Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Model 7 .358 Win redux

This was my first "custom" rifle; it started as a 7-08 M7 LSS and I had Pac-Nor rebarrel it to a 20" .358. In my naïveté I went with a long-shank numbered profile. So I had to do a lot of work to the lammie stock to fit it. I ended up killing many blacktail with it- at least a dozen. It wore a 2.5-8 Leupold to start; then I ran a 1.8-5.5 Zeiss Conquest for a number of years.

Among other downsides of that profile barrel (for this rifle anyway) was that I then couldn't swap it into other stocks. I tooled up to do my own rifle work so it occurred to me I could take that barrel off, send it to PN, and get it re-profiled for a pittance... so I did. Had them turn it into a Remington Sporter profile, which then opens up all manner of stock options.

So I finally got around to buying a new stock. It's just a BC Alaskan; since this isn't a precision rifle I couldn't really justify spending more. I like the feel of those stocks, too. I had a Swarovski 3-10x42 AV that is a superb low light scope and nice and light so I mounted that in the Talleys. The rifle is totally transformed- feels great, balance has moved forward, and that scope is gonna work great for what this rifle's mission is- which is dark timber still-hunting and very dim grey light conditions.

My MO has been "improve what I've got" rather than buying new rifles for the last few years, and this definitely qualifies. Really digging it! Plan on whacking a blacktail this year with it, unless my new 6.5 SAUM build cuts the tag first.

So it's a .358 M7, 20" tube, sporter profile, B&C Alaskan

Looks good, still shoot well after getting the barrel recontoured?

What is your hunting load for that rifle?

Gerry, seems "fine". Haven't really shot it for accuracy much... it's a spittin'-distance rifle. Plus the bullets I use these days- 225 Partitions- ain't cheap.

Elkhunter, I've killed deer with 3 bullets from a .358. First was a factory 200-gn Silvertip (from a BLR); that's a brutal load. Then I built this rifle and used the 200-gn Hornady SP on a bunch of deer. Brutally effective bullet; has the BC of an ashtray though. I had aspirations to make it a 300-yard rifle so as part of that I switched to the 225 Partition. Killed, I dunno, a half dozen deer with that bullet. At .358 speeds it makes a "polite" wound channel, no bloodshot, but also won't liquify lungs; just makes a hole.

For 200's on down I use Reloder 7 which is amazing. It'll push 200's to 2675 fps easily from this 20" barrel. For 225's I use TAC. Works great and gets a guy away from powder compression. 2500 fps.

Jeff,
Try the 200 accubond over a max charge of TAC. Hits 300 yards like the Easy button....

And for the Love of God, just kill schidt with the 6.5 SAUM!!!

Try this website for .358" 225 grain NP's....
http://www.shootersproshop.com

Not any .358" bullets now,but check in every so often.

Kimber7, got an antelope with the 6.5 SAUM and it's going to get hunted a lot for blacktail; just not still-hunting. I've killed deer with the .358 at powder-burn ranges; that's not 6.5 SAUM territory.

I'm trying to remember.... I thought the .35 cal Accubond had issues at a 2.8" COAL? Like the ogive was in the case neck? Or was that a 225-gn version..... haven't paid much attention to .35's for several years as I've drawn high desert mule deer tags.

Went looking for an old pic of the .358 and found this.... 225 NP through deer lungs at about 50 yards. I killed two almost indistinguishable bucks in consecutive years at the same spot shot in the same place and the other lungs looked like this too.

This is the rifle as it was; that's with the 1.8-5.5 Conquest on it. Such a cool scope. Long though. I sold it to a guy who was going to be running it on a slug gun- I expect he loves it.

I wouldn't expect a good quality barrel like a Pac Nor to act weird after recontouring but wasn't sure since you don't hear of too many barrels being modified like that.





I shoot both weight Accubond's in the 35 Whelen and they are my favourite bullets. For fun I necked up a 308 case to 358 and seated a 200 gr Accubond at a bit under 2.8" to see what it would be like, at the case the bullet measures at around .354" so a little bit of the ogive is inside the neck but not much. There should be plenty of neck to hold it securely even like that.

Jeff, that looks about perfect! I like it!

Thanks Kevin! It's a bit odd to rework a rifle that a guy has so much personal history with, but.... fuggit <g>! In with the new!

Beautiful and well thought out rifle! A Remington that I would like to have.

Nice rifle.

I ran into a Sako A2 Saturday that someone had rebareled into a .358 Win as well. 20" in synthetic stock with a Leupy 2-7. If I hadn't just bought a cz527 in 6.5 Grendel, I'd have taken that Sako home with me. It was a steal at $500.

Uh..... YEAH! Ya think?! Somebody here should buy it. Now.

It's a fantastic cartridge. I love how it kills decisively yet doesn't mess up a bunch of meat. Blood trails are a red carpet. And while this doesn't get mentioned often- the sound of it is more a BOOM! than a CRACK! Much easier on my ears. I killed a possum in the middle of the night a couple weeks ago with my little M4'gery Bushmaster AR and that short barreled thing was so loud and such a crack my ears are still not 100% back.

I feel the same about the 9x57 and 9,3x57.

I like what the OP did with his rifle. A keeper for sure.

Is the BC stock thick in the wrist?

Jeff, What's the .358 weigh as is now and what's the muzzle diameter?

Gentlemen!

Dakota, I'd say it's neither thick nor thin in the wrist area.

Teeder, I don't know the weight. One of these days I need to buy a postal scale. I'll measure the muzzle.