Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 358 Norma Mag questions

I have been wanting to build a 358 Norma Mag for a long time..... I have other large magnums (338 RUM, 338EDGE, 338 LAPUA) that will do the same thing, but I also have a 308 Norma Mag and a ton of brass for it, so why not build the big brother???? What I would like to do is use a Winchester M70 classic stainless action and a Krieger #6 stainless barrel and put it into a composite stock like a McMillan. What I need help with is bullet choice and twist rate. Please give me your experience and suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Bob

I had a 358 Norma on a Mauser action back in 1991. Hunted elk with it once, but didn't fire a shot other than to sight in. I loaded 250 grain Nosler Partitions, and my twist rate was 1 in 14". Anything faster than 1 in 16" should be fine. I would probably choose the same bullet today if hunting elk or other large game.

Are you sure you want a #6 contour barrel? I forget what contour my barrel was. It was heavy and only 21" long, but not a #6. It made a great black timber gun. I would think a #3 contour would be heavy enough, #4 if you must.

I am a 35 caliber fan too, but don't have any more of them any more. Too much recoil for an old guy on blood thinners. My 7mm Weatherby Magnum kicks too much these days.

The standard magnum contour used by many of the commercial rifle makers is plenty of meat for a 358 Norma. I simply had a Ruger .338 Win rebored 0.020". 75 grains of any 4350 behind a 250 grain bullet, and it'll make big meat reliably.




(No, my 9-year-old didn't shoot that animal with the 358.)

Mine was a 22" 1 in 12 twist and I wouldn't want to go any heavier than a #4 contour as well. I still actually have the barrel, I started and stopped with Big Game with bullets from 200 -275 gr. I hunted with the 200 gr TTSX at 3000 fps but didn't get anything, another good bullet was with the 250 gr Speer at 2750 fps. I decided my 35 Whelen was all I wanted but the 358 Norma is a very powerful gun and one of the better 35 cal cartridges out there. Big Game was very good but had it not worked out I had H 4895, RL 15 and H 4350 waiting in the wings.

The 200 gr TTSX is a nice bullet, I actually had it close to 3100 fps but figured 3000 fps was more than enough, it was an accurate bullet. The other bullet that I like is the 225 gr Accubond (works great in the Whelen and should be just as good 200 fps faster) both weights of Partition's are great of course and I bet the 225 and 250 gr Woodleigh's would be great too. Other than a specialised load of some sort I can't see going past 250 gr anymore and quite frankly the better 225's are excellent for anything in North America. If you can't kill it with a 250 gr Woodleigh, Norma Oryx or Partition I can't imagine anything heavier being much better.

Just my .02 and I hope this helps.

Oh, and I also have hunted a lot with the 308 Norma just like you and had to give the big brother in 358 Norma a try too lol.

I was thinking that 9 year old was a tough dude

That little dude - the moose that is- stopped a 250 A-Frame:



...though at some expense:

I rebarreled a .338 WM in a Sako Finnbear with a Douglas 1:12 twist that duplicated the original contour. I'd not go heavier if I were to do it again, but may do it lighter. I've used lots of bullets, but the 225 TSX is nearly a do it all bullet. I've also used 250 grain bullets by Speer, Hornady, Swift and Nosler, and I think there is a bit of an edge for softer bullets for big bears. I've used a lot of 4350 and RL-15 for the 225s, but I think N203-B is a bit better and have shifted to it most recently. For 250 grain bullets I've had very good success with RL-19. I know that some have velocity swings due to ambient temperature with RL-19, but I live in AK and for moose and bears the temp is always 45-55 whether it's spring or fall.

Thanks for the replies so far guys..... Some good info. I was only planning to use a #6 barrel because I was having trouble finding something smaller. I can't remember who specifically but based on their websites, some barrel makers didn't offer 35 caliber at all. Krieger only offered 35 caliber in a #6...... I would love to have a smaller barrel. Something that was close to a factory Rem or Win mag barrel contour but I haven't found many options yet. I didn't want to get into a custom ordered barrel because the wait might kill me and I didn't want to get into having my rifle builder turning a barrel contour because I have heard that can hurt the barrels potential accuracy.....What do you guys suggest?
Thanks again!

http://www.shilen.com/contours.html

A #3 or #4 contour would do for a .358 NM.

My Benchmark 35 Whelen barrel is really nice, and you can get them in all sorts of contours. My 358 NM is a Canadian barrel that is no longer in business. Lot's of others will do a #3 or 4 and there are a lot of great barrels out there.

Mine has a Shilen barrel that is 26" and a 1-16" twist. Traded for it about ten years ago.

I don't have experience with the 358 norma but have researched just about all there is on the internet about it. I was real close to investing in that direction but it seemed to me that in general and compared to other calibers in the neighborhood, the 358 bullets are a tad soft for the norma velocities. So I would lean more to the tougher bullets, probably all copper. But like I said, that opinion is based on second-hand info.

I built a 350 Rigby which is almost a ballistic twin to the 358 Norma. I used a 1-14 twist barrel and had no problem stabalizing 250 gr jacketed bullets or 280 gr cast bullets. If building another one I'd likely go with a 1-12 as it wouldn't hurt anything and it would give me the flexibility to use heaver or longer bullets.

I've only took one head of game with that rifle, a small deer neck shot at ~10 paces. The 250 gr hornday rn nearly decapitated the deer. Hence in my limited experience I'd say the cup core bullets show be used with the 358 win or 35 whelen. I'd go with the 250 gr x bullet or the swift aframes when launching them 2700 fps.

The reason I sold the rifle is it was just too darned heavy to be toting in my hands hunting island deer so if I built another one I'd go with a lighter contour. My replacement rifle ended up being a Ruger all weather 350 rem mag.

My Norma Magnum lives on a steady diets of Swift 280gr A-Frames, enough H-4895 to reach 2500fps. Along the way I used most 35 bullets with the 250 Speer HC being the most accurate and reliable, most shooting was moose and spring brown bear (trophy size) the Swift's really are a superb bullet! The rifle is a pre-64 with a 20" Douglas barrel, 12" twist in a MPI stock, a tough and reliable rifle

Sorry about the no pic,,I've payed and verified about 10 time with photobucket,,time to find another.

What is your opinion of the MPI stock? I have never used one but I have had them recommended to me from a buddy.

Feels really good,, fits perfect and soaks up recoil as compared to original wood. More work for gunsmith but worth it to me. Mine is the mannlicher style.
Jim

One more thought: I made 358 Norma brass from 338 Win Mag brass. The Norma shoulder is farther forward from the 338's, so I necked the brass up to .366" with a .366" expander plug, then ran the brass into the 358 Norma sizer just enough to be a snug fit in the chamber. Then I used the Cream of Wheat method to finish the forming job. The rifle was on a Czech Mauser action originally chambered for the 35 Whelen. A buddy who is another 35 caliber fan bought the rifle and took it to Alaska, which is a good place for such a cannon. I forget what, if anything, he took with it. I'll have to ask him. He also hunts with a 358 Winchester on a Remington 722 action and a 35 Whelen Remington pump. I said he was a 35 caliber fan.

My other rifle on that 1991 elk hunt was a Weatherby Mark V in 300 Weatherby. That was my up-in-the-pass rifle. I shot an elk with the Weatherby.

These days I'm more of a 25 caliber fan. Have fun with your rifle build.

My post '64 Model 70 has a 24" barrel with 1:12 twist. Works fine with bullets from 200 gn up to the 310 gn Woodleigh. It is not fussy about powder but I prefer Varget for 255 gn bullets and H4350 for heavier bullets. IMR4451 seems just as good as H4350 but takes 1 grain less. My favorite bullet is the Nosler 250 gn. The 250 Speer is slightly less accurate and develops a little more pressure so I use 1 gn less powder with it.

To use .338 Win Mag brass I just run it through the .358 sizer die, load with a normal powder charge and shoot. These fire forming loads are just as accurate as loads with already formed cases. You can also use .300 Win Mag brass by running it through the sizer die and trimming.