.358 Winchester

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A .358 Winchester cartridge, which is based on the .308 Winchester, necked up to accept .358 caliber projectiles. Shown is a Winchester 200 grain SilverTip loading.

The .358 Winchester is a rifle cartridge based on a necked up .308 Winchester, and was created by Winchester in 1955. The cartridge is also known in Europe as the 9.1x51mm. It uses .358 caliber bullets, and was geared largely toward lever-action rifles, but has been offered as a chambering option in other action types as well. Winchester and some others ammunition manufacturers do still produce this ammunition in limited runs, and the Browning BLR is also still offered in this chambering. However, the .358 Winchester has mostly faded into obscurity in the modern day.

History and Design

The .358 Winchester cartridge came out over 30 years later than the .35 Whelen which is based on the .30-06 Springfield. Both higher-caliber cartridges are based on similar overall principles. That is, beefing up an existing cartridge with a heavier, larger diameter projectile for increased knockdown power on game. The difference in performance between the .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen cartridges is relatively similar to the performance differential between the .308 Win and the .30-06, perhaps with a slight edge to the .35 Whelen.

Popularity of this cartridge has dwindled but Browning Arms Company still produces the Browning BLR in .358 and numerous other rifles, such as the Winchester Model 70, Winchester Model 88, and the Savage Model 99 are available on the used gun rack; a number of companies (see availability below) still produce the ammunition. Noted web firearms author Chuck Hawks agrees with the Speer reloading manual that "the .358 Winchester is one of the best woods cartridges ever designed."

Specifications

  • Parent case: .308 Winchester
  • Case type: Rimless, bottleneck
  • Bullet diameter: .358 in (9.1 mm)
  • Neck diameter: .388 in (9.9 mm)
  • Shoulder diameter: .454 in (11.5 mm)
  • Base diameter: .470 in (11.9 mm)
  • Rim diameter: .473 in (12.0 mm)
  • Rim thickness: .054 in (1.4 mm)
  • Case length: 2.015 in (51.2 mm)
  • Overall length: 2.780 in (70.6 mm)
  • Rifling twist: 1-12
  • Primer type: Large rifle
  • Maximum CUP: 52,000 CUP

Ballistic Performance

Ballistic data below is from: Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading Vol 1 (6th Edition). The .358 Winchester is suitable for any North American big game.

Bullet Weight / Type Velocity Energy
180 gr (12 g) SP 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) 2,914 ft lbs (3,951 J)
200 gr (13 g) SP 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s) 2,776 ft lbs (3,764 J)
250 gr (16 g) SP 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) 2,687 ft lbs (3,643 J)

Guns Chambered in .358 Winchester

Ammunition Availability

Despite the cartridge's dwindling popularity, there are still several manufacturers producing .358 Winchester ammunition. One of the most popular and readily available loads as of late, appears to be Winchester's Super-X 200 grain "Power Point" load.

Ammunition is also made by Hornady, Buffalo Bore, and is also produced by some smaller outlets, such as from Hendershot's Sporting Goods.

External References / Sources

Hendershot's Sporting Goods: .358 Winchester ammunition from Hendershot's Sporting Goods.