358 Winchester Cast Make Sense?

[mworthan]

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas to start. I'm new here to the forum so this is my first official post.
I have come to the experts...
I need the definative answer on whether a cast bullet in a 358 Winchester can be a viable option in my new BLR for deer and elk out to 200yd ranges. I don't want to shortchange the cartridge's capability in both range and killing efficiency. I posted this in Marshall's forum as well.
I have poured over past posts in both this forum and others. I have worn Google out on this issue and can find nothing definative on whether this is a good idea. I do not cast my own but am looking to step into this new realm of reloading if it makes sense. I have reloaded cas in 45-70, 44 mag, 45 colt and 45 ACP but always someone elses pills.
I have looked at articles that talk about low velocity (= low energy at distance I assume) being the best you can hope for without the accuracy going to pot, about heat treating the bullets to soften the nose for expansion. I know the bigger calibers are naturals for cast but I am not sure that under a .40+ cal there is enough meplat to make this work.
I would like the flexibility (and independence) of casting my own but I need to hear from folks if this is a practical alternative or would I be better served buying a premium jacketed round?
I know that this makes absolutely no sense but I love the look of a cast bullet in a necked cartridge. This is neither here nor there, but it is like bullet porn for me. I wish I could make it work as a viable killer up to 200 yards or so. I had hoped the Saeco 352 or something similar (even custom designed) would provide that kind of energy you need at extended ranges and some expansion to overcome the smaller meplat. Still holding out hope someone can contribute their experience with the heavier bullets. Can you please enlighten me with an experienced viewpoint?
Thanks!

[Larry Gibson]

The RCBS 35-200-FN is my bullet of choice for my 35 Rem and also a couple 358s I've loaded them in. It has been used without fail on deer, elk and pigs. Myself and the others cast them soft and push to 2000 - 2200 fps which is quite sufficient for out to 200 yards.

Larry Gibson

[high standard 40]

I have a custom Mauser 98 in 358 Win and my load for it uses a 255gr bullet from "Mountain Molds". I get about 2200fps with accuracy of about 1.25" for 5 shots at 100 yards. With the large meplat on this bullet it is a real thumper on whitetails. My alloy is COWW + 4% added tin.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee324/highstandard40/358-150DPI-1.jpg

[Idaho Mule]

Welcome to the forum, you have come to the right place. The 358 is very popular here and you will get lots of good advice. I have been playing with a 356 Winchester myself. Shooting the RCBS 200 gr. flat nose but there are many other choices.

[mworthan]

I have a custom Mauser 98 in 358 Win and my load for it uses a 255gr bullet from "Mountain Molds". I get about 2200fps with accuracy of about 1.25" for 5 shots at 100 yards. With the large meplat on this bullet it is a real thumper on whitetails. My alloy is COWW + 4% added tin.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee324/highstandard40/358-150DPI-1.jpg

Is this a custom mold you developed through their software or is it a stock design? Nice looking boolit! That meplat looks about ideal.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I would think the 358 and cast is a match made in heaven

[waksupi]

I'm a big fan, and have used the chambering on deer, elk, bison and bear. It will do the job.
I have used the boolit design shown. I found it to have pretty good accuracy at 100 yards, but it was beginning to tip a bit, and out at 200 yards you could have shots far out of the group. A boolit with more bearing surface is a better design.

[high standard 40]

Is this a custom mold you developed through their software or is it a stock design? Nice looking boolit! That meplat looks about ideal.

Mountain does not have stock designs. Everything is custom designed by the buyer using the online software.

[TXGunNut]

Welcome to the forum. Seems to me cast boolits are an ideal choice for this cartridge give my experience with the 35 Remington. I'm sure that comes as no surprise to you considering where we are posting but a cartridge designed for medium velocity, medium range of medium caliber says "BOOLIT!" to me. Even if it doesn't work out the 45-70 and all the other cartridges you enjoy will benefit from your casting efforts, especially the 45-70. I got into casting because I couldn't buy a decent boolit for my 45-70, have come to realize that other cartridges I enjoy are happier with my home-made boolits than they ever were with store-boughts.

[runfiverun]

the nose is a bit long on that boolit.
i favor the saeco #248 we were working on a modification to the saeco boolit a bit back
to knock about 10 grs off the nose for a bit more meplat.
as you know there are ways around this too.
goodsteel started a thread a little bit ago [here in the hunting section] where the 35's get hashed over pretty well, what works and what works too good.
velocity in the 358 isn't an issue, controlling the boolits expansion is where the work is at.

[GLynn41]

absoposalutley just took a doe with 245 saeco and 38.5 H322

[mworthan]

Thanks for all the information so far. Well, I think that I will indeed throw my hat into the ring and start the aquisition of casting equipment and education. I would like to use the Mountain Mold program and have played around a little already. Can anybody who has played with it give me some critical 358 bullet dimensions that must hold for proper chambering. I am going to play with a design and see if you guys can pick it apart. Probably post a screen shot. This looks to be a lot of fun.
Thanks again for the input so far.

[white eagle]

I have been using cast in my 358 for quite some time now 3-4 years
anyway I am having one heck of a time getting repeatable accuracy
oh I can get one group that will be within my accuracy parameters but then it falls by the wayside with the next group
My hunting rifles need to be rite around 1" @ 100 yds ,3 shots.... every time
don't know what the answer is I have many different boolit designs hp and non hp
some say a match made in heaven but I guess that I haven't got my wings yet

[mworthan]

Well, after further research it sounds like I need to not waste time playing with bullet designs until i do some chamber and bore slugging. I will probably order a kit from Marshall and do some measuring. Does this sound about right? Once I have this down I will move into the casting forum and ask how to interprete my slug as it relates to a bullet design.

[x101airborne]

Oh My God!!! What?? Using CAST in a 358?? Herresey to the max. Shame on you. You should send me that 358 for disposal and I PROMISE no one will ever see that rifle again. Geese, cast in a 358........ The nerve.

Actually, I am jealous. I have plans with a forum member to have a small ring mexican mauser turned into a 358 and I cannot wait. Cast is exactly what I have planned for it. You have good sense and are in good company. Probably one of the best cast boolit cartriges around short of the 45-70. Very excited for you and let us know how it works out for you.
Thanks for sharing and being here.
Trey

[303Guy]

I'm real interested in the 35 cal for cast and have the idea that the 358 should be a good all round cartridge, and should be exellent for cast.

I'm trying to find either a 357 or 40/41 bore barrel to rechamber a 303 Brit for cast and paper patch boolits. A 357-303 would have almost identical case capacity to the 358 Win and with cast boolit limitations would probably be identical in performance with cast. I'm looking for 250gr boolit at 2000 fps or even 1800fps (depending on barrel length).

So I'll be looking forward to your results with interest. Umm .... so to answer your question - hell yes, cast in 358 makes a lot of sense! :guntootsmiley:

[mworthan]

LBT... Someone recommended I try one of their stock designs as a starter. Anyone have experience with them?

[Piedmont]

LBT... Someone recommended I try one of their stock designs as a starter. Anyone have experience with them?

They are great molds. They are basically 'all body' molds (not bore riding) unless you get something special from him. This design is stronger but needs to be seated deeper than most designs because full bearing surface hits the throat sooner. This means you will be using lighter bullets if you don't want to seat them below the base of the neck. So pay close attention to the bearing length and overall length in his catalog and know how much neck and throat length you have to work with going in.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I was just thinking the other day (dangerous, I know) about how nice a 358 would work with cast. Flatter trajectory at 2000 fps or so without the recoil of the .40+ cartridges. Plentiful brass too, only downside I see is that there are not as many molds available as a .30, but one good one is all you really need. Only reason I think it didn't catch on better is that jacketed factory rounds were probably overkill for east coast woods ranges on whitetails, and the open range guys preferred flatter shooting magnums and .2Xs. 338 Federal looks interesting too, but I'd rather have the 358

[mworthan]

Thanks so far guys. I have been looking over the LBT moulds. I like the descriptive explanations that the owners gives concerning his molds and his own ideas regarding what contributes to accuracy. It looks like he is of the opinion that given a generous meplat and rifle velocities there isn't much concern with the killing efficiency of cast. Thanks for all of the help and encouragement.

[softpoint]

I like the 245 grain Saeco. I have several molds and 2 rifles in the caliber. I have the 200gr. RCBS. it is accurate and enough for deer. I have the Lyman 358009 ,it is a big bullet, at 286 grains as I cast it, and in one rifle,may be the most accurate by a small margin. It is a big,impressive looking bullet,and I am sure that is why i wanted it. I've had good accuracy out of the 245 Saeco, The Saeco molds are excellent, and that is plenty heavy enough for anything most folks are likely to hunt.

[Beerd]

Finding the perfect bullet is like finding the perfect anything else.

This 358318 group buy mould is generating some interest.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?129643-358318-245-Grain-Round-Nose-Gas-Check-NOE-SGB

So is the run of 358009 here http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?124128-358009-Small-Group-Buy-Alum

And yet another, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?141798-NOE-35-200Gr-FN-(RCBS)-Re-run

This is what I load in a .356 Win., a 220 grain version of the RCBS bullet.
..

[MBTcustom]

The thing about the 358 Winchester is that it is the perfect medium between 30 and 45 caliber rifles.
The 30 calibers generally run too fast for cast lead, and they are quite small, so getting the weight up where it puts you in a better situation speed-wise makes the boolit to long to easily stabilize with typical 30 caliber twist rates.
in contrast, the 45 caliber rifles are easy to cast and load for, and are very accurate. However, they tend to drink powder and lead like it's free, and they shoot in a rainbow arch (unless you enjoy the stiff recoil that comes with shooting a 500 grain boolit 2200 FPS).
The 358Win has enough diameter to give good bearing surface, top speed is 2600 with 200 grain boolits (still a little fast but NBD). The 358 is reasonable on powder and lead consumption, and brass is very very available in the form of 308Winchester that can be reformed to 358 Winchester very easily.
358 Winchester is also a short action cartridge which gives it the ability to be used by all the most user friendly platforms like the venerable Remington model Seven, or any other rifle chambered in a cartridge derived from the 308Winchester like .243, 7mm-08, 260 Remington, and 338 Federal.
It has all the inherent accuracy of the 308, and packs a serious wollup suitable for taking any game in north America in my estimation.
Observe what happens when you shoot a deer 75yrds away with a 200 grain boolit made from strait WW going 2000 fps:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?172689-I-believe-the-cast-lead-rifle-boolit-is-the-most-effective-projectile-in-the-world
You see, you don't need near as much speed to get a cast lead boolit to have the same effect on a game animal as a copper jacketed bullet (a concept I am still getting my head around, even though I have hunted with cast boolits for the past two years.) Cast lead boolits are just more effective than jacketed, and in 358 Winchester, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Also, there is a large following of 358Win advocates on this site and we can get you up to snuff in a very short period of time.
I have spent more time building and shooting 35 caliber rifles and pistols, than any other caliber and it has never let me down. My dad was a big fan of the 358s too, so I suppose I come by it naturally.
Pm me if you need any help.

[UBER7MM]

You see, you don't need near as much speed to get a cast lead boolit to have the same effect on a game animal as a copper jacketed bullet (a concept I am still getting my head around, even though I have hunted with cast boolits for the past two years.) Cast lead boolits are just more effective than jacketed, and in 358 Winchester, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Cast boolits are devastating!

[youngda9]

I did some velocity and grouping testing last night…increasing charges to check for accuracy and leading in the barrel. I’ve read a lot of accounts of people losing accuracy right at 2000fps with a 200gr lead bullet in the 358 Winchester. I'm using H4895 powder. I was able to get 2209fps(10 shot average MV) with a 232gr bullet with good accuracy and no leading. I am shooting a Stainless Ruger 77 using an Accurate 35-230D (http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-230D-D.png) mold. Cast, checked, and lubed it weighs 232gr. I cast with COWW, water drop, seat check and size to .3585 with my Lee push throu sizer, then dip the bands(even the front) into 45/45/10 and pass through the sizer one more time to fill out grooves and remove excess lube. I’m happy with 2209fps and will stop increasing the charge. The velocity curve is bending over meaning that pressure is probably bending up with added powder…I’m nowhere near the 52K limit, but increasing the pressure more and more on a cast bullet will only lead to bad things (gas cutting and leading).

The delta velocity is dropping fast.
Gr Vel Avg Δ
39 1990
40 2091 101
41 2163 72
42 2209 46

At 42 grains, I shoot 2 groups.
Group 1: 5 shots @1.4” 4 shots @0.76”
Group 2: 3 shots @0.8”

I then overlaid the two targets on top of each other and measured all 8 shots at once. 7 shots into 1.11", 8 shots into 1.4"

I found my load. Going to load up much more of the same and shoot a bunch…with a little technique work I should have no problem keeping them all at 1” or better. I’m THRILLED that I can get 2209fps with a 232 grain bullet…that’s 2513.5 ft-lbs!

If I use +/-3” to calculate a MPBR, it’s 3” high at 100yds, right on at 180yds, and 3” low at 210yds. At 210 it still is moving at 1628fps and has 1354ft-lbs energy. Assuming a .270 BC.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

That'l kill a bar for sure!

[high standard 40]

I find it interesting that a comment was made about the 255 gr bullet that I designed having too long of a nose and should have more drive bands. Yet the RCBS 35-200 and the near identical NOE version of 210gr are great bullets and have a proven record.
I have all three of those molds and I can not argue as to the value of the bullets from both RCBS and NOE mold. Both shoot great. What is interesting is that when you measure these bullets from the RCBS and NOE molds the length of the bearing surface compared to the nose length is roughly equal. 50% of the overall length is bearing surface and 50% is nose. So is my 255 gr design. Plus my 255 has a larger meplat and a more gradual ogive which keeps more weight centered over the length of the bullet. I can assure you, I have had no accuracy issues with my 255s, at least not in my rifle. Twist rate should be taken into account when making a decision on which bullet to use. Longer, heavier bullets may not work in your particular rifle. I'm sure you can't go wrong with the 200 gr offerings.

[high standard 40]

----------------

[youngda9]

There is nose, bore riding, and full caliber portions to the bullet. If you look at the 35-230D (http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-230D-D.png)that I'm shooting The full caliber plus bore riding section is 0.64" long...with the overall length of the boolit at 0.95". That is over 67% of the bullet at full caliber or larger...it makes for an accurate boolit. Having a good bore riding section helps get the bullet moving straight through the throat and into the rifling. Matching the boolit to the lead shape and dimensions of your rifle is very important as well. Boolit setback testing for group size will tell you what your firearm likes....010"-.020" difference in boolit OAL sure does make a difference. I also only 2/3 neck size and leave the shoulder and the rest of the brass alone, this helps accuracy as well.

[helice]

You have mentioned the LBT moulds. I am in total agreement with you. Veral makes a very nice mould. I have a number of his 35 cal. moulds including a 150 OWC, 180 FNpb, 180 LFNgc 225 FNgc, and a 240 LWNbb. I use these in a 350 Remington Magnum and I have never had a boolit failure. The 240 WLN (with a beer can check) is a favorite but it may have length difficulties in your 358 if you intend to keep the boolit base in the neck. I recomend the Wide Long Nose profile for it's mepat and ease of chambering. The 225 FN hits the rifling quickly in my M-600.
It is standard operating procedure for me to drool over the 358 Win. It is IMHO the perfect North American hunting cartridge when used with cast. I wish like crazy that I had one. You are most fortunate to start your cast experience with so fine a rifle and so perfect a ctg.

[high standard 40]

youngda9
All of your advice is sound. Starting the bullet straight is vital to accuracy. I also only partially neck size. My bullet does fit my chamber based on impact slugs and I've done extensive range tests with different seating depths and I get excellent accuracy. I was responding to the comment that the nose on my design is too long and it may not fly straight at long range. I was pointing out that it's front to rear weight balance is the same as the 200 grain designs...50% full diameter/50% nose. RCBS, Lyman, Saeco, and others make 7mm and 30 cal molds that have much more nose than full diameter bearing surfaces and they shoot well at distance, if you start them straight.

[runfiverun]

i made that comment based on the weight balance i percieved from the picture.
50-50 by length is not always what it seems.
a 60 nose by 40 body isn't always a good compromise either.
the long silhouette bore riders do shoot well over long distance [i shoot bowling pins at 300 yds with both my 7 and 30 cal versions] but they are velocity handicapped.

[303Guy]

At 42 grains, I shoot 2 groups.
Group 1: 5 shots @1.4” 4 shots @0.76”
Group 2: 3 shots @0.8”

I then overlaid the two targets on top of each other and measured all 8 shots at once. 7 shots into 1.11", 8 shots into 1.4"What more can one ask for? Well, maybe a 300gr boolit at that velocity or perhaps 2000fps would be great too but I'm not sure that heavy a boolit is actually needed. It just sounds nice.

I'm very interested on those results because I have a hankering for a 357-303 which should have identical performance, having the same case capacity (up to the shoulder).

Beerd, might I ask what the meplat diameter of your boolits are?

[jhalcott]

I used a 2 part bullet in my .358. It had a soft lead nose and a Lyman #2 body for hunting. For practice and informal plinking I just used Wheel Weighs air cooled. Even the air cooled wheel weights were good enough for eastern White tails! I have a 358318 mold that I filed the nose flat on some of the cast bullets from it. I do NOT know the velocity, but they worked VERY well on crop raiding does. I don't know how well they'd work on 200 yard animals. I never shot any that far away, preferring to hunt closer before shooting. I did practice at ranges beyond 200 yards with groups under 4" at 200 yds. My target at 200 was clay pidgeons collected from the trap range and laid on the target berm. I was not that good OFFHAND though!

[Beerd]

303guy The bullets in the photo I posted have a meplat just a fuzz over .2"

..

[catskinner]

mworthan, I've killed a couple of whitetails with a358 using an Old West mould. A 260 gr projecticle with a nose profile very similar to the Lyman 358009. Both one shot kills and complete pass thru. Muzzle velocity of 2000 fps and the longest shot was just over 100 yards. No experience at 200 yards or on elk. I'e also used the RCBS 35-200-FN in 35 Remington at 1900 fps and at ranges of 150 yards and under it kills just as well as the heavier bullet from the 358. I never pushed the 358 and Old West combination faster since I couldn't handle the extra recoil. I've since had the BLR Mag-Na-Ported which really helps and did not hurt accuracy,but haven't hunted with the Browning since I've fallen in love with Marlin lever action. I have mostly straight wheelweight alloy for hunting. sometimes with acast soft nose and water quenched for a hard body. I've also used 30 calibers and the 32 Special on deer and antelope and one common charastic is complete penetration. 20 plus deer and 5 antelope and I have recovered only two bullets. So if deer are in bunches be careful about what is behind the one you are aiming at. Don't kill two deer with one shot if you only have one tag. One bullet I recovered was from a mule deer doe at about 80 yards. Deer was facing me and I hit her just to the right of the neck. Bullet was found laying on the tail when I rolled her over to field dress. Bullet had used the original exit hole .

[mworthan]

Well fellas, lots of good info here and I have enjoyed watching this thread. I have been convinced that the 358 Winchester will make a suitable round to pursue casting and will most likely add my 300BLK, 45 ACP and maybe even my dad's 30-06 to the mix. I would like to be able to cast for everything I shoot as long as it would have multipurpose capabilities in both target and hunting.
My biggest fear was that I would invest a lot of money and effort in a pursuit that really struggled in performance to match an even mediocre jacket bullet in accuracy and game performance, all for the bragging rights to say that "I made that!". For what it costs to get set up with a good sizer (Star) and decent molds and melting equipment, not to mention lead become harder and harder to find in scrap, a person could buy quite a few bulk and even a decent number of premium bullets for say just hunting and the requisite shooting to become and stay proficient with any particular firearm... that is IF it was strictly a matter of dollars and cents.
I have Veral's book, chamber slugs and push through slugs on the way. He was very responsive and encouraging (as all of you have been) in his emails and I plan to send those slugs back to him for a 2 cavity mold. I will leave it up to him to size what fits my BLR the best with a style that will perform well on deer to elk sized game and hopefully will meet success much quicker this way.

[MBTcustom]

Why do you need to be able to get your lead for free or close to it? Why is that such a determining factor? I would make my projectiles out of lead, even if I had to pay $2.50 per pound to get the lead in the first place!
Yeah, there is an initial startup cost to this, but the equipment lasts forever!!!
Yeah it takes a little skill to be able to make a suitable projectile, but your argument is like saying that you would rather continue to take the buss, than buy a car and learn to drive it on your own. I mean the cost of oil changes alone makes that a crazy idea, right?
Have you ever found a projectile that your gun really likes, and then you go to try to buy it and its out of stock, the ATF deemed it "unworthy", or the manufacturer discontinued it? Just wait, it will happen.
The cast lead boolit is the best projectile on the planet. It does more damage and needs less speed in order to get the same result. and at less than 2000 FPS, you can cloverleaf your shots consistently at 100yrds.
Trajectory is its Achilles heel. If you want to launch your boolits 300 yards and only drop 6" then I guess your'e SOL.
There are those who do for themselves, and there are those who take what they are given.
I'll make mine, thanks.

[MBTcustom]

I might also add that you don't need to buy a Star sizer in order to get good results. An ordinary push-through sizer is satisfactory. I don't own one, and even though I started with a lubr-sizer, I pan or dip lube exclusively now. This can be as expensive, or cheap as you want it to be.
I have got people reloading lead boolits with nothing more than a $25 Lee loader, a Lee mold and one of my gas check makers. I made them a custom powder dipper out of a spent 357Mag casing, and a 3" piece of brazing rod soldered on the side. When hunting this year, and I was pleased to see one of the fellers sitting on the floor making his reload for his mosin negant rifle. He had sighted in his rifle with the 15 rounds left over from last year, and was reloading the twenty pieces of brass that he got with the rifle. Those fellers melt their lead in a coal fire and pour their boolits, but they are doing it right because I taught them the important parts of making their own boolits. Heck these fellers had to pool their money in order to buy a pound of powder which they share amongst themselves!
They have less than $100 invested in the whole setup, including powder and primers, but they pile up the deer every year.

[mworthan]

Bingo Goodsteel!
I probably misstated this post. It was in my initial post that I had reservations concerning those topics you mentioned. I didn't really elaborate on my concerns and was just restating what was really on my mind before my initial post. I am no longer asking about whether it is a good idea anymore. I am sold on it and have already started down the road to casting with the sale of a lathe I rarely use and putting that money into equipment and a little leather for my saddle making and holster building. What I was trying to say (did a poor job of it) was that after having read two pages of posts, I am convinced (by you as well as others, again thank you all) that casting is the way to go, especially for the 358 and especially echoed by your statement, " Have you ever found a projectile that your gun really likes, and then you go to try to buy it and its out of stock, the ATF deemed it "unworthy", or the manufacturer discontinued it? Just wait, it will happen.". I couldn't agree more. I am looking to lessen my dependence as well.
I just read your follow up post and what a great story about the resourcefulness and independence of folks. I will probably buy the star while I have the cash in hand and maybe even the #40 pot they sell although I have toyed with the idea of a plumbers pot and turkey burner using a Rowell ladle since I am not looking for high production, just quality output and consistency.
Again, thanks for you help and also like your snazzy photo on the avatar!

[mworthan]

Not sure if it was too subtle, but i am asking for you guys to throw in on the plumbers pot vs. furnace issue or maybe I should start a new thread. Smack me down if I am over-reaching in this forum. - thanks,
Mike

[runfiverun]

you would get more responses on a new thread.
i have and use the magma pot, i have two of them actually.
one is set up as a bottom pour on a frame i made myself from some small angle iron bolted to a stand.
and the other is on the master caster frame [my wife uses this one].
i also have a couple of lee pots.
and it wouldn't make things any less easy if i had another one.
a 20 lb bottom pour [lyman, rcbs, waage] for casting with would be a good initial in between a lee and a magma, that will last well.
you will want another for melting and cleaning scrap alloy in.
i use a cast iron dutch oven,a plumbers pot would work very well for this too.
but i had the dutch oven and the propane fueled cooking stand, they have both lasted me over 20 years.
so has the 20 lb lee and both magma 40 lb pots.

[MBTcustom]

If it were me, I would get a deep cast iron pot, and a $50 turkey fryer form wally world (that's got to be the only overbuilt thing that ever came out of that store.) and a sheetmetal oil drip pan to keep lead drips off your driveway.
I was just at target on the 23rd and they are selling a beautiful muffin pan made of heavy gauge aluminum. It's one piece construction, and it has smaller sized cavities (looks like you would get 1-1 1/2 pound ingots). Buy two of them.
I am using the Lee 20 pound schmelting pot, with a thermometer, and It makes me want to do the happy dance every time I use it. It only cost me $65 and I am loving it! (I ladle cast over a Coleman stove for 15 years, so you can appreciate my awestruck wonder!)
Now, I would recommend you using some of the proceeds of that sale, to buy WW ingots from swapin and sellin forum. Honestly, that's about as civilized as it gets! In the mean time, go to the tire shops and offer them a fair price for a bucket of WWs. Seems like nobody is responding to my "I'll give you $25 per bucket" spiel anymore, so you might want to offer $30? Irregardless, you can get cheap wheel weights if you want them cheap but not free.

[mworthan]

Good advice. Nothings free, right? Not looking for handouts and am willing to pay what it takes. I'll look at the Lee, I like their price.
Thanks guys,
Mike

[NLS1]

This is a great thread, thought I would revive it! I have been interested in a 35 or 375 caliber rifle for cast lately, this has been a good thread to get the brain juices flowing on that.

Any lever guns or pumps chambered for the 358 besides maybe the blr? And anyone ever taken an ar-10 and thrown a 35 cal barrel on it? Maybe cast causes problems for the gas system? A heavy cast shooting ar-10 in 358 win would be a semi auto I could get excited about!

Dan

[MBTcustom]

I'm building an M1A socom in 358 winchester, does that count? LOL!

Look into a marlin 336 in 35 Remington.
Look into sending your 30-30 to JES reborring to have it rechambered to 356 Winchester or 35-30.
You could also pick up a marlin in 357 mag, and have it reamed deeper for 357 Max?

[rockrat]

thinking of having JES rebore a Garand and chamber in 35 Whelen, if such a thing possible. Maybe a Savage of Rem bolt gun from 308 to 358 would be a good alternative

[castalott]

I seen a picture of an fal in 358 win once. This guy lived in Alaska. He had 20 rounds of hot 358. "Bears! , don't you know!" I'm no expert on 358's or bears....but it sounds good to me...

[MBTcustom]

thinking of having JES rebore a Garand and chamber in 35 Whelen, if such a thing possible. Maybe a Savage of Rem bolt gun from 308 to 358 would be a good alternative

Yes indeed. He will ream the neck and the throat, but leave the chamber as is, so there is no headspace difference between the original chambering and the new one.
Also, the barrel will be like a mirror. Absolutely some of the finest rifling I have ever seen.

[sthwestvictoria]

I have a 35 Whelen on a re-bored FN Herstal 98k. Thread here with 250grain mold and H4895:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?196174-Lede-Throat-Freebore-and-the-cast-boolit/page2
I am realising however that for what I want (200-250grain cast at up to 2000fps, hunting out to 150metres) a 358 would have made more sense in that the small case volume would give better load density compared to the larger Whelen case.
Live and learn, maybe my .243 M70 will get a re-barrel?

[NLS1]

I'm building an M1A socom in 358 winchester, does that count? LOL!

Look into a marlin 336 in 35 Remington.
Look into sending your 30-30 to JES reborring to have it rechambered to 356 Winchester or 35-30.
You could also pick up a marlin in 357 mag, and have it reamed deeper for 357 Max?

That is really cool. That socom in 358 would be awesome. I have never heard of reboring a barrel? How difficult is it and how much would something like that typically cost ;) as if there is anything typical about that?! Any good threads that discuss the 35-30 vs the other lever compatible 35's? I have seen scads of used marlin 35 Remington's lately. Maybe that is the best bet?

Dan

[MBTcustom]

JES charges about $250 to rebore a barrel and make sure it feeds the new ammo. (Honestly, I dont know how he does it for such a fair price).
The only drawback to the 35 Remington is brass availability and variety. Kinda scarce.
Since the 358 Winchester can easily be made from 308 brass, the options for brass is staggering. Even the 358 is slightly more cartridge than the normal booliteer can make use of, but not by much.
The 356 Winchester is basically a 358 with a rim on it. Again, brass availability is sketchy at best.

All I can tell you is, do a google search on 35-30 and go to reading, but most important is answer all the necessary questions about how you are going to reload it. You need brass, you need dies, and you need to be able to make the ammo easily without doing a thousand yard crawl over broken glass to get accurate ammo.
Sometimes the easiest way to do that, is to pick a common caliber that you can get anywhere, and adjust your rifle, brass and dies to get you there easily. Basically, use the 358 Winchester/ 308 winchester relationship to look at other cartridges to see what you can do to get where you are going. The only disadvantage I can think of to the 35-30 would be the super thin case necks. 30-30 has precious little to start with, and sizing up to 358 would make it even less.

[NLS1]

JES charges about $250 to rebore a barrel and make sure it feeds the new ammo. (Honestly, I dont know how he does it for such a fair price).
The only drawback to the 35 Remington is brass availability and variety. Kinda scarce.
Since the 358 Winchester can easily be made from 308 brass, the options for brass is staggering. Even the 358 is slightly more cartridge than the normal booliteer can make use of, but not by much.
The 356 Winchester is basically a 358 with a rim on it. Again, brass availability is sketchy at best.

All I can tell you is, do a google search on 35-30 and go to reading, but most important is answer all the necessary questions about how you are going to reload it. You need brass, you need dies, and you need to be able to make the ammo easily without doing a thousand yard crawl over broken glass to get accurate ammo.
Sometimes the easiest way to do that, is to pick a common caliber that you can get anywhere, and adjust your rifle, brass and dies to get you there easily. Basically, use the 358 Winchester/ 308 winchester relationship to look at other cartridges to see what you can do to get where you are going. The only disadvantage I can think of to the 35-30 would be the super thin case necks. 30-30 has precious little to start with, and sizing up to 358 would make it even less.

Thanks for all the great info! That really is amazing that they can do that for so little!

So what about the 35/444 wild cats? Would that even work in a 336 or am I stuck using the 1895 and rebarrel?

That would solve the brass issue at least.

[hicard]

HighStandard40, if I had the measurements for the beautiful looking .358 boolit of yours from Mountain Molds, I would order one for myself. What a perfect looking boolit for the 358 Win.

[NLS1]

You all really have me thinking about a 358 Win.

I saw a Ruger gunsite scout tonight at cabelas, that got me thinking.

They make those left handed which is a bonus for me, and you could re barrel to 358. I could have a mag fed, heavy boolit shootin, easy to carry rifle, with a low power scope mounted out a ways so I don't get two left eye brows. Boy, that would be a bolt gun I could get excited about! Flush mag for hunting, and 10 round for when you wanna feel "tactical" which is hardly ever :) Plus I kinda like the laminate stock, those laminate trees must grow in the swamp? Never seen one here :)
Dan

[NLS1]

I have a custom Mauser 98 in 358 Win and my load for it uses a 255gr bullet from "Mountain Molds". I get about 2200fps with accuracy of about 1.25" for 5 shots at 100 yards. With the large meplat on this bullet it is a real thumper on whitetails. My alloy is COWW + 4% added tin.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee324/highstandard40/358-150DPI-1.jpg

Wow, those are fantastic, a 358 win is officially on my to do list no doubt about it.

[starmac]

Savage made a fine lever action in 358, you don't see them for sale every day, but I will eventually own one.

[Tatume]

thinking of having JES rebore a Garand and chamber in 35 Whelen, if such a thing possible.

The M1 Garand rifle has been reworked to 458 Win Mag for many years now.

[richhodg66]

Savage made a fine lever action in 358, you don't see them for sale every day, but I will eventually own one.

I'm just beginning to dive into the .358 with a Savage 99 Brush Gun in .358. I'm going to play around mostly with cast pistol bullets and light charges of powder for a while with it like I did mostly with my .35 Remington, but I also have the NOW clone of the RCBS 200 grain FN that I will use for deer hunting.

I have hunted with cast for the past three years (always did with muzzle loaders) Bsides the ones taken with muzzle loaders, I've taken two good does and a nice buck with a .30-30, .300 Savage and .308 respectively using an original 31141, the NOE311041 clone and the Ranchdog bullet, all worked well. I guess I'm saying this in reply to the question whether cast will be effective in the .358, I'll tell you the .358 is really a lot more power than you really need for deer anyway if you're a reasnably good hunter and get within a reasonable range. I have yet to shoot a deer more than 100 yards away and the vast majority have been much closer.

I know bow hunters who consistently bring home venison a few times a year. If a guy can do it with a bow, cast in a .30 caliber or bigger rifle is a cinch.

[onceabull]

Jesse O. will make you up a Rem.760 in 358 Win.If you are looking for one to spend two weeks in the Selway in a wet scabbard,send him a beater. For a showpiece send him a a nice old 5 diamond forend model..I don't have one,only because the two he did for me are a 35 Whelen and a 9.3x62..If cast boolits for hunting is the primary goal,I'd go for the 358 W. fwiw Onceabull

[NLS1]

Stop it all of you, you just had to revive a 358 win thread! Now I won't be able to stop thinking about one again for another 4 months....

Actually though, I am glad to be reminded of that great cartridge, still need one!

Dan

[JesterGrin_1]

Stop it all of you, you just had to revive a 358 win thread! Now I won't be able to stop thinking about one again for another 4 months....

Actually though, I am glad to be reminded of that great cartridge, still need one!

Dan

Yep Dan the .358 Winchester is a Must Have. :)

[richhodg66]

Anybody use the 358009 in a .358?

[MBTcustom]

Anybody use the 358009 in a .358?

I have. It's awesome. Especially if penetration is what you are after. If you're going after bear, you could load up with a bunch of those, and just file a the nose flat. Couple strokes of the file and you're golden.

[youngda9]

I have. It's awesome. Especially if penetration is what you are after. If you're going after bear, you could load up with a bunch of those, and just file a the nose flat. Couple strokes of the file and you're golden.
Accurate makes that exact mold, which is probably the best option since finding a 358009 mold is next to impossible. I just loaded up my first batch of rounds with the 36-280B and can't wait to try them out.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-280B-D.png

[richhodg66]

I have a mold. Didn't shoot well in my .35 Whelen, but to be fair, nothing else really has either. Need to work with it some more.

I have the NOE copy of the RCBS 200 grain FN, which should be sufficient for any deer hunting situation I'll ever face, but was talking to a friend who drew an elk tag (we have some on Fort Riley and a few get drawn every year) and was thinking I may try putting in for a tag again.

[MBTcustom]

A little birdie told me that there is a NOE 358009 mold for sale in swappin and sellin for about $90. It's new too.

[hc18flyer]

I wanna keep this thread goin! GOT my .358 Win and anxious to start SHOOOTIN! I sincerely appreciate the info from the CB group.
Flyer

[white eagle]

now ya'all did it
I have given my 358 a new mold from Dan @ Mountain Molds
going to give her the old college try and will not settle for mediocrity

[MBTcustom]

The title of this thread still cracks me up! I keep tripping over it saying "he cant be serious!" LOL!

[JesterGrin_1]

The title of this thread still cracks me up! I keep tripping over it saying "he cant be serious!" LOL!

Well as you might know nothing really makes sense. But we NUTS do it anyway. :)

[waksupi]

Shouldn't the topic heading have been in purple?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

A little birdie told me that there is a NOE 358009 mold for sale in swappin and sellin for about $90. It's new too.
Thanks for the tip.

[TXGunNut]

The title of this thread still cracks me up! I keep tripping over it saying "he cant be serious!" LOL!

Just for giggles we should start a new thread asking the same about the 35 Remington. Or 45-70. Some cartridges just beg to be stuffed with medium powders and boolits. I'm a big fan of the 358 Winchester and I don't even own one. There's something about a medium caliber cartridge that's easy to cast for, easy to load, easy to shoot and easily capable of taking anything on the continent.

[MBTcustom]

Oh I've got one:
Do you guys think it's safe to shoot lead boolits in my 30-30?

[TXGunNut]

Oh I've got one:
Do you guys think it's safe to shoot lead boolits in my 30-30?

Absolutely Not! The 30-30 was designed for modern propellants and projectiles, obsolete components need not apply. And whatever you do, don't try to shoot a deer with that thutty-thutty, the boolits will just bounce off!

[GaryN]

Oh I've got one:
Do you guys think it's safe to shoot lead boolits in my 30-30?

And if it is safe, can I shoot a cast boolit in the 30-30 that has a gas check shank but without the gas check?

[MBTcustom]

And if it is safe, can I shoot a cast boolit in the 30-30 that has a gas check shank but without the gas check?

Nope. It'll never work and you're crazy if you try.

[btroj]

If you can't figure out that a 358 Win is one of the absolute best cast cartridges you have some homework to do.

I can't think of many better cartridges for cast shooting and not many are better for hunting at ranges to 200 yards.

[Camba]

Any one here know how much does it cost to swap a barrel of my Rem Model Seven to a 358 Win? My rifle is a 20" barrel Stainless steel (non reflecting stainless). The cartridge is from the 308 Win family (7mm-08 Rem).
Camba

[JesterGrin_1]

Any one here know how much does it cost to swap a barrel of my Rem Model Seven to a 358 Win? My rifle is a 20" barrel Stainless steel (non reflecting stainless). The cartridge is from the 308 Win family (7mm-08 Rem).
Camba

Contact goodsteel here on the forum.

[richhodg66]

I had the day off and finally got the new Savage 99 to the range. I just loaded a few rounds with some RCBS 180 grain silhouette pistol bullets because I had some around from a lot I got from a gun shop that had bought out an estate sale. I may have to get a mold. Load with that bullet was 21 grains of 2400 which should be about 1800 FPS.

Anyway, I loaded nine rounds total and threw an old Weaver K4 on the rifle, again, because I had it around. Used six of them at 25 yards to get zeroed then shot the last three at 100. All three went easily under two inches, two were under an inch apart. I know one three shot group isn't real conclusive, but I have high hopes. I love Savage 99s and really like the handling characteristics of this one. I think this one will be my primary deer rifle this fall.

96775

[armorer59]

I think an ideal combo would be a Remmy 7600 in .358 Win. Lots of punch and quick follow-up shots. This is a project I want to undertake sometime soon.

[richhodg66]

I think an ideal combo would be a Remmy 7600 in .358 Win. Lots of punch and quick follow-up shots. This is a project I want to undertake sometime soon.

I think Remington makes them in .35 Whelen.

[Tatume]

I think Remington makes them in .35 Whelen.

At present they do not catalog a 35 Whelen Model 7600. Interestingly, they do catalog two different 30-06 rifles in the wood-stocked Model 7600. The differ only in the stock finish; one is glossy and the other is satin. There are also two different 30-06 rifles with synthetic stock, that differ in barrel length. One has a 22" barrel and the other has an 18-1/2" barrel.

The same situation exists with the autoloading Model 750, with the addition that the wood-stocked rifle is offered in 35 Whelen.

I find this all very interesting. Thanks for bringing it up.

Take care, Tom

[dragon813gt]

Ok, thanks to you jerks I went and bought a Savage 99 that's been rebored by JES :)

So what molds should I buy? I plan on using the heavyweight 357 molds I have for plinking loads. But I need ones in the 200-250 grain range. I will be asking Tom at Accurate to make the molds. So which designs work? It seems the RCBS 200 FN is one but I didn't see one in the catalog that is a copy of it. I only want to do this once. I know that even a proven design might not work in my rifle. So what molds should I order up?

[Djones]

Ok, thanks to you jerks I went and bought a Savage 99 that's been rebored by JES :)

So what molds should I buy? I plan on using the heavyweight 357 molds I have for plinking loads. But I need ones in the 200-250 grain range. I will be asking Tom at Accurate to make the molds. So which designs work? It seems the RCBS 200 FN is one but I didn't see one in the catalog that is a copy of it. I only want to do this once. I know that even a proven design might not work in my rifle. So what molds should I order up?

I sent JES a savage 11 on Tuesday to be rebored to 358. I will be watching to see what people think is a good mold for your rifle. I am currently casting and loading the NOE 180 WFN for the rifle. I also plan to get one of HM2's 230 Thor molds and am on the MiHec 359-220 hunting boolit group buy. I may break down and get the NOE 200 grain RCBS clone if the group buy takes too long.

[Tatume]

Everybody I've talked to recommended the RCBS 35-200-FN, so I bought one. I've not tried it yet.

[jhalcott]

I've used the 358315 (204) in the Rem and 358 and Whelen with good to excellent results. I've used the 358318 ( 250) in the 358JDJ contender and the358 and 35 Whelen with equal results. Several other molds have worked well also. Recoil goes up as bullet (boolit) weight increases!
Deer ,bear and ground hogs have fallen to the 200 grain slugs as far as 200 yards, so I don't THINK I need the added jolt from extra weight slugs. Besides, I'm cheap and can get 150 bullets from the same amount of lead it takes for 100 heavier ones!
I think the 358 Win IS a better cast bullet caliber than the .35 Whelen because it is a shorter more compact design. Velocities for optimum loads are not that far apart. JUST MY OPINION!!

[JesterGrin_1]

I think the 358 Win IS a better cast bullet caliber than the .35 Whelen because it is a shorter more compact design. Velocities for optimum loads are not that far apart. JUST MY OPINION!!

I have to agree. I also feel the .358 Winchester is better for cast than the .35 Whelen. As the extra case capacity of the 35 Whelen does not help as you can only go so fast with a cast boolit. Now if you plan to shoot say the 358009 280Gr + boolits then the 35 Whelen may help mainly due to the length of the cartridge. But you will find people using the 358009 280Gr in the .358 Winchester with good results.

[richhodg66]

I'm liking this Savage 99 .358 more and more. Loade up nine rounds of some old Carrol cast bullets that I believe are the RCBS 200 grain FN I bought somewhere years ago in front of 35 grains of old B-West BW 36 powder (very similar to IMR 3031). Went to the range this morning and after the first all nine went into three and a half inches easily at 100 yards, but after the first three from a cold, clean barrel, the remaining six went into well under two inches.

My scope mounts for this rifle should arrive this week and then I'll put a better scope and mount set up on it. Gonna try to cast some of my own bullets this weekend for it (NOE RCBS 200 grain FN clone) and see how it does then, but I think I have officially found my new Go-To deer rifle now.

[TXGunNut]

I like the RD 359-190 but the NOE copy of the RCBS 35-200 looks good, too.

[youngda9]

Accurate 35-230D is great in my ruger...2200fps and 1-1.5" (5 shot groups) at 100 yards all day.

[dragon813gt]

Contacted Tom today so I figured I'd post what he told me. #36-210B is a clone of the RCBS 35-220-FN. #36-210A is an improved version of it w/ a larger meplat for hunting. And #36-250A is a scaled up 250 grain version of the 210A. Now I just have to decide if I want the clone or improved since I will be hunting w/ this rifle.

[youngda9]

I had him put a Saeco #352 clone on there as well. I have a double mold with that and his 358009 clone (with a .18" flat)...those are proven bullets also if you like the heavier ones.

[M99SavNut]

For what it's worth, one of the major differences between the .35 Whelen and the .358 Winchester is the rifling twist, at least in factory guns; the Whelen (and the .35 Remington) having a 16" twist, and the M99 Savage in .358 Winchester a 12" twist (twists of Ruger bolt and Browning lever guns in this caliber are unknown to me at present). That difference becomes more readily apparent with the heavier boolits, with advantage there going to the .358. JES offers a tighter (14") twist in the Whelen rebore jobs, but then we're not talking factory guns.

I have .358 guns, and am considering a .35 Whelen rebore to a not-so-often used .30-06, all to use at some point for hunting deer and hogs; also have cast (but not as yet shot) the .230 Thor and NOE 35-200 RCBS clone boolits, and am in possession of the NOE 358009 clone. Obviously a lot of fun and experimentation to be had, both on my personal range and yours. Best of luck to us all.......

Jess

[richhodg66]

That is interesting to know. I have a 358009 mold as well and will try in in the future. It didn't shoot well in my .35 Whelen Remington 700.

I cast up some from the NOE RCBS clone. Cast of 50/50 COWW to range salvage. Some I air cooled, some I water dropped. I also cast some with the hollow point also water dropped. These like identical to the Carroll commercial cast ones that shot well, so I think it'll work. Truthfully, I doubt I'll ever need more bullet since I don't see me ever hunting anything bigger than Kansas white tails, but that 358009 oughta shoot all the way through anything I'm ever gonna shoot from any angle I'm likely to shoot it at.

[youngda9]

Ruger Hawkeyes have a 12" twist.

[richhodg66]

Anyone have a source of data for the 358009 in the .358?

[JesterGrin_1]

Anyone have a source of data for the 358009 in the .358?

I would also be very interested.

[youngda9]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/GeneralReference/Hunting%20with%20the%20Cast%20Bullet.pdf
Some time ago, Wally Bator designed a pair of custom molds for the .35 bore size. The one I favor for my hunting
purposes, is the “Bator Heavy”, a designated 250 grain bullet, that, when lubed and gas checked, weighs 277 grains
from my mold. It is a close copy of the Lyman 358009 bullet, a long time favorite of .35 shooters. The lighter bullet,
designated 225, comes out of my mold, and ready to shoot, at 237 grains. This bullet has also shown great accuracy,
and is most likely the bullet weight the average hunter may want to try.

I use a .358 Winchester that I built on a VZ 24 action, using a 1-12 Douglas barrel. I use a Lyman aperture sight on
my rifle, to accommodate my aging eyes. To me, they have everything I need for game up to elk size up to two
hundred yards or more. And I don’t feel under gunned in the areas I hunt with big grizzly bear populations.

I have two good hunting loads for the heavy bullet. The first is with 41 grains of WC 852(F) military surplus powder.
This is near the burn rate of IMR 4895. I use a bit of shot buffer for a filler, to give 100% capacity. All of my bullets
are lubed with Felix’ World Famous Bullet Lube. These average 2077 fps. and will group at under an inch.
My other heavy bullet load is 43.5 gr. IMR 4895. I also use a bit of shot buffer in this load. Average speed is 2195 fps,
and this one stays in a 2.25” group. So, you can see by comparing the burn rates, these powders are indeed pretty close
in performance.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/small_charges.htm
For me the all time finest heavy weight .358 cast bullet is the Lyman..#3589. It has been renumbered no doubt to something like 358009.
But that doesn’t change the fact that at 290 grains with #2 lead, heat treated to 20 BNH or so...and the nose de-tempered as I described,
you have a cast bullet that will kill 90%+ of all the game on earth! It has the distinction of being one of the few of the first bullets ever offered when Ideal Company started in 1895...and still in the line. It’s still a winner because it delivers. 20 grains of 2400 under this 290 grainer will break 1500 fps for near 1500 ft. lbs of muzzle punch. Yet it is an easy load with around 10 lbs of recoil. 10 grns of Unique will go around 1250 fps and near 1000 lbs of energy, again a fine training load or just for woods loafing, yet it can easily knock over a deer or black bear...it’s in the 41 magnum range of power...why not? For a full hunting load 48grns/Acc 2520/2400 fps and 3700 ft.lbs. of muzzle energy. This is a top load and it has to be worked up to carefully. The best medium load I found in both the 356 and the 358, with this bullet is 22 to 23 grains of 2400 for near 1800 fps...accuracy with 2400 is superb with many of the heavy bullets in the 356/358 cases.

97798

[armorer59]

I've used the 358315 (204) in the Rem and 358 and Whelen with good to excellent results. I've used the 358318 ( 250) in the 358JDJ contender and the358 and 35 Whelen with equal results. Several other molds have worked well also. Recoil goes up as bullet (boolit) weight increases!
Deer ,bear and ground hogs have fallen to the 200 grain slugs as far as 200 yards, so I don't THINK I need the added jolt from extra weight slugs. Besides, I'm cheap and can get 150 bullets from the same amount of lead it takes for 100 heavier ones!
I think the 358 Win IS a better cast bullet caliber than the .35 Whelen because it is a shorter more compact design. Velocities for optimum loads are not that far apart. JUST MY OPINION!!

+1 That's why I think a Remmy pump in .358 makes sense. Would also love a 99 Savage in .358 as well!

[Tatume]

Contacted Tom today so I figured I'd post what he told me. #36-210B is a clone of the RCBS 35-220-FN. #36-210A is an improved version of it w/ a larger meplat for hunting....

How many people have used RCBS 35-200-FN on game? How well did it perform? Is a larger meplat really needed?

Thanks, Tom

[gpalma]

A good friend has been using paper patched 9+1 alloy in his 358 since God made dirt. He loooves high shoulder shots on northern WI whitetails and has yet to recover a slug that starts out at 2200fps. The bulk of his shooting is within 100yds.

[dragon813gt]

I'm assuming it works just fine. You're going up to a 70% meplat from 55% so it shouldn't be a bad thing for hunting purposes. I ordered the #36-210A last night. If it doesn't work I will sell it and buy another style. I'm stuck on which heavyweight design to buy. I'm most likely going to order one w/ two styles in the same block. This will really screw up the spreadsheet I have for keeping track of the molds :(

[Pilgrim]

How many people have used RCBS 35-200-FN on game? How well did it perform? Is a larger meplat really needed?

Thanks, Tom

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tom - I can't speak for others, but I've taken both moose and elk with the 35-200 -.358 Win. in a rebarreled BLR. Don't know if brown bears are on your list, but I'm sure it would work on those as well. It won't have the shock effect of a larger caliber, but penetration won't be your problem. FWIW....Pilgrim

[Tatume]

Hi Pilgrim,

I'm certain you're right about penetration. I'm thinking I may cast some bullets with soft points and hard bodies for use on smaller, softer game, particularly hogs and deer. The RCBS 35-200-FN does appear to have a small meplat (first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box).

Take care, Tom

[Pilgrim]

The moose I shot in northern BC was on a trip with shuz a number of years ago. The critter was about 100 - 125 yards away at a slight downhill angle. I placed the bullet at the juncture of neck and shoulder figuring it would take out the arteries above the heart. Don't know if it did or not, but I can tell you it exited taking out 4 ribs and leaving a 3-4" hole. This was after some 4' of penetration. The guide was shocked as moose normally stand there after you shoot them. They are nearly shock proof. In any case, this moose went down like he was hit by the hammer of Thor, with Thor swinging it! After a few minutes he jumped up and tried running off. I hit him again with the second boolit punching a perfect hole through the spine, then continuing through the right shoulder blade, and winding up under the skin of the right shoulder. The boolit weighed 213 gr. (BHN = 14) at the shot, and about 170 or so when found under the skin. Perfect mushroom.

[MBTcustom]

Hi Pilgrim,

I'm certain you're right about penetration. I'm thinking I may cast some bullets with soft points and hard bodies for use on smaller, softer game, particularly hogs and deer. The RCBS 35-200-FN does appear to have a small meplat (first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box).

Take care, Tom

You should follow the link in my signature line. That was exactly my line of thinking when I turned a deer into hamburger on the hoof. Be sure to read my thorough explanation on the last page. That meplat is plenty big enough.

[badbob454]

the 358 is a great gun for cast, as is the 35 rem , easy on powder , and the 35 whelen kicks butt with a 250+gr boolit..,

[Tatume]

You should follow the link in my signature line. That was exactly my line of thinking when I turned a deer into hamburger on the hoof. Be sure to read my thorough explanation on the last page. That meplat is plenty big enough.

That pretty well sums it up, doesn't it. I'll stick with my hard bullets. Thanks.

[nanuk]

+1 That's why I think a Remmy pump in .358 makes sense. Would also love a 99 Savage in .358 as well!

a Rem760/7600/6 would be perfect for me, in 358Win!

I now have new dreaming material!

[MBTcustom]

a Rem760/7600/6 would be perfect for me, in 358Win!

I now have new dreaming material!

If you have one of those rifles in a 308 based cartridge configuration, you are $250 and a couple weeks away from sweet sweet utopia.
JES will bore that baby out for you no problemo. Positively one of the best investments you can make on a firearm like that.

[white eagle]

starting to get my wings for my 358
I switched powders and made a boolit mold from Dan @ MM
the results are far better that I was anticipating will post results in another thread

[Artful]

I don't hunt much anymore but in my Savage 358 I used two boolits both from NEI
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/Boolit/NOE220358RNGC2cavity_zps4731ac49.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/Boolit/NOE220358RNGC2cavity_zps4731ac49.jpg.html)
and
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/Boolit/NEI222358GCLoverin2cav4_zps04f69c3f.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/Boolit/NEI222358GCLoverin2cav4_zps04f69c3f.jpg.html)

[lastborn]

TAG for later reference. I'm having a Vanguard 7mm-08 bored by Jess to .358 Win.

[richhodg66]

I have one of the Savage 99 Brush Guns in .358 (payed pretty dearly to get it) and it is a great shooter with the NOE clone of the RCBS 200 FN and 40 grains of IMR 4320. That's what I plan to deer hunt with this season.

I love Savage 99s and would prefer a 99 with the trigger safety and a pistol grip stock over the Brush Gun. I'm very seriously considering taking my 99E in .308 and having the rebore done. Seems like that would be as close to the perfect deer rifle as a guy could get.

[dragon813gt]

I'm very seriously considering taking my 99E in .308 and having the rebore done. Seems like that would be as close to the perfect deer rifle as a guy could get.

I know someone that had just that done. It's so not worth it ;)

[richhodg66]

I know someone that had just that done. It's so not worth it ;)

I'm not thinking one quite as nice as yours, that one is too pretty for a clumsy guy like me to carry in the woods. I also like the beaver tail forend of the Brush Gun variant and would want something like that on this one.

Our winter season here is cold and I prefer to have that trigger safety since I'm already gonna have that finger out of a glove to shoot. The tang safety would have me using my thumb which would still be covered in the gloves I use.

[nanuk]

If you have one of those rifles in a 308 based cartridge configuration, you are $250 and a couple weeks away from sweet sweet utopia.
JES will bore that baby out for you no problemo. Positively one of the best investments you can make on a firearm like that.


I'm north of the 49th.... no way to get a rebore down there, and the few up here are booked years in advance....

unfortunately....

[MBTcustom]

I'm north of the 49th.... no way to get a rebore down there, and the few up here are booked years in advance....

unfortunately....

Sounds like you need to take a trip to the US. If JES is willing, he might show you the ropes. You return to canadia armed with the knowledge and start providing that service in your own country.

[Pilgrim]

Don't know what the rules are now, but I suspect you could have a local gunsmith pull the barrel and send that to JES and after JES finished up with it, have your local gunsmith re-install it. That way you never have to ship a "firearm" across the border.

[dragon813gt]

JES would have to be paying ITAR to do something like that.

[dougader]

If you have one of those rifles in a 308 based cartridge configuration, you are $250 and a couple weeks away from sweet sweet utopia.
JES will bore that baby out for you no problemo. Positively one of the best investments you can make on a firearm like that.

Does anyone know if the 308 win 760/7600 has a shorter action than the same rifle in 30-06?

[yondering]

Does anyone know if the 308 win 760/7600 has a shorter action than the same rifle in 30-06?

No, they are all the same action length. The magazines for the 308 based rounds have small spacers in them front and rear, same for the 35 Remington mags.

[35Whelen]

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/GeneralReference/Hunting%20with%20the%20Cast%20Bullet.pdf

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/small_charges.htm

97798 Youngda9. Would you mind posting a larger version of the load data pic at the bottom of your post. I can't zoom in without it getting too grainy to read?
Thanks in advance.

[ballistim]

I finally have a .358 Winchester! I bought a Ruger 77 w/tang safety (1978) and I've always liked the old tang safety 77's, I have a 7mag & my dad has several others. I've read that the rate of twist on these is 1:16", and that heavy boolits might not stabilize. Cast up some boolits with my NOE 200 gr. RCBS copy mold to get started, had it on hand for my .357 max Contender, have read good things about it in the .358. White-tail deer & black bear will be the game I'll use it on, mostly at distances under 100 yds. Starting out with Green Dot just to break it in, put a VX-II 2x7 scope on it & need to sight it in. I'm looking at SR 4759, 5744, & R7 and other molds as well, am hoping the one I have on hand works out well. Really exited about this one, hope to hunt with it next season or get a hog hunt in with it before too long.http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/17/06e6f3a8df9090ea29b7d87c842d866a.jpg

[richhodg66]

That same bullet works well sized to .360 in front of 40 grains of IMR 4320 in my Savage 99. Nice rifle, by the way.

[ballistim]

Thanks! I slugged the barrel at .3575 so I sized to .359, drops from mold at .360 with WW/Lino alloy (19/1) at 15BHN. I love my 99 in .300, planned on having JES rebore a late model 99 in .308 if I came across one, my 99 is an awesome gun, have cast up 3 different boolits to try in it, have never shot cast in it before, really looking forward to getting to that soon. Thanks for the load info., hadn't considered IMR 4320 & will add it to the list.

[richhodg66]

Seems IMR 4320 isn't generally regarded as a good cast bullet powder, but it has done better for me in that '99 than other powders I've tried.

My '99 is factory .358, but I'm toying with reboring an old 99E in .308 to .358 simply because I'd like to have one with a pistol grip stock and the trigger safety, two features the Brush Gun doesn't have. It is a good rifle and shoots well, though.

[ballistim]

Savage should re-introduce the '99, such a great gun should still be available & the trigger could definitely be improved upon. I like your idea in the rebore, I might still go through with plans on that.

[JesterGrin_1]

Savage should re-introduce the '99, such a great gun should still be available & the trigger could definitely be improved upon. I like your idea in the rebore, I might still go through with plans on that.


That would be nice but I am sure due to the complexity of the rifle and fitting needed they would be more expensive than the general public would be willing to pay thus may be the prime reason they are no longer produced.

I think that cost is the main reason that the major firearms manufacturers are leaning more towards throw away arms then heirlooms that can be passed down.

[ballistim]

That would be nice but I am sure due to the complexity of the rifle and fitting needed they would be more expensive than the general public would be willing to pay thus may be the prime reason they are no longer produced.

I think that cost is the main reason that the major firearms manufacturers are leaning more towards throw away arms then heirlooms that can be passed down.

Agree, it's too bad but obviously true.

[dragon813gt]

In sure the parents have expired. Anyone can produce them at this point. No one sees any profit in it. Unfortunately if it's not black and tactical my generation has little interest in it.

[richhodg66]

The 99E in question is the one in my avatar. Good rifle, which is the only reason I'm hesitant to do it; hate to change a good shooting rifle in a useful cartridge like a .308. I killed a decent buck with it using cast the first day I had it afield two years ago.

[TXGunNut]

I think that cost is the main reason that the major firearms manufacturers are leaning more towards throw away arms then heirlooms that can be passed down.-JesterGrin 1

I keep hoping that all the advances of computer assisted manufacturing would overcome that issue. The new Winchesters have given me hope but I'm not so sure that the 99 stands a chance of reintroduction even with today's technology. I'm afraid that the 99 never will have the broad appeal to today's hunters in today's market.

[JesterGrin_1]

I think that cost is the main reason that the major firearms manufacturers are leaning more towards throw away arms then heirlooms that can be passed down.-JesterGrin 1

I keep hoping that all the advances of computer assisted manufacturing would overcome that issue. The new Winchesters have given me hope but I'm not so sure that the 99 stands a chance of reintroduction even with today's technology. I'm afraid that the 99 never will have the broad appeal to today's hunters in today's market.

I think I covered the Cost Issue lol. But I also feel that you are right. That today with computers things can be made with far more precision than in the past thus negating some of the hand fitting issues. And if they made the Stocks in Plastic instead of wood would further reduce the cost. But I feel that the General Hunting population do not really care for Mechanical Beauty of Days past. They wish to have the newest whiz bang thing out there whether it is better than what has come before them or not. It all depends on what the Majors Push to the public.

Just as in this very thread. The People that are held responsible to give information to the General Public in Hunting arms in reality Killed the .358 Winchester by saying something to the effect that it was a short range brush cartridge with more recoil then one needs. So in a nutshell they scared them off with Short Range and Recoil.

And then what do we see just a few short years ago the .338 Federal lol. And now I think the .338 Federal is pretty much gone. But there are people that are in the know that still rave about the Lonesome .358 Winchester. :)

Heck This year at SEMA they built a Complete Car in house with computerized 3D Printers. I mean Everything. Including the engine that would run. They do not only have Plastic Printers but also Metal Printers and Printers that can bond plastics and metals together during the forming process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMQJkkchTi4

[richhodg66]

The 99 came around about the same time as the '94 Winchester and equivalent Marlins and is a much better rifle that either in every respect and still it didn't catch on as well. One has to wonder about the buying public sometimes.

So far in my experience, the .348 is an awsome cartridge. That NOE 200 grain FN casts and shoots like a dream. Haven't shot a deer with it yeat, but it should be a very good terminal performer.

[TXGunNut]

Even in my younger and dumber days I understood that Savages and Marlins were arguably better guns than the well-marketed and promoted Winchesters. I've always preferred the lines of the Winchesters even as I slowly learned to appreciate the Marlins. Several years ago I began to learn about and appreciate the Savage 99's. A few years ago I began actively looking for one and one characteristic began to emerge; it was relatively easy to find a minty or at least a 90% Winchester or Marlin but almost every 99 that crossed my path showed decades of heavy use, but generally not abuse. That told me that most Savages were owned by serious hunters and they weren't traded off when the latest and greatest rifle hit the newstands and gun stores. As for the lack of interest in the 358 Winchester (and 35 Remington) it just illustrates what every sales and marketing person should know; try to sell folks what they need and you'll likely go broke. Sell people what they want and you'll do just fine.
The 358 Winchester (or 35 Rem) delivers everything that 90-95% of big game hunters actually need, IMHO. They aren't fancy, they aren't splashy, they just work....just like the 99. Most folks don't appreciate these workhorses of the CB world and it's just as well, there aren't enough of them to go around if for some reason they should become trendy and popular.

[ballistim]

I shot my .358 M77 for the first time today with cast loads with Green Dot & NOE 360-200 (RCBS copy) boolits making a ragged hole at 25 yards :-) I also shot my 45-70 Guide Gun & H&R Buffalo Classic using surplus WC872 with a IMR 4198 kicker. Great results using a 405 gr. Lee FN mold & a NOE 460483 so good day all in all. Lever guns are something I've come to later in life, I always had bolt actions & my late brother had levers. '99 in .300 Savage & a J.C. Higgins 30/30 (Marlin 336) are the other two, & I love them all, might add a .358, 444, & 35 Remington someday. Wish I knew how much fun I was missing without lever action guns in my life!

[richhodg66]

Even in my younger and dumber days I understood that Savages and Marlins were arguably better guns than the well-marketed and promoted Winchesters. I've always preferred the lines of the Winchesters even as I slowly learned to appreciate the Marlins. Several years ago I began to learn about and appreciate the Savage 99's. A few years ago I began actively looking for one and one characteristic began to emerge; it was relatively easy to find a minty or at least a 90% Winchester or Marlin but almost every 99 that crossed my path showed decades of heavy use, but generally not abuse. That told me that most Savages were owned by serious hunters and they weren't traded off when the latest and greatest rifle hit the newstands and gun stores. As for the lack of interest in the 358 Winchester (and 35 Remington) it just illustrates what every sales and marketing person should know; try to sell folks what they need and you'll likely go broke. Sell people what they want and you'll do just fine.
The 358 Winchester (or 35 Rem) delivers everything that 90-95% of big game hunters actually need, IMHO. They aren't fancy, they aren't splashy, they just work....just like the 99. Most folks don't appreciate these workhorses of the CB world and it's just as well, there aren't enough of them to go around if for some reason they should become trendy and popular.

I have a couple of Pre Micro groove Marlins and like them. One is a long barreled .35 Remington, the other a Carbine in .32 Winchester Special. I think I like the WInchesters better, but Savage 99s are my real love and are much superior.

I agree completely about the .35 Remington, great little cartridge that should still be more popular. I'll also go out on a limb and suggest that the Remington 141 is a better rifle for most purposes than a Marlin 336 (I'll probably be labeled a heretic).

I really like my .358 '99. I would prefer a Pre Mil in .358 with the trigger safety and would slightly prefer a pistol grip stock rather than the straight wrist it has, but it's a darn good rifle as is, and in a good caliber as well.

[TXGunNut]

I dunno, your "new" M77 has this levergun fan thinking about a gun like yours. One of my best but IMHO ugliest rifles is a stainless/composite M77 in 30-06. Very good shooter as long as she's cold and dirty so she goes along as a "bad weather" gun. I've always liked the looks of a M77 in walnut and blue steel. Maybe I can find one in .358.
Thanks for the update, keep us posted.

[dragon813gt]

Off topic but 35 Remington is a regional cartridge. It's hard to find a hunter in PA that doesn't have one rifle chambered for it in the safe. And I swear this state is what kept the Remington 760/7600 Gamemaster alive for all these years. Everyone has one. Well I don't but I make up for it w/ levers.

If people actually practiced w/ their rifle they'd realize they don't need a high power; relative, cartridge to take down a thin skinned deer. If they didn't miss so often they wouldn't need to blow a leg off to anchor a deer in place. A well placed shot w/ a 35 Remington or 358 Winchester will stop them almost immediately. I say that as I hunt most of the w/ an 1894C in 357 Magnum. I must be out of my mind ;)

[JesterGrin_1]

I say that as I hunt most of the w/ an 1894C in 357 Magnum. I must be out of my mind ;)

I know this is Off Topic but could you tell us a bit more of Hunting with the 1894 in .357 Magnum?

[TXGunNut]

From what I gather much of the northeast, not just PA, appreciates the 35 Remington. Even tho I own a 35 Rem (or two ;-) ) I think the .358 is a slightly better cartridge but either one would serve me just fine.
I think the root of this problem may be poor range estimation. Most folks around here (including me) are almost clueless when it comes to range estimation. Their buddies brag of 200-300 yard shots (probably 80) and they think they need a rifle that will knock a deer off it's feet out to 350 yds. Nobody ever claimed a 358 Winchester would do that so obviously it just won't do. ;-)
Nowadays I have a rangefinder but I generally take shots well inside 100 yds. I have loads and rifles that will easily shoot much farther but I don't care to do so, I generally don't practice often enough to feel confident doing it. I'd probably do just fine with a .357 as well. For some reason the CB hunting magic (for me) seems to start with what my late friend JT used to call the 36 calibers, there's something about a boolit in this caliber that deer (and hogs) around here just find irresistable.

[TXGunNut]

I know this is Off Topic but could you tell us a bit more of Hunting with the 1894 in .357 Magnum?

I better toddle off, I don't need any more leverguns but if you squint just right at my collection there's a glaring hole where a Marlin 1894 in .357 magnum should be, lol.

[JesterGrin_1]

The .358 Winchester Is a 350 Yard Cartridge. Maybe not with Cast Boolits but with Jacketed they will reach out and touch stuff lol.

[JesterGrin_1]

I better toddle off, I don't need any more leverguns but if you squint just right at my collection there's a glaring hole where a Marlin 1894 in .357 magnum should be, lol.

Do not feel bad but then again I think I have mentioned this before. I only have 2 Marlins. One is a 1894 Marlin Pre-safety 38Sp/.357 Magnum and a Marlin 1895 GS in 45-70 of which are keepers. I had a 1894 Marlin .44 Mag that was good for shooting at barns if one is inside of the barn lol. And a Marlin 336 CB 38-55.


The .44 Mag was good for about 2 1/2" groups at 100 yards with a scope with Hunting Ammo and the Marlin 336 CB 38-55 was a MESS. The throat was too tight to enable me to use a large enough cast bullet to fill the bore and chamber at the same time without a bunch of force to chamber the rifle and that was with Starline Long 38-55 Brass. But that was for Hunting Loads as I think I said this before I hunt not Plink lol. But low end loads did fine. So as you might have guessed I sold one and traded the other.

The only other Marlin I will keep an eye out for would be a Real Marlin 336 30-30 or one that is pretty beat up to have it rebored by JESS to 38-55 even though I think his rebore should be called a 375-55 lol.

[dragon813gt]

I know this is Off Topic but could you tell us a bit more of Hunting with the 1894 in .357 Magnum?

Not much to tell. A MP 359640 overtop of a healthy charge of H110 puts holes in think skinned animals. Plenty of power at the ranges presented to me. Pretty much archery range.

I bought a 336W a few weeks back to have JES rebore to 356 Win for me. Pretty much a 358 Win w/ a semi rimmed case. This means I won't have to take the recently refinished 99 out in the field :)

[TXGunNut]

I bought a 336W a few weeks back to have JES rebore to 356 Win for me. Pretty much a 358 Win w/ a semi rimmed case. This means I won't have to take the recently refinished 99 out in the field :smile:-dragon813gt

But you've got to take it out a few times, at least until you put something in the freezer with it.;-)

[JesterGrin_1]

I bought a 336W a few weeks back to have JES rebore to 356 Win for me. Pretty much a 358 Win w/ a semi rimmed case. This means I won't have to take the recently refinished 99 out in the field :smile:-dragon813gt

But you've got to take it out a few times, at least until you put something in the freezer with it.;-)

TXGunNut do not feel bad as it was hard for me to understand the ownership of Firearms with no real use. Or in other words if I have something I use it with only 2 things in mind either Personal or Family Protection or Hunting. If it does not fit in this area it is not needed. But then again I am not a collector lol.

The Marlin 1894 in .38Sp/.357 Mag Fits both if needed. It is a wonderful and Accurate little rifle that can be used for Hunting or Personal/Family Protection. As due to the low recoil and high accuracy the rifle will deliver with a scope I can hand it to anyone of almost any age and they can do well with it. Not to mention cheap and easy to load ammunition. That might be the main reason that they are hard to find and to me expensive for a real Marlin.

As for the .356 Winchester I have heard it said that at times one can use converted .308 Winchester brass. But due to the action in the Lever Gun it can not be loaded up to .358 Winchester Pressures. But it is a fine round none the less. :)

[dragon813gt]

I But you've got to take it out a few times, at least until you put something in the freezer with it.;-)

I might use it for stand hunting. It gets shot quite often but only at the range so far. If Skinner made a receiver sight for it i would be more inclined to use it in the field.

[JesterGrin_1]

Sorry as I maybe speaking to the quire but any shot on game should be the best well placed shot one can make. But if anyone has ever hunting with a full bore .358 Winchester or .35 Whelen will tell you they are a slobber knocker on game. Or to say they hit like Thor's Hammer. And there is not much difference between a .35 Whelen and the .358 Winchester with jacketed. Maybe 200 FPS depending on the bullet selected. As in years past I mainly used a 30-06 for Deer and Hog. But let me tell you when I used a 35 Whelen on a Large Hog with the Speer 250Gr Hot-Cor ( Grand Slam ) at around 130 yards or so it almost flipped that Hog over. Went through both shoulders for a Heart Shot and blew a hole out the other shoulder about 3" around and threw blood out a good 6" or so feet and 3" feet wide. There is Night and Day difference between the 30-06 and the 35 Whelen.

Sorry I as of yet have not used my .358 Winchester on Game. But I expect pretty much the same performance.

[waksupi]

As for the .356 Winchester I have heard it said that at times one can use converted .308 Winchester brass. But due to the action in the Lever Gun it can not be loaded up to .358 Winchester Pressures. But it is a fine round none the less. :)

I don't believe 308 brass would work. Different rim.

[JesterGrin_1]

I don't believe 308 brass would work. Different rim.

Yes I know that is why I mentioned at times. As I have read reports that some of the lever guns will accept converted .308 Winchester brass. But I have not been able to prove this. As I do not have a .356 Lever Rifle.

Only my lowly Savage .358 Winchester Bolt Rifle. :)

[dragon813gt]

I don't believe 308 brass would work. Different rim.

More like lack of rim. Converted 308 brass will usually feed w/ no issue. But every rifle is an entity unto itself. I bought some 356 brass for hunting loads. No point in dealing w/ potential problems. But I plan to convert some LC 308 to see it it will feed. Also have some short 444 brass to convert as well.

[TXGunNut]

TXGunNut do not feel bad as it was hard for me to understand the ownership of Firearms with no real use. Or in other words if I have something I use it with only 2 things in mind either Personal or Family Protection or Hunting. If it does not fit in this area it is not needed. But then again I am not a collector lol. -Jestergrin 1

My only reason for acquiring some rifles is simply pride of ownership and a fervent hope that many future generations may enjoy their charm and use. I am merely a custodian of the rifles in my care. I do have the selfish hope of hunting with every hunting rifle (and pistol) I own but at this point in my my life it may be just a dream. I can only hope that it will come true.
Dragon813gt's 99 is a beautiful rifle, indeed. It will never reach it's full potential, IMHO, until it has helped put meat in Dragon813gt's freezer. The 99 isn't a showpiece, it's an awesome hunting rifle. But again, that's just my opinion.

[mt6]

I have one of the original Marlins in .356 Winchester and it cycles and extracts converted .308 brass as well as it does .356 brass. I've never had a problem extracting any of the converted cases. Fun gun to shoot. I have a .358 BLR too so I can use them in either rifle. I load them to be in the safe pressure range for the .356 which is plenty good with cast bullets.

[dragon813gt]

Dragon813gt's 99 is a beautiful rifle, indeed. It will never reach it's full potential, IMHO, until it has helped put meat in Dragon813gt's freezer. The 99 isn't a showpiece, it's an awesome hunting rifle. But again, that's just my opinion.

Our season is only two weeks long so this makes it tough. Truth be told my freezer is usually filled thanks to broad heads not bullets. I've taken to carrying Marlins afield because of Skinner sights. I'm young so I still have plenty of years to carry the 99 into the woods. But there are a few other 99s in the safe as well. Pic just because.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/Firearms/665ACE09-E066-4EE7-AACE-9B1EFC2C9F63-5569-000005F2F6FBA599_zps38933c45.jpg (http://s198.photobucket.com/user/dragon813gt/media/Firearms/665ACE09-E066-4EE7-AACE-9B1EFC2C9F63-5569-000005F2F6FBA599_zps38933c45.jpg.html)

[AnthonyB]

i have 356 rifles from Marlin and Winchester. Both do very well with reformed 308 brass.
Tony

[TXGunNut]

Thanks for posting the pic of your beautiful 99, I guess I should say that the 99 is more than a showpiece. Yours certainly could and should be, IMHO. As you may recall I stumbled across a mint 99 last summer but haven't been able to talk Swede into doing a run of moulds for a boolit I'd like to use for the 2015 hunting season. That's OK, I have too many projects going on now anyway. I feel quite fortunate that our deer season is so long. Starts for archery in October and continues into February for certain special seasons.

[Coachcusack]

Hi fellas,
Just acquired an old steel receiver blr in 358 win which I’m going to load the Noe copy of the 35-200 Boolit sized to .360. I have noticed most are keeping velocity in the 2000 FPS range. Just wondering if anyone is loading this bullet to 2400 FPS using Lyman no.2 with acceptable accuracy.
I am just trying to realise this cartridges mpbr.
Regards
Simon

[35Whelen]

I have a custom Mauser 98 in 358 Win and my load for it uses a 255gr bullet from "Mountain Molds". I get about 2200fps with accuracy of about 1.25" for 5 shots at 100 yards. With the large meplat on this bullet it is a real thumper on whitetails. My alloy is COWW + 4% added tin.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee324/highstandard40/358-150DPI-1.jpg

Morning High Standard.

Your alloy of COWW...are they air cooled for this load or water dropped, heat treated?

Thanks for sharing.

[Petander]

I have had a 358 mold for 15 years,casts nice... I wanted a 35 Whelen or 358 Win back then.

I still have the mold,even coated some boolits... But I still haven't got a rifle to shoot them with. Shame on me.

230625

[white eagle]

I have been using cast in my 358 for quite some time now 3-4 years
anyway I am having one heck of a time getting repeatable accuracy
oh I can get one group that will be within my accuracy parameters but then it falls by the wayside with the next group
My hunting rifles need to be rite around 1" @ 100 yds ,3 shots.... every time
don't know what the answer is I have many different boolit designs hp and non hp
some say a match made in heaven but I guess that I haven't got my wings yet

wow this is an old thread
found my wings so to speak it's powder coating
I shoot a 260 gr.Mountain Molds boolit with
40.5 gr of imr 3031 and a alloy of 16-1 get
exceptional accuracy and drops whitetail like a bolt from above

[Petander]

wow this is an old thread
found my wings so to speak it's powder coating
I shoot a 260 gr.Mountain Molds boolit with
40.5 gr of imr 3031 and a alloy of 16-1 get
exceptional accuracy and drops whitetail like a bolt from above

Excellent.

Coating is good,I got seriously back to casting now that I discovered coatings.

Here are my 358:s with some 458:s. 358 Win is a rare caliber around here... but an easy re-barrel for a gunsmith.

230664

[Hook]

Good thread!

My 'for what it's worth' is the Hunters Supply 246 gr bullet (https://www.hunters-supply.com/359-cal-246-p-1370.html). I add a gas check just because I drive them a little faster. My rifle is a tad different....a 9X57 with a .358 bore. It shoots the HS bullet very well indeed and to POA at 100 yards when my rifle is zeroed at 2" high with my Hornady 250 gr RN bullet. So far, I've only had shots at deer when using the Hornady but will at some point use the cast on a deer.

Good hunting!