Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 358 win bullet for elk

What kind of velocity are you getting with the 160 raptors?

Didn’t clock’em. Guessing around 2,800 or so. They reportedly open at 1,500 fps, so don’t need a lot of speed to perform.

Even out of a JES 3 groove rebore, sub MOA.

DF

I have shot a couple of deer and one average size black bear with the 225 gr. Sierras from my .35 Whelen. Everything died but the core and jacket were always separated. I used tougher bullets from the Whelen for moose and Africa, either 250 grain Partitions or 225 TBBC. I keep the Sierras for deer sized game.

Hammer makes one called the Absolute Hammer. Their proprietary driving band design allows less friction thus faster velocity with less drag. The Absolute version pushes the envelope even farther. Check it out.

Some applications even require faster burning powder to get enough in the case. The Absolute Hammer opens new horizons for conventional rounds. Very interesting Looney stuff.

Weatherby is now loading Hammer bullets in some of their factory ammo. Bet that’s pretty expensive. But seems their market is more performance oriented, price not as important. If ya gonna go that route, handload!

DF

You should see what a Barnes 250 out of a 45-70 does to a WT. That bullet has a huge hollow point, blows lung tissue and blood out the other side. You can see the carnage on the ground.

Same with hogs. The far side rib cage showed an exit hole with the ribs fractured in a radial pattern out from the exit, sorta like a broken window. Pretty amazing what a big bullet does.

DF

I've had great results with 225gr. Sierra Game Kings in my .35 Whelen, should work just as well in .358.

You don't need fancy bullets for the 358 win. I have been using 200 gr Cor-locks for years and nothing has walked away. The Sierra 225 are great in my 350 rem mag.

Those Absolutes are something I didn’t believe till I tried them. I used the 172 in my Mashburn and that bullet easily got 3200 which is a solid 100 over what any other bullet in that weight class will do in my gun. And man were they accurate.

I love that 225 Sierra for deer killing though.







This one entered at the rear most ribs and was dug out of the front leg.

I just don't hunt or shoot enough to try all the combinations I would like for my personal research. But I have these rn and pointed bulk Remington 200 grainers. And boxes of old Nosler partitions. Still I would like to try the Hawk 358 bullets. Then there are the 350s; I have two. I would sell them BUT I have had a severe case of sellers remorse so my family will take what they want and sell the rest. RZ.

Good points made about .358 Win bullet choice.

Bottom line, hard to go wrong with that one. Most bullets, stuck in the right spot, will kill critters.

Great round for general hunting. Maybe not the best for LR, but general use, a champ.

DF

I have been having fun with the 178 grain hammer, not sure which version it is, but has the big hollow point ( shock hammer?) . Anyway, that bullet is doing 2650 out on my 20 inch barrel. Hits deer like a ton of bricks. No guessing if you hit it. Necessary? Nope. Fun? Yup. With that speed I am still fast enough at 300 yards that it should still open reliably, and drops ~15 inches. Haven't shot game that far with it, but have had it ringing a 6 inch plate at 300.

I’ve been running Nosler and Sierra 225’s out of my 20” Sako carbine and a modest load of W748.
My experience is on one young rocky mountain bull and several Roosevelt cows.

Longest shot at a bit over 250 yards on a big R cow - Sierra, double lunged and completely penetrated.
Closest was the bull at less than 50 yards - he stopped two Sierras, but died close by and quickly

The Nosler has always given two holes regardless of the hit angle - in my limited experience.
I’ve not caught one yet.

I feel the Sierra is a bit softer than the Nosler offering, but is a heck of a lot of bullet for 99% of the game I’d use a .358 on.
The bigger the game or more difficult the shooting scenario, the more I’d lean towards the Nosler bullet…..

I won’t go so far as to say I think the use of carriage trade bullets in the .358 is waste of money -
I just don’t think they’re necessary.
The less I have to pay for components, the more I will shoot and practice with that platform…..

I killed my largest bull elk ever, in 1986, with a Savage 99 358 and 250 gr. Speer Hot-Cores.
1 shot.

Nice to hear from the voice of experience. Thanks 53 and U.

I have had very good performance on black bear from Alaska Bullet Works of Juneau, AK 250 grain bullets in a 356 Win. Good guy to do business with.

szihn: What kind of takedown mechanism are you using on your Mauser? Thanks.

There ain’t much I wouldn’t tackle with that load. Actually, nothing comes to mind

That is a neat bullet. Slicker with patented drive rings with less friction, thus able to be shot faster. They’re a great company with outstanding CS. How often does an owner text an answer to a customer question. Steve Davis answered my text. I was impressed.

Terminal performance and accuracy are outstanding. To see Weatherby starting to load Hammer bullets in their factory ammo says a lot.

There is a YouTube piece, Adam Weatherby interviewing the Hammer owners. Google it. Lots of good info.

DF

Karl died years ago and no one to my knowledge has taken over the business.


Just today I shot my 358 Win using 38gr of RL7 and the Rem 200gr RNCL bullet. 2279fps and sub moa accuracy makes for a dandy deer load. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot an elk with it inside 200yds.