload to the same OAL you would if the case was longer.

TAC is (was) quite a less expensive then most other powders so it's a double good deal!

steve@357maximum.com · « **Reply #14 on:** March 27, 2012, 11:50:56 AM »

This thread has been very informative to me on the .358 Win. and I appreciate all of the input. I live in Indiana and in the upcoming 2012 deer firearms season, we are allowed to use rifle calibers that have a minimum of .357 dia. bullet and a maximum case length of 1.800" I had a Remington 700 ADL varmint in .308 that I had rebored to .358 and rechambered to .358 Win. Trimming the cases to 1.800" leaves the neck at .155". Without going into all the details, I have settled on a full case of IMR-3031 and the Hornady 200 FTX bullet. Measured velocity is 2520 fps and 5-shot groups with the short neck cases are still sub m.o.a. at 200 yards.

I will not have field data to report until the end of the 2012 season but I am looking forward to the upcoming hunt.

Steve

RevJim · « **Reply #15 on:** March 27, 2012, 12:46:51 PM »

I tried TAC in my BLR in .358 and I did not get good accuracy, velocity yes. I tried it with the Hawk 225 round nose bullet and the 200 RP. No surprise, just disappointing as it was really humming! ha. Each rifle is different for sure. I also tried the new Barnes 200gr TTSX, but it was too long to seat right and still work through the BLR's magazine. That BLR had a short throat also, so they had to be seated pretty deep.
I think for deer, the Speer 180 would be hard to beat, though many swear by at leats a 200gr. A 180 will shoot right with a .308 for distance, but it is still .35 caliber! Look at that entrance hole on the pig I shot, on the right in the pic. .35 calibers rule ( especially in .35 Whelen Ackley Improved! ha

) Oh yea, my fireformed brass from shooting a standard .35 Whelen case to the Improved, it pops out the taper and increases the shoulder angle to form a 40 deg shoulder. My cases always end up just "some" shorter than specs, makes no diff! Load those cases you necked up and get after it, and have a ball!

JesterGrin · « **Reply #16 on:** March 27, 2012, 01:17:24 PM »

Quote from: 336SC on March 27, 2012, 03:16:02 AM

I'm a .35 caliber guy. I have one .350 Magnum, two .35 Whelens, three .358 Winchesters, and four .35 Remingtons. I hunt with all of
them (not at the same time). My go to caliber however is the .358 Win! Kills deer like the Hammers of Thor when smacked by a 200gr
RN bullet. Here lately I have been doing a lot of loading and shooting the HDY 200gr Flex Tip bullet they use in their .35 Remington factory loads. Killed a big doe with one launched at 2400fps. DRT and nice 1.5" exit hole. Bullet held up well to the higher velocity also. Since the integrity of the bullet has been "tested", I have since increased the velocity to 2500fps. When I first bought my Ruger
Hawkeye in .358 Win, I did an informal test with it using 200gr and 250gr HDY RN bullets and TAC powder. I was able to achieve 2671fps with the 200gr and 2404fps with the 250gr RN. Both speeds exceed the factory ballistics from my .35 Whelen rifles. If I can't put down anything on this continent with either load, then I'm staying home and playing Yahtzee with the wife.
As far as Bear are concerned, the .358 Win sure beats a rock or pointy stick for self defense against one! My favorite .358 I own is an
older 760 Remington pump carbine, circa 1979, that started life as a .35 Remington. I have killed 16 deer with it and only two of them moved from point of impact and both of them were dead on their feet and didn't know it. Neither death dash was more than 35
yards before piling up into a tree. All those deer were shot with 200gr RN bullets. I shot most with the RPCLRN 200gr bullet @ 2400fps. Bullets always exited and never found any fragments either. It's a great caliber and I hope you enjoy yours also.
336SC

Please tell me a bit more about the Hornady 200Gr FTX or as some say Flex Tip and the .358 Winchester?

As I now have my New Hunting Rifle in my Hands and start to load some test loads for it.

Not the 10th Man · « **Reply #17 on:** March 27, 2012, 04:35:50 PM »

I just got done loading my first few rounds.

I did two boxes with 158 grain TMJ SWC's. The starting load was 48 grains of H322, but I was starting into compression territory, and I'm not after worlds of velocity right now, so I dropped down to an even 40 grains I fgure it'll be fine for 50-100 yard screwing around and getting acquainted with the new rifle.

The others I loaded were Hornady 250 grain SP/RP's being pushed by 44.5 grains of H4895 My case length was a mere 1.85, but I kept the OAL right at 3.798, which I'm finding barely fits in my magazine. The edge of the brass is just starting to kiss the crimp groove. I don't know that I could fairly call it a "compressed load" but that powder charge and bullet are rubbing against one another and becoming very closely acquainted.

I don't think I'll make it to the range for another day or two, but I'll let y'all know how things go.

I think I'm gonna spend the rest of the evening puttering with my scope, and seeing what else I can learn about the new gun.

Thanks once again for the thoughts and advice, particularly on case length. I've been learning a lot about reloading by lots of trial, and every error short of blown up guns and missing limbs or digits. I'm trying particularly hard to get this one right.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2012, 12:08:51 AM »

ive never owned a 358. Dont know why. When i bought my dad his blr when he retired years ago i tried to talk him into one. He wanted a 308 and would have nothing to do with it. I do have a near ballistic twin the 356 in a rifle youd like. Its a winchester big bore. Reggie nonoman cut the barrel off at 17 inch. Its a cute little carbine and knocks the snot out of deer.

336SC · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2012, 01:17:58 AM »

Jestergrin,
I load the 200gr HDY FTX with 44gr of H322 and a standard large rifle primer. I seat the bullet in the cannelure without any crimp.
Feeds and functions excellently in all my .358's and is very accurate.
336SC

RevJim · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2012, 06:34:29 AM »

Bob!?(336SC) You use a pistol primer? If so, is there any reason you prefer it?

When I was growing up in SE Texas, I saw only "one" .35 caliber rifle, period. It was Marlin 336 .35 Remington a coach had. 30-30 was King of the levers (mostly Mod 94's) and 30.06 was King of the Autos, with a smattering of .308 and 6mm Remingtons, also in Mod 742's.
As I said, if I had that little BLR in .358 ( and I never saw a BLR anywhere in woods or stores!) I would have been happy as a pig in slop! I would have handloaded the 180 speer for longer pipeline ROW/tram road shots (although it took me over 15 yrs to get a shot over 90yds with anything!) I would have used a 225 for a thumper. In a lever gun, I can live with a shorter barrel than I can with a bolt gun, and I do love the bolt guns! However, my life didn't turn out that way, the Mod 700 Classic came at a time when I only had a 30.06 and a .280 and I wanted a bigger caliber for Plains Game, South Africa. I had a bad experience with a Ruger 77 MKII in an otherwise fine caliber; a .338 Winmag. It had headspace problems and that's how I ended up with the .280. I could have taken either to Africa with good bullets, but hey, "it's Africa", and I am a bit nostalgic. I had always been an avid reader and the standard .35 Whelen had rave reviews for years. This was in '95 and I found a 1988 Classic in the used gun rack. I had also read where a writer, Gary Sitton, had made up an elk rifle in .35 Wheln Ackley Improved and gained alot in velocity. I chose that Barnes 250X as I wanted to be in 9.3x62 company, 'the 30.06 of Africa". I shot four big critters, only recovered two bullets, and the ranges were never over 150yds, most were under 75 yds. I was "amazed" at how those big bullets dug big holes all the way through and the quick kills that came with it, truly a revelation to me! I could have done it all with a .358 Winchester! I had read plenty about it, but never ever saw one anywhere, ha. All this is to say that if a man has a good shooting .358, and keeps ranges under 300yds or so, you are good to go.

336SC · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2012, 02:02:31 PM »

Rev Jim, yea it's me, Bob. Thanks for catching that error about the large pistol primer! I modified my post to read "rifle" primer. I must have had a short lived senior moment!

Thanks again for keeping me on the straight and narrow. You must have known it was
me since I'm the only guy you know with three .358 Winchesters!

I knew it was you also cause you are the only man of the cloth I know with a 35 Whelen Ackley Improved!

Bob

JesterGrin · « **Reply #22 on:** March 28, 2012, 05:51:32 PM »

Quote from: 336SC on March 28, 2012, 01:17:58 AM

Jestergrin,
I load the 200gr HDY FTX with 44gr of H322 and a standard large rifle primer. I seat the bullet in the cannelure without any crimp.
Feeds and functions excellently in all my .358's and is very accurate.
336SC

Thank You. I was going to try TAC/H-322 and IMR-3031 since my rifle is a 20" Barrel.

JesterGrin · « **Reply #23 on:** March 28, 2012, 07:01:10 PM »

Quote from: 336SC on March 28, 2012, 01:17:58 AM

Jestergrin,
I load the 200gr HDY FTX with 44gr of H322 and a standard large rifle primer. I seat the bullet in the cannelure without any crimp.
Feeds and functions excellently in all my .358's and is very accurate.
336SC

From what little loading I have done I have found the Hornady line to have an all around accurate bullet design.

Not the 10th Man · « **Reply #24 on:** March 28, 2012, 09:21:11 PM »

Made my first range trip with the new gun today.

The 158 grain pistol bullets being pushed by 40 grains of H322 were surprisingly accurate. They stayed dead on at 50 yards, but were dropping 5" or so by the time they hit 100 yards. That's fine. They far exceeded my expectations. I might try putting a little more speed behind the next ones though, just cause now I've seen potential in the concept.

The 250 grain Hornady SP's were pretty slick too. When I did my job, the rifle did it's job, although I'm not too proud to say that I was rarely doing my job. I flipped a coin to decide which gun to shoot first, and my .338 Win. Mag won out. By the time I finished shooting a box through it, I was very flinchy.

All the bullet holes were touching on several occasions, which seems to me an excellent beginning since these were the first loads I've put through it.

All in all, I put about sixty rounds through it today. recoil was.... present, but nothing to crumple up into a corner and shed tears about. I was surprised by how many filing I found in the rifles action while cleaning it this evening. I'm guessing some might have been from the factory, and some from breaking it it. It is a surprisingly tight little rifle.

I love the caliber, and I'm truly enjoying the versatility. The rifle itself is taking a bit of time to warm up to, but I think we'll get along just fine.

As an aside, I found some TAC at a local store. As long as the President doesn't say something dumb to provoke another massive fear buying frenzy while I'm at my remote job for the next few weeks, I'm looking forward to buying some.

The mag in that A-Bolt is very short. I don't think the 310 grain Woodleighs are gonna be an option for me. I might still play with some of the 280 grain Swift A-Squares.

Thanks again for even more information, thoughts, and stories!

bigswede · « **Reply #25 on:** March 29, 2012, 01:02:07 AM »

I'm shedding a few tears right now as I read all of the great 358 stuff, a few weeks ago at a gun show I saw the perfect 358 winnie for me. It was built on a Remington 722, fitted with a synthetic model 700 stock (some people hate these plastic stocks, but the fit me really well and are easy to paint with Krylon Fusion), had a 20" Douglas barrel, and was wearing a Burris 4x on top. I was about a hundred bucks short. I have been thinking about that sweet little rifle ever since. I currently have a 358 Norma, 2-350 rem mags, and a 35 whelen. That little 358 would have been a great addition to my 35 caliber collection. I'm a 35-aholic and thats my story.

I think with that short magazine on your Browning, you might try the Speer 220's or the Sierra 225's, both are fairly short bullets for what they are. I've found both work really well in the short magazines on my 350's. Sounds like you got a great little rifle, enjoy.

336SC · « **Reply #26 on:** March 29, 2012, 01:26:49 AM »

bigswede,
I have a 358 built on a Remington 700 short action with an E.R. Shaw 22" barrel on it. The barrel has a 1:14" twist. The action is also
tuned and it's a real shooter. Mine has an H.S, precision synthetic stock on it and really fits me also. I really like mine!!!
336SC

bigswede · « **Reply #27 on:** March 29, 2012, 10:15:34 AM »

Quote from: 336SC on March 29, 2012, 01:26:49 AM

bigswede,
I have a 358 built on a Remington 700 short action with an E.R. Shaw 22" barrel on it. The barrel has a 1:14" twist. The action is also
tuned and it's a real shooter. Mine has an H.S, precision synthetic stock on it and really fits me also. I really like mine!!!
336SC

Yeh, thanks a lot you jerk, now I have to wipe a bunch of drool off of my keyboard.

JesterGrin · « **Reply #28 on:** March 29, 2012, 10:37:19 AM »

Yes Yes I know my Savage is just a tad Flashy lol.

Mckie Hollow · « **Reply #29 on:** March 30, 2012, 03:41:45 AM »

Never loaded for the 358, But, I've found that with TAC, You'll find accuracy up toward the max. and within 1/2 gr. or so, window. Other words, It can be shooting good @ say 58.5 grs., drop down 1/2, not as good, go up 1/2, the same. This was true in a 350 rem. mag., 8x57 and 308. The 8 & 308 was not as accurate as with RL15, but gained quite a bit more velocity and close enough for deer. TAC does real well in the 350, matching the accuracy with RL15, 4320 and getting more velocity.