358 Win loads with RCBS 35-180 SIL cast boolit

[Camba]

I am waiting for my Browning BLR-81 rifle in 358 Win and while that happens, I am already thinking on the loads for it. I recently bought a mold from RCBS 35-180-Sil that was destined to be used with either a Marlin or a Rossi 38/357 mag lever gun. I ended up with the 358 Win so I will try it with it first. I also have some 170gr GDFP Speer 357 cal jacketed pistol bullets to use it for developing plinking loads too. Any one have some pet loads that work on this caliber with the above mentioned boolits/bullets? Thank you.
Camba

[Tatume]

My Browning 358 Winchester BLR likes the RCBS 35-200-FN and IMR4895 or H4895. The Hodgdon web site:

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

gives a minimum load for H4895 and the Hornady 200 grain SP bullet. The same load with either H4895 or IMR4895 gives 2200 fps with minimal leading and excellent accuracy with the RCBS 35-200-FN in my rifle. Further, the charge can be reduced to give 1800 fps and the accuracy gets even better, with no leading!

I suggest trying the same loads with your 35-180-SIL bullets.

My bullets are cast of 2/3/95 tin/antimony/lead and air cooled. They are lubed with LBT Blue Soft, which I recommend, although there are other good lubes. Bullets are sized 0.358" and lightly crimped in the groove (just enough to take out the bell). Gas checks are used.

This is one of the best hunting rifles you can own. Enjoy.

Take care, Tom

[Camba]

Tatume,
Thank you for the info. Seems that the RCBS 35-200 is a must-have mold for this caliber. It is next in my list.
Camba

[richhodg66]

I had some of those 180 grain silhouette bullets someone else cast (not sure of alloy or anything) and they shot quite well in my .358 with 10 grains of Unique. I had just gotten the rifle and wanted to check it out and those were the bullets I had. I still have some and may work with them a bit more once deer season is done for good.

[Camba]

richchodg66,
Thank you for the info. I will try the same load in mine when my rifle gets here. Have you tried the Speer 357 cal, 170gr pistol bullet? I have some of those also available to experiment with the BLR 358 Win rifle when I get it home.
Camba

[dubber123]

No pet loads to share, (still haven't fired my .358), but that RCBS 180 SIL boolit has been a winner in every .35 cal firearm I have tried it in. Mine casts very close to 200 grs. from WW's. The very small meplat kinda limits it as a hunting boolit to me, but it is a very accurate design. The RCBS 35-200 is a real winner in this caliber too.

[snowwolfe]

Good timing on this thread as I just purchased a BLR in .358 Win from Buds yesterday. Should have it in about 2 weeks.

[richhodg66]

richchodg66,
Thank you for the info. I will try the same load in mine when my rifle gets here. Have you tried the Speer 357 cal, 170gr pistol bullet? I have some of those also available to experiment with the BLR 358 Win rifle when I get it home.
Camba

Truthfully, I haven't shot a jacketed bullet through it since I got it. The Lyman 358311, which comes close to 170 from my mold, shoots well with 8-9 grains of Unique too. That's the good thing about .35 revolvers, any old .38 revolver bullet you have laying around works through them.

[Camba]

richhodg66,
That is exactly how I want to use mine. With cast boolits from 1500-2200 fps velocity frame 98% of the time and have a jacketed 180gr for shooting longer distances just because. The cast boolit hunting experience is what I want (I have done it in the past with revolvers but never with a rifle, other than ML or shotgun foster slugs).
Camba

[richhodg66]

I just bloodied my .358 for the first time on New Year's Day. That RCBS 200 grain FP and 40 grains of IMR4320 worked great. I'm guessing about 2,000 FPS, or stiff .35 Remington ballistics.

I have shot an average of about two deer a year for the past 18 years or so and can't remember ever shooting one past 100 yards, most of them a lot closer. For the way I hunt, I think that .358 cast load is all I'll ever need, but I also don't think it worked any better than the .30 caliber cast loads I used the past three years either.

[Camba]

I happen to get a Marlin 30-30 also in mid December that I want to use for cast boolit hunting. The 358 win BLR was sort of a sublimmenal message in my head that when I saw it for sale, I just went for it. I was hoping to get a Marlin 357 mag but the 358 win will take its place instead.

[Nobade]

Load that 358 with a case full of Trailboss and it'll become a 357 mag, so you aren't missing out on anything.

I am recently liking 19gr. 10B101 under the Ranch Dog 190gr. in my 358 levergun. Runs about 1800 fps and is quite accurate. Blue Dot does about the same thing.

-Nobade

[Camba]

Nobade,
Thank you for the info. I happen to have 10 lbs of Blue Dot and I want to start my loads with that powder. What is your Blue Dot charge for the 358? I use Blue Dot from pistol (218 Bee, 9mm-P, 7TCU, 7-30W, through 45 colt) to high power rifle loads (5.7x28 through 7mm-08). Some with good accuracy and some don't. I was going to try 16gr of Blue Dot with a 170gr JFP Speer (pistol bullet).
Using this 358 Win rifle with 357 mag velocities o better will be fun and easy on the rifle and cases.
Camba

[Camba]

I have made some loads using the 170gr JFT Speer bullet and 16gr of Blue Dot (center round in the right side picture between the 30-30W and the 7mm-08).
I have made some cases from 30-06 brass by removing the internal depriming rod of the 358 Win sizing die, trimming the cartridge to 2.020" and then sizing it and depriming and making the final trim to 2.014". I saw that information on another thread in this forum and I decided to give it a try. I had also loaded a few rounds using necked up 308 Win brass (2.002") that makes it a little short.
Here are the pictures:
Camba


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[Nobade]

16 gr. should be a good start point. I wouldn't go over 20, that's plenty powerful.

-Nobade

[GooseGestapo]

My BLR '81 also likes the 200gr FNGC over ~35.0gr of H4895 for ~2,000fps. Not a significant improvement or any better than my Marlin M336 in .35Rem. The .35 really, really likes BLC2 at 38.5gr for ~2,000fps and near 1moa accuracy.

Over the summer I may revisit the cast boolits in the .358 but for now, it's a j-bullet gun, and a good one at that. It prefers 48.0gr of H4895 for ~2,550fps with the Hornady 200gr PtSpt. I'll stick with that for now as H4895 is available again. I do have some TAC that I plan to try later also with the j-bullet loads.
Too many guns and boolits... not enough freezer space or tags !!!

[ballistim]

I passed on a BLR a while back but it was very nice. Recently bought a Ruger 77 tang safety in .358 Winchester and love it. I'm using the NOE copy of the RCBS 35-200 mold, very accurate! I think we should form a .358 Winchester club, those of us who have one love them & those who don't wish they did!

[Camba]

I finally got the rifle in my hands early this week. Today I went to the rifle range to test the loads I put together. To start with, the cases made out of 30-06 SPR brass did not fit (thicker neck). So I ended up with 10 rounds loaded with the 170gr Speer pistol hunting bullet JFP over 16.0gr of Blue Dot and Federal Premium Match large pistol primer and another 10 rounds of 158gr SWC no check boolits over 13.5gr Blue Dot and same the same GM155M primers.

My goal was to sight the gun and see how it would group with those loads. I brought my chronometer (RCBS) to check on velocities for those loads. The targets were at 25 yards to make sure I can hit the paper while sighting in. After I set the scope correctly, I still had 4 rounds of the 158gr SWC load and 7 rounds of the 170gr JFP Speer load. See the pictures below with the results:

Rifle: Browning BLR-81 in 358 Win using 308 Win cases sized directly with the 358 Win RCBS dies.
Camba

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[Camba]

I did some follow up range test to 50 yards at different load levels of Blue Dot under the same Speer 170gr JFP hunting bullet. I can't wait to star casting with my RCBS 35-180 GC SIL boolit. The best groups came with 18.5 to 19gr of Blue Dot with velocities in the upper 1700's to mid 1800's feet per second.
I will post pictures later.
Camba

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