.358 Winchester using pistol bullets

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loooongshotz

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With a potential purchase in the making, I am researching the feasibility of loading pistol bullets in the .358 Win.

Specifically what considerations are there with using .357 diameter (jacketed) bullets in the .358? As most, if not all, .38/.357 pistol bullets are .357 diameter correct?
Cast bullets are an option, but not first choice. Anyone that currently uses jacketed pistol bullets in their .358 Winchester would be welcomed to assist me.

Thanks everyone.
 
You can push the 158 XTP to about 2700,( it’s designed for around 1500) At 2700 The expansion is violent, would make a good coyote killer.
 
bunny said:
You can push the 158 XTP to about 2700,( it’s designed for around 1500) At 2700 The expansion is violent, would make a good coyote killer.
Click to expand...

There are several previous posts on this .....

Yes - the XTP at 2750fps out of my BLR, it's a great plinker and devastating coyote round. I'm using a max load with RL7, and it's a. 35 moa round. Have fun.
 
9.3 Hunter said:
There are several previous posts on this .....

Yes - the XTP at 2750fps out of my BLR, it's a great plinker and devastating coyote round. I'm using a max load with RL7, and it's a. 35 moa round. Have fun.
Click to expand...

I shot a Racoon with an XTP at about that speed, BLR too, it looked like it swallowed a grenade
 
I had lots of fun with jacketed pistol bullets in my .358 BLR. You can easily push 150-158 gr bullets in the neighbourhood of 3000 fps, 125's even faster. As noted, most of these are too fragile to withstand these speeds and will vapourize within less than 100 yd. But the ones strong enough for this! Accuracy was excellent although point of impact moved considerably requiring re zeroing. They vapourize big crows like a bomb, turning them into red mist and scattered feathers. Should be like the hammer of Thor on coyotes if you don't value the pelt.
 
For my 358's, the 0.001" undersize with any copper drawn jackets fr. 125-158gr, at full velocity, worked fine. With cast bullets, no matter how hard, need to be at full groove diameter and/or plus. Cast is another world though!
 
My wife uses .357 pistol bullets in our .35 Rem a lot...just be aware that if the gun you plan on using them in is a tube magazine the shorter length will probably cause jams, she has to 'top feed" them one at a time.
 
Below .312 pistol bullets in a British .303 Enfield rifle. its not a .358 but its the same idea. I use these reduced loads for fire forming the cases and to make the brass butt plate softer.

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I too have wondered if the .357 bullets would group well coming out of a .358 barrel. They shoot well?
And the twist rate isn't too fast for the lighter pistol bullets?
 
Shot many 158gr xtp-fps out of a stainless Ruger MKII in 350RM that I should have never sold. They were accurate and made you giggle vaporizing water filled milk jugs. They also fed just fine from the magazine.
 
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