.358 questions

[ewhitehouse]

I have read about 95 post on here about the great .358 debate. All I know now is that I am more confused than when I started.
What im trying to figure out is which version will be best for me. I hunt open field lines. 2-300 yards distances. I dont need to shoot 300 yards but just for playing around and bench shooting that would be fun.
I dont know what donor gun to start with that will be the best for this project. I really want to get into a wildcat round mainly for the fun I have with reloading but I also want a good rifle I can kill a deer with from 50-250 yards.
Sorry for asking all the obvious questions that I am sure that im looking over but I just keep getting more and more confused.
Thanks. E

 

[Matt52]

I have read about 95 post on here about the great .358 debate. All I know now is that I am more confused than when I started.
What im trying to figure out is which version will be best for me. I hunt open field lines. 2-300 yards distances. I dont need to shoot 300 yards but just for playing around and bench shooting that would be fun.
I dont know what donor gun to start with that will be the best for this project. I really want to get into a wildcat round mainly for the fun I have with reloading but I also want a good rifle I can kill a deer with from 50-250 yards.
Sorry for asking all the obvious questions that I am sure that im looking over but I just keep getting more and more confused.
Thanks. E

Im pretty much in the same boat but since I have an encore rifle already I think the best choice would be to get a barrel in 358 hoosier for it. It also seems to be the easiet to reload too. Just run 358 winchester into the 358 hoosier dies set the shoulder back and trim it to length from what I understand thats probably the route Ill take.

 

[kludge]

Out to 200 yards I think there are three good options... 1) the .35 Remington Short... it seems to me this would work best in single shot rifles (like a T/C Encore). I would imagine there are probably a few who are trying this in a lever gun. Hardly a wildcat though. Easy and cheap. 2) the .357 Maximum... also in single shot rifles, not a wildcat at all, but with a 24" barrel the Max is another easy and cheap option. 3) the .358 Gremlin. For this one you could start with a bolt action Ruger, Savage, or CZ chambered for 7.62x39mm. These all run about 2100-2300fps with 180-200gr bullets.

Out to 250 yards the best option, IMO, is the .358/.25 WSSM (2500fps+ with a 200gr bullet), which can go by other names too, .358 BFG, .350 Indy. These have the same case capacity as the .358 Winchester. Find a WSSM action (Winchester Model 70 or Browning) to use as a donor rifle, or any bolt action that is chambered for a WSM cartridge. Slighy behind this would be the .358 Hoosier which is a .358 Winchester shortened to 1.8". This can use any short action rifle that started life as a .243 Win, 7mm-08, or .308 Win (and others, but those will be the easiest to find). With these two there is plenty of energy for deer hunting beyond 250 yards, the problem is that bullet drop starts coming onto play. Sighted for 200 yards, you're going to be about a foot low at 300 yards. Also at that range bullet performance, due to reduced velocity, will start coming into play. I personally believe that the .358 WSSM is adequate elk to at least 200 yards and probably 250 yards.

Beyond 250 yards there are the 1.8" cartridges based on the WSM case I guess the "generic" name for these would be the .358 WSM 1.8". From first reports these are meeting and surpassing the .35 Whelen in performance (2800-2900fps from a 200gr bullet). And I don't think that you would get much argument to say that this is a legitimate 300 yard elk cartridge, perhaps more. You will need a donor rifle chambered in a WSM cartridge. I imagine there may also be wildcats based on the SAUM or the RCM as well, with similar ballistics.

 

[UncleNorby]

If you can live with being about 5" high at 100 yds, the 358 Hoosier, with a 200 gr Hornady pointed soft point at 2500 fps, will be about 4.5" high at 200, zero at 250 and about 8" low at 300. About 1000 fp energy is retained at 300, so it should be adequate for deer, but I don't know how the bullet will act at around 1500 fps velocity.

I'm going with a 180 gr bullet at about 2500-2550 fps, sighted a bit high at 100. I don't really have shot opportunities past 150.

Next bullet I'll try is the 200 gr Hornady, and with a 175 yd zero it should be about 2" high at 100 and 2" low at 200.

 

[kludge]

There's no reason that a properly built rifle won't go sub-MOA with a properly tuned load.