I also will be testing the 220 grain Speer out of my Big Bore .356. I personally feel 220 grains is a better fit for the small .356 case, but have no actual experience with it. Just basing my thoughts on my own experiences this last 55 years with a .338 and 30-06.
Hopefully Karl from Alaska Bullet Works will soon offer the 220 grain version of his bonded bullet for the .356 Winny. I have a sizing die coming from Lee and will be sizing that 220 grain Speer down to .348 for use in my Ackley Improved version. That big case will give plenty of speed to that 220 grain bullet as well as the 250 grain Kodiak. The 220 grain Speer's are less then a 1/3 the cost of the Kodiak's. I have long wanted and old style lever gun that gave true .35 Whelen ballistics, the .348 Ackley Improved will be close enough.
I wish the Big Bore .356 Win had a 22' or 24" barrel and a pistol grip, I just prefer a pistol grip for recoil control. But, it fits my wife and youngest grand son very well and I will probably be packing the Mod. 71. Long ago Win, offered the Mod. 94 Black Shadow, a synthetic stock with a pistol grip chambered for the .444 Marlin. Rumor has it Win. was also looking at the .40 bore in their Big Bore line up, but canned the idea after the rest of the line showed weak sales. I'm glad they didn't do it as it would be another gun I can't live with out. LOL
Waiting on "markak338fed" to see what he can do to soup up the .356 Win. I asked Buffalo Bore owner Tim Sundels about making up some +P .356 Win. ammo, he said he would like to, but there is not a steady supply of components or enough .356 users.
I think the .307 Win. is a good idea and if I had one I would put a Leupold 1.5-5x20 scope on it. With a Barnes X or Nosler Partition it would be a serious caribou or moose rifle out to 300 yards. The grand old 30-06 was making a name for it self in the worlds big game fields over 100 years ago with lesser bullets and similar ballistics. Big bears, a skilled riflemen that stays cool and knows a bears anatomy would make it work. If I need a .30 caliber lever gun I can fire up Dad's old Mod. 99 in .300 Savage.
At my age I should probably quit buying rifles and spend my money else where. So hard to do.......Woe is me.....
