358 Winchester

[kbstenberg]

I just finished almost the same rifle. I started with an Axis LH action a Shaw 19" barrel with a 1 in 16 twist.
Last week a shot my first rounds out of it. I was looking more to FF the cases (308) than anything

[brasshog]

@kbstenberg- That's awesome. I'm glad that you were able to finish your build and get some range time in. Make sure to post some results in the future.

[brasshog]

It looks like she's going to be wearing a weatherby dress to the party . This is being shipped to me.

[NSB]

Up till about a year ago I knew nothing about the .358 Win cartridge. I met a fellow on here who needed some .358” jacketed bullets for his TC Encore in .357Max. I sent him some of my “stash” and we exchanged several emails since I owned a couple of Encores myself. He mentioned he was thinking about a 358 Win for his Encore and said he might order a barrel in that cartridge. Long story short, HausofArms sent me a flyer and they had five SSK barrels for sale in .358 Win. All heavy contour 20” with 1:12 twist. I gave it a thought for a day and then called Marty. He said he’d sold four of the five the day before and I could get the last one if I ordered it right then. I did. One of the best decisions I’ve made. It shoots five shots sub 1moa repeatably, and it’s super sweet to carry around. I put a Leupold 1.5-5x20 30mm scope on it with a lighted reticle. I shot four deer with three shots this last season from 154 yards to 237 yards. I’m convinced it’s the most under appreciated cartridge ever developed. MPBR is around 250 yards and it flattens everything it hits. I have a matching .357max Encore and the .358 Win is like a .357Max on steroids. It’s now my favorite cartridge for deer hunting.
I hope you end up enjoying yours as much as I do mine. It’s a great cartridge.

[brasshog]

@NSB I had considered building one on an encore frame but I remembered the last bout of "contender madness" that I had lol. Contender and encore barrels multiply like stoves around here. I'm trying not to build a 280 AI on an encore atm. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the 358 win. I like your rifle.

[NSB]

Brasshog, you’re going to have a much nicer gun. I wish I was more technical and had the know-how to put something like your gun together. In the long run you’ve got the better/nicer gun. I was going to order a new .308 X-Bolt and send it out to get rebored, but I just couldn’t get myself to radically alter a new gun and didn’t know enough to do what you did. I took the “easy” way out. I’m looking forward to seeing yours when it’s all done. Beautiful stock you have coming.

[murf205]

IIRC, JES needs at least .050 on either side of the bore. Instead of a new barrel, why not have JES re-bore your existing barrel?

I just sent his brother Whyat, a message about my Monkey Ward 30-06 FN Mauser which has a .555 muzzle. Inquiring about a 35 cal re bore and he said that it would work but NO screws for sights that close to the muzzle. I guess if I really wanted sights, I could go to NECG for a barrel band front and an island rear, a la Ruger sights. Starting to sound sexy to me with a Timney or a 3 position bolt shroud safety in 35 Whelen.

[Jim22]

Good choice. The .358 Winchester is a fine cartridge for those who don't fancy shooting game a long way away. I generally limit my shots to about 200 yards no matter the gun. I just don't like making bad shots. As I age I don't consider Quigley's feat to be anything except Hollywood hype. Younger guys spend thousands on long range rifles, scopes, bipods, and ammo. Even so they make bad shots.

Jim

[brasshog]

@murf205 That sounds like a fun project. It should make for a great rifle.

@Jim22 I prefer hunting in swamps and timber versus the open range. I'm anticipating that I will keep all of my shots within 300 yards for this rifle for the most part. I have no desire to hunt long range anymore. Spot and stalk was always my game since I can't really sit still long enough in a stand. These old bones get cold too easily and I tend to fall asleep if I'm warm.

[murf205]

@murf205 That sounds like a fun project. It should make for a great rifle.

@Jim22 I prefer hunting in swamps and timber versus the open range. I'm anticipating that I will keep all of my shots within 300 yards for this rifle for the most part. I have no desire to hunt long range anymore. Spot and stalk was always my game since I can't really sit still long enough in a stand. These old bones get cold too easily and I tend to fall asleep if I'm warm.

Attachment 296338Attachment 296339
I don't think Jes will do my rifle. It has screw holes where the front sight attached. I had to saw a few lbs of wood off the stock to get it to where it was shootable and it is just that now. Prolly have to leave it a 30-06 or re-barrel. I shoots 220 gr Nosler Partitions and 220 Hornady RN into less than an inch. If I stumbled into a Vanguard or a SA anything that didn't take your 1st born to buy. a 358 Win would be my choice.

[brasshog]

@murf205 That is a nice rifle. I like the sights. I want sights on my rifle but Hart informed me today that they do not install any so I will have to find someone who will. I was trying to get the sights installed before the cerakoting so that it wouldn't be messed up afterwards.

[murf205]

Go to New England Custom Gun website and under accessories you will see sights. They offer the classiest sighting arrangements of anybody I've found. I could make the skinny muzzle of my '06 work by using a banded front ramp--if--it didn't have screw holes and one of them is stripped.The best part about their front ramps is that they have a lot of different beads that will fit in the ramp. If you look at the pic of my rifle you will notice that the rear sight is jamed up against the receiver ring. Montgomery Ward probably let the janitor put these sights on! Your rifle should look pretty good with that new stock. Synthetic stocks certainly have their place but they are not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as wood---IMHO.

[Rapier]

The 358 Win with 200s gives pretty impressive performance on deer size game. Over the years hunted with two guys that had them, very effective, very quick.

The receiver sight with the rear objective disk removed, makes for a fast target acquisition. A 200 in the boiler room, the critter is down.

[waylonrocks]

Up till about a year ago I knew nothing about the .358 Win cartridge. I met a fellow on here who needed some .358” jacketed bullets for his TC Encore in .357Max. I sent him some of my “stash” and we exchanged several emails since I owned a couple of Encores myself. He mentioned he was thinking about a 358 Win for his Encore and said he might order a barrel in that cartridge. Long story short, HausofArms sent me a flyer and they had five SSK barrels for sale in .358 Win. All heavy contour 20” with 1:12 twist. I gave it a thought for a day and then called Marty. He said he’d sold four of the five the day before and I could get the last one if I ordered it right then. I did. One of the best decisions I’ve made. It shoots five shots sub 1moa repeatably, and it’s super sweet to carry around. I put a Leupold 1.5-5x20 30mm scope on it with a lighted reticle. I shot four deer with three shots this last season from 154 yards to 237 yards. I’m convinced it’s the most under appreciated cartridge ever developed. MPBR is around 250 yards and it flattens everything it hits. I have a matching .357max Encore and the .358 Win is like a .357Max on steroids. It’s now my favorite cartridge for deer hunting.
I hope you end up enjoying yours as much as I do mine. It’s a great cartridge.

Wish I had been as smart as you were! I dithered too long and lost my chance at one of these barrels! I rejected the handgun length barrel that was offered figuring that the my .308 barrel would suffice. The .358 rifle barrel seems about perfect in length, has scope mount installed, and his threaded for muzzle brake/silencer. Hopefully, that will be offered again! If I may rant a bit - I often wonder at the cartridge selection offered in special runs of barrels such as this. Even now, 16 1/4 inch barrels are available for such things as the .264 Win Mag, which make little sense. Many of the other offerings would seem to have a limited number of prospective buyers, as well. It would seem to me, that classic cartridges with a cult following such as the .358, ,257 Roberts, etc. would appeal to many more people and generate better sales.

[TD1886]

Brasshog don't spend too much time worrying about the twist. If you got the 12 twist you done excellent. That way you can stabilize anything you put in it. Even if you have a faster twist then needed it won't change your accuracy worth a hoot contrary to what some experts on this forum say. Sometimes if you get the slowest twist possible for the caliber you sometimes end up with a rifle that will only shoot a shorter bullet and won't shoot the longer ones, not a good idea. It's kind of like having a more horsepower engine in your car and not needing it rather then an under powered engine when you do need it.

I have an early gunsmith custom 35 Whelen made waaaay back probably around the time Elmer Keith was playing with them on 1903 action. It wears a Lyman receiver sight and the barrel is a 12 twist. Even with the shorter light 220 cast bullets and the best group I got with my aging eyes was 1/2 inch at 100 yards. So you see "too much twist" isn't that inaccurate is it???

[brasshog]

Thanks TD1886- My whelen is a 1 in 14 twist and it did not like the first load that I tried with this boolit but it sure like 225gr jwords. I just knew that after my experience with the 1 in 16" twist in 35 whelen in a Rem CDL rifle that I didn't want that twist rate or a thin barrel on this rifle. The 200gr pills are most likely the lightest cast projectile that I will probably feed my 358 with. I need to get my butt to the bench and load up the 250gr custom jwords in the 358 so that I can try them out.

[Rapier]

My 358 Win 1-14 twist 22" SS barrel for my M-96 1943 Husky came in yesterday. Did a few mods to the Husky, like 3 dozen. It feeds the 200 Rem RN and the 200 RCBS FN. I now just need to cut the chamber, .017 short, to its full length, and turn the muzzle threads to 5/8-24. Cut a stock out.
This is the barrel mounted just for the feeding test.

[AnthonyB]

My Dream .358 Has Morphed...

since the beginning of this thread, and the drift has already started, so...

It was gonna be a short action M700 my Dad bought me in .243 when I was a kid. The idea was losing appeal as he got older, and I decided on a different route. I found a Savage 110 Magpul Hunter in 308 Win. Action is supposedly factory blueprinted, 20" fairly heavy barrel and a Magpul stock. Now I just need to decide on the best Savage threaded .358 barrel.
Tony

[Beerd]

AnthonyB,
If the barrel contour suits you, why not a rebore to .358?
..

[Eddie Southgate]

AnthonyB,
If the barrel contour suits you, why not a rebore to .358?
..

"My dad bought me as a kid" and " The idea was loosing appeal as he got older".