The .358 Winchester

[Madawaska]

I'm thinking of picking up a new Browning 81 in .358 Winchester (stainless, laminate) . Would appreciate any comments on the cartridge and rifle for that matter. I realize that with the exception of one Winchester factory load, that this is going to be strictly a handloading proposition. Thanks for any advice. Madawaska.

[11-87rem]

Not a bad choice. Had one in Savage 99, but occasionally had problems with reloads chambering. Have to be careful with longer bullets. The 180's were best and couldn't go over 200 gr. I am interested in the new 338Federal which is on the 08 case. Federal will offer 3 different bullet weights in factories inc a 210 Nosler. Initially offered only in a Sako rifle, but maybe other makers will go to it. If not, I might pull the trigger if it is offered in the Tikka which with Sako is produced by Beretta.

[Mark]

I have experience with the .348 Winchester, the cartridge the .358 replaced. Outside of .010 bullet diameter, ballistics are the same.
The parent cartridge is the .308 Winchester, and the .358 is formed by running a tapered expander ball through the .308 case to open it up. The expander ball included with the .358 die set probably won't work as well as a tapered expander, if you can get it to work at all. After you expand the case neck, you will most likely need to anneal the neck to prolong case life. Fireforming the case to fit the chamber completes the job. The reason I'm telling you this is because the .358 seems to be on the skids just like the .348 was 20 years ago. If you learn to form this case from .308 brass, you will have a supply of cases as long as the .308 is around. I would recommend using factory .358 cases as long as they are available, but learning how to do this isn't going to hurt. This forming proceedure is straight forward and has been done before, you are not going where others have feared to tread.
My .348 model 71, is a heavy, slick handling lever action, that was obsolete the day it was designed back in 1936. The .358 is an efficient cartridge, well suited for short action rifles. With a 200 gr. bullet at 2500 FPS, it is an excellent woods cartridge for deer and black bear.

Red hot sportsmen are funny people, they will look at a big rifle with an ineffecient cartridge, and judging by its size proclaim it suitable for moose and elk. Because the .358 looks puny in comparison, it is only good for deer. Based on experience, I will tell you that with properly constructed bullets put in the right place, the .348 will tip them right over. I see absolutely no reason your .358 will not do the same.
Keep your ranges to 150 yards or less, and concentrate on bullet placement.

There are better moose and elk cartridges around, but if I had a chance to go, and all I had was a .358, I would go and feel confident with what I was doing. If you are looking for a rifle for deer and black bear in the woods or brush, the .358 will really shine for you.

As far as the BLR goes, it has been around since the late 1960's and has been a steady seller. I don't own one, but can't remember seeing them come back for repair. Did you know that the BLR was first made in Belgium at FN? Just a little trivia.
Mark

[Madawaska]

Thanks for the info and opinions. While I handload for a lot of cartridges (including the .348 Win; yes I have a Model 71 too) I am new to case forming. I see that RCBC makes a case forming set for making .358 Win. out of .30-06 and since I have a very large quantity of once-fired Federal '06 brass, I was going to use those. My local dealer also has a couple of bags of .358 Win. brass (what a coincidence!) so I would probably work with those first. On the matter of Belgian BLRs, a good friend of mine has one of those. Bought it a a very long time ago when they were first available in Canada and it is classic Browinging quality. The attraction of the particular BLR that I'm looking at is that it would be a fine foul weather gun. I'm one of those die hards who actually try to hunt in the rain or in heavy snow. Hey, it works on occasion.

[Mark]

Glad to hear of another 71 owner.
Resizing 30-06 cases will work just fine. Like anything else there are pro's and con's. The good news is you can probably leave out the fire forming. The case should resize close enough to give correct headspace and proper function.
The bad news is, because the '06 case is way long, you will probably have to cut some off before you run it into the resize die, then after the resizing, trim it again to the correct length. This is not beyond the wit of man, maybe an extra step, but with fireforming you have the cost of components to consider and the trip to the range.
The only other thing I can think of is you will have to check the wall thickness of the case neck. With the .308 case, you will be getting thinner, with the 30-06 case it MIGHT get thicker. My gut feeling is it would be OK, just do a quick check on every 7 or 8 cases.
After you do this you will be a lot smarter. This is how we all grow in our hobby, and how our hobby enriches us.
You are also going to find out what a good deal store bought cases are!
Good luck on this.
Mark

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Have a 81 style BLR in a .308. 91 vintage. Its my favorite gun. Fast handling but heavy enough to make shooting pleasant. Very smooth feed. The stainless laminate guns are beautiful. Seems as though they are limited runs.....you know what other cartridges they are offering this year? I'm hoping they make BLRs in the new .338 federal but browning seems married to winchester.......

[Mark]

Madawaska, I forgot to mention case lube. I've found for case forming a product called IMPERIAL SIZING DIE WAX works very well. I don't use it all the time, most of the time I just like to lightly roll the cases on a lube pad. This wax has to be applied with fingers. Just a very light film really takes care of business. It's not real expensive, a guy should just have some around all the time for any kind of forming. Sure beats getting a case stuck in the die.
Mark