Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters ? for Mule Deer on the .358 Win

I finally got some Ramshot TAC with the plan of testing your load of 49g for the .358 Win with 225g Sierra GK. I also have 225g Nosler partitions to try. From you experience should I stop a grain or two lower with the partitions vs the Sierra's since the Nosler has the partition and maybe a different jacket material? The rifle is a Mod 88 Winchester.

Yeah, a grain or two lower would be a good idea with either bullet in the 88, since I worked up to 49 in a bolt action. You might encounter slightly sticky extraction in the lever rifle.

I'd try them both with, say, 46 grains and see what the velocity is. If it's about the same for both bullets, then pressure probably is too.

In general, I've found Partitions and Sierra hunting bullets shoot to about the same velocity and point of impact with the same load, the reason I often load both in my big game rifles. The Sierra's used for practice, sighting-in and lighter game, and the Partition only for hunting. Have had that work out with a bunch of rifles, from the .243 Winchester to .375 H&H.

Thank you

MD
Does this work for both the GameKing and Pro-Hunter?

I have been amazed by TAC in my 350 mag. Thinking of trying it in my 358s. Have you tried it with 200 grain bullets? I run 200 grain hornady over 48 grains AA2520. Been happy with it but a little more speed would be nice running a little under 2500fps right now.

Prwlr,

Usually.

Sometimes you have to tweak the power charge a little, depending on the bullet weight and rifle. In my Kilimanjaro 7x57, for example, all the bullets from 156-160 grains I've tried (quite a few) shoot very close to the same POI with 46.0 grains of H4350. But the load for 140's often needs to be tweaked, usually less than a grain, to do the same thing.

Mike,

In a Ruger Hawkeye .358, 52.0 grains of TAC got over 2700 fps with the 200 TSX. Would drop that a couple of grains in lever-actions, but that would still probably get at least 2600.

51.0 gr of TAC gets 2600 out of a 20" Savage 99E .358 JES rebore with 200 gr TTSXs. Extraction starts getting sticky after that.

Pound 'O TAC, bag of 180 Speers, Ruger Frontier: what is max charge/velocity? Go

MD

If you wrote an article on the 358, I unfortunately missed it. Would you mind listing the magazine and date? What was the load that you would use for close range elk? Thanks.

I wrote one on both the .338 Federal and .358 Winchester for HANDLOADER. Don't know exactly which issue, but according to my computer I wrote it in 2008.

John,
It was Handloader 254, August/September 2008. And like all of your articles, it was highly informative and useful.

No surprise there.


Steve

There is a copy of the article on my desk right now.

Got Handloader 254, August/September 2008 ordered. Thanks

JB's info on TAC really upgraded my .358 experience.

Is TAC available to buy again? I've been a miser with it as I only have a pound left.

I will add, I find RL7 to be fantastic in the .358 for up to 200-gn bullets. I can get 2640 fps from a 20" barrel with Hornady 200 SP's no problem, and it will push the lighter bullets (and .357 pistol bullets) FAST. The beauty of it, as with TAC and 225's, is that you don't need to get into powder compression.

Whatever happened to "a 100'ish or so FPS really does not matter in the field"?

My Ruger Hawkeye does really well with a stout dose of TAC with 225 grain Nosler Partitions. I have also had good results accuracy-wise with 220 grain Speer Hot-Cor using TAC. It burns clean and measurers nicely in all my powder measurers. The little 358 Win is a fun caliber to reload and, it hunts well.

Jeff,

TAC has been available pretty much constantly since about this time last year from various websites. Right now the supplies are apparently down a little, perhaps because of yet another buying panic starting, but I just found it on a couple of sites.

Thanks John. Haven't seen it locally. I don't usually but powder online to save on the hazmat fees but it might be worth it in this case.

Need some Hunter too. It's as magic for 120's in a 7-08, as TAC is in a .358.

S&M had some last week

Jeff,

I continually hear the same thing about saving on the haz-mat fees from a bunch of handloaders, but few have actually compared the per-pound price on an 8-pound jug (or more) from an Internet site versus store prices. Some apparently think the haz-mat applies to every item, when it only applies once to an entire order, and the same people also tend to ignore the price of driving around to look for stuff. Even with gas less than $2 a gallon an Internet search is far cheaper.

I've bought a lot of powder and primers off the Internet at lower prices per pound, or 1000 primers, than I've found in local stores, and used far less fuel and time. Plus, when you can't get powder in stores it only makes sense to buy it elsewhere.

Buying in bulk pays dividends.

Now we all know why there is still a powder shortage. Is all that powder for your consumption?

Doc

It was a split between me and a pard.

They had it locally at my Cabelas over the weekend. If you have a Cabela's locally, have them transfer it to your store.

Awesome picture!

I'm building a .358 Win this year. How does Rl-15 work with 200 - 225 grn bullets?

MD

I have got your article yet - it's on order. FI'm building a short action 700 with a Douglas barrel. There's three twist options for 358 caliber. I expect to use cast bullets and up to 225 grain jacketed bullets.
What twist rate would you recommend: 10, 12, or 14?

Thanks

I'd go 1-14.

There's really no reason to go faster. All commonly available jacketed/monolithic bullets are designed to stabilize in a 1-16 twist, and in the .358 I haven't found any advantage in 250-grain spitzers.

I have a .35 Whelen and shoot 225gr. Sierra and Nosler bullets exclusively, they shoot to the same point of impact with the same powder charge. I agree with the advice to back off on the powder charge a little in rounds intended to be shot in the M/88.

MD, I'm working with a couple 358 rifles at present (Browning BLR and Savage M99) with a bolt action in the near offing. (Don't ask why, just put it down as the current symptom of my chronic rifle looney-ness...)

Anyways, I'm curious about some real-world issues when reloading for this cartridge... in your hunting with this caliber (or your friends' hunting) have you noted any real advantage of 250 gr bullets vs 225 bullets for larger game (large black bears, moose, bison, etc), or vice versa? My bias is to lean toward a heavier bullet for heavier critters, but once velocity drops below 2400-2500 fps I'm not so sure that's the direction I want to go.

Doc,

While you can get a 250 up to 2400 fps in a bolt-action in the .358, and the 250 Partition will penetrate well on big stuff, in a lever-action that sort of speed isn't usually obtainable with 250's, which means expansion can become marginal even at relatively short ranges. With all the good 225's around these days, I'd stick with them.

I agree completely, BUT the 250gr Norma Oryx sure makes one hell of a smack on steel....

Thanks for confirming my suspicions, JB. I haven't even bought a box of 250's yet, which kinda tells ya where my thinking is.

Scott, that's a helluva expensive bullet to use for ringing steel!!!

It's cheaper than hookers and tequila.

Doc,

We used the 200 gr TTSX extensively in Africa in 2011 so it is what I have settled on. In fact, contrary to the 223 gang, I will be taking the 358 (a custom pre-64 M70) to the hog hunt next month. Many years ago I owned a BLR and found that about 2400 fps was the limit with 225 gr Partition's, this with 4064. They did shoot very well and killed a few hogs.

Thanks, Ed. NP 225's is pretty much where I was going with my planning, as it happens. BTW, check your PM's.

DR, I had a 35 Whelen for a time and then "improved" it which was one of the bigger wastes of time I've embarked on with any gun. Anyway, with that rifle, and several 350 Rem Mags, I found the 225-gr bullets to do very well.

It'd be the heavy I'd start with with the 358.

I have every intention of starting (and hopefully being done) with the 225 AB when I finally get my 99. Here's an interesting link of milk jug tests with recovered bullets:

http://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=16209


Really can't go wrong with either 225 Nosler, and surprisingly, the 200 Hornady IL looks REALLY promising.

I'd bet against a 225AB in a 358 case fitting the magazine. I couldn't get a 225gr Ballistic tip to fit.

And they are much better at dealing with wood than they are with steel.

That was my only concern seeing how much longer it was beside the PT. either way, I can think of worse things than settling for a 225 PT.

Barnes would be a fine back up. 180 or 200 ideally. But, it is nice the 225 opens down to 1600 fps. The 180 and 200 are 1900 and 1800 respectively.

Are you referring to the TSX or the TTSX? I think the TTSX bullets (in this caliber at least) open at lower velocity, but don't have the info direct from Barnes. I do know the 180 and 200 TTSX have pretty large hollow points if you remove the tips for magazine constraints.

BTW - straight from Nosler - the Accubond is the same bullet as the Ballistic Tip, just bonded. So the length issues should be the same, as suggested above.

The 180 and 200 are tipped and the 225 is TSX. Those velocities are quoted directly from Barnes.

Thanks. The 200gr comes in both flavors (tipped and not) but I couldn't remember about the 180. I still have some of the older 180 X bullets, which aren't tipped of course.

Did Barnes say how slow the non-tipped 200 TSX will open?

They did not. I assumed both were the same.

You planning on having a scope with turrets on you Savage 99? With a 225gr Partition, you're '1600' fps will be about 400 yards, with a 200 yard zero you'll be 3' low at that distance and almost 2' of drift with a full value wind at only 10mph.


And guess what, you'll still be over 1800 with your 200gr TTSX at the same 400 yards too

I'm still undecided on optics. I'm still looking for the right 99. I'll either go with a red dot, fixed 4x, or possibly a 1-4; something along those lines.

Obviously, optics/set-up will dictate my max range. I'm not overly concerned with any of those options. They will all work fine. Even the 200 Accubond would be a great choice. It will all depend on what the old girls likes.

I'd prefer the Nosler's as SPS will allow me to save some cash on seconds. They're cheaper than 200 Hornady Interlocks if I can catch them in stock.

A guy called 'tarheelpwr' living in PA and here I am a Pennsylvanian living in the world of the Tarheels! How ironic.