After an exhaustive search nationwide I can not locate any .358 W-W brass. Does anyone out there have any for sale or know where I can order some.
Thanks in advance!!

Did you try Huntington's, Sinclair Intl, and Bruno's?

I know huntington's is out - I've been calling them for 9 months now and they claim that Winchester only does runs of the 358 Win brass every other year. So this spring it will be available...

Grafs is out of it too...

Go to midwayusa and request that they 358 brass to their line-up - perhaps they can exert some pressure on Winchester to make it more often if enough of us 358 nuts rattle enough cages...

I tried Sinclair, Midway, Midsouth, Lock,Stock,Barrel, Huntingtons and a few small stores.

Black Hills Shooting Supply is also out.

Spring is far away and a long season. How come we can't get a definitive answer for a production date?

I will call Midway and request it be added to their line-up.

Does it have to be headstamped "358Win"? I'm using expanded .308 brass and have a quantity of Berdan primed ex-mil 308 brass about to be expanded. The Lee 358Win dies expand commercial cases easily.
Cheers...
Con

Con does the brass have to be fire formed before loading high velocity reloads? Or once you resize can you go right ahead and shoot whatever you want?

Full length size and go for it. Just use the normal precaution if it is military 7.62 brass as it is thicker and has less capacity than commercial.

I have a tapered expander ball for .358" So what you are saying is put that on the decapping/die stem, lube the cases and full length resize and I should be good to go? Seems too simple...

Yup, any lubed, tapered example ball will turn 308 into 358 in no time. I do it when I have to, but I have a strong preference for properly stamped brass, just a personal foible...

If your chamber accepts the cases you're good to go. Even if they are lightly undersize, the energy required to expand the brass to the chamber dimension is sufficient to mitigate any over-pressure you might otherwise experience from undersize brass in an undersize chamber. Just remember to use normal reloading procedures and start well below max and work your way up safely like any other round.

Be sure to lube the inside of your necks well for the expanding pass; dry lube if you have it. You'll want to remove that lube afterward for good bullet tension.

I use commercial once-fired .308 brass for full-powered loads and will be using the ex-mil for reduced loads/practice at this stage. Necking up the .308 brass shortens it, but its not a worry. I lube cases like normal but put some lube inside the neck and that's about it. Considered using graphite inside the necks but its too messy. Prefer a Q-tip with some lube.
Cheers...
Con

Any particular reason for once fired commercial brass? Is factory new OK to neck-up for full powered loads?

Yup.

I do NOT recommend this!!

i have fireformed 308 directly in 358 chamber... the headspace is perdactly the same

re-sizing nic. or milsurp 308 in your press WILL result in button/rivet condition...

federal seems to work best in the press...

i built my first "jeffe rifle" on the 358... and a couple since

jeffe

Lock Stock and Barrel has it in stock 800 531-2666. I was shocked when I could not find it on Midway or Midsouth website. I do have couple of hundred but ordered 100 more for sure. You guys better stock up.

Sorry for giving you guys wrong info. I did ordered it but overlooked the fact that they are also out of stock. My bad. I guess I will have to wait until spring. I saw it on last week gun show but did not buy any.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim_ B.:
I have a tapered expander ball for .358" So what you are saying is put that on the decapping/die stem, lube the cases and full length resize and I should be good to go? Seems too simple...

That's pretty much it. Have a look at the case drawings/dimensions:




Cartridge drawings courtesy of Steve's Pages.
http://www.stevespages.com/page8d.htm

I don't have a .358 Winchester, but I've made .35 Whelen brass out of .30-06 brass. Pretty much the same thing making .358 Win brass out of .308 brass.

As Con said, the .308 brass will be a little short (overall length) compared to .358 Win brass after expanding the neck as the neck will shorten a little after expansion. At least that's what I've found when converting .30-06 brass to .35 Whelen. Nothing to really worry about. It doesn't hurt a thing.

The only thing I will add is that you may want to trim the case mouth a little (with a case trimmer) to square up the case mouth after expansion.

.358 Winchester and .35 Whelen shooters will always be able to make brass as long as .308 Winchester and .30-06 brass is being made. And that should be for a long time to come!!! That's one of the nice things about having a rifle chambered in .358 Winchester or .35 Whelen. Even if the factories stop making .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen brass, we'll always be able to easily make brass for our rifles. .35 Whelen shooters were doing this for a long time (since 1922 when the .35 Whelen was introduced) before Remington made the .35 Whelen a factory (SAAMI) cartridge.

-Bob F.

Thank you everybody!! And Bob F. thanks for the illustrations!!!