358. Cal. Hornady 200 GR. Spire Point

Charlie38

Charlie38

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Northwest (Prince Rupert), BC
Does anyone have any experience with the 358 cal. 200 gr. Hornady Spire Point? I have a 358 Win. , a 350 Rem Mag. and a 35 Whelen . Just wondering if they open up fine on deer but will hold together for the bigger stuff ( moose, elk ) ? Or should I move up to the 225's and 250's ?
 
Most anything works on deer, but you asked about bigger critters..... I think the 200 gr. bullet in a .35 is about like a 125 gr. in a .30 cal. - OK if you have only a pipsqueak charge of powder behind it, ( eg: 7.62x39, or .35 Remington respectively) but too light for the caliber in more serious big game rounds. A .35 is a very good big game caliber, but even the .358 Win does better on big critters with a heavier bullet. The .350 and .35 Whelen would be handicapped with a 200 gr. in my opinion. I settled on 250 grains for my Whelens long ago.
 
I don't know how well they open, I have had pass through shots on all of the deer I have hit one with. I went to the round nose and have the same thing happen. I always look to see what is behind my target and almost always end up shooting down at my animals so the pass through is okay. I could slow them down a bit but with a 35 rem all the speed I can get is a bonus lol.
 
I've used the 200 Hornady Round Nose for deer, loaded down to about 2200 fps, and also the Speer 220 Flat Nose in the 35 Whelen. Both work fine when the velocity is kept down a bit.

For moose, I've used the 250 gr. Hornady RN and will likely try the 225 Nosler Accubonds
 
I have shot several many 200gr Remington SPs at paper and found them to be quite accurate in all rifles. I plan on using these in my current 358 for deer.

For larger game, the 250Speer is an excellent choice for all 35cals.



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I have shot a few deer with the 200gr Hornady SP's out of my 350RM and 358win. All have been complete pass throughs and no bullets recovered. Very little meat loss and the deer only made it 30 yards tops.
I now use a 225gr in the 350RM and I would not hesitate to use the 200gr on a moose inside of 200 yards.

Good luck.

James
 
I have also used the 200 Hornady Sptz on deer in a 35 Rem, 358 Win and a 350 Rem Mag, like others have said they have all been pass throughs with quick kills, they would not be my first choice for moose but I would use them if they were what I had on hand, a heavier bullet would help for deeper penetration but I would use a bigger (longer range) caliber for moose anyway so it is not an issue for me.
bigbull
 
A quote from Jeff Quinn of gunblast.com about the 358Win.
For strictly deer hunting, my favorite bullet is the 200-grain Hornady Spire Point. It demonstrates perfect expansion on whitetails along with good penetration, and excellent accuracy. I have used this bullet for many years, first using it in an old Savage model 99. It is one of those bullets that has no gimmicks or fancy names, but just works very well, every time. Also good for whitetail hunting is the only factory load available at this time; the Winchester 200 grain Silvertip.
Click to expand...
Read whole article by going to gunblast.com/Browning-BLR358.htm
 
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