My small ring '98 was an export to Canada from colonial Africa. It had a bore that measured .357 at the breech end and .356 at the muzzle. Rifling was not worn much, so I'm not sure what to make of that. It shot OK with Hornady 250 RN .358" bullets run through a Lee .357 bullet sizer die. I loaded it with 8x57 cases run over the expander ball in my 9x57 dies, no other changes. IMR 3031 easily duplicated the factory ballistics of 2150 fps. I had some very old Kynoch ammo to compare to.
The rifle was light, handy, and kinda elegant for a plain working grade rifle. It had a couple of nicks in the barrel from being involved in a knife vs. rifle fight and a couple dents in the stock that looked like leopard tooth marks. I wish that old rifle could tell its tales. I sold it a few months ago.
[Linked Image]