358 Winchester & 9.3x57 Question About Performance

[MS 9x56]

Who believe what they've read or heard and have never tried it for themselves to see it's no worse than a .30'06.

My Ruger American 30-06 kicks much worse than my BLR 358. Of course it is a pund and a half lighter too.

 

[Certus]

Old thread but a fun read.
Talking about older cartridges - the .33wcf (200gr @ 2200fps) was replaced by the 348 wcf (200gr @ 2530fps, 250gr @ 2350fps), which was replaced by the .358 wcf (200gr @ 2500fps, 250gr @ 2200fps).
If the .348 was well regarded I’d be happy to use the .358wcf. Actually I would be fine with either of the 3 above. If I was to do a bear hunt with what’s in my safe now I think the 3 main options would be .356wcf (around 100fps behind the .358wcf), 45-70 and .450 nitro - I’d likely go with the .356wcf. Just have confidence it would do what’s asked of it while being a short and handy package.

 

[Rick HOlbert]

Howdy Certus. Yes sir, back in the day the 348 was considered heap big bear medicine. Still is to some today. Along came the 358 Winchester, a big step up in power but with a caveat. Hack gun writers of the day said it had horrible recoil! As a result, ammo manufactures held the pressures down to soften up things. Which is buffalo chips. Recoils like a 30-06 with same weight bullet. No less an authority than Elmer Keith thought highly of the 358. I know one bear guide in Alaska who carries a 358. With modern powders and the outstanding bullets available today, it out preforms what the paper ballistics says it should do. A 225grn A-Frame or NF bullet at 2500+fps is very effective if you put that bullet where it needs to go. The 356 is a good round but for bear I'd stick with the 358.

 

[MS 9x56]

Anyone who thinks the 358 win kicks too hard needs to learn proper shooting form. It is my favorite caliber and in a take down BLR is a great still hunting set up for anything from wabbits to moose. This smaller caliber preference and recoil aversion has increased mostly due to new shooters not being taught proper shooting form and too much reliance on video game crap. Just one old fudds opinion.

 

[hoytcanon]

The .358 Winchester is a pussycat to shoot. I carried one when guiding for grizzlies in BC, A nice little Ruger M77 Mark II Carbine. Loaded with 250 grain Partitions and a jammed full case of W748, I did not feel undergunned. I put down many big bears with that rifle.

 

[Rick HOlbert]

The .358 Winchester is a pussycat to shoot. I carried one when guiding for grizzlies in BC, A nice little Ruger M77 Mark II Carbine. Loaded with 250 grain Partitions and a jammed full case of W748, I did not feel undergunned. I put down many big bears with that rifle.

View attachment 656055View attachment 656056View attachment 656057

Outstanding my friend. My rifle is a Ruger M77 also but a M77R. No iron sights. This rifle was never cataloged by Ruger and less than 1000 were made. Love nor money could persuade me to part with it!

 

[hoytcanon]

Outstanding my friend. My rifle is a Ruger M77 also but a M77R. No iron sights. This rifle was never cataloged by Ruger and less than 1000 were made. Love nor money could persuade me to part with it!

The one pictured was an RSI, 1 of 25... they stopped making those due to cracking forends because of the barrel diameter required for the .358... I dropped the 18.5" barrelled action into an Ultralight stock to come up with the RS Carbine. The other rifle is also a .358 Win Mark II Frontier model but in a Ruger OEM "big boy" stock, the original design had a 12.5" LOP, which did not work for my bloated carcass, lol.

The Frontier got posed over many, many game animals...

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Outstanding my friend. My rifle is a Ruger M77 also but a M77R. No iron sights. This rifle was never cataloged by Ruger and less than 1000 were made. Love nor money could persuade me to part with it!

@Rick HOlbert
Looking forward to hearing how those 225gn Woodleigh RNSP go in that I sent you go mate.
They should be a real hog and deer hammer.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Outstanding my friend. My rifle is a Ruger M77 also but a M77R. No iron sights. This rifle was never cataloged by Ruger and less than 1000 were made. Love nor money could persuade me to part with it!

@Rick HOlbert
Can't wait to hear how those 225gn Woodleigh rnsp I sent you group and perform on game.
Should be a real hammer on hogs and deer.
I don't think you will have much tracking to do .
You might end up fat and lazy from the lack of exercise from no tracking required. Unlike 243 users who have to track everything except paper targets and even then they may have to.
Couldn't resist the 243 dig.
Bob

 

[Pilgrim]

@Rick HOlbert
Can't wait to hear how those 225gn Woodleigh rnsp I sent you group and perform on game.
Should be a real hammer on hogs and deer.
I don't think you will have much tracking to do .
You might end up fat and lazy from the lack of exercise from no tracking required. Unlike 243 users who have to track everything except paper targets and even then they may have to.
Couldn't resist the 243 dig.
Bob

Just for that, I'm taking my single shot .243 with 4x Tasco scope on my next elephant hunt. I'm scared of those big buggers, so no shots closer than 100 yds for me.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Just for that, I'm taking my single shot .243 with 4x Tasco scope on my next elephant hunt. I'm scared of those big buggers, so no shots closer than 100 yds for me.

@Pilgrim
Should work well but it may take the elephant a bit of time to laugh himself to death
Even hitting him on the head with the but will only make him laugh harder.
Bob

 

[MS 9x56]

Just for that, I'm taking my single shot .243 with 4x Tasco scope on my next elephant hunt. I'm scared of those big buggers, so no shots closer than 100 yds for me.

Where is your sense of adventure?