A friend is going to Alaska by single engine plane and will be camping along the way. He has purchased a Browning BLR Takedown in .358 Winchester and would like to load up some 250 grain bullets as a penetration load for short range "problems".
If anyone has a favorite load or even a starting place it would be appreciated...
Bob
Mule Deer had an excellent write up in Handloader a few years ago with the 358 Win. He got 2400 fps with both the 250 Hornady RN and Partition with Ramshots TAC out of a Ruger Hawkeye. IIRC, that was with a max of 48 grns.
I have taken elk with 48 grains of H-BLc 2 and a Speer 250 Spitzer. At a click over 2300 fps, it worked fine and left a tremendous, unneeded blood trail as it fell within 30 yards.
I've killed several moose with the 225 XFB propelled by AA2230. AA2520 works well with 250 C&C bullets for good speeds. Accuracy is easy with the 358. Speeds over 2300 in my 20" Shilen have been a bit of a challenge. I'm hoping TAC will get me there when the weather improves enough to work on that. I'm developing the idea that the 200 TSX (or TTSX) and the 225 Partition may be part of the perfect answer to performance in NATO Marine (the thick-necked little round).
It wasn't the fastest load, but the most accurate 250 gr load for my rifle was 43 gr of H4895 and a Hornady 250 gr spirepoint. I haven't tried any RN 250 gr loads, though. My "go to" load is with the 225 gr Partition and a heavy load of either W-748 or TAC. My rifle is an MRC 1999 bolt action, though, and the loads I use with that bullet may not be best for your BLR.