358 winchester nearly there...

[bigrich]

how's the 358 going pete ? any more load development or hunting results ?

[bigpete]

Nah,not really,although I did work out yesterday how to form 358 brass from 243 which is handy !

[bigrich]

Nah,not really,although I did work out yesterday how to form 358 brass from 243 which is handy !

did ya have to work it up in a couple of steps ?

[bigpete]

Yeah. The tapered expander in the Redding 358 die kit doesn't go small enough to start in a 243 case...in steps the lee rgb 308 die kit...

[bigrich]

Yeah. The tapered expander in the Redding 358 die kit doesn't go small enough to start in a 243 case...in steps the lee rgb 308 die kit...

Do you anneal after reforming your cases ? What projectile did you use on that deer you nailed and how was the terminal result/ energy transfer on it? Does the 358 put game down as convincingly as a large bore lever gun type round in your opinion?

[bigpete]

No I don't.
200gn bullet factory hollow points.
Too be honest I've shot 2 critters with this gun,1 was a bang flop,the other I stuffed up a bit and it needed a couple. But compared to using my 45/70 double it seems to work a lot better on the game I'm hunting

[bigrich]

No I don't.
200gn bullet factory hollow points.
Too be honest I've shot 2 critters with this gun,1 was a bang flop,the other I stuffed up a bit and it needed a couple. But compared to using my 45/70 double it seems to work a lot better on the game I'm hunting

What brand of hp’s are they Pete ? My whole idea for a 358 was to have a hard hitting medium bore with better down range accuracy and energy than a 45-70 type lever gun . Sounds from your results it fits the bill

[bigpete]

They're bullet factory hollow points. Not available now

[bigrich]

They're bullet factory hollow points. Not available now

righto pete . i'm looking at getting back onto my 358 project , as after initial good results with my 243's accuracy , it's starting to do some weird stuff . i suspect the barrel may be a bit sad, every time i clean it i'm pulling out more copper and exposing some pitting . in which case if i'm going to rebarrel , the 358 would be the go . but upon more thought, i'm thinking a early ruger 77 with controled round feed and a mauser action might be a better prospect for a 358 conversion. i'll mull it over some more i guess. not to say push feed winchester's are a bad thing .thought i would pick your brains on your results to get a better prospective cause you've already done it

[bigpete]

I'd just do it.
CRF is good on a dangerous game rifle....not really necessary on a 358....

[bigrich]

I'd just do it.
CRF is good on a dangerous game rifle....not really necessary on a 358....

Ya never know Pete, I might come across a wild boar that’s really p!ssed off about the amount of roast pork and gravy rolls ( with crackle ) that I eat for smoko. That’d be a good reason for a CRF

[bigpete]

Honestly I've got both,and I really can't tell the difference with reliability.....and the tapered bolt of the winchester makes for a very slick action....