Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 358 Winchester?

W748 was the first powder I tried with 200s & 250s & didn't use anything else for about 7 or 8 years. The Speer 250 over 47 or 48 gr of W748 was all I hunted with for years. Then I got a chronograph...

AA2015 works real well with 200s & shows promise with 225s in my current rifle. IMR3031 was once a favorite with 200s. RL7, H4895, RL12, & RL15, have all shown reasonably good results in limited testing.

I'm also working with X-Terminator, Benchmark, H-4198,and RL-10. My gun seems to like the faster powders. Wish I could find some more RL-7; it's a good one.

X-Terminator is pretty dense, easier to get enough in a case for good performance without compression. It's one of Ramshot's preferred powders for the .358W. I know TAC has long been a champ, but it's not as accurate in my gun and requires some compression with full powered loads. I like X-Terminator better, so far.

DF

One of my need to own rifles. That has to be a great combo.

As a point of interest to those that may want a 358 Win.

I am going to chamber a barrel in that caliber very soon. The one I am going to do for myself is for an AR10 type rifle. I am thinking about a rental reamer or simply buying one. I don't get a lot of demand for rifles in 358 Win, but I have made 6 of them over the last 25 years or so. So in the cases of the other guns I have made, I borrowed or rented the reamers. Now I am thinking I may simply buy one because I seem to need one every 3-4 years or so. The 358 seems to be an overlooked caliber, but every one I ever made a 358 for fell in love with it, and I get nothing but good feedback from every owner.

So......my point is just this:

If any of you would like a barrel chambered, I would do the chambering in any flat breached barrel for $40 plus shipping. Having only 1 more to do would be enough to convince me to buy the reamer instead of renting it. (again)

If interested please PM me right away. We can talk on the phone and I can describe the details of how your barrel can be don, depending on what gun you want to install it in. Different guns are done in different ways, but any that have flat breaches are easy and fast. PM me with any questions if such an offer is of any interest to you. 1917 Enfields, 1903 Springfields and Pre-64 M70s ( and several others) are all cut for extractors and the procedure is different, so that is why I say we should talk before you make any commitments to such a project.

AR-10s can be done for the same price and made 100% ready to drop in, finished and headspace to your bolt. They are about the easiest ones of all.


If no one wants to have one chambered I may just go ahead and rent one more time.

Sierra 225 grain and BLC2 or 250 Speer Spitzer and W748.

Those two powders are pretty close. What's your thinking, one vs. the other.

I don't use 250's in my .358 Win. To me, they're too slow, probably better use in the Whelen. I top mine out at 225 gr.

Would appreciate your thoughts on that as well.

DF

That Sierra is a deer slayer DF. From my little bit of testing and shooting into deer it’ll expand to .750” or better and holds together great from a Whelen or a 358. It plows big holes in either one. It’s one of the Sierras I trust.

Scotty, it’s the only Sierra I shoot. Posted many times appears it falls on deaf ears. 😂😂
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MD did an article on the 358 and the 338 August 2008. I had been using H4895 until I read that article. Now I've switched to TAC.

I use quite a few Sierra bullets. I recovered a 140gr Game King from a Mule Deer that retained 65% of it's weight. Rifle was a 7MM-08. I love my Pre64 FWT 358 and have always used the 225 Grain Sierra. I bought a #1 in 35 Whelen and will try the 225ge NAB in both rifles.

TAC's a good .358 Win powder.

I've found that X-Terminator will fill a case with less compression. My gun seems to like lighter bullets and faster powders. So, I've loaded some with X-Term and will see how it does. So far, best loads have been with H-4198, RL-7 and H-322. I'm running low on H-322, just one can of RL-7, a couple of H-4198. So if X-Term works, I have several cans.

I've even shot a few loads with LT-32, because I had a can and the burn rate was pretty close. Seems to do OK. No .358 Win data, had to extrapolate from .308 data.

DF

TAC has worked well for me, but I tend to agree that Xterminator has worked a little better for me with my 358 and 356 Wins.

I went back to look at my loaded rounds. I have not taken my 358 out for a while:

Two loads that I had that I forgot I used - these would have been loaded before 2008

44 grains IMR4064, Remington primers and the old Hornady bullets - before interlock and round nose. I don't have a load date on that box. - I'm guessing those were loaded quite a while ago for my early BLR. I probably should go out and bust some rocks with that.

47 grains IMR3031, 200 gr Interlock bullets, WLR primers - I used this in my re-barreled 700. This 700 was a 1962 vintage 308 carbine. (I still have the 308 barrel and it's in good shape.)

Waiting on my rifle being built. Have several bullets, 200gr AB, 225BT, 200gr Horn, 180gr X, 225 Sierra. Lots of good powder including TAC as well as 3031, 4064, 4198, 4895, and then along comes DF tooting the X-terminator horn. Thanks DF. Really don't know where to start but I'll get it figured out. Would really like to shoot the 180, 200 or 225's I'm really wanting a good mesh between velocity and accuracy. powdr

Check out this .358, 178 gr. Hammer bullet. These can be pushed pretty fast due to their patented "Parabolic Drag Reduction" technology, less barrel resistance, so potentially faster. The one's I've shot have been accurate. Not cheap, but pretty neat. I think these may work well in my .358 Win. Reportedly they have good terminal performance. I plan to find out.

https://hammerbullets.com/product/358-cal-178g-shock-hammer/

DF

You really need to try them and see with a chronograph and test for accuracy. I can't get TAC in Canada otherwise I'd give it a whirl as well. I actually agree that the 225 is more versatile. The 225 Nosler Partition can be used for everything and easy to get 2400+ ft/sec with it. This helps with expansion out to 250 yards or so. I use 250's in the BLR as a close quarter load for Bison and limit shots to 150 yds or so as I like lots of energy for Bison. One thing about BLC2 is that it gives an impressive fireball and is disconcerting in low light when you are close to the legal hunting limit at dawn and dusk if that matters.

Many years ago, BLC2 was my go to powder for .222 Rem...

I have some, just haven't used it. Have moved on to newer powders, although BLC2 never let me down.

DF

140 SGK, HPBT shoots the best groups in my 7-08 with Hart barrel, multiple groups under half an inch.

And, it kills WT quickly with good exit. Not much to not like.

I'm just getting started with the .358 W, so quite a ways to go. But, I do have that bullet and a good selection of powder to try.

DF

IMR4064 is a great powder in the 358 Win too. It doesn't get the velocity as some, but it has been extremely accurate in mine, 48.5 grns with the 200 grn Sierra for around 2450 fps. I use that load in the northern woods.

That bullet at a moderate speed is a twin to the Remington PSP in 200 gr. They just work. And it is pre expanded compared to the 30 cals. Be Well, RZ.