I am new to the ".35" clan and I am curious as to what bullets the guys with experience have used on deer. I have a BLR 81 chambered in .358 Win. I managed to take three does with it this season using 200 gr. Hornady RN . All deer were taken cleanly but I am concerned that this bullet may come apart if used at close range or on rakimg shots. Tell me something.

Goat I have used the 200 Hornady Spire pt in my 358 Win Sav 99. Positive mushrooming and lots of penetration for deer.

I used 225gr. Sierra GameKing in my .35 Whelen. Punched a great big hole through both sides of the only 10-pt. whitetail I ever shot. Put him right down.

George

I have used the 225 Sierra on several deer here in Kansas. Excellent penetration. In fact I have never recovered one. They also expand nicely without liquifying meat. My nephew shot a big doe with my 35 whelen and hit her in the back thigh bone. The bullet broke that bone penetrated and broke her other thigh bone and exited. She went down on the spot and he went to her and finished her with a 38 special to the head. This was a broad side shot at 200 yards. Try that with a .270
I have also shot the 225 Nosler BT and had good luck on a couple deer. I think for the price the Sierra is the better choice for medium game. I have not shot anything bigger with either bullet. Hope this helps.
Me

Ain't nothing bad at all with a round nosed bullet. When I'm hunting around home,(West Virginia)that's what I use. In 7-08's, 280's and 30-06's. And they kill like the Hammer of Thor. You really don't lose much trajectory wise until you're past 300 yards. But then, when I'm hunting where a 300 yard shot is probable, I use a bullet like a Grand Slam or Partition.

I tried different weights and styles in my 358 WCF and have always came back to the 200 Hornady RN. I have shot deer with the 225 Nosler BT right in the boiler room and they ran 80 - 100 yds. Everyone shot with the Hornady 200 RN dropped like a piano fell on them. The RN does not blow up the meat. The Hornady RN is a -1/2 group at 100 yds out of my Ruger 18.5" barrel w/48 grains of IMR 4064 & BR primers.
I have 50 acres and a small Marriot for a tree stand in Lycoming County Pa. with max 200 yd shot. I don't like chasing deer that are hit good. Anything longer than that I take my 358 Norma custom with again, 200 Hornady RN.
It's great fun to try different stuff and there is a bunch out there to do so. When you find the "Right Stuff" stick with it. The 35s are great PA deer guns and the 358 WCF got a bad rap when they came out with the Win model 88. Don't let the new speed rifle calibers make you think you 3000+ fps. The Waltons ate off that mountian regularly without belted, short mags, and 3 1/2 12 gauges with XXXXXFULL chokes. I just hit 50 and I guess I am stuck on what work for me very well thoughout the years.

I've killed two deer with my 358 Winchester. I used 225 Nosler Ballistic tips on one and 225 Sierra Game Kings on the other. Both were devastating kills. I'd use it more but with 16 different "deer" rifles I like to switch around.

Bob257

Hey Goat, That 200gr Hornady RN is a fine bullet as is their 200gr SP.

I've had some decent luck with the 180gr Speer FP. And I have some 150gr Rem PSPs loaded to try. One of the guys on the Reloading Board recently bought 50k of the 150gr-ers and is going to sel them in 1000qty lots. I didn't get mine from him, but they are extremely accurate in my 350RemMag, even though they jump 0.268" in my rifle to reach the Lands.

I've NEVER had a bad 0.358" bullet of any weight.

That Rem. 150gr bullet is junk. I don't know why it was ever made, if you want a 150 gr bullet shoot a 30-30. I tested some from a 358JDJ pistol into wet newsprint and they penetrated the least and blew to pieces every time. The best part of the 35cal is the big 200-250 grain bullet.

Used 200 R-P factory loaded Core-Lokts in 350 RMag, at around 2590 FPS on 1 whitetail. One shot, straight to the ground (actually, he rolled back down over the edge of a little ridge he'd just climbed). Following years, using 200 Hornady Spire Points and 58 IMR4895 at around 2650 FPS, 2 shots=2 deer, 0 forward yardage after the shots. You should get similar results with your 358.

Here in PA, there are often more hunters than deer, so, getting the critter on the ground in a hurry cuts down on arguments with other guys about whose deer it is. The big calibers do it best.

R-WEST

It is a quandry...everything that takes a ride in my .358 shoots well. Best was the Nosler Ballistic Tip but I was not impressed with the bullets integrity. The 225 Partition and the 250 gr Hornady Spitzer IL work for me. Probably so will all the rest.

I've had very good luck with the Hornady 200 grn spirepoint, You might also want to try the 180 speer flat point or the 220. I've never had a deer move after being hit with one of these and I have killed a semi-load in the past 60 yrs.But as most guys on the forum know I am a bear addict and use the .250 speer, lights out for any bear I have shot.

I shoot the .358's little stepbrother, the .356win. Being a Mod.94 I'm limited to flatnose bullets. While I shoot mostly cast bullets now I started out with the 220gr and 180gr Speer which were accurate enough out of my lever action. I have shot two deer with 220gr, both were less than a hundred yards and both went less than fifty yards after being shot. The 180gr has only punched holes in paper, but is also quite accurate. Started shooting cast bullets in it about two years ago and I'm getting kind of anxious to so shoot something with them to see how they are gonna work. Good Luck

I shoot the Speer 220g flatpoint bullets out of my .358 boltaction Remington and they perform great on deer. The .35 cal is such a good game caliber I think most any bullet of 180g or above will get the job done with 'gravitas'. Plateau Hunter

Shot a deer last year with my Whelan with Rem
factory 200gr, this year shot two deer with 250gr
Horn SP at 2450 and all dropped where they stood.

You can't go wrong with the .358 caliber.

Goat,

I shoot the 180 Speer FN now in my .358 Wins. I don't know if the bullet comes apart or not but the deer fall down and stay there better than any other standard like the 06, 7MM Mag etc.

A 200 gr bullet out of a .358 is a big bullet for whitetails at a very good velocity. If a standard type bullet is ever going to work well it's in this situation.

I have used the following on Whitetail deer- 200 gr. hornady spire pt.-- 200 gr. Remington core lockt --225 Serria --225 nosler Partion-- 225 Nosler Ballistic Tip--220 gr Fp all worrk the Ballistic tip lets them run some for me anyway --my choice is the 200 gr. Rem CL have taken deer out to as far as 215 long steps with good results and normally no steps

I just bought a savage 99 brush gun last summer and I worked up some loads using 180 gr speer flat nose, 200 gr hornady sp and rn and 200 gr remington PCL. I ended up with some fairly accurate loads but none as good as the factory 200 gr winchester silvertips. So I hunted with the silvertips this year and killed 3 deer. Usual 358 win results, big hole all the way through, little meat damage, and all three deer went straight down. Ranges were all under 100 yds. I wish I could find some 200 gr silvertip component bullets.

I used the 200 gr Silvertip for a long time until they stopped selling them as an component. They are an outstanding performer on whitetails but so is the 180 Speer.

The Speers group very well for me also.

Can't answer on whitetails, but I've used Hornady 200 gr Interlocks out of my 350 Mag on blacktails, mulies and elk. All one shot kills and all dropped to the shot. Can't ask for more than that.

Mac