I am adding a 358 Winchester on a Sako action to the collection. I would like to know if any of you have some favorite loading data for hunting.

What are you going to Hunt with it?

As for loads. Each Fire arm is a law unto itself. So you will have to work up loads that the particular Fire Arm will like.

I have been using Home Cast loads in my .358 Winchester but will be going to try some jacketed very soon.

I will say though that there is no real need to purchase expensive bullets for the .358 Winchester as a good standard Cup and Core Bullet will work well.

The two I plan to try are the Hornady 200 Gr FTX and the Hornady 200 Gr Soft Point.

There are lots of good powders to use for the .358 Winchester. And you can find loads by going to Hodgdon Reloading site.

But the powders that I have on hand that I am going to try will be H-322 and I have heard great things about Ramshot TAC that meters very well as it is a Ball powder but I would recommend the use of a Magnum Primer for TAC.

For TAC this is the information I got directly from Ramshot.

We suggest the following.

Caliber: .358 Winchester.

Barrel length: 24”



Powder: Ramshot – TAC®.

Bullet weight: 180 grains.

Start load: 48.0grains (2250 – 2350 Fps)

Maximum load: 53.0grains (2575 – 2675 Fps) LD ca 110%.

Bullet weight: 200 grains.

Start load: 43.0grains (2300 – 2350 Fps)

Maximum load: 48.0grains (2450 – 2550 Fps) LD ca 108%.

Bullet weight: 225 grains.

Start load: 41.4 grains (2000 – 2100 Fps)

Maximum load: 46.0grains (2300 – 2400 Fps) LD ca 106%.

Bullet weight: 250 grains.

Start load: 39.0grains (1850 – 1950 Fps)

Maximum load: 44.0grains (2200 – 2300 Fps). LD ca 104%.

NOTES:

It’ important to note that SAFETY is our prime concern therefore we strongly recommend.

1. ALWAYS BEGIN LOADING AT THE RECOMMENDED MINIMUM “START” LOAD and develop loads in 2% increments towards the MAXIMUM load.

2. If possible, measure the velocity and correlate with our data.

And for Hodgdon Reloading Data Center http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

Thanks JesterGrin_1. This is the kind of stuff I am hoping to find. I know I will have to work up a specific load that suits the rifle but hope to have a good starting point from others experiences. I will probably start out mostly on hogs but deer could also be on the list. I will be shooting some cast bullets but will probably start with some 200 or 225 grain jacketed bullets. Some at the top of my list would be the 200 grain Hornaday Interlock soft point and the 225 grain Nosler Partition. I am also thinking about the Sierra Game Kings. We will see what she likes and go from there but I appreciate any recommendations as I am looking for a good starting point.

Mike

The Sierra Game King is a very accurate bullet. But due to its reputation of separation I would probably avoid it for hunting.

The Nosler is a good Bullet but unless you really wish to spend the funds for them they are really not needed in a .358 Winchester.

The Hornady 200Gr SP Interlock Soft Point is a well respected bullet that not only shoots well but has a good reputation for taking game as well.

Another bullet I have heard good things about is the Hornady 200 Gr FTX meant for the Lever Actions in .35 Remington but will do well in the .358 Winchester and have a better BC. I plan to do a load test on some of these very soon with H-322.

As far as cast I would have to say to take a gander over at http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php If you wish to use and learn about Cast that is The Place.

For a cast bullet I would look to see if there are any over runs of this Mold http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?198778-B-C-360-230-Thor that was just done as a Group Buy.

The problem with load information from others for your application is the fact that you have a custom built rifle and not a factory rifle. Therefor your chamber and so on and so forth can be allot different than say a factory built rifle. That is why I stated to start at the bottom and work up in .5 increments. I would watch for pressure signs and load to best accuracy. But that is just me.

I shoot a Browning BLR in .358. I bought it (and load) for elk hunting, so I loaded 225 Nosler Partitions (cost about $1.00 each!!). The bullets perform very well, but are painful to purchase.

Before deciding what bullet to use, I read through this website:

http://www.35cal.com/35bullet_study/35bullet_study1.html

The guy that put it together is a BIG fan of the .35 cal, obviously, and I decided to learn from his research.

I load 45.5 gr of 4320 and get about 2350 fps, which keeps the Partition in its desired 1800fps range out to ~300 yards which is plenty for me.

Great round!

I tried loading some hardcast Beartooth 180's in it for Tx deer, but my point of impact is considerably off that of the partitions, so I really havent done any hunting with it.

shane