358 Win project

[aarolar]

I have a Rem 700 in 243 that I plan to convert to 358 Win but I'm wondering about my options here. One of the plans for this rifle is an elk trip coming up in the next few years, right now it has a 18" tube but I have a 22" tube I've had just lying around that I was gonna do in a 243 AI that never panned out. Would switching to the 22" tube help get any extra range out of a 358 Win or should I stick with the 18" for compactness?

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[Harter66]

I built a 22” 358 on a Santa Barbara 98 .
I feel , personally , that the gains are worth the extra bbl length in this particular case. I would have rather had a 9x57 but the stars didn't line up for me . There are several bullets that will make the 358 a 300 yd rifle and there's no problems with it at 200 with about any bullet you might select .

With that being said. What are your expectations for the hunt ? Open country or dark woods . Truck/quad or pack in . If you pack in , on foot or horse . Based on my limited elk country experience you'll get 2 shots long or or in your lap . With that I would recommend the longer bbl an pay the feet and whatever else at the end of every day in the field .

I didn't find a load with 2 suggested powders and went with a rather marginal powder for the cartridge and hit paydirt instantly . The 35-250 RCBS clocked 2150 fps and shot a group of 4 touching opening to an inch and a half which I'm blaming a lost GC on ,the loads also blissfully blow through 1/4 " crs at 100 yd. I wish I had a pig report but that didn't work out either .

In normal use of nominal loads 21" is about the apex of a 308 family cartridge , meaning that there is neither any gain for more bbl nor loss for fast lighter loads .

[aarolar]

I built a 22” 358 on a Santa Barbara 98 .
I feel , personally , that the gains are worth the extra bbl length in this particular case. I would have rather had a 9x57 but the stars didn't line up for me . There are several bullets that will make the 358 a 300 yd rifle and there's no problems with it at 200 with about any bullet you might select .

With that being said. What are your expectations for the hunt ? Open country or dark woods . Truck/quad or pack in . If you pack in , on foot or horse . Based on my limited elk country experience you'll get 2 shots long or or in your lap . With that I would recommend the longer bbl an pay the feet and whatever else at the end of every day in the field .

I didn't find a load with 2 suggested powders and went with a rather marginal powder for the cartridge and hit paydirt instantly . The 35-250 RCBS clocked 2150 fps and shot a group of 4 touching opening to an inch and a half which I'm blaming a lost GC on ,the loads also blissfully blow through 1/4 " crs at 100 yd. I wish I had a pig report but that didn't work out either .

In normal use of nominal loads 21" is about the apex of a 308 family cartridge , meaning that there is neither any gain for more bbl nor loss for fast lighter loads .
Very good info thanks for that, as far as the hunt we don't know yet for sure we are still in the early stages of planning the trip. I do want to stretch the abilities of this cartridge as far as I can I have a 35 Rem for short range work this will be my long legs so to speak.

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[Texas by God]

As much as I love short barrels- go with the 22". A shorter one is just a hacksaw and crown away.

[Eamonn]

I would consider a moderator with could dictate a shorter barrel depending on the desired balance.

[warf73]

Use the 22" barrel you have, worst case you can cut it down and crown it.

[ironhead7544]

You will probably pick up about 100 fps with the 22 incher.

I dont see much problem with the longer barrel for a big game rifle.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

My Marlin 1895, Marlin 444 and Savage 99 in 358 all have 22" barrels. All have shot bull elk in the timber in the last 5 years, all have been carried at altitudes above 9000 feet, all have been carried horseback in saddle scabbards. The 22" barrel is fine the way it is. Muzzle blast, muzzle flash and noise take a big jump from 22" to 18". I've used shorter, but 22" works well. I would not shorten. The extra barrel may be beneficial when shooting offhand or kneeling, adding a bit of weight to steady your hold.

[MarkP]

The 358 Win is very efficient you will not loose much velocity probably only 50-60 fps going from 22 to 18". Not enough to notice any measurable performance difference. I have 15" XP 100's, 20" & 22" 350 Rem mags, the measured difference in velocity between the 15" XP-100 and a 20" M SEVEN is 85 to 100 fps. This is with a 225 gr jacketed load near maximum pressure, comparatively the 358 Win's velocity loss would be less dramatic due to the smaller cartridge volume.

I love shorter bbl.'s when in the field. I really notice the difference elk hunting in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado between a 24" and a 20". Especially when climbing through timber. I see these guys on the hunting shows lugging around 9 lb rifles with 26" & 28" bbl.'s who evidently took the marketing propaganda as gospel.

Try this Powely Computer link:

http://kwk.us/powley.html

The results I have obtained using the calculator for my 350's and short 416 wildcat showed good correlation with actual chronograph measurements.

[358 Win]

I've got three .358 Win rifles, one with 18.5" barrel and two with 22" barrels. My 760 pump rechambered to .358 Win has the 18.5" barrel and velocity loss to the two with 22" barrels amounts to 80 fps with the exact same loads. My other two .358's are a custom Remington 700 and a Ruger Hawkeye, both with 22" barrels. To date I've killed 19 Whitetails with 18.5" 760 pump and one with the Remington 700. Only two deer killed were not bang flops. One was a 200 gr Spitzer from the 700 and 19 were 760 kills using 200 gr RN HDY or RP Core-Lokts, one of which ran for an additional 30 yards after being hit. If God made a better deer killer than the .358 Win he kept it for himself...

358 Win

[Toolmaker TN]

My current 358 is a Stevens 200 with a 22" rebored by JES. I couldn't be happier with it. He is a magician when it comes to barrel work, and a really nice guy to talk to as well.

[white eagle]

I bought a model 70 compact in 7-08 rem.
not happy with that I bought a custom barrel from Pac-Nor @21"
and it is now a 358 win
I have killed elk and deer easily with it
personally I would go with a 22 in barrel

[Norske]

According to Browning, my BLR 358 has a 20" barrel. But that's measuring from the bolt face. Measured from the front of the receiver, it's 19". It might make a difference if you ever want to take a rifle into Canada on a bear hunt. If I remember correctly, crossing the border requires a barrel length of 20" measured from the front of the receiver.

[Texas by God]

My JES .358 Rem 700 kept the 22" length of the original .243. I put period factory irons on & sighted them in @ 50yds. I put a Burris 6X on it as well. My first load with 200gr Sierra RN over IMR 4895 shot 3 in 3/4"@100yds. You will love it. Call JES.

[Kosh75287]

Just reading about this build is fun for me. I think the OP will end up with one very fine rifle, capable of easily downing anything on the North American continent.

[Texas by God]

I'm going to try some RCBS 200 gr fp and my jacketed loads tomorrow Lord willing. Best , Thomas.

[aarolar]

Just wanted to update this thread I packaged up my .243 this afternoon and the missus is going to send it off tomorrow. Talked to Jessie today and he said his turnaround time is one week and at worst two, gonna be like a kid waiting on christmas.[emoji14]

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[Uncle Grinch]

You're going to be very satisfied with JES and your 18" barrel. Don't fret!

[Texas by God]

Of course we expect pics. You will love that cartridge.

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[aarolar]

Of course we expect pics. You will love that cartridge.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TapatalkPics will follow but I probably wont get around to shooting it for another month its just too hot out there for shooting.

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[pietro]

.

I hope the muzzle O.D. of your .243 donor barrel is at least .610" - the minimum O.D. @ the muzzle for a barrel bored to .358" (.125" minimum barrel wall thickness x 2 + .358").

Over 45 years ago, P.O. Ackley re-bored a 19" barreled .243 Winchester Model 100 Carbine to .358 Win (plus a redux to the gas port) for me, that worked out terrifically.

Jes gives excellent work, and I know you'll be a happy camper ! :)


.

[aarolar]

.

I hope the muzzle O.D. of your .243 donor barrel is at least .610" - the minimum O.D. @ the muzzle for a barrel bored to .358" (.125" minimum barrel wall thickness x 2 + .358").

Ove 45 years ago, P.O. Ackley re-bored a 19" barreled .243 Winchester Model 100 Carbine to .358 Win (plus a redux to the gas port) for me, that worked out terrifically.

Jes gives excellent work !


.It was I checked that when I was researching, this project is 3 years in the making.

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[aarolar]

When I get my gun back do I need to shoot some jacketed bullets through it to smooth the bore out some or can I jump straight to cast.

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[oldblinddog]

Just shoot cast! Don't put copper in that barrel!

[Texas by God]

But you'll need a prarie dog load-
158 gr hp at 2500 fps with 45 grs of 3031. Dog.gone.

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[aarolar]

Gun showed up today I'll have a full report later tonight after I've snuck a few shots and got the kid in bed.

Ok so I got it back together which turned out to take long than expected, this gun is glass bedded and the recoil lug was just a fraction out. After adjusting that it still wouldn't sit right and I was getting quite perturbed when I finally realised that a pin had worked it's way out slightly in shopping.[emoji1] After getting that back in and the optics mounted up I gave it a quick function check then we were ready to go.

Just fired a few shots at 25yds to rezero and get a feel for the rifle and am pleased with the performance so far. My load this afternoon was a RCBS 35-200-FN cast from 3-1 (pure-lino) with 43grns of 3130. I swabbed and checked behind each shot for the first 3 shots with no leading then I put 5 downrange in a row and checked and still no leading. This weekend I'll get the chrony out and try out some different loads and see where I am at.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170920/a75bb66ddb6fd1e80add1e9546352539.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170920/2927111d47ebd67fa92c77e00097e546.jpg

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170920/f1d89dbf385da3cb16c24cc236b9c626.jpg

[aarolar]

Oh and I gotta say that 3 groove is wild looking.

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[Texas by God]

Looks great. You meant IMR 3031 on the powder, right?
My brother had a 03A3 with a two groove barrel- it shot great and so will your 3 groove. If you want some j- words I have extras. PM if you wish. If you load it to factory levels you're going to need more recoil pad!
Looking forward to more pics.
Best, Thomas.

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[aarolar]

Looks great. You meant IMR 3031 on the powder, right?
My brother had a 03A3 with a two groove barrel- it shot great and so will your 3 groove. If you want some j- words I have extras. PM if you wish. If you load it to factory levels you're going to need more recoil pad!
Looking forward to more pics.
Best, Thomas.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TapatalkYep IMR 3031, I did notice that recoil but it's not too rough yet but definitely more than the 243 was. I need to work up a reduced load for the wife this was her hunting rifle but I don't think she's gonna like shooting it anymore.

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[Texas by God]

This load chronographs at 2003 fps average from mine. That's .35 Rem thump and the recoil ain't bad.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170921/017715c51fff482085225cebe253dcb3.jpg

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[aarolar]

This load chronographs at 2003 fps average from mine. That's .35 Rem thump and the recoil ain't bad.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170921/017715c51fff482085225cebe253dcb3.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TapatalkThat's basically my 35 rem load.

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[Texas by God]

It's a big bullet. You can slow it down to 1500 fps for light recoil and still kill anything within 150 yards. Guys with more experience with your alloy might help you if velocity is your goal.
Enjoy that rifle!

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[aarolar]

It's a big bullet. You can slow it down to 1500 fps for light recoil and still kill anything within 150 yards. Guys with more experience with your alloy might help you if velocity is your goal.
Enjoy that rifle!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TapatalkI do plan to push it as hard as I can, I have a 36 rem for my brush gun this is my field gun.

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[Texas by God]

I only use WW so I switch to jacketed when high velocity is wanted. I have 50 Sierra 225 grs loaded to 2400 fps for the next out of state hunt.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

I still do not know how I ever killed an Elk and a Deer every fall the five years I was packing a 32" barreled 12 pound .54 caliber Hawken.

[texasnative46]

aarolar,

IMO, you will be VERY PLEASED with your JES "remodel". = I wouldn't take love or money for my Remington 760 in 9.3x62mm.

yours, tex

[Texas by God]

I still do not know how I ever killed an Elk and a Deer every fall the five years I was packing a 32" barreled 12 pound .54 caliber Hawken.Yep. You're lucky you weren't hit by a rebounding shot because on paper they should have bounced off......

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[aarolar]

Update here I've settled on my hunting load for the year. It's going to be with J words although I've not given up on lead hopefully I'll get it there for next year I didn't have alot of time with my first hunt coming up next weekend. Big thanks goes our to rmcc and Texas by God for hooking me up with quality components to make it happen.

It put those three in one hole then the one just outside, the last shot is the one that blew the group may have been my nerves.



https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/c4de81b24381c23c86fcbec08b33023f.jpg

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[Texas by God]

The .358 comes up here often because it's so dang awesome! I dare say it's better than it's parent!

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