I would like to hear more of your opinion of the .358 Winchester in regards to your personal application. Thanks.
ETA. Also interested in your opinion on Tikka as well.
I don't have any personal experience with the 358, but everyone I know that does seems to like it. Famous guide Hal Waugh spoke highly of his - even though he liked the improved version of the 375. The 358 seems about 100-200fps slower than the Whelen with the same bullets (except for Hornady data where it has the smaller case exceeding the larger one...🤔). So unless you are looking for the last little bit of performance should be a good killer. If you are looking for range, get a 338 or 300 anyways...
I prefer a standard length m77 action so the Whelen is the easiest way to get max thump out of a standard action with 5 down, but if I was using an action that dictated shorter COAL the 358 would be worth a try.
I also have no experience with Tikkas but see a lot of resident hunter and a couple of guides using them, especially those who are a little more interested in rifle performance, but not so much as to go custom. I have never heard a bad word about them. One very experienced guide I know uses a pre-64 m70 and an older custom Brno as his backup rifles, but has a couple of Tikkas for assistants or client use.
