Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 358 win or 350 rem mag?

I am beginning to plan my next rifle, and want a short lightweight (i.e. 7 1/2lbs. all up) "brush" gun, and am really having trouble deciding between the 358 win or the 350 rem mag. I am by no means recoil shy, but want a gun that I can readily move onto a second or third shot with, and nobody I know has a 350 rem mag. So onto the big question, which caliber is preferred by those of you who have hunted with both?

Find Mtn Hunters 350 rem mag, dupe it and you're golden.

Dober

I haven't hunted with both, but do have a .358 Win made up on a MRC 1999 action with a 21-inch barrel. For a brush gun, or for ranges out to about 200 yards, I think it's fine. I use 200 gr Hornady spire points, 200 gr TSx or 225 Partitions in mine. I get a bit over 2500 FPS with the 225 gr bullet. With a MacMillan Edge stock and a Leupold compact scope, it goes right about 7 pounds.

350 mag hands down. by far the handiest sledgehammer in the forest...... if you can find a classic just dump it in an edge or bansner and shoot it.... the clssics are one slick platform.....

woofer

Both are good but I personally would prefer the 350 Magnum as it just has more soup!

I have hunted Vermont with a .358 Winchester since 1966. I have never owned a 350 RM.

The 358 I use most is a 99F and I have taken deer with it in VT, ME, PA and NY. I could argue that anymore recoil than a 358 would make it more difficult for a second shot but to each his own.

A 99F weighs 7.75 lbs with a 2-7.

I have 358's in 99's, a MS full stock carbine and a M70 Featherweight. The 99F is by far, in my estimation, the best woods rifle of those.

Here is the MS I got at the Autumn Gun Works. Oh boy was it expensive! Its kind of thick in the middle too. I prefer the Brno 22f's over this model MS. Had to have it though as its a .358!

The 350 Mag will give you 2800 fps in a 22 inch barrel with a 200 grain Hornady or Core Lokt.

You have to see this combo thump stuff to beleve it,find one of the Rugers or Remingtons in this and you are so good to go for almost anything.

Here is a M70F for you in a pre 64.



$6,900

Ummm....Don't think the $7000 model 70 is in my price range, and even if it was, I would be scared to hunt with a piece of history in that kind of condition. It would make a nice showpiece though. I'm kind of partial to the 358 that Moses just sold in the classifieds, that was a beauty! It looked very similar to my 338-06, and I may have to duplicate that, as soon as I choose which caliber.

.....................In my Lyman manual and from the same barrel lengths, the 200 grainers as the maximum velocities listed for both cartridges are within 100 fps of each other, with the 350 Rem Mag owning the slight advantage.

For a brush hunting cartridge to use for short to moderate ranges, I see no real or significant advantage in the performance dept that one cartridge would have over the other. So the key would be to find the rifle that best suites your niche of a short, handy, extremely manuverable, that you can as you say, "can readily move!"

I don`t own a 358, but I do own the rifle that was chambered in a 358 Win from Ruger.

For a bolt action, assuming you`re looking for a bolt, that imo would best suite your needs, you simply cannot beat the Ruger Frontier compact. From personal experience (and I`ve handled ALOT of bolt rifles), there is no faster, manuverable or better handling bolt rifle on the planet which is as ideal for the brush. Mine happens to be chambered in the 300 WSM which Ruger discontinued.

Ruger also did chamber that same rifle in the 358 Win with the target grey stainless barrel. I`ve recently seen some NIB on Gunbroker. Some may probably still be available. My shooting and hunting friend happens to also have one chambered in the 338 Federal, with numerous hogs, 2 black bear and a bull moose to his rifle`s credit.

We go hog hunting together and very often we`re in heavy brushy areas, which is where these little carbines really excel. Sling them on your shoulder, the muzzle is well below the top of your head. Carry them by the pistol grip pointed to the ground, the muzzle is well above the ground. They balance well and really pack a punch. As my own 300 has shown and proved vs 24" 300 WSMs, the 16.5" barrels lose only between 4.2% to 4.5% in velocity to the 24" barrels in the same cartridge shooting the same ammo or reloads.

Along with using a conventional scope, the Frontier also has a scout mount should you wish to mount a scout scope. I do both. The scout mount alone also helps to stabilize the shorter barrel for free hand shooting. As opposed to the new Ruger Hawkeye compacts, the Frontiers use heavier barrels which further helps for muzzle stability.

Even for my size at 6'3" 240 lbs, the Ruger Frontier is still not at all too small. It`s 35.5" of OAL and 12.5" LOP is what makes it a great handling, very fast bolt rifle and ideal in the brush.

The 350 rem mag can be loaded down to 358 win levels, the reverse isn't possible.

I'm pretty happy with my ruger 350 rem mag, recoil is as much as I want in a reasonable weight rifle, and the accuracy is steller. With 225's @ 2700 fps its an honest 300 yd rifle.

Then again the 358 win with 225's @ 2500 fps and a 200 yd zero is an honest 250 yd gun.

Can't go wrong with either. As far as follow up shots, practice.

350 is just the best for me. rem. 600 brown pre. stock, leu-1.5 to 5 on top. nosler 225gr. does it all!!!!!!

I see your in Vermont. So my question is, what are you planning to hunt with it?

If deer and black bear only, or even an off chance moose, I can't see needing the extra powder capacity of the .350 mag.

While neither are ideal cross canyon strafing tools. Both are stellar woods rounds and as good as the man behind the rifle to 300 yards or so.

The .358 case is dirt simple and inexpensive to make. Most dies have tapered expander balls to go from .30 to .35 in one simple pass.
IMO, the Winchester offering has plenty of power with less recoil and muzzle blast than the .350 and possibly one more round in the magazine.

I used the Sierra 225gr bt for practice and deer size game and the 225gr Nosler partition for elk.

Here she is at work. A SAKO rebore carbine w/20" tube.

TBurroughs, Campfire member "Iraklion" has some interesting comments about magazine length/bullet length/action length over on the Big Game Rifles section under Reloading. May help you make a decision.

A light rifle in 358 would keep the recoil down, but so would light loading the Three Fitty. I went with a heavier (MRC & 22" #3)350 RM & like it a lot, but I would not want to touch off a full power 250 grain Partition in a lighter rifle! Good luck with your new build.

I always thought a .350 Remington mag in a double rifle would be quite the ticket.

350 Rigby rimmed would be sweat in a double, I can't stand the thought of belted cartridges in doubles, rims only.

owned both but I've kept my model 7 remington(custom shop) in 350 mag...load it down to anything if needed.

gun weights around 5 1/2 lbs and doesn't take long to sight in.....

Humm a .350 Rigby. What case would that be based on? I'm familiar with the .40 caliber Rigby's but not the .35 caliber Rigby's.

The 350 rigby is a unique case, but it can be formed by turning the belt off of a 375 H&H case, turning down the rim, cutting a deeper extractor groove, and fl sizing the case to set the shoulder back, then trim to length. Bertram makes 350 rigby brass but it's soft, Hornbear supposedly does but I never found anyone that had it in stock. Forming cases from H&H hulls ia a PITA, but they work fairly well. The 350 rigby pre-dated the 375 H&H by 2 years.

Rimmed would be easier as all you'd need to do would be run a 375 flanged case into the fl sizer.

Somewhere I have a picture of the 350 rem mag, 35 ai whelen and 350 rigby lined up. I sold my 350 rigby this summer, the 350 rem mag is a much better balanced package, lighter gun and all I had to do was give up 25 gr of bullet for the same velocity and sub moa accuracy.