I am planning to build a 358 Norma on a Ruger action. Has anyone had any experience with this cartridge? I am planning to use it on everything from whitetail to moose using 250 gr bullets. any advise will be appreciated.

I have one in a short barreled Mannlicher. I love it for something that needs to be hit a little harder. Factory 250s at 2700.

I've loaded for one, it's a cartridge best fed with either RL19 or IMR4350.

I've only ever loaded Hornady 250's because at the time Nosler didn't make a partition for it.

In general it's a 338WinMag that requires more expensive brass.

It's one of the many cartridges that fits in the loose catagory of "If nobody invented it, nobody would miss it"

If I was buying a new rifle in that general class I'd probably buy a 338Win.

If you can deal with the price of Norma Factory brass
and Class "D" loading dies go for it.

AD

The .358 Norma Mag is one of the carrtridges I used for years when living in Canada. I thought it a great round.

Of course, you don't need to buy expensive brass like the Norma stuff. I never used Norma brass in mine. I always just shortened and necked down Winchester .375 H&H brass. I found if I shortened the brass first, I didn't even need a form die. Just shorten it, then run into the FL size die. It worked fine.


I used 250 gr., 275 gr., and 285 grain bullets in mine. The ability to get and use the heavier bullets of larger diameter is why I chose it over a .338 back in those days. I picked it over a .375 H&H for many of my travels because I liked the Springfield 1903 custom rifle I had rebored/rechambered for it.

Any one of the three would work great for the Canadian bush. I just happened to prefer the .358 Norma for most of my uses.

I have one in a Husqvarna with a 26-inch barrel. I also have a .338 Win mag, and of the two have a slight but definate preference for the Norma. You have a choice of bullets and loads ranging from 158-grain jacketed and factory cast bullets to 310-grain softs and solids. It is accurate, a relaible killer, easy to load for, cheap to shoot if you handload, and versatile. What's not to like?

Necked-up .338 Winchester brass also works fine for the .358 Norma.

Mine is built on a modell 77 mkII. I used a shilen barrel and left it 26inches long. I have yet to really sit down with a chrony but I expect great ballistics numbers.
It took a few days of messing with the feed rails and switching the ramp a couple of different times to get it to feed smoothly but I have yet to have a feeding problem now even in hunting. I shot a pig with it last spring and dropped him accordingly with the .35 Nosler Partition.

I feel the model 77 Ruger to be the second best stock design for the medium bore rifle. My favorite is the model 70 fwt. for my 06 and 243 and .257 Roberts, but that is just me I suppose.
Frank

quote:

any advise will be appreciated.

The .358 Norma is just a tad shy of the .375 Ruger......why not just go the little extra step....

You lose nothing in firepower...nothing in trajectory....nothing at all....and it's legal for African DG.....

For as much respect as I have for Norma's big boomer.....I'd not stop short of the .375 when the distance is so little.

The rugger that I Am using for the build has the older style synthetic (dupont zytel) stock. I have the same stock on 3 other rifles and really like it but I am concerned that the recoil of the norma might be a bit harsh it's not bad with my 06. I'll just have to see. If it is to bad I'll find a different stock

I have nothing against the 375 I had a 375 taylor for a time and a 338wm graced my gun case in the past but I've become a 35 fan over the years and the norma is a great and underrated round that is more than capeable of taking anything that walks. It's great to hear from others with experience with this round

Like I said I have a 358Norma. I had a 338Wmag before it. Replaced it with a 340PDK my own wildcat. I stumbled on to my 358. Wasn't looking for it. I bought it mainly because it was a mannlicher. Then I was in Grafs retail store and they had a closeout on 250gr Woodleigh Norma factory ammo. I bought all they had since the price was equal to brass alone. Darn rifle puts them into a 2" group at 100yds with the peep sight. So I have hunting ammo for it for the rest of my life. LOL I do reload it with pistol bullets for plinking.

Todate other than hogs and a couple does(way over kill) I have not taken anything large with it. I don't see that it gives up anything to the 338. I have a 375H&H but other than the need for a 375 to be legal I would have no concerns with the 358 for anything I was going to hunt.

Mine is build on a LH Ruger and is a great shooter. Loaded with 280 grains Swift it's a real stopper. I have a 375 H&H but the 358 is not fare behind loaded with R22, and a drop tube

i use the .358 as my everything catridge, just took 2 whitetails with it this past weekend, and could not be happier with the performance. my pet load is the now discontinued 225 gr nosler ballistic tip over 64 grains of H4895. busted both shoulders, through the ribs clipped the heart, and jugular, and took out at least 1 vertabrae. yet not a huge gaping exit hole, and not a lot of blistering or shock damage. sighted 1 inch high at 100 yards and it was dead one out to 200.