Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 358 featherweight

Was there an actual issue with this chambering and what might need to be done gun smithing wise if aquiring one? I see no mention in Roger Rule book about failure to fire or safety just that it was dropped from production due to lack of interest. I am looking to purchase but don't want function issues. There seems to be head space controversy. I hunt with this round and find it perfect for my type of application. Even moose it has been a tremendous performer. Thanks in advance.

Good luck with it. Are you asking about the pre 64 model 70? Personally, that's a long action and I'd rather be using a 30-06 loaded with 200gr. partitions in that platform. To each his own though..

Yes a pre 64, hear you on the long action and using a short round in it. Just have a thing for the featherweights and rare combinations.

Have an original and a custom built on a pre 64 action. Both operate without issue and the have gauged the original chamber, well within specs. I have had issues with some Winchester 358 brass being short and causing miss fires. However, necking up 308 brass has resulting in no issues at all. Have been using this cartridge for 20 plus years and have had several other rifles so chambered without issue.

The pre64 action is of one length, magazine parts are sized for the cartridge family used.

Carry on. Nothing wrong with that..

So back in the day when folks were turning in their 358's to Winchester for another rifle there was no reasoning for that as far as function goes?

Couldn't tell you what those folks reasoning was, never met someone that turned in their non functioning 358 rifle. What I know is the 358 Winchester's that I have and have had functioned flawlessly. The only function problems I've encountered we're due to some Winchester brass.

Ok, since no one else will answer your question. Winchester announced the recall on the model 70's chambered for 358 win because of the shoulder angle, short case sholder, and insufficient case taper. It caused misfires, and extraction failures. This affected approx. 2,000 rifles. The 358 win was never a popular cartridge and favored more in the lever actions of the day like the savage 99 and win 88. It was also discontinued in 1963 (in the model 70) due to its unpopularity and known problems with function... Hope this helps...

So what does a rare combination like this cost do you guys think?

So what was done to correct the issue with this cartridge?

any serial numbers to avoid? Thanks fellers for responses

Have never heard of any serial numbers to avoid. Whether the 2000 rifles that were affected by the recall were not chambered properly or there was another issue I have never understood. However if the issues pointed out were in fact the real problem, why does this cartridge perform today in pre 64 actions and various other firearms. Have gauged several originals and never found one that wasn't headspaced properly. Also, measuring fired brass from an original to brass fired in a custom shows no real differences in chamber dimensions.

Plan on spending $3,500+ for an unmolested 358 Fwt....

All the 358s I see for sale appear to be in mint condition.

I believe the 'problem' was the factory ammo and the smallish shoulder of the 358. I have even examined Winchester factory (red/yellow box) 257 Robt cases that had overly sloped/rounded shoulders easily detectable with the naked eye. 2 of the 20 cases in the 'new/old' box of unfired ammo had shoulders so unfilled out that the rounds would misfire if shooting was attempted.
The 358 Win has no 'inherent problems' IMO. I've owned an origional Win pre '64 FWT model 70 in 358 Win, owned a factory Ruger 77R in 358 Win (shot/hunted/hand loaded for 12 years) and never had one misfire. I did not get to shoot the pre 64 because for some reason it's collectabity and value and a willing buyer made me foolishly sell it. I think it was my ilogical 'too valuable to shoot' thinking that did it.
Know that if you are a handloader that NATO 308/7.62x51 cases are easily formed into 358 cases unless you want to wait for or find factory 358 Win brass somewhere.

Now, I did NOT shoot my pre 64 and it's possible that the chamber's could have been cut to the large end of SAMMI specs, but I would buy one again if a deal came along, and just fire form my hand loads to get proper fitting cases.... That's IF the chambers were a bit oversized. I still think it must have been inconsistency of factory ammo of the day after seeing other unformed factory cases on factory new ammo of the day.

I have had a 358 FWT for longer than I care to remember and the only problem I have heard of was that the primers would set to deep and the firing pin wouldn't have enough strength to detonate the primer. I solved this by making sure I don't seat the primer to deep into the case. I have Never HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE M70 358.

BSA described the problems I had with a Savage 99 in 358. I actually had two of them. One functioned flawlessly, the other had several mis-fires/failure to fire. Missed a nice buck because the gun did not go off. I returned that one to Savage and never had a problem with the replacement. All Savage said was something about the shoulder and the chamber. In any case, there did seem to be some sort of issue with that short shoulder that affected some small number of rifles.

They discontinued it.

Problem solved.

I don't think there was enough of a problem with the cartridge itself to discontinue it rather that decision would have been made due to low sales figures. If you think about it there really isn't much difference between the 358 and the 35 Rem. I would like to find a 358 STD someday but like a M70 in 35 Rem it will require deep pockets.

I had one and it fed, shot and extracted great. I now have a custom whereby the builder screwed a piece of some sort of black composite to the mag box. Feeds, shoots and extracts just fine.