Ruger stainless synthetic in 358 Winchester

[Elkins45]

Bud's has the Ruger Hawkeye stainless synthetic on sale for $451. I'm picking one up on Monday. I've been wanting a .358 for a while now so this seemed like it was meant to be.

The rifle will be here before I have dies, so unfortunately I probably won't be able to shoot it for a week or so. I cast a big pile of RCBS 200 grain bullets for it last night, so I'll be ready to load as soon as the dies get here.

If only it were a lefty…

 

[osprey176]

Great rifle and caliber.Sounds like just the ticket for those Kentucky elk.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I'm a "lefty", too. My .358wcf is a BLR....
Once you have the reloading dies, brass is a cinch. Just run .308 dies through your die and voila, .358 brass.
Do get brass trimmer and Lee factory crimp die for those cast bullets.
IMR3031, H322, Acc#2520 and RL15 are your powders for jacketed bullets.
I'd expect 20.0-24.0gr of #2400 to be good for the Cast bullets....
A real deer thumper !!!
Nosler has out a new 200gr Accubond this year. Hasn't hit the retailers yet. This should be the definitive bullet for the .358.

 

[Elkins45]

I picked it up today. It has a GREAT trigger

Hurry up dies!

 

[rbernie]

Thanks for the heads up on this; I've been coveting a Hawkeye in 358 or 35 Whelen for a while, and to get a stainless version for less than five bills delivered is simply outstanding.

I ordered mine this morning- I'm stoked.

 

[Sound Dude]

I bought the same gun a year ago from CDNN. Great gun. I put together a bunch of loads using 158gn 357 JHP bullets for plinkers - work great!

 

[Patocazador]

I had my .35 Rem. XP-100 rechambered to .358 Win. The only trouble is the barrel had/has a 16" twist and I have to shoot 200 grain bullets or less. I'd like to use 225 gr. Nosler Partitions but the accuracy goes downhill with longer bullets. I have yet to kill something with it.

Hope you like yours.

 

[Elkins45]

Thanks for the heads up on this; I've been coveting a Hawkeye in 358 or 35 Whelen for a while, and to get a stainless version for less than five bills delivered is simply outstanding.

I ordered mine this morning- I'm stoked.

Glad to help. Please be sure to come back to this thread and let me know what you think of it once it arrives.

 

[matt 7mm]

sounds like a good deal. i am surprised the 358 never became more popular seems like it should be a good eastern woods rifle. i would think it should produce great stopping power with moderate recoil.I have no personal experience with a 358 win but i have wanted get either a 358 win or a 338federal for a while now

 

[RPRNY]

Not looking for an argument 7mm, but what do you think we have in our woods in the East? Unless you are lucky enough to draw one of the 7 or 8 moose tags on offer, frankly there's nothing northeast of Pennsylvania that can't be taken comfortably with a 30-30.

Having said that, .358 is an excellent cartridge and I can only offer the relative popularity of 35 Rem or the alternative of 35 Whelen (I won't even suggest 35/30-30) as possible in caliber explanations.

 

[matt 7mm]

you have a good point RPRNY but i am a fan of heavier slower bullets and i think a 358 would be just the ticket if i was lucky enough to find one of the few 500lb black bears that show up once in a while in my neck of the woods.

 

[Elkins45]

I hadn't thought about it (I just wanted it because its such a great cast bullet round) but this will probably become my go-to bear defense rifle. It seems that black bears are starting to move back into eastern KY. I have a friend who lives close to the VA border and he tells me their local school system has been training parents in the more rural areas on how to keep their kids safe from bears while waiting on the school bus in the morning!

Now I can have a reason to tote this thing around in the woods with me....OK, maybe a semi- legitimate reason

 

[SwampWolf]

You got a good price on a fine rifle and cartridge combination, I think. Is the .358 Winchester too much gun (in comparison to, say, the 30-30) for the whitetails I hunt for in Pa and Mi? I don't think so. I've hunted deer for the past forty years or so with a Savage Model 99 rifle chambered in .358 and I appreciate the extra range it offers for those occasional past 150 yard shots I've been presented and I like the quick kills I get with 200 grain Silvertips. Finally, in my experience, a medium bore, 200 grain bullet traveling at a relatively moderate (but decidedly not "slow") speed does not ruin any more edible meat than the 170 grain Cor-Loked bullet out of my Winchester Model 94, chambered in 30-30, did. Yes, you get a little more recoil with the .358 as compared to the 30-30 and factory ammunition is harder to find (and more expensive when you do) but, for me at least, said trade-offs are very much worth it for the reasons cited.