Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters JB's .338 Fed and .358 Win article in Handloader

You can get 3000 fps with the 140's, and into the 2900's with the 158, but with the 180's I would guess that as Savage says the 2800's would be a reach.

I forgot to mention that seating the pistol bullets may or may not be a problem. I had to modify the seating die, as it would crush the shoulder before it seated the 140's. This is a Hornady "New Dimension" die; I don't know if other dies have this "problem".

Just got a chance to read this article. I really enjoyed it!

It's interesting how many people are using the pistol projectiles in the 358Win ... this is one substantial benefit to the 35cals over the 338's. The potential for cheap practice or small game loads is just about unlimited, particularly if you include cast pills. I'm using the Rem 158gr and Sierra 170gr FMJ over a light load of Blue Dot for plinking duties. Yesterday I even had a 12 year old shoot his first centrefire ammunition using my 358Win with plinker loads. Smile said it all ... we have another shooter/hunter in the fold!
Cheers...
Con

I have been toting the virtues of the 358/356 for years. The 356 has a little less case capacity than the 358, but no elk or moose can tell the difference. I just wish hornady would start selling it's leverolution bullets for handloaders. Either way, it doesn't matter at the distances most timber elk at shoot. I want to purchase another 358 in the new ruger compact platform. It should be great for high timber climbs for elk.

Dan

According to the Speer manual, the 358 Winchester is loaded to 52,000 psi pressure (same as the 308). The 338 Federal is loaded to 62,000 psi. In modern rifles, the 358 could probably be loaded to 62,000 psi and give even better performance.

Suggestions, loads or comments?

djs,

Since you ask I will pimp my 200-gn load that hits 2640 fps again. This is a .358 load.

It uses what should be a crazy-ass overload of RL7 but it shows no pressure signs, brass life is near-eternal, easy extraction, shoots fine on hot days, etc.

I had pimped it to JB prior to his article in hopes that he'd give it some love, but he went with TAC instead.

I have no idea what the pressure is. It could be one of those things that only works in one rifle- mine- and so I keep hoping that someone will do a pressure run-up in THEIR rifle and tell me what they see <g>.

Details upon request, as they say.

Jeff and others...shouldn't RL10 do better with the 200's than RL7? Just inquiring. powdr

I'd like to try some...

When loading 180's in the .358 Win with RL-10 I worked up loads over the chrono with the old 99. A velocity of 2800 seemed ok but more powder drove the bullets even faster. I had no idea what the pressure was? There were no obvious excessive pressure signs.

It just seems that, in theory, 2800 fps is a lot out of the case.

RL-10 is excellent in the .358 and other rounds.

I want to try the Partition bullets in the 358 I just bought.

A friend has been using a .358 Win. for at least 30 years on all of his Alaska hunts. His rifle was made up on a Sako action and I think he always used a 250 grain Speer. I doubt he ever shoots past 200 yards and has to shoot any thing twice.

Long gone Alaskan guide Hal Waugh spoke highly of the .358 Win. for brown bear and his wife Julie's old Mod. 70 .358 Win. was down the road from me for a few years.

Wow, talk about resurrecting an old thread...but I love it. I remember reading JB’s article with anticipation and wish I had kept a copy of it.

I still have my 338Fed that I had made (on a Rem 600 action). It has killed a ton of deer and a couple elk. I use the good old Hornady 200gr SP. it is nothing fancy but flat kills everything without the blast or recoil of “bigger” rounds. At 6.5 pounds all up and ready, it is a joy to carry plus with its Leupold scope and McMillan stock, it can handle any accidental abuse.

I like the 338 FED too, have one as part of a 3-rifle set of stainless Ruger Hawkeyes, 223/6.5C/338F, that are all bedded in McM Hunter stocks. I like the 210 grain Partition, since it is intended for use on game that it larger/tougher than I'd care to tackle with its siblings in 223 or 6.5 Creedmoor.

I actually own the Hawkeye that JB used in the article! He sold it to a member, who in turn sold it to me. Also came with a copy of the magazine with the article signed. Complements my Gack collection. The gun is accompanying me on a Michigan elk hunt in a few days, but I more than likely will shoot it with a wood/blue 358 rather than the SS that JB owned. Both shoot very well though.

Since this thread, I completely reworked my .358 Model 7. I had Pac-Nor reprofile the barrel to a standard Rem sporter, put it in a B&C Alaskan stock, and swapped the scope to a 3-10 Swaro AV. And worked up a 200-gn Accubond load to try instead of 225 NPT I've used on the last half-dozen deer. The scope change was for low-light more than anything. This is my primary blacktail rifle. Love the cartridge. I will reiterate that RL7 is fantastic up to 200-gn bullets (will touch 2700 fps w/ 200's).

I think I saw that Hornaday was coming out with headstamped .358 brass.... anyone try it?

In that article (August 2008 - I believe) JB wrote something like Hornady 250 grain SP not expanding and he used Hornady RN bullets in that load development. He also used 200 grain RN Hornady bullets in that article. I always wondered about if those 200 grain SP bullets also didn't open up at 358 velocities. I've never tried them.

I use most manufacturers' 200 grain RN in my 35 Remington rifles - they all seem to work OK. 250 grain RN Hornady bullets in the 358 Win rifles (I only have one now) and 250 grain SP bullets (Hornady and Speer) in my 350 RM's.

JB if you're reading this, would you please comment on 200 grain SP Hornady bullets and their use in the 358 Win?


Thanks.

Bugger

They work very well for most deer hunting in the .358. The only complaint I've heard from anybody was a guy in Maine who wasn't impressed with how deeply they penetrated on the big-bodied bucks he hunts, especially on angling-away shots.

I always devour any .358 Winchester article in the gun rags. I read every thread I can on the forums. Research is good. Rusty

I have never stayed in a Holiday Inn Express, but I have used the Hornady 200 SP's on a bunch (6-8) of deer. They WHACK them. If what you want to do, is keep <bleep> simple and kill deer with a .358, look no further.

I switched to the 225 NPT for my own reasons (I.E., not because the 200's weren't working great) and got interesting results. I killed about a half-dozen deer with them; the last two were virtually identical 3x3's hit virtually identically through the lungs at about 35 yards. Plus a forkie last year also through the lungs. Anyway, point being, a 225 NPT at .358 speeds makes a very "polite" hole through deer lungs; no jellying, minimal bruising, just a big hole. I have pics of the lungs if anyone is curious. I also "caught" a 225 NPT in a spike buck. It was a quartering away shot at about 20 yards and skidded along the spine.

I'm hoping the 200 NAB is the best of both worlds. With the boat-tail and plastic tip getting enough powder in the case while staying with 2.82" COAL restraints is a bit of a pain. I had to trickle the powder (RL7) while tapping the case to settle it as I trickled.

Finally.... howdy JB! Been a while.

My experience with the 200 grain SP on deer at woods ranges has been spectacular. As best I can remember all broadside and angled shots have exited with massive blood trails. I've had several non-exits on frontal/straight ahead chest shots but I wouldn't expect an exit from many bullets there.