What would you do with a 358 Winchester?

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@vpsalin
A225gn Woodleigh RNSP would work just as well and cheaper.
Bob

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Bob, they may work just as well but, they're certainly not cheaper. Raven Rocks lists the Woodleigh at $96 per 50 while Midway lists the Barnes at $48.59 per 50.
I have to wonder if the Speer 250 @ 2350 fps wouldn't work just fine?

7x57Joe said:

Bob, they may work just as well but, they're certainly not cheaper. Raven Rocks lists the Woodleigh at $96 per 50 while Midway lists the Barnes at $48.59 per 50.
I have to wonder if the Speer 250 @ 2350 fps wouldn't work just fine?

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The Speer 250 grain bullets are what I use in my Whelen. I have not had a pig or goat complain about them not working.

TOBY458 said:

I’ve always heard that something short, going just as fast as something long, has the same effect. At least that’s what your girlfriend told me. LOL!

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@TOBY458
And what girlfriend was that?
Aime say short and fat is where it's at
Others say long and thin gets it in
Personal preference
But what about long and fat???
Bob

Rule 303 said:

The Speer 250 grain bullets are what I use in my Whelen. I have not had a pig or goat complain about them not working.

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@Rule 303
Speer is now seare than Woodleigh in Australia
I scored a couple of hundred Hornady 250gn spire point interlocks for $66/100 and a couple of hundred Hornady 250 RNSP for the same price.
The ATOMIC 29s are a great bullet at a reasonable price as well.
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Rule 303
Speer is now seare than Woodleigh in Australia
I scored a couple of hundred Hornady 250gn spire point interlocks for $66/100 and a couple of hundred Hornady 250 RNSP for the same price.
The ATOMIC 29s are a great bullet at a reasonable price as well.
Bob

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I have a good supply of the Speers and yes the Atomic 29 work very well indeed.

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@TOBY458
And what girlfriend was that?
Aime say short and fat is where it's at
Others say long and thin gets it in
Personal preference
But what about long and fat???
Bob

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Long AND fat has far too much recoil for most female shooters.

The 358 winchester was my first scope eye ! . I love that caliber!!!

bimbo said:

I agree in full .

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It’s hard to disagree with someone who is so devoted to the .35’s . I couldn’t argue with even if has wrong. He is a true believer.

Rick HOlbert said:

BF, I'm getting 2510-2520fps with 225grn bullets in my 358 Win. No pressure signs, easy 1 finger bolt lift and extraction. I tried Varget when doing load development and got good velocity and accuracy but, when I tried W748 I got slightly better velocity and 1 hole accuracy. That's my go to load for my rifle. That cartridge punches way above it's paper ballistics.

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W748 is my go-to for 225gr (Nosler Accubond) as well. Gives 2500 fps from a 20" barrel (loaded to 308win/338fed pressure). Wife has used 358 on two safaris in Namibia and RSA and taken a pile of critters from 50 to 300+ yards, all in one shot - Kudu, Oryx, Nyala, RHB, Zebra, Wildebeest, etc. I'm sure it would be fine on Eland.

Not forgetting the title of this thread, what I would do is kill ANYTHING short of thick skinned DG at under 200 yds.

steve white said:

Not forgetting the title of this thread, what I would do is kill ANYTHING short of thick skinned DG at under 200 yds.

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Agree, except you can nearly double that distance, which pretty much has you covered for any PG hunting in Africa.

This cartridge gets pigeonholed as a "short range woods cartridge" but it's so much more capable. Ditch the RN and FP bullets. Load up a 225 Accubond or Partition with 0.43 or 0.421 G1. Even from the short 20" barrel, ISA conditions, downrange energy is >1500 ft/lbs @ 400yds. Impact velocity dips just below 1800fps at that distance, so you'd need to limit to 375yds to stay above at standard sea level, 59F. Time of flight crosses that 1/2 second mark at 375yds as well, which is another metric that should be considered in the "should I take this longer shot" decision. You shouldn't be taking long shots in difficult wind conditions. At 300yds with 10mph x-wind you're dealing with about 9" of deflection, and at 400 that becomes 16". If you like to sight in for MPBR, you can have a +/- 3" POI out to 250 yards.


Of course a 30 cal magnum will be better at longer ranges and easier to make accurate hits with its faster, more aerodynamic projectile. I'd argue that at the ranges that most hunting occurs in most of Africa however, the larger diameter heavier 35 cal bullet has the edge. I say this as someone who used both a 300 win mag and 358 win side by side, hunting 2x1, shooting the same animals at roughly the same distances (Kudu, Oryx, Zebra) in Namibia.

Rimshot said:

Agree, except you can nearly double that distance, which pretty much has you covered for any PG hunting in Africa.

This cartridge gets pigeonholed as a "short range woods cartridge" but it's so much more capable. Ditch the RN and FP bullets. Load up a 225 Accubond or Partition with 0.43 or 0.421 G1. Even from the short 20" barrel, ISA conditions, downrange energy is >1500 ft/lbs @ 400yds. Impact velocity dips just below 1800fps at that distance, so you'd need to limit to 375yds to stay above at standard sea level, 59F. Time of flight crosses that 1/2 second mark at 375yds as well, which is another metric that should be considered in the "should I take this longer shot" decision. You shouldn't be taking long shots @

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Rimshot said:

in difficult wind conditions. At 300yds with 10mph x-wind you're dealing with about 9" of deflection, and at 400 that becomes 16". If you like to sight in for MPBR, you can have a +/- 3" POI out to 250 yards.

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Of course a 30 cal magnum will be better at longer ranges and easier to make accurate hits with its faster, more aerodynamic projectile. I'd argue that at the ranges that most hunting occurs in most of Africa however, the larger diameter heavier 35 cal bullet has the edge. I say this as someone who used both a 300 win mag and 358 win side by side, hunting 2x1, shooting the same animals at roughly the same distances (Kudu, Oryx, Zebra) in Namibia.

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@Rimshot
That good ol southern boy @Rick HOlbert has successfully taken a lot of pg with his 358.
On his last trip he used 225gn Woodleigh rnsp and noticed a big difference in killing effect .
Fortunately the Woodleigh and northforks have the same poi.
Bob

Use it on Deer etc under 150 yards.

TerryBlauwkamp said:

Use it on Deer etc under 150 yards.

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@TerryBlauwkamp
At a 150 yards the 358 is just warming up.
With the right projectiles like the 225 accubond, Woodleigh or Sierra btspgk it's an easy 300 yard cartridge.
Even with a 225 RNSP 200 is easy achieved.
Bob

Bought my BLR in 358 after a too close encounter with a very large wild boar. Got me hooked on 35 caliber. Now have 35 rem in 336 marlin, Mannlicher Schoenauer in 9x56, Remington 750 in 35 Whelen, haven’t had to shoot anything twice with any of them.

MS 9x56 said:

Bought my BLR in 358 after a too close encounter with a very large wild boar. Got me hooked on 35 caliber. Now have 35 rem in 336 marlin, Mannlicher Schoenauer in 9x56, Remington 750 in 35 Whelen, haven’t had to shoot anything twice with any of them.

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Come to think of it, I've never shot anything twice with my .358s.... except paper!

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@TerryBlauwkamp
At a 150 yards the 358 is just warming up.
With the right projectiles like the 225 accubond, Woodleigh or Sierra btspgk it's an easy 300 yard cartridge.
Even with a 225 RNSP 200 is easy achieved.
Bob

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Very true.

I just got a like new savage 99 brush rifle in 358 win .I have not shot it yet but I got dies and bullets with it .I didnt want to start a new caliber but this one followed me home .

358 Winchester is one of my favorite cartridges. Guided bear hunters for 14 years a Ruger 77 in 358 Winchester was one of the camp rifles. Alway ready for the next hunter, alway one shot and done.
Only time I had a problem was around 2010 got low on Hornady 200 gr. SP and picked some up to reload some cartridges. First hunt of the year had a gentlemen shoot a 300 lb. bear at 80 yards, bear didn't go far but a broad side behing the shoulder in the ribs shot didn't exit. Infact what I could find weighed just under 80 gr. and fragments never hitting the far lung. I pulled that gun and ammo from use. Shooting several rounds into wet stacked news paper was shocking very little penetration and the bullet came apart like a varmit bullet. I was very disappointed and pulled all the bullets. I changed to Cutting Edge Bullets 160 gr. Raptor, was the best change I could make bullets that alway exited massive internal destruction, plus bears that were ....DRT....no tracking.
One other thing I did was used large magnum primers it didn't raise pressure but increased velosities. John Barsness did the very same thing to improve the 358 Winchester.

coyote wacker said:

358 Winchester is one of my favorite cartridges. Guided bear hunters for 14 years a Ruger 77 in 358 Winchester was one of the camp rifles. Alway ready for the next hunter, alway one shot and done.
Only time I had a problem was around 2010 got low on Hornady 200 gr. SP and picked some up to reload some cartridges. First hunt of the year had a gentlemen shoot a 300 lb. bear at 80 yards, bear didn't go far but a broad side behing the shoulder in the ribs shot didn't exit. Infact what I could find weighed just under 80 gr. and fragments never hitting the far lung. I pulled that gun and ammo from use. Shooting several rounds into wet stacked news paper was shocking very little penetration and the bullet came apart like a varmit bullet. I was very disappointed and pulled all the bullets. I changed to Cutting Edge Bullets 160 gr. Raptor, was the best change I could make bullets that alway exited massive internal destruction, plus bears that were ....DRT....no tracking.
One other thing I did was used large magnum primers it didn't raise pressure but increased velosities. John Barsness did the very same thing to improve the 358 Winchester.

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About what I'd expect with the Hornady bullet. I use 200 & 225grn North Forks and 225grn Woodleigh RN Weldcores and have yet to recover a bullet. Wound channel is huge and extreme penetration is assured. The 200grn NF semi Spitzer shoots length wise through a 150lbs deer. Makes dressing out the deer messy but, they go straight down. I've taken plenty of African plains game with the 358 using 225grn bullets and have no reservations about the 358.