Publisher, Kevin Steele is with Brett Marquardt from Streamlight Inc. discussing the new Streamlight Pro Tac 2.0, the latest edition in the Pro Tac series. In an age of ultra-specializatio in every field, and especially rifles, such versatility is almost an anachronism. I was wrong. Elk Venison and Root Vegetable Stew Recipe, Best New Thermal Optics from the 2022 SHOT Show, Venison Backstrap with Sweet & Spicy Peach Relish Recipe, Tested Tough - Modern Zeiss Sports Optics. Cartridges that in many cases cannot match the killing power, at normal hunting ranges, of comparable .35's. Of course, it took the .338 Winchester Magnum many years to catch on, and it took the .243/6mm cartridges over a half century after the introduction of the 6mm Lee Navy cartridge to gain popular acceptance, so perhaps there is still hope for the .35's. Mag. Head to the range this week with American Rifleman staff as they discuss a trim little repeater from Savage Arms that comes chambered for the .22 WMR cartridge. The .358 Norma Mag. Oklahoma. Mark Bansner is making one for me: synthetic stock on a left-hand Sako action. I had the privilege of spending some time with a 1917 vintage take-down Rigby-Mauser rifle while on a hunt in Scotland, and the words sweet shooting came quickly to mind. Not necessarily top dollar everything. There are places where .22 centerfires are legal for elk. it is complicated further by a requirement for different burning rate powders. Ruger briefly chambered the M77 rifle in .35 Whelen. The cartridge would be championed by Denys Finch Hatton (of Out of Africa fame), John Pondoro Taylor and Pete Pearson, and would be used by Baron Bror von Blixen-Fineke as well. Ive seen many elk taken cleanly with a .270 Winchester, and my own longest shot on an elk was on a big New Mexico bull at 400 yards using a .270 Winchester with a 150-grain Nosler Partitionone step and down. Have all three, and have not shot any of em My medium is a 9,3x62. Equal in importance is that you can hit the elk. There is only .007-inch (seven thousandths) difference between the .270s .277-inch bullet and the 7mms .284-inch bullet. In 1987 Remington made an honest cartridge out of the .35 Whelen. Follow along to see exactly how. You get the shot you get, and within sensible limits, you must be able to take the shot offered. As a "stopper" for use on dangerous game the .358 Norma is clearly superior to the .300 Magnums. Had the .358 Norma Magnum been chambered in an American rifle, or at least promoted by an American company, the popularity of the cartridge may have been much greater than it is. I wont go so far as to say thats foolish, but theres a major difference in size and toughness between a cow or spike and a mature bull. The company has chambered several rifles in the cartridge including models in bolt-action, pump-action and semi-automatic. Here the elk offers hunters an advantage because the vital zone, like body size, is at least twice that of any deer. Of the bullets used, several performed extremely well, including the Bear Claw and a Nosler 250-grain Partition. Kynoch was a big producer of .350 ammo, but that has ceased in the recent past. Although such weight is rare, a big bull can exceed 1,000 pounds. The case capacity of the .350 Rigby is very similar to that of the .358 Norma Magnum, and the performance is likewise similar. crying, My kingdom for a rifle.. That load actually produced 2825 f.p.s. Its still a fine choice, but I dont have a .338 right now. My 35 Whelen will run 250gr partitions at 2700 fps with power pro 2000 powder. I have one, of course, and it is fun to shoot, but I would never use it on a serious big-game hunt. So are the .350 Remington Magnum and .358 Norma Magnum. Food for thought, is it not? It will work in this action with ease and will be plenty cheap to feed and use if one simply sizes up 338 brass and goes along thier happy way. Griffin & Howe developed the semiwildcat .350 G&H based on the .375 H&H case, as well as pioneering the .35 Whelen. Sure, we experiment a bit with other bore sizes, but in the end it always comes back to the .30 caliber. The full spectrum of our many 7mms, from 7mm-08 and 7x57 on up to the fastest 7mm magnums, are also fine, but they are not magical giant-slayers. Would be nice to have a 35 Wheelie, 350 Rem and a .358 Win. and a 250-grain Partition load with a muzzle velocity of 2550 f.p.s. Mag. and .32 Rem. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; that is one of the physical laws of our universe. in its NoslerCustom line with a 225-grain Partition bullet at 2550 f.p.s. In fact, the recoil of the .358 Norma Magnum, at about 35 ft. lbs. They have almost all abandoned the cartridge. Well, it betters the velocity of the .35 Whelen by at least 200 fps, much the same as the .338 Winchester Magnum does to the .338-06. As an experiment, I shot the nilgai five or six more times with different bullets, then hauled the carcass back to the cleaning station intact and carried out a necropsy. Mag.They have almost identical case capacity, but the .358 Norma Mag. Hunting Shack 358NORMA2N Game King 358 Norma 225 gr Sierra GameKing Spitzer Boat-Tail - 20rd Box. Bertram Brass from Australia is a good source when you can get it, and Quality Cartridge makes a run of .350 Rigby every few years, but you could be waiting a considerable amount of time. The .358 Norma Magnum, like the .358 Shooting Times Alaskan, generates a considerable amount of energy, but due to the caliber restrictions for dangerous game of most of the African countries, it falls shy of the markthe .375-inch bore is minimum for many countries. from my E.R. Mag. Not only that, many different bullet moulds were made for casting .358 bullets in some of the most fanciful shapes. A failed product is often said to be ahead of its time, which is usually just a polite way of saying nobody wanted to buy it. The .350 can drive a 250 grain bullet to a MV of 2500 fps. Still have a 9.3 (so I guess it "won"). Not so the .358 Norma. This new model featured two new cartridges, the .350 Rem. In 1965 Remington took it to the next level with the introduction of the Model 600 Magnum Carbine. Synthetic wins over laminate because laminates, strongest of all, are also heaviest. In more recent times, the 1994 release of the .450 Rigby gave dangerous game hunters a bit more bullet weight than the .416 Rigby and has developed a small but devout following among both professional hunters and their clients alike. 358 norma mag is a rarer bird but as I understand fire forming 300 win mag brass an easy way to feed it. Winchester introduced its initial trio of belted magnums in the mid-1950sthe .458 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum and .264 Winchester Magnumand all were designed for the long-action receiver, using a case length equal or similar to the .30-06 Springfield. Tried and true. Now, I have to go out on a limb and say that sensible elk cartridges arent all about power. Unlike either the .338 or .375, the .35 (.358-inch) has been a standard American caliber since 1900. At 300 yds., the .358 Norma impacts only 0.96" lower than the .300 Win. How it would have done on a live animal is impossible to say. Kevin Steele of Petersen's HUNTING is with Dawn Wehunt of Rock River Arms INC. learning about the new Ascendant platform. but it does have the 22" barrel and the irons , looks and feels like a MTN rifle to me. It also notes that the reconstituted Schultz & Larsen company is offering the chambering in its Model 97 takedown rifle. It arrived with three other cartridges designed to compete with Winchesters popular lever-action lineup. Also H&R 1871, Inc., offered single-shot rifles in .35 Whelen from 1994 to 1996. My 8mm Remington Magnum was stocked in dense walnut and had a long barrel. There are several reasons. As it turned out, having a great punch was not enough for either one. All rights reserved. Also as I have a lot of 357 pistol bullets I was figuring on being able to use them as reduced loads/smaller game options in either big 35 cal should I go that route. Most were intended for .38-caliber handguns, but any bullet made for either the .38 Special or .357 Magnum can be loaded and shot in the .358 Norma Magnum with varying degrees of success. The big issue with the .350 Rigby Magnum is the lack of available ammunition. Moderate, safe, bland and predictable. The 338/06 when compared to the .35 Whelen only beats it with the lighter bullets and not by much. Theres more to success than merely landing a good one on the chin. Movement is more random in big country. The .358 Norma can be loaded down to duplicate the performance of either of the two smaller cartridges. SAUM and .300 WSM, with their 180 grain bullets at a MV of 2960-2970 fps, have an optimum range of about 120 yards on 1000 pound animals. I shot my first bull elk in Montanas Pioneer Mountains on a snowy Thanksgiving in 1972. . There are many good choices, and shot placement is more important than case dimensions and bullet diameter. to achieve its potential. I believe it never will. In cartridges, as in boxing, what goes on behind the scenes often determines the outcome. Let's also compare the .358 with the other end of the spectrum. Remington loads a 200-grain PSP Core-Lokt bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2775 f.p.s. From the Green Goblin (a bolt-action rifle I built on a Remington action), both will produce groups that are sub-minute-of-angle. Sure, you can get away with it, especially with todays extra-heavy bullets, but I think its foolish. But in 2003 Remington decided to attempt a resurrection. This stumpy little cartridge was introduced to the hunting public in 1908 and is the only surviving member of the early class of Remington rimless cartridges. Kevin Steele, Publisher of Petersen's HUNTING talks with JJ Reich of HEVI-Shot about the new offerings for 2023. Lyman lists 47 different moulds that were available at one time or another, ranging in bullet weight from 70 to 282 grains. pushes a 200-grain bullet to just more than 2000 f.p.s. was introduced in 1955. But in those countries where the lighter cartridges are legal for the cats, the .350 Rigby Magnum is just about perfect. To return to our boxing analogy, the .358 Norma Magnum not only has the Hammer of Thor, but it also offers an excellent jab, a good hook, a wicked uppercut and a variety of feints. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Norma Projektilfabrik answered Winchesters designs with a pair of their own: the .308 Norma Magnum and its slightly older brother, the .358 Norma Magnum. While the Colt Model 601 was the first AR-15 to be mass-produced, there were several design variations that came before during the platform's development. A 358Norma is a good fit for this action. My favorite hunting round. Equal in importance is that you can hit the elk. Cartridges of .25 caliber and below are not ideal elk cartridges, especially if a big bull is a potential. Looking for previous installments of our "Behind the Bullet" series? Heres a detailed look at each step of the process. The numerous magnum .30s are also excellent, but they deliver more recoil. .50 BMG. The experimentation with the H&H cases, first by Weatherby and later by Winchester and Remington, certainly changed the way we hunted and made our purchases; magnum mania definitely took root. Released in 1959though there were no factory chambered rifles or factory loaded ammunition available for the new cartridgeNorma offered chamber reamers and new component brass for its new brainchild. You know the kind with the locking bolt. The .35 Whelen is accurate, hits hard, penetrates deep, shoots flat and recoils mildly. The .357 Magnum revolver cartridge has also gained considerable popularity as a combination rifle/pistol cartridge and lever action rifles for the .357 Magnum sell pretty well. Now, I have to go out on a limb and say that sensible elk cartridges aren't all about power. The .35 Rem. X-Vision Optics long-range ImpactThermal Scope (TS300) boasts a 640 x 480 thermal sensor that can detect big game well past 3,000 yards. The .35 Whelen fires a larger .358 bullet and is therefore right at the cusp of being a big game caliber and is capable of handling everything except . The .350 Magnum has a case length of 2.742 inches, and an overall cartridge length 3.44 inches, so it will feel at home in a magnum-length receiver. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. The nearest of any to the .358 Norma was the .35 Newton, which it closely resembles. The first time I ever hunted with a .358 Norma Magnum, it was a custom rifle built on a Mauser Mark X action. Follow along to see exactly how. And, as any fan of the .35-caliber cartridges knows, there are quite a few bullet weights to choose from within the caliber. It put an exclamation point on that lung shot. For more specialized uses, Speer makes a 180-grain flatpoint (semispitzer)that, with reduced loads, turns the .358 Norma Magnum into a pussycat for recoil but is easily capable of handling game such as black bears and white-tailed deer out to 250 yards or so. As it was released in the first century of the . Can this be made into a .358 Norma Mag or must I do a .35 Whelen. Thought about that 375 Ruger but nah. If the .35 Rem. So while some of my rifle choices may have been oddball, none of the rifles Ive used for elk have been exactly wrong. There are specialized situations where close shots are the norm, but most often, the ideal elk rifle should have enough versatility for shots out to 300 yards and change. Boltface would have to be altered for the Norma. Included in that have been a whole bunch of deer, hogs and a bear or two. in an 8.5 pound rifle, is comparable to the much more popular but less effective (on CXP3 class game) .300 Weatherby or .300 Remington Ultra Magnums. But the .416 is certainly not the only cartridge to bear the Rigby surname; read the works of Walter Dalrymple Maitland Karamoja Bell, or Col. Jim Corbett and the .275 Rigbybetter known as the 7x57mm Mauserwill get all sorts of praise. I will go with the 35 Whelen BUT 9.3x62 will be cool due that you already have a 350 Rem mag, if you're opening the bolt face the 358 STA better option than Norma and 338-06 could be a nice choice too. factory load is a 250-grain Oryx bullet listed with a muzzle velocity of 2723 f.p.s. a good brush buster and good to 300 yards. Subscriber Services. Synthetic stocks arent always lighter than wood, but they are stronger and more stable, and elk hunting can be hard on rifles. That does not mean that any gunsmith who had his own ideas about velocity and accuracy might not include it or go completely the other way. Its a flat shootermimicking the trajectory of a .30-06 with heavier bulletsand is fully capable as an all-around choice. In the years since, the .35 Rem. Norma offers factory ammunition, E.R. Kevin Steele from Petersen's HUNTING speaks to Jordan Egli of Burris Optics about the all-new Veracity PH Riflescope. But there is another Rigby cartridge, vastly overlooked even among rifle cranks, but which was at one time as popular as the .375 H&H Magnum: the .350 Rigby Magnum. A medium variable in the 3-9X or 2.5-10X range should be enough scope for elk hunting. That being said, with much wider availability, and the higher . The .35 Win., .35 Newton and .350 Griffin & Howe Mag. These are elk cartridges, and as Jack Atcheson Jr. likes to say, the .338 numbs them. The 35 whelen and 358 winchester were the two I was torn between. A cross-section of loads for the .358 Norma Magnum include the (1) Sierra 125-grain JHP, (2) Sierra 170 FMJ, (3) Speer 180, (4) 200-grain cast bullet and a (5) Sierra 200 roundnose. Elk bullets must be tough enough to provide adequate penetration. During the spring conservation order, you can hunt with outfitters from Arkansas to Saskatchewan. The origins of the .35 Whelen are controversial even today. Kevin Steele of Petersen's HUNTING is at the Streamlight booth at SHOT Show 2023 to go over the Bear Trap light from Streamlight. These include some of my favorites, such as the .358 Winchester and .45-70. I would also expect it to handle anything in North America from deer to the big bears. Whelen would not. That load has a maximum optimal range on 1000 pound game (like a big Alaskan moose or brown bear) of 151 yards. Give a Gift Everybody agrees that the .358 Win. has been offered in just about every rifle action type ever conceived and a few handguns. For example, take the most powerful of the factory standardized .35's, the .358 Norma Magnum. in a rimmed cartridge that would work in a lever-action rifle. Since lack of a gas seal in a low-pressure load is more of a nuisance than a danger, it can be ignored if you dont mind the soot. Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. of energy at the muzzle. An earlier Western Cartridge load delivered 2,660 fps, which I suspect is closer to the truth. The most popular cartridges for hunting and even target shooting begin and end with the thirties. figure of 0.300 is desirable, and comparing similar cartridges, youll see the .350 Rigby comes in a bit behind the other popular choices of the day. It was verry expensive to shoot, lots of powder and expensive bullets and brass. The classic .350 Rigby Magnum load pushes a .358-inch diameter 225-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2625 fps for 3,440 ft.-lbs. A monster buck is different from a fork-horn or a fat doe. Its often thought that if they had it would have gained popularity over the .338 Win. I have built all 3 several times for various customers and owned both the 358 Norma and the 9.3X62. In 1968 the 600 Magnum was replaced by the Model 660 Magnum, which featured a 20-inch barrel, but it was never a big seller, and Remington dropped the rifles. Sometimes you get a point-blank shot; other times you need to stretch it a bit farther. Where the .338 Winchester drives its 250-grain bullet to 2650 fps, the .358 Norma beats that figure by 100 fps or so, delivering over 4,200 ft.-lbs. Shortening the 2.85-inches long .375 H&H case wasnt exactly a revolutionary ideathat little-known .275 H&H so closely resembles the design of the half-century younger 7mm Remington Magnum that its uncannybut with the Winchester marketing machine the concept was brought to the forefront. Can't really imagine one cartridge doing anything the other couldn't, though the availability of bigger bullets and way more factory ammo (if wanted) are definite pluses for the Mauser. Thats the primary game for many of us, but one size doesnt fit all. Bottles & 12-oz. I am not into the current long-range fad, especially on powerful animals like elk. Meanwhile, the .358 Norma fizzled, for lack of a better term, because rifles were not readily available, ammunition was expensive and hard to get, and it found itself in direct competition with one of the great American cartridges of the twentieth century, Winchesters .338 Magnum. Likewise, so do experienced western elk hunters. An elk is bigger than anything most deer hunters have encountered, but theres still a variance; a cow for the freezer isnt much bigger than a very large deer, but a mature bull elk is different. They can take their time and pick their shots. I have shot a few critters, including a tough South Texas Nilgai, and have been happy with the performance. Too bad Ingemar Johansson was not so well equipped. I took it to Texas in 1989 and decked a nilgai at about 90 yards. He never questioned the adequacy of his .270 for elk, nor do I, but he was also a lifelong .30-06 fan and privately conceded its superiority for elk-sized game. This is in sharp contrast to the overwhelming success of the .357/9mm handgun cartridges, whose popularity dates right to the beginning of the self-contained cartridge era. Wolfe Publishing Company | 2180 Gulfstream Suite A | Prescott, AZ 86301. My .375 H&H seemed quite adequate. bruce. But perhaps youre not after thick-skinned dangerous game. is on the threatened list, this one is on a path to extinction. It was recovered in bits and pieces. The Newton was supposedly loaded, by Western Cartridge, to 2,975 fps with a 250-grain bullet, but I, for one, would want to see the chronograph reading. Have a .350 Rem Mag, building a .358 Win currently, would prefer to do the .358 Norma if possible but not sure if this action can handle it.Anyone? lbs. As a result of all this activity, .358-inch diameter jacketed rifle bullets are available in a wide range of weights and styles, from 150-grain semipointed to 200- grain roundnose, all the way up to 310 grains for the heaviest game. in the Big Bore Model 94. Here in North America, you could take the .350 Rigby anywhere youd take the .35 Whelen or .358 Norma Magnum, and that includes north to Alaska for the great bears. You can never lead if you always follow; the other cartridges were designed to chase Winchesters success, while the .35 Rem. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. with a 250-grain Oryx bullet-both with a 200-yd. Ill bet its been awhile since those cartridges have been seen in a hunting camp. I have one, and I like it a lot. Mag. Its also worth noting that, in spite of its relative obscurity, the cartridge appears in many of the most recent loading manuals, including Normas own, a worthwhile addition to anyones reloading library.
