What would you do with a 358 Winchester?

[clockwork_7mm_gator]

Gents,

Whether using factory ammo (200 from Hornady or Winchester or 225/250 from BuffaloBore) or your own load, I'm curious what folks have done or would do with a 358 Winchester in Africa.

Thanks y'all.

 

[USMA84DAB]

Slay all plains game on my wish list! Sweat a little less carrying 1/2" less action steel. I would put Barnes TSXs in the loads, get it chronographed so I could get the CDS knob from Leupold for my 1-6x24, or 2-10x42 and Bob's your uncle! I guess I would flinch a bit less than if I used a .375 or .416 as well. I built an AR-10 in .358WIN for use on deer here in MO - it is staggering how much damage the Barnes 200gr does to chest cavities.

 

[coreydb]

The .358 is a "one and done" caliber for every PG animal up to the DG variety.

 

[clockwork_7mm_gator]

If allowed, would you shoot a cat or anything dangerous with it? It seems capable but I'm also not the one who has to follow a wounded leopard into thick brush!

 

[steve white]

Cajunchefray could tell you all about the 358--it just punches above its weight, if you are not really stretching distances. BobNelson35Whelen could school you on it as well. It is an unsung hero.
Look up the thread "Why no love for the 358?"

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have used 35s in the US. They work.

I think I would keep it simple and use the 200 grain TSX in the 358 to take any plains game animal. It would be about perfect for leopard as well.

 

[1dirthawker]

ehhhhh,

i'd sell it and buy a 458 winchester!

 

[Ray B]

A bulletmaker friend of mine and his family used .35" almost exclusively for hunting elk. Depending on terrain and the expected distance for a shot the choice was 358 Win if less than 200 yards- if more they used 358 Norma. But 90% of the time they left camp with the Win- most often in Model 88s.

 

[CBH Australia]

Book a cull hunt for Warthogs.

I have not handled the .358 Winchester but I know what it is. I’m sure it’s good for hunting hogs on any continent and probably plains game as well.

 

[BFaucett]

Gents,

Whether using factory ammo (200 from Hornady or Winchester or 225/250 from BuffaloBore) or your own load, I'm curious what folks have done or would do with a 358 Winchester in Africa.

Thanks y'all.

I'd bet pretty much the same thing that people did with the 9x57 Mauser back in the day. Of course, we do have better bullets and powders available nowadays. (I've never used a 358 Win.)

Attached is a brief (2 page) article about the 9x57 Mauser. Excerpt:

The 9mm Mauser​

By Charlie Haley​

​

"The ballistics of the 9mm Mauser are somewhat confusing, as there were a number of bullet weights available and two distinctly different load levels. Bullet weights available ranged from 205 grains up to 281 grains, but the standard Kynoch loading (and the one which established this cartridge's reputation) was a 245-grain round-nosed bullet (available as a solid or a soft-nose) at 2150 feet per second. Other factory ammunition was loaded somewhat hotter, particularly the German DWM sporting ammunition, which offered a 247-grain bullet at an alleged 2310 feet per second. Under Zimbabwe's National Parks regulations the 9mm Mauser fits quite happily in the calibres suited for Class 'C' animals (general big game), which includes Kudu, Zebra, Sable, Waterbuck and the like."​

Unfortunately, the attached article isn't dated but my downloaded file is dated Jan 2010 (file properties).

Also:

Cartridge Board
9x57mm Mauser
column by: Gil Sengel
Handloader Magazine | August/September 2021
https://www.handloadermagazine.com/cartridge-board-12

Cheers! Bob F.

 

[clockwork_7mm_gator]

ehhhhh,

i'd sell it and buy a 458 winchester!

Booooooooooo.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Gents,

Whether using factory ammo (200 from Hornady or Winchester or 225/250 from BuffaloBore) or your own load, I'm curious what folks have done or would do with a 358 Winchester in Africa.

Thanks y'all.

Hunt any plains game short of eland with it.

 

[BeeMaa]

Rebarrel it to 308WIN for better ammo availability.

Because as an AH member, you should already own a 9.3 mm / .375 cal rifle suitable for DG that would have the 358WIN covered.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Gents,

Whether using factory ammo (200 from Hornady or Winchester or 225/250 from BuffaloBore) or your own load, I'm curious what folks have done or would do with a 358 Winchester in Africa.

Thanks y'all.

@clockwork_7mm_gator
Mate do anything you like up to eland with your 358 win
Load it properly and have fun.
@Rick HOlbert is the man in the know on all things 358. He took one loaded with 225gn Woodleigh rnsp and everything including sable fell to it and he never recovered a projectile. He also loves the 225gn north fork as both have the same poi.
Loaded to just over 2,500 fps it works well
Bob

 

[Rick HOlbert]

Gents,

Whether using factory ammo (200 from Hornady or Winchester or 225/250 from BuffaloBore) or your own load, I'm curious what folks have done or would do with a 358 Winchester in Africa.

Thanks y'all.

Well sir, I've used the 358 Win in Namibia to harvest everything up to BIG kudu. With a 225grn North Fork or Woodleigh 225grn RN Weldcore I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on an Eland Bull! At 110 yards shot my first Kudu bull. Bullet broke both shoulders and the spine and still exited on the off side. How much more horse power do you need? This is a round that punches way above its paper ballistics. I've since stopped using TSX's as that are so long they compress the powder too much though I never had a pressure problem or erratic ignition problems. With North Forks and Woodleigh bullets you get light compression with my preferred load using W748. Matter of fact I know a couple of guides in Alaska who use 358's for backup on Brown Bear to good results. Good bullets and good shot placement the 358 Win gets the job done.

 

[Rick HOlbert]

Rebarrel it to 308WIN for better ammo availability.

Because as an AH member, you should already own a 9.3 mm / .375 cal rifle suitable for DG that would have the 358WIN covered.

Keep the 358. You'll not regret it.

 

[BFaucett]

Just for comparison purposes, here's part of a spreadsheet (that I started way back in the 2000s) that lists the ballistics of what I consider to be classic rifle cartridges. (Rifle cartridges introduced prior to the year 1960.) I've fairly recently renewed my interest in hunting and shooting so I've updated some entries from 2025 ('25) ammunition sources. This is the .34 / .35 caliber section of the spreadsheet.

(Image size is 800x700 pixels.)

Cheers! Bob F.

 

[Rick HOlbert]

Just for comparison purposes, here's part of a spreadsheet (that I started way back in the 2000s) that lists the ballistics of what I consider to be classic rifle cartridges. (Rifle cartridges introduced prior to the year 1960.) I've fairly recently renewed my interest in hunting and shooting so I've updated some entries from 2025 ('25) ammunition sources. This is the .34 / .35 caliber section of the spreadsheet.


View attachment 725701
(Image size is 800x700 pixels.)

Cheers! Bob F.

Interesting info. With modern load data and powders available now you can safely push a 225grn pill faster than that 200grn factory load and the terminal performance has to be seen to believe.

 

[BFaucett]

Interesting info. With modern load data and powders available now you can safely push a 225grn pill faster than that 200grn factory load and the terminal performance has to be seen to believe.

If the .358 Win can push a 225 gr bullet at around 2500 fps or better then it wouldn't be too far behind the original ballistics of the .350 Rigby Magnum which fired a 225 gr (.358") bullet at a listed 2625 fps (Kynoch factory specs; see my chart above). And the .350 Rigby was considered to be a fine cartridge back in the day judging by what I've read about it.

A couple of examples:

Behind the Bullet: .350 Rigby Magnum​

by Philip Massaro, posted on November 17, 2021​

NRA American Hunter​

https://www.americanhunter.org/content/behind-the-bullet-350-rigby-magnum/​

​

Rigby’s .350 Magnum – A Nostalgic Trip Down Memory Lane​

by Robin Hurt​

August 13, 2021 | SCI​

https://safariclub.org/rigbys-350-magnum-a-nostalgic-trip-down-memory-lane/​

Just my ramblings and musings. . . Cheers! Bob F.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hunt any plains game short of eland with it.

I've never shot, or even seen, a .358 Win, but if Hunter-Habib says it I will believe it! At least when it comes to guns and hunting.