Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 358 Winchester 225gr Loads

Tac is too slow burning in 20" carbine barrels. I've put away thousands of lbs of moose n caribou meat with 358 winchester handloads over the past 18 years.

Alliant Reloader 10x is my powder of choice. Though I always use 20 inch barrels, luke (ak_lance) on here was getting 2400 fps from a 16 inch barreled kimber montana using 225 grain bullets.

Don't use mag primers with reloader 10x.

10x also gave better velocity in my 20 inch barreled 41-9.3x62 wildcat over TAC.

Like your primers backing out at 49 grains under a 225, that's on par with what I've experienced with TAC: excessive pressure signs with mediocre velocity. In the 41 wildcat, I had extra recoil as well.

Using the mighty 41 wildcat, with a high-end slow motion camera, TAC loads actually recoiled the rifle out of my hands as the rifle compressed my heavy winter clothes. Faster burning AA 2230 and 10x loads recoiled less.

Not a concern with the 358 but was interesting for my crew and I to obeserve the footage when sigting in for a winter hunt by dog team.

Went back to the range this morning with some different primers. I also kept the loaded rounds in my truck until it was time to shoot them as it was 32 degrees outside this morning. Yesterday they sat beside me on the bench. I have no idea if that makes any difference as far as velocity goes but it was something to try.

With Remington 9 1/2 Magnum primers I averaged 2405 FPS @ 49 grains of TAC and 2411 FPS @ 49.5 grains. Accuracy was horrendous with 2-2.5” groups @ 100 yards. The primers looked great.

With CCI 250’s I averaged 2399 FPS @ 49 grains of TAC and 2418 FPS @ 49.5 grains. The primers looked great and the accuracy was 1 1/8” and 1 3/4”.

I only shot 3 shot groups just to get an idea of velocity and accuracy.

I think if I were shooting on a 50 degree day my velocity’s would look more like 2430-2450 FPS with the 49.5 grain charge and that’s what I was after. The deer won’t know the difference but I will. The primers look so good I wouldn’t be afraid to shoot on a warm 65 degree day either.

I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for some Reloader 10x to try based on Mainers findings and if I do I’ll post the data I get with it. Thanks for all the responses.

Now onto playing with a 35 Remington and seeing if I can squeeze 2150-2,200 FPS out of it.

After a certain point in velocity try shooting something alive like moose, elk, brown bear, Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, or something big and tell us how it did. At least a whitetail. I do think Mainer is right. But I have had so many one shot DRTs on Whitetails that my 4064 and Varget need to be depleted first. But when I get serious about big things that can scratch back I will use the Nosler BT. If that ever lacks I will go to the Barnes TTSX. It works in my 458 SOCOM and looks good in the advertisements. But the Noslers just work, old tech and all. Be Well, RZ.

Rockchucker83,

I'd say you're good with the TAC, 11 fps under 2400 fps out of a 20' barrel and good accuracy. I'd take it. I threw a rock through my chrony at 70 fps to show how insignificant these numbers are when we're talking bullets going thousands of feet per second.

I entered your 20" barrel length in QL with TAC and it put 49.0 at 2366 fps and about 55K pressure, that's pretty close. If I bump it to 50.0 grns it shows an increase in pressure of 4k pressure to 59K but only a velocity gain only to 2418...not worth it IMO. I adjusted your burn rate to IMR4320 and got 2407 fps with 50.0 grns at 56K pressure.

That’s good information to know. I settled on the 49.5 grain charge (for now). If the QL data shows 55k @ 49 grains and 59k @ 50 grains I should be at about 57k at 49.5 grains.

QL was still up on my laptop so I adjusted for your average velocity with your 49.5 grns. It gave me 58,667K.

tag

Haven’t ran mine across my chrono, but you’re right, for what I use mine for, 75 FPS ain’t shiit, and it hurts stuff...

It’s hard to find powder any where.

FWIW, my 358 win load with 225 SBT’s is with Varget. I originally worked up a load without Chrono and then picked one up. Tested my original lot of powder and a new lot. Ran a ladder test and settled on a load in the middle. I’m still lusting after testing with TAC based on John Barsness’s article in Handloader which shows 2550 with TAC and 225 SBT. My testing data is below. Savage Model 11 with 22” rebored from 308 by JES. Hornady brass with Win Large Rifle primer. 2.76” COL

Current lot

47.6. 2401
48.1 2439
48.6 2445

New lot

47.6 2425
47.8 2418
48.0 2437
48.2 2437
48.4 2448
48.6 2445
48.8 2444
49 2473

Load with 48.5 +/- 0.1gn

While I shoot a .35 Whelen and not a .358 I have found IMR 4064 gives the best accuracy with 225gr. Sierra Game Kings and IMR 3031 gives outstanding accuracy with 200gr. Hornady Inter-lok RN bullets. Both loads/bullets perform great on whitetails out to 125yds. in my experience, should perform just as well in .358.

I was just loading some 358 loads. I had different cases. Some were from military 308 and some were Winchester. I had others but these two stuck out. I tried some printed TAC loads in the Winchester and the powder charge came up to the base of the neck in the Winchester case. The same powder charge in the military case came up to nearly the top of the neck. I poured out powder in the military case until the level of powder was the same as the fully loaded Winchester case. The difference in powder (TAC) weights was 3 grains.

Be careful in using the same brass as what the author used. If the author doesn't state what primers/cases/bullets he/she used, be careful when using their incomplete data!