358 winchester

B

Boogershooter

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I currently love to shoot hogs around the farm with my 338 federal and 35 whelen. They both have a great thump and DRT factor. My question is: does anybody have experience with theach 358 on hogs and deer? Should fit right in the middle of my two favorites and a good reason for new rifle. What rifles are currently chambered for this round?
 
The 358 is a great cartridge but doesn't offer anything that you don't already get from the 338 or 35 whelan.

The only factory rifle chambered for the 358 that I can think of is the Browning BLR.
 
Talk about splitting some mighty fine hairs. No animal will ever notice the difference with any of the 3. Or any of at least a dozen others from 308 up to 338 WM. Pick one that makes you happy and go hunting.
 
The 358 is a great cartridge but doesn't offer anything that you don't already get from the 338 or 35 whelan.
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Except unlike .338 and 35 Whelan, it was offered in a woods handy lever-action and I think an auto at one time.
 
Not trying to really gain anything as far as performance, just trying to convince myself to buy another rifle. All it takes for me is one good story. Greatest thing since sliced bread and peanut butter kind of stories. I found a guy here that has one so hopefully he will ride over this weekend and we'll try it out on some big gongs.
 
option

Always been facinated with the cartridge myself, but have never owned a rifle so chambered.

One option I have entertained, which does not necessarily involve buying a new gun, (provided one has the Savage to start with) would be to rebarrel a Savage 110. Or, to have a .358 barrel available to swap on and off a 110.

A used 110, pretty common, could provide a starting point.

There is an outfit that sells said barrels, though the name escapes me just now.
 
The .358 Win will be a reloading thing only for the most part. Midway(out of stock, no back order. No brass either.), Grafs(brass. No ammo) and Cabela's(back order 200 grain ammo. No brass.) show Hornady(Production is temporarily suspended according to their site) as the only maker other than Buffalo Bore(225 grain only from Midway).
Isn't listed by Winchester Ammo at all.
MSRP on the BLR is a tick over a grand.
"...trying to convince myself to..." "I want one." is a reason. Just not a .358 Win.
 
My .358 is on a rebarreled Rem 78 and it's a super rifle. I have only used it for whitetails and the performance leaves nothing wanting. Speer 220g flat points are my preferred bullet and they result in bang flops most of the time.
 
Had my lgs call all the wholesalers he deals wit this morning. Only rifles he could find is the BLR's. Not interested in them. I will find a good used one eventually. I can start stocking up on ammo in the mean time. Maybe even have another caliber blow my shorts up before then.
 
I like the idea of the .358 Win, owned on in a Savage 99 for awhile. However, you have a .338 Fed and there is no discernible difference between it and the .358 Win. If you add a .358 you might as well go big and add the Norma Mag and launch bullets with authority.

Re. FrankenMauser

Ruger also had it in their Frontier rifle that could be set up with a scout scope.
 
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Ruger chambered the M77 Hawkeye in .358 Winchester. Quite a few were still in distributor inventory even just a year or two ago.
Crankylove owns one, and uses it as his primary rifle for Elk. It's more than enough for Elk-sized game, so I wouldn't hesitate to punch some hogs.


Winchester runs ammunition and brass about once a year. They don't list it because it isn't a regular production item. It's a "seasonal run" or "as needed" item.
Last time I talked to a Winchester (Olin) rep about production run requirements, they needed orders for at least 125,000 rounds of ammunition; or at least 100,000 rounds of ammunition combined with at least 50,000 pieces of component brass.

But, with the market the way that it is... Unpopular, obscure, and low margin products are not going to be a priority, whether or not they have enough backorders.
 
I have quite a few rifles including the 338 winmag for elk. Only do that every few years. Hogs on the other hand are a constant problem and I get a real good idea of how certain bullets perform. Hogs are basically my guinea pigs. Great practice for testing deer rifles but some will disagree with me but deer seem to have much more will to live than hogs.
 
358 has the energy for long distance shooting out to 300 yards or so but trajectory must be calculated. I'm not clear as to why the middle bores have been largely ignored by majority of North American buyers. The middle bores have a lot going for them.

Last time I checked Browning still builds its BLR levergun for the 358.

Jack
 
The only factory rifle chambered for the 358 that I can think of is the Browning BLR
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I like mine alot

I was very hesitant to buy a calibre without much storebought ammo for me

(luckily I got handloads in my buy to last me a while)

I stuck a vortex reddot on it and of I went.

the thump is not harsh, it carries so well, I shoot with a smile on my face

no discernable difference in drt/stopping power vs my tikka in 9,3x62

strictly a shortdistance hunting with the dog or driven game at maximum 100meters for me so I don't have to think about trajectory

I like my tikkas aswell but my blr is more a proper rifle somehow
 
.358Winny

The closest I have is a Contender (19 inch bbl) in .358 Bellm which is extremely similar to the Winchester round and uses the same dies (running .444 Marlin shells through them).

I have found the 358 Bellm devastating on big hogs as I am certain the .358 Winny is, too.

If you reload, even more fun.

Hey, it's still another gun to have.
 
Crankylove owns one, and uses it as his primary rifle for Elk.
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My .358 has dropped Elk and Antelooe just fine.

Not as flat, or as fast, as my .270 or '06, but it does just fine out to 250 yards or so. Most of the areas I hunt with it (mostly Utah's Wasatch/Uintah mtns) are 100-250 yard shots, so the shorter range, compared to other cartridges, has never been an issue.

I looked at the BLR several times, but went with the Ruger Hawkeye, cause, I like Rugers (a lot), and it was about $300 cheaper.

I've never shot factory ammo, cause I'm too cheap, and it isn't very common in my area. My standard load is a 250 grain Hot-Kor over 45.5 grains of W748, for about 2,225ish fps. I've loaded 200's and 225's, but not very often. If want a lighter bullet than the 250, I go to the '06 with 180's.

I wanted a large diameter, heavy bullet, without the recoil of a "magnum", and I've not regretted my choice.
 
My main Deer rifle is the Browning BLR in 358.
It handles like a dream. Its short, well balanced, compact and has stopped many Deer in their tracks with one shot.
I have a 1-5 Leupold on it that is fast to pickup a target. Factory ammo Win. 200Gr. silvertip will shoot 1 1/4" all day at 100 Yds. I believe it has a mild kick compared to the others mentioned. I am a handloader and I am in the process of loading for it. I have plenty of spent cases so that isn't a issue. I have Redding dies and They make dies to form 358 Win. from 308 so cases aren't a issue at all. My preference is the 200 Gr. bullet for the superior ballistics for Michigan.

The best story I can give you for power is. I was In the open hardwoods of Michigan's UP looking down 100> Yds. into the dark swamp. When a big buck came walking out into the open light. As he was trailing a doe with his head down. He stopped for a moment in the cedars and I took the shot. He stumbled around and disappeared in the darkness. When I went down to get him all I could find was a small spot of blood behind one of the 12" cidars. I eventually found a bullet hole right through the neck (center of the cedar). I found the buck with a neck shot. The bucks neck was behind the tree. Real good penetration and accurate. That's more than I can say for my eyes.
 
Cool thing about owning a .358 Winchester is, if you also own a .243 Winchester and a .308 Winchester, you can run all three guns on the same
.308 Winchester brass. All FOUR guns if you own a 7mm-08. LOTS more economical to reload for, than their 30-06 based counterparts.
 
Cool thing about owning a .358 Winchester is, if you also own a .243 Winchester and a .308 Winchester, you can run all three guns on the same
.308 Winchester brass. All FOUR guns if you own a 7mm-08.
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True, but you get the dreaded "donut" when necking up to .35 caliber, and you will often have to inside-ream or outside-turn the necks when necking down to .243.
 
A cheap but very good entry to the 358 is to buy a 35 Rem CVA Hunter or Scout from Buds and have it rechambered to .358

Sometimes you can get the Hunter for right around $200.

The Hunter runs rings around the H&R handi rifles for accuracy and trigger.
 
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