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

I may take my old 99 in 358 as a spare rifle on this years elk hunt. I have a few boxes of factory 200 horn sp and rnsp ammo. It shoots both fine. Anyone have any experience with either of those on elk? I may get a box of 200gr tsx or 225 sierras and try those. Any opinions or experience with any of the above would be appropriated. Thx.

Ben

Biggest Roosevelt bull I ghosted with my 88 358 and 200 silver tips. 358 is just like a whelen, no need for designer bullets to make it shine..

The 200gr bullets are fairly stout, and should be okay at 358 speeds, but they won't be ideal for "raking" shots. Shooting for the ribs or the "opposite" shoulder" they should be fine. I like the 225 Sierras and the 220 Speers at modest velocities, such as those produced in the 358. Never tried the 200 TSX, but the guys who use them like them well.

I save the 200gr lead-tipped bullets for 357 Herrett.

I use 250 grain Hornady Interlocks.

It sounds like HuntandShoot, has had good luck with Sierra's for elk as have many others. While many people count on Remington Cor-Lock's to fill their freezers on game as large as moose. For me I have had terrible luck with both bullets. I have a hard time killing a deer with the Remington offering and the Sierra's come apart before much penetration from my experiences. It is always interesting hearing others experiences. There sure is a lot of dead game from those two bullets. Guess I am doing something wrong.

225 Nosler Partition. Short enough to work well in the 358, expands well at low velocities at longer ranges and yet holds together.

FWIW, I run 225 SGK in (2) 358’s, and my whelen. I wouldn’t be afraid to use any non premium bullet in either chambering, on deer or elk..

I found the Nosler 225 yo be good medicine on near elk/elk sized game - kudu, Waterbuck, Zebra. a stout lload of 4895 works wonders.

Personally I’d lean toward the TTSX over the TSX. It’s supposed to expand at a little lower velocities, which could buy your a few extra yards to work with! It’s difficult to beat Barnes mono bullets on big game! Good Luck with whatever you choose! memtb

My best success has been the 250 grain Speer spitzer.

Barnes minimum impact velocity vary by caliber and by weight and by TSX vs TTSX. You can call Barnes and they will tell you the minimum impact velocity for a particular bullet. most are around 1600-1800 fps.

The 3fiddygreat doesn’t need “premium “ bullets... 😂😂

225 Sierra’s are extremely deep penetrators, or you can go the partition approach.

250’s often need to be seated to far in for my taste.

once I shot a 200lb buck and was trying to chest him, but he jumped sideways as I was pulling the trigger, the Sierra entered just above his shoulder, hit a couple bones and kept going all the way through the meat until finally stopped at the back hip.

DAMN !

Never seen a 3fiddygreat kill a 200 plus pound buck with a 225 SGK.... haha

I shot a bunch of stuff in AK with plain cup and core bullets in a 20” barreled Whelen. 250s at 2550fps was where the magic happened for me. The only one I ever recall catching was a 250 RN on a quartering shot on a grizzly, it looks like a magazine advertisement.

Had a buddy who killed a bunch of moose with a Sako rebarreled to 358. His favorite bullet was the 200 Spire point.

At these type velocities plain old bullets work great.

225 SGK @2500 probably 40-50 yards, via 3fiddygreat

I don't own a 35 cal other then my 35 Remington, but I have in the past. I have never killed an elk with a 35, but I am friends with 4 men that do.

One in Nevada is an old friend who has been one of my hunting partners (BB guns and 22s) since 2nd grade. He has a 35 Whelen I made for him about 12 years ago. he has killed 5-6 elk with it and swears by 225 grain Sierras and 225 grain partitions.

Another in Rawlins Wyoming has a small ring Mauser I made for him about 20 years ago and he loves the 200 grain Barnes TSX. He has killed elk and deer both with that bullet and says it's perfect.

There is a man I made another 35 Whelen for in Riverton Wyoming and he loves the old 250 grain Round Nose Hornady, but I understand that bullet is not made any more. I don't know what he is using now.

Lastly I know a man with a Winchester M88 in 358 who now has moved to Arkansas, but used to live in Green River Wyoming. He used to hunt with factory loads and about 6 years before he moved to Arkansas I got him into reloading. He settled on the 225 grain Nosler Partition and loved it so much he used it for all his hunting from Antelope to elk and at least 1 moose (in Canada) I know of.

I am making a take-down Mauser on a small ring action with a swap-barrel set. The 2 barrels will both have for-ends, sights and be interchangeable. One is a 257 Roberts and the other is a 9X57 Mauser. My 9X57 is "Americanized" because I had a chamber reamer with a pilot ground to fit the American size 35 cal barrels with 358" grooves instead of the German size with 356" grooves. The land to land in the German barrels is a bit tighter then it is on the american .358 size so the pilot needed to be a different diameter.
I expect to set the scope for the 9X57 and the irons both for the Nosler 225 grain. The 9X57 is just a slight bit in front of the 358 Winchester if loaded to the same pressure, and a bit behind the 35 Whelen, but I doubt any elk, moose or bear could tell the difference . So I am betting the 9X57 loaded to the top safe pressure (about like the factory loads for 358) will do the same things the 358 Win will do. I hope I live long enough to try it out and have some fun with it, although I may just sell it too.

The 257 will be zeroed for the 115 grain Partitions. So with those 2 barrels and both having their own scopes and sights, both sets of loading dies and recipes for the 2 loads, I expect to have a take down rifle that is ready for any game from Coyotes to Moose. Maybe in the future I can post a few reports on the results with that .358" bullet, but I expect nothing to add to all the many many men shooting the 358 Winchesters. The case shape is not going to make any real difference so all the 358 Winchester will do I expect to do with the 9X57, using the same bullets at the same speeds and so little faster as to make no difference at all.

Yeah the 225 Sierras and the 220 Speers have done well for me at 358 speeds out of a Whelen. Mild shooting at 2520-2550 and good at killing. No drama. I'd recommend either for elk in a 358.

This shiit is gettin serious!!! Haha

Mike Detorre nailed it.

I contacted Barnes a while back and got the following for minimum recommended velocities for their .358 bullets...

180gr TTSX - 1650fps
200gr TSX - 1800fps
200gr TTSX - 1650fps
225gr TSX - 1600fps