Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats What can you tell me about 358 Norma

I can google all day long but it doesn’t add up to real life experiences and knowledge that some of y’all have, so I want to hear some. I picked this rifle up at gun show last weekend, it’s a 358 Norma Magnum built on a FN action. Looks to be a very well built rifle. Dealer told me that a guy brought it in and claimed it came from Maine, where his dad used it to hunt moose and he had no use for it so he sold it. Now selling a rifle that came from your dad, seems kind of lowdown to me, but it has a safe home here with me and maybe it’ll get up north one more time in the future.

Dibs if you do decide to sell it. LOL

Beautiful rifle. 358 Norma is excellent cartridge that literally will hammer game.

Just got one put together.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...05/just-picked-up-my-358-nm#Post17145105


Still getting to know it but love it so far. With your longer barrel it should post some great velocity numbers. Yours looks great!

That’s a good looking rifle Judd! What are you doing about loads? Brass is kind of outrageous from what I’ve seen. I’ve read that this cartridge is pretty capable of reaching out to 600 yards and still carrying a ton of energy.

I have been picking up Norma brass over the years in anticipation of this build.

Truth is I made some the other day out of Winchester .300 Win Mag and think I actually prefer that over the more expensive (and softer) Norma.

I have kind of admired the 358 Norma since it came out. I have built a dozen or so, I suppose. I chambered a couple for a long necked version so the owners could use 300 Win Mag brass without trimming. For myself, I would just trim! GD

A 225 accubond (probably one of the higher BC option in the .358" diameter) started at a 2900 is just over the 1800 FPS mark at 600 yards that Nosler publishes as their minimum. At that range it is still rocking almost 1700 foot pounds of energy, but a ways off of a "ton". The 250 Speer started at 2750 is just shy of 1800 FPS and has over 1700 FPE.


In my mind, it is pretty marginal at that distance due to being so close to the minimum impact velocity needed to initiated good expansion. Even if you squeeze more velocity out of it (some of the speeds guys are getting with PP 2000-MR) are impressive. There is just way better options out there with wider high BC bullet selections, less recoil, etc.

Now....inside 400 yards it is a beast with just about any bullet appropriate for the game you are shooting.

Here is what I have cooked up for mine.



L to R
Plinking Load- 158 Sierra JSP w/Trailboss @ 1974 FPS
Lightweight Load to Duplicate 250 speer Velocities for practice- 200 Sierra RN w/H380 @ 2730 FPS
Hunting Load- 250 Speer HC w/H4350 @ 2750 FPS
Hunting Load #2- 225 TSX w/H4350 @ 2860

Hoping to shoot for accuracy next week but since this is a BIG game rifle I am not going to be real fussy...anything close to 1" with 3 shots is good enough.

That sucker looks like a horse! Shouldn't be unhappy with any of those combos.

Did the gunsmith mark the barrel. Looks like Judson Bailey type build from Maine.

I was using the word “ton” as a relative term, I haven’t dove inside all the ballistics of the cartridge just a little of the surface. I’m with you, inside of 400 yards it will be detrimental to any animal per the correct bullet. Just go ahead and send all your load data over 😁

Nothing on the outside, but will pull the stock and see what’s underneath

Colt, I sent you an email with pics of my load work ups.

I got it, when I get the chance I’ll do some serious studying. Thanks Judd!

I used to have a few 338's and sold them all. I don't have a 358 Norma, but I'm tempted to make a 7mm RM Ruger Tanger one. I can't sell that Tanger for anywhere near the money I have in it. I have a few 35 caliber rifles and the 358 would fit right in.

I like where your heads at!

I pulled the stock off, no markings whatsoever on the bottom of the barrel. The only thing that looked out of the ordinary is the timney trigger someone installed, which explains its good trigger

The 358 Norma is an ideal cartridge if yon live in GMU 9,you can use 225's and take caribou way out the and load the 275gr + for moose and brown bear. 40 years ago with a fresh assistant guide license in my pocket is what got my interest going. Working for Ray McNutt on Misery Creek he had his well worn 358 Norma on a Springfield action and stoaked with 275gr Hornady's. After fishing that year I went on the search, Bud Libing in Palmer sold me a 358NM in a Curly Maple Mannlicher stock the was stunning, it shot a was a joy until a 10 day downpour on Afognak swelled the stock to the point I miss an elk 5 times at 100 yds. A pre-64 270 went into Toklat Guns for a 358 barrel,, after years of hard use Andy Hawk cut it to 20" and give it a MPI,,, it's a fine working rifle, the only bullet I've user for nearly 30 years is the 280gr Swift A Frame.

That is exactly what I had my gunsmith do.

The 300 Win Mag brass is easy to get and cheaper.

Of course the headstamp doesn't match, but if I ever went to Africa I'd be taking my .375 H & H, not the .358 Norma Mag.

The main reason that I have both is that the .358 Norma Mag allows one to use pistol bullets for cheap practice!

John

Colt. Really cool find. Love things different chamberings like that. Same old stuff is boring. Too bad the son had no attachment to his father’s rifle. I would hunt the heck out of that rifle.

GreggH

I had one on a 03 action and was very accurate with Hornady 250gr RN's. I bought it for a moose rifle and never drew a tag in eight years. I did kill a few deer with it. It did shine as a squirrel rifle with 148gr Double Ended Wadcutters and a pinch of 700x. It would shoot cloverleafs groups at 50 yards and punch a 35 caliber hole through a squirrel and not ruin meat. Fun rifle, a friend needed a big rifle and talked me out f it. I built a 35 Whelen on a 721 action.

Waterrat, I bet that curly maple was a sharp looking rifle, sorry to hear about the elk though. I really like that model 70 though

I agree, all the new stuff is boring. Old odd stuff like this rifle is what makes things exciting

A 35 Whelen on 721 would be a good combination, although I would wager that was an expensive squirrel load lol

not really the primer was the most expensive thing. Free wheel weights for the bullet (I cast my own) and I bought 700x in large quantities, my wife and I were shooting 500 rounds of trap and skeet a week in the summers.

I need a 7mm mag for a donor and send it to jes and have it punched out to 358 Norma mag, cool beans!!