anyone have any experience with the 358 win.? thinking about a switch barrell 7mm-08 and 358win. ya or na?

There have been quite a few posts here in the archives about the .358 Win. I happen to have used it for a long time and like it.

As to switching a barrel I would just leave the .358 barrel on. What could a 7mm-08 do to game that a 358 could not do better?

Now if you were going to switch say it with a 243 and use it for varmints then I see a reason. Even then!

Are you in some country where your limited to the number of rifles?

Hi
I've shot a .358 in a Savage 99-358 since the seventies and think it is one of the most effective hunting rigs ever made.. But these days I only use it for elk in timber where longish shots are not going to happen. Back when, I lived in California, I used it a lot for wild pigs, and I have shot some deer with it.

Now my son, and I use it too, has a Model 7 in 7mm-08 and it has also proven to be a very effective round for deer anyway, as that is all we have shot with it thus far..

I think if one is going to have one rifle, the 7mm-08 would be a little more versatile IMHO.. Just have to decide what you are going to do with yours the most.

If you get to the point where you're lookin at loads for the .358 I got some that worked well in mine..

I had a Browning lever in 358 winchester with the steel action. I like the cartridge alot. the rifle was well made but the stock design wasn't the best as I thought kicked a lot more than it should. I liked the 250 grain Speer Spitzer for a bullet. one of these days I will have a Ruger #1 in 358

I would think that it would be a excellent idea. I've killed lots of game and targets with a 7mm-08. I've recently had a 358 win made and love it. Please tell me what you thinking of. I might want one. Bruce

At a local gunshow I had a hearbreaker passing up a Pre-'64 Model 70 barreled action in .358, taken out of a featherweight a few years back, I was putting some cash aside so my girlfriend wouldn't find out, damn thing was $75 too much... I can't think of a better rifle for heavy timber black bear and moose/elk.

Just fuels my desire for a .358 WSM...

Russ Haydon is building a 7-08 for me on a 700 action and a shilen ss bar. i would use the 7-08 for deer in more open country and calling coyotes but i think the 358 would be nice for my whitetail hunting in idaho where 200yds would be a very long shot most shots are 100yds or less.

I did this exact thing with a 7-08 Savage Scout using a 24 inch Adams and Bennett 358 bbl. Because of the unique lock ring design on the Savages, headspacign is simple...it took less than 20 minutes to swap bbls the first time.

The 358 shoots so well, I hesitate to put the 7-08 back on, so the above advice about using a 243 as the other bbl makes sense. The combination of a 243 and a 358 win is about as perfect as you can get. For plinking the 358 with 5.5 grs of tightgroup and 158 gr 357 pistol bullets is too much fun to be legal...I have shot many, many one hole 100 yd groups with this load and you can see 'em hit the target.