I just had to tell y'all how much I'm loving my BLR 81 .358 Win. I just came back from a short hunting trip where I was able to take three deer. I used my .358 with 225gr. Nosler Partitions at 2400 fps. All three deer were taken in extremely heavy cover.
The first was a small buck at about 65 yards facing me. The shot went through the deer lenghtwise and it dropped on the spot. The wound channel was what I have come to expect from Partitions. Large diameter entrance tappering to a twice bullet diameter exit. A bonus was that the exit through the ham did very little damage to the surrounding meat.
The second was a 185 lb eightpoint buck shot quartering towards me at 40 yards. The bullet destroyed the on side shoulder and exited behind the off side shoulder. The buck ran 20 yards leaving a heavy blood trail.
The third was a 140 lb doe shot at 40 yards broadside. The shot was through the shoulders and the deer colapsed.
The .358 Winchester is so often overlooked but is such a wonderful cartridge. I don't think I'll ever be without one.Tell me your .358 stories !!!

Yeah the .358 is nice. I killed a nice little buck yesterday morning with mine on opening day of TN rifle season. He came slipping down a steep ridge and stopped before crossing a creekbed at about 40 yards. I could only see his neck and head but that was enough. He collapsed at the neck shot like he was lightning struck. I was using a bolt .358 Rem shooting Speer 220g flatpoints. I like the .35 Rem too but the .358 is super. The Whelan probably has more punch than I need. Plateau Hunter

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but is anyone still building this cartridge in a good bolt action?

Last day of deer season here in Tn. it was an anterless hunt -- the rifle is a Weatherby Vanguard with a 22' barrell - 2x7 Burris ( old first generation burris) anyway favorite whitetail bullet is 200 gr. Remington psp at 215 long steps dropped a 170 lbs doe bascially in her tracks-- have also used the 220 gr Speer and it is good too but for me 200 gr Remingtons.

I don't think anyone is making a bolt action in .358 Win just now. A while back I called Kimber and left a message that I would buy one in that cartridge. There was no response.

I really don't think there is much actual demand for it. We really get into personal and esoteric cartridges here which is a lot of fun. Some others come up for discussion like the .257 RR also but people just buy 25-06's and .308's in reality.

Savage - Not what I wanted to hear, but thanks.

I think NULA is building 358's still, but that's a semi-custom rifle. - Dan

I was browsing through USRACs website a couple of days ago, and found that they are now listing a Wincheshester M70 in .358 Win. The model is the M70 Custom Short Action. It is available in a number of short action cartridges, including the .358 and, believe it or not, the .450 Marlin. From my perspective, there are only two problems with this model. 1) They list a 24" barrel length; 2) recommended retail price is only $2708. Looks like I will have to make do with my Whelen. Cheers, Al

Goat

A couple of months ago i bought a brand new Browning "light weight" 81 in .358 win. When the guy at my local gun shop told me they had one, i could not resist.

Being that i just bought this rifle i did not have time to mount a scope(2.5 Leupold compact) and i have never taken a deer with open sights. Anyhow i still had to take her out this past Sunday morning, knowing full well that if something presented itself in the twilight i would be handi-capped.

Well wouldnt you know it, i bumped into Mr. Big, in the twilight, and could not get off a shot.Oh well, thats hunting, and its no fault of my BLR, just my own stupidity.

For next year i plan on handloading some 200gr Barnes X bullets, and using them on deer and black bear, they should prove to be very decisive and a lot cheaper than the 200gr silver tip factory load that goes anywhere from 30 to 35 bucks a box of 20! Good huntin'

I had one built on a model 70 action with a Shilen barrel. It's stainless and I have it stocked with a B&C stock. Shoots great! I've killed two deer with it. I haven't killed more because I have other rifles I like to use too!

Bob257

Goat,

I also built a .358 Winchester. For the less than 1/3 the price of a ULA or Custom shop Winchester.

I started with a Sako AII action, added a Shilen #3 barrel 22" long, a model 70 type 3 position safety, and a Brown Precision Kevlar Stock.

With Leupold 1.75x6 (pre-e), and Leupold Sako mounts, the whole package weighs in a 7lbs 3 oz.

I am now using Northfork 200 grain bullets, over RL-12, in new WW cases. This is a new load for me (having switched from Barnes 200 grain X's), and have shot no game with the new combination as yet.

Here's the pictures of my rig:





Bob

[ 11-25-2003, 20:04: Message edited by: Shadow ]

Damn Shadow, that is a really nice tree stand!

You folks know I'm a .358 fan and use it for bear, hogs and such. I've never had a bolt .358, but it would be nice. Find a rifle you like in .308 and have it rebored. To my mind it belongs in a lever gun. I had one done on a Win 88 rebored to .358, great rifle, I've also owned some savage 99"s in .358 and two Browning BLR's if you shop around it's not hard to get one. The Win 88 and Browning Blr would take any handload you put in it. I use 200 grn hornadys for deer and standard .250 speers for bear (20 + bear todate)YOU DO NOT need premium bullets in a .358 !

my 358 is a rebored remington 760 carbine. nothing much to tell, deer don't like it but i do.

I shot my second largest deer to date with my 358 this year. Mine is a small ring mexican mauser with a 20 inch tube, and a very nice piece of wood. This year I mounted a leopold 3-9 vx11 on it for deer (the nicon 2-7 went crazy) and with a load of BL-C(2) and a sierra 225gr I stopped the big boy at about 30 yards running. One shot behind the sholders and it fell over and skidded on its side for about 10yds. The only faster way to put it down would have been if a tree stopped it before it went the 10yds. The 35's are great!

I heard recently that Winchester discontinued
the short action custom guns.

.358

Of course you do not need premium bullets in a .358 or any cartridge for that matter.Using a premium bullet will simplify things greatly, why load two bullet weights for two differnt animals? A 200gr Barnes X will allow me to hunt deer and bear with the same load, lighter recoil, and the ability to know my trajectory well.I would rather keep things simple and use one load for all my hunting needs, and the .358win with the Barnes X should prove to be a great combo, just like the .358 and my BLR.

Shadow, nice rifle! Try 47grs of the newer RL-10x under your 200gr North Forks. Five shot one hole groups @ 2605 AV are common from my 20in. barrel @ 50yds! Start at 46grs if you wish! ED,

I agree that RL 10 is an interesting powder for the .358 Win. I shoot the 180 Speers and 48.5 grs gives 2700 plus fps out of a 22" bbl 99 with easy pressures using 30-06 military brass.

I have a M77 here to tune up for a friend and so far it likes that load also. The 77 is quite strong of course and after the game season I hope to work up a load with some more power for him. It shot 1.1" to 1.7" at 100 yds. Too bad the scope is only a 4X Leu. It's hard to aim it with that scope.

Just get a M98 with a good 8x57 barrel cut it to 21", and go hunting. No need for a .358win, if you need more power than a 8x57, use a 35 Whelen barrel on the Mauser.

Shadow

I noticed that you said you used to load 200gr X bullets, did you shoot any game with em? Just curious, im sure youre getting less copper fouling with the NF i was thinking about it but it is expensive.Thanks

i have a couple 3-5-8s...
saveg99-358... a truer carbine never existed... its taken many a grown man's first animal, countless pigs, and several whitetails, rams, and exoctics...

mexican mauser i redid to 358...
douglas #2 barrel (soda straw)
colt ultralight stock (and lots of bedding)
bold trigger (only time that trigger worked right)
winchester take off sights
remington copy bolt handle
qd scope rings
weaver 2.5X german post style...
i did the camo job on the U G L Y but light stock

scope and all... 7.25# this one has been a friend

the first gun *I* built.... 1903a3 rebarreled to 358, #5 douglas barrel, (back when i thought a 358 was a big gun), richards' microfit stock, . this thing has a 1x10 twist, built for 225 barnes, and is deadly accurate. it's a no s*it 1/2 moa gun. I need to reblue it and put sights on it!!!

jeffe

Years ago I seem to remember Norma publishing data that suggested that the 358 Win would be OK in the SMLE - nice slick action, one the models (MkIV) is already produced in 308 (i think). Why not use one of these? Would make for one heck a rugged, fast shooting rifle!

Shadow
That is one sweet looking rig!

Rimshot
Blue Collar Shooter Magazine

I have used a BLR in 358 Win for years, my favorite load was Norma 200 SP that is no longer avaiable, now I use IMR 4320 and Sierra 225 BT that seem to be good combination in the Browning Lever.

Pecos- Ruger chambered its M77 in 358 for a short time. I saw one advertised on GunsAmerica a short time ago and almost bought it as my rilfels are Pre 64 FWT M70's and I would hate to loose one in transit. The 358 makes a great Elk,Deer,Bear,Moose gun.

The RL 10x load is interesting-- i have never seen any listings for it and the .358 win. -- it is similar to one I have used of 46 gr of 2015 with a WWLR primer/ velocity is 2615 out of my 22" barrel and will gave me a 3.5" three shot triangle at 200 yards from a rest of course--oh yeah bullet was a 200 gr. Remington -- any more info on the RL 10 x?
Also I think what was written is right/ there is no real demand for the .358 win -- being a good round, and an effective round is not enough/ which is not so good but that is the way it is-- I rarely meet another hunter/ shooter who even knows what it is.

From what I have seen so far RL 10 has about the same or maybe a little faster burning rate than IMR 3031 in a .358 Win with 180 and 200 gr bullets however it's grains are smaller so more will go in a case.

I seat the 180 gr Speer flat nose way out. The neck does hold it tight however and there is nominal runout.

Josh, Your 46grs. of 2015 is a good load. Try the North Fork bullet on it! I would not be surprised if you cut your groups in half, thats how accurate the North Forks are! IMHO! Start at 45grs. if you wish.

Savage 99, RL-10x is a little slower then IMR 3031, not faster! ALLIANT told me it has the same burn rate as H 322 ! This should put N 201 in front of it, and RAMSHOT X-TERMINATOR after it! I like clean burning powders! I`ll try X-TERMINATOR next! Can`t wait for the bean counters to wise up! also TAC works great in the 358 !

ELB I do not think I can shoot that good --might get around 2 it to try though-- I have a group from when my Weatherbye Vanguard was bedded in its present wood stock that has three in one hole and two off to one side - the 358 is as accurate as its setting it does come from the accurate 308 mine also shot the 275 Hornady so well that one guy at the range said " you could hunt ground hogs with that" Speer's 250 and Seirra's 225gr btsp have also shot very well--powders that have served well are H335, BlC#2, 748 and 2015 and 2230 also/ really like 748 good to great accuracy

I am hunting this year with a Remington model 7 that I had rebarrelled to .358 Win by Montana Rifleman. Lone Wolf did the stock work and I mounted a Leupold 2.5 compact in light gentry rings. The weight came out to just about 6 pounds, ready to hunt, and it shoots better than I ever imagined it could. The guys that I hunt with have proclaimed it "ballistically inferior" but mostly I think they intimidated by anything that recoils that hard. Anyhow, 46 grains of N135 with 250 grain Hornady spire points gives me a 2325 fps and is scary accurate. "Ballistically inferior" or not, there are some deer here in central PA that really hate that rifle.

[ 12-04-2003, 07:10: Message edited by: dougw1969 ]

Doug, Ballistically inferior to what? The 180/200gr bullets will hammer deer like lightning, and are pleasant to shoot! You have to see it to believe it! In a sweet little 7 lb. rifle, I would save the 250`s for the big stuff before I developed a flinch!Ed,

I will be attaching a 358 win barrel to my savage 10 fcm later next year. Will post later after I am done.

Ranb

You guys have to stop all this praise for the .358.I have been wanting one desperately for almost a year.I can't stand it any longer,I'm going to order a Pac-Nor barrel and get to it.Next fall the deer,elk and antelope are in big trouble.

Savage 99: You mentioned in your post that you are loading the 180 gr. Speer FN way out. What is the overall length of the cartridge as you load it? I have been using the 2.68" that Speer recommends in their manual and it shoots well in my BLR (47.0 gr of 3031)but it sure seems like there isn't a whole lot of bullet within the case.

pagris,

The LOA is 2.65" with the .765" long 180 gr Speer bullet. since a trimmed case is about 2.10" long that means that the bullet is about .215" into the neck. I checked the runout and it's .003" which is very good.

I had never looked at the suggested COL that Speer suggest. I just came upon 2.65". Before that I seated them much deeper. Perhaps I should read the manuals more? The bottom line is that RL 10 and that bullet really shoot in a 358.

My'99 in .358 did a splendid job on two whitetails this year. Good sized hole going in and looks like a silver dollar going out. Rem. 200 gr protected point, LC 95 brass, 44.5 gr Varget, Wlr Primer @ approx. 2365 FPS. Works so well I didn't work it up to higher velocity. Watched for pigs but didn't even see a track. Guess old "Bessie Ann" will have to wait for a porcine adventure. Keep that 358 alive, boys. Its a great cartridge. Packrattusnongratus.

I had a good used 308 in the Ruger RSI manlicher and rebarreled it to a .358 some years ago and it was a splinded little rifle, but someone wanted it more than I and it went down the road...It worked well on deer as it would of course but the .308 worked well also, so I doubt if the conversion was worth the expense I went to. It was cute....

I have had several M-99 Savages in that caliber and they suited me well for brush hunting, but again I decided the 308 and 284 worked just as well and had a lot flatter trajectory for the longer shots...

It is a nice caliber for deer in the woods.

A friend of mine invited me down to the Texas hill country a couple of weeks ago to go hunting. Just for fun, I took my .358 Win., and I can report that it will certainly tip over hill country Whitetails. CP.