If you take the time to hunt with both, you’ll soon notice the 358 is a thumper. I used the Hornady Ballistic calculator and ShootersCalculator.com to compare trajectory, wind drift, and recoil for the cartridges. One of my favorites is Hodgdon H-4895. John, They had them at Grice Gun Shop in Pennsylvania, and Grice listed them on GunBroker. Never-the-less, the table below gives a reasonably accurate comparison of the basic ballistics of a great many rifle cartridges. Rifle powders are also readily available. It is a necked-up version of the .243 WSSM , [1] which is in turn a shortened .300 WSM ( Winchester Short Magnum ). Once again, there are even fewer .358″ bullets than .338″ bullets, but there is still a decent selection of them. The .338 Federal uses the same .338″ bullet size also used by the .338 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua. 358 Winchester hand loads from L to R: 200 gr. Get a good hunting rifle chambered in the cartridge that you think fits your needs the best, learn to shoot it well, use quality bullets, and you’ll be all set for most hunting situations. Over the pond, the .358 Winchester is known by the millimeter designation, 8.8x51mm. Thanks for your comment and for your feedback PJ. Pour le stand … des Speer de 158 gr (.357). Over the pond, the .358 Winchester is known by the millimeter designation, 8.8x51mm. The .308 Winchester uses .308″ bullets, the .338 Federal uses .338″ bullets, and the .358 Winchester uses .358″ bullets. It initially gained a reputation as a good “woods cartridge” for hunting medium game. We have other multiple calibers small to big bore. Bob Shell is my mentor and has handloaded rare, obsolete and wildcat cartridges for over 30 plus years and when Ron told him his problem, Bob had the answer. That being said, a serious hunter should still be able to find a high quality hunting rifle that suits his or her needs well regardless of the cartridge chosen. It has a markedly flatter trajectory and retains more kinetic energy at all ranges than the .358 Winchester. The .358 Winchester uses the same .358″ (9.1mm) diameter bullets as other .35 caliber cartridges like the .35 Remington, the .35 Whelen, the .350 Remington Magnum, and the .358 Norma Magnum. Bought my second .338 Federal this spring and chronographed the 200 grain Fusions. The Big Game Hunting Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, and other Amazon stores worldwide. With that in mind, typical .358 Winchester loads have more kinetic energy than typical .308 Winchester hunting loads out to around 100-200 yards, but the faster and more aerodynamic .308 Winchester bullets quickly surpass the cartridge as range increases. Pour la chasse … (.358) 225 gr Nosler Partition (cerfs élaphes, sangliers, ours bruns, …) In fact, that cartridge is certainly one of the Top 10 best selling rifle cartridges in the United States each year, if not in the Top 5. Glad the rifle is treating you well! The table below compares the recoil produced by the loads compared above for those cartridges when fired from a 7.3 pound rifle. That advantage is especially pronounced with the Buffalo Bore load. Reloading components for all of these cartridges are available. The .308 Winchester is by far the most popular out of the bunch. The .358 Winchester uses the largest diameter bullets of the bunch and has a frontal surface area of .1007 square inches. I honestly dont know why this calibre isnt far more popular. .358 Winchester Specifications:Maximum Case length: 2.015”Trim-to-length: 2.005”Max OAL: (Overall Length) 2.780”RCBS Shell Holder: #3RCBS Collet: #1RCBS Pilot Caliber: #35SAAMI Limit: 52,000 CUP (Copper Unit of Pressure)Primer: Large Rifle“Always lube your cases for use in all non-carbide dies”, Bullets are easy to obtain as well. Using a .308 Winchester case necked up to use .338″ bullets, the .338 Federal is advertised as having more muzzle energy than the 7mm Remington magnum, and shooting flatter, retaining more energy, and having less recoil than the 30-06. In addition to the NATO 7.62x51mm, the 308 Winchester has served as a parent round for a variety of ammo. 150 grain, 165 grain, 168 grain, and 180 grain bullets are by far the most common. The box rated them for 2700 fps but I’m actually getting 2750 consistently. The price was right $399.00! Hornady Soft Point with 48 grains of 4895. I know it is capable of much more than what the factory offers and I’m excited to play around with it. They have similar trajectories inside of 200 yards and will get the job done on a wide variety of game. The rifle situation is very similar to the ammunition situation with these cartridges: .308 Winchester is by far the most popular with the .338 Federal and .358 Winchester, in that order, following far behind the .308. Before we get started, I have an administrative note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. The 358 Win has never garnered the respect it deserves, except by those who’ve used it in the field. The full chart is below. Do you want a cartridge well suited to hunt large game like elk, moose, red stag, or kudu in North American or on an Africa or New Zealand hunting safari? Hornady RN, 180 gr. I didn’t know Ruger made that special run of rifles in .358 Winchester. I’d love to get more info on loads people have put together for this cartridge. Hi John, I really enjoyed the article. As you can see, the three cartridges are extremely similar in appearance: they have the same rim diameter, the same case length, and the same 20 degree shoulder angle. Excess lube could cause your case to deform and render it useless, so go light. I’ll take frontal area and bullet weight over speed any day of the week, and twice on Sunday! On the other hand, the .338 Federal factory ammo is normally offered with either 185 grain or 200 grain bullets. Finally, the majority of .358 Winchester factory loads shoot bullets in the 180-225 grain range. Mag., these days I take one of the .338 Federal caliber rifles. rifles , a 7MM-08, a 30-06 and a 7MM Rem. I ordered Buffalo Bore and Hornady ammo and went to the range. Book an outstanding black bear hunt here. How fast are you pushing those 250gr bullets? Though most hunters should be able to handle the recoil of the .338 Federal and .358 Winchester, the .308 Winchester has the least recoil of the bunch. Most .338 Federal factory loads have more kinetic energy than the .358 Winchester at all ranges. Using the 225 Accubond at 2530,I zero at 250, this puts me 4 high at 100 and a snitch over 5 low at 300 with just over 1,900 lbs of energy. He loaded Ron a custom load utilizing a 200 gr. Case capacities and reloading data were obtained from Kwk, Hornady (p651 of the 10th Edition Hornady Reloading Manual), and Nosler (here and here). Maybe one day, I’ll have a .338 Federal in the safe? Starline Brass and the author accept no responsibility for use of the data in this article. Indeed, the .358 Winchester was one of the first cartridges designed using a modified .308 Winchester case while the .338 Federal is a relatively new SAAMI standardized rifle cartridge. I used Nosler’s own reloading data published online for the .308 and .358 Winchester (available here and here) and Hornady data for the .338 Federal (p651 of the 10th Edition Hornady Reloading Manual). Even though only one company manufactures .338 Federal ammo at this point, it’s not too difficult to find. While the Winchester 200 grain factory load is a good compromise weight, the hand loaded Speer is a far better deer bullet. The .338 Federal is not quite as resistant to wind drift as the .308 Winchester though and it does have more recoil than the .308 Winchester as well. These loads are covered in most reloading manuals that include loading information for the .358 Winchester. Your reloading manual of choice will fill in the gaps. Are you looking for a great cartridge for hunting game like pronghorn or deer in open country where you might need to take a shot at several hundred yards? What about the claim that the .338 Federal has more muzzle energy than the 7mm Remington Magnum? Paper ballistics don’t tell the whole story when it comes to 35 calibers. The .308 Winchester also operates at a slightly higher pressure than the .30-06. In this article, I’m going to do a detailed comparison of the 338 Federal vs 308 Winchester vs 358 Winchester in order parse out the differences between those three cartridges so you can make an informed decision regarding which one will work best for you. Oh wow, nice! Abbreviations: (AV): Average Velocity (SD): Standard Deviation (AG): Average Group (FL): Factory Load (HL): HandloadHAND LOAD CHRONOGRAPH RESULTS | .358 WINCHESTER CARTRIDGE, Notes: Velocities figures are derived from a ten-round average recorded on a Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph G2 placed 15 feet from the muzzle. You need to carefully analyze your potential needs and choose the one (338 Federal vs 308 Winchester vs 358 Winchester) that you think will fit them best. Instead of necking the case down to use a smaller bullet though, the designers at Winchester opted to use a .308 Winchester case necked up to .35 caliber. That reason, combined with the relative scarcity of .358 Winchester factory ammo, makes that cartridge an especially appealing choice for handloaders. Like the .30-06 Springfield, the .308 Winchester quickly caught on with the shooting and hunting communities and has served as the parent for many other cartridges (like the .243 Winchester, .260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, .338 Federal, and .358 Winchester). The .308 Winchester is no slouch though, especially when using heavy, premium quality bullets (like the Nosler Partition). This is why handloading is so important to those of us who don’t follow the main stream and find solace in older cartridges like the .358 or just find custom loads more satisfying. N133 and AA2015. Winchester manufactured the .358 Winchester in the Model 88 lever action rifle and the Model 70 bolt action rifle for a time. How is it possible for this caliber in the same basic case out perform in virtually every meaningful category both the .308 Win and bigger .358 Win.? Shooting smaller diameter and (generally) lighter bullets than the other two cartridges, the .308 Winchester has the flattest trajectory, the best resistance to wind drift, and the least recoil of the bunch. Though neither the .338 Federal or .358 Winchester are long range cartridges, they’re still much more capable in this role than many give them credit for. On the other hand, .358 Winchester ammo is even more rare. The original load of a 200gr Silvertip at nearly 2,500fps was significantly more powerful than the .35 Remington and offered a similar level of performance to the heavy hitting .348 Winchester. With regards to bullet weight, the majority of .308 Winchester factory loads shoot bullets in the 110-180 grain range. Still, I would not call the recoil objectionable at all. Explanation of terms. However, the table below gives a reasonably accurate comparison of the basic ballistics of most popular rifle cartridges. Some speculate it may have fallen victim to the magnum craze because people believed at the time, (and some still do), that any shortcoming they think a cartridge may have can be fixed with the application of more powder. Thanks for your support. This is just a sampling of the powders you can use. Make sure you subscribe to The Big Game Hunting Podcast and follow The Big Game Hunting Blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 308 Winchester vs 358 Winchester vs 338 Federal Ballistics. In terms of bullet diameter, it’s 0.357 inch not 0.358 inch—which may just keep it clear of the commercial curse 0.358-diameter offerings have suffered in the United States—most notably the excellent .358 Winchester and stout-recoiling .350 Remington Magnum. John. Over the years, Ruger, Kimber, and Tikka (among others) have all produced rifles in that chambering. Of the three rounds, I only have experience with the 308 and 358. Would you like to learn more about some other extremely capable deer hunting cartridges like the .308 Winchester? The .358 Winchester: Still A Major Contender. Thanks for your comment. Be aware these are limited and seldom come available, but every once in a while, someone may part with one. caliber rifles for nearly 50 years and taken a lot of whitetails. You may also be able to find and purchase the Winchester Featherweight Model 70 bolt-action rifle and Winchester Model 88 lever-action on sites like (www.gunbroker.com). Though they each have their limitations, both cartridges offer certain advantages when compared to their parent cartridge. Though the differences in the external dimensions of the .308 Winchester, .338 Federal, and .358 Winchester are relatively minor, there are some interesting differences in their ballistic performance though. It’s also capable of using the heaviest bullets of the group. Iv shot several deer with both copper and regular lead bullets with great results. I’m only aware of three options for factory loaded .358 Winchester ammunition at this point: a 200gr InterLock Spire Point as part of the Hornady Custom Ammunition line, a 225gr Sierra SPTZ-BT from Buffalo bore, and a 225gr Barnes TSX from Buffalo Bore. The 25 WSSM has similar ballistics to the .25-06 but in a much shorter case. This is especially true with lighter 150 grain bullets. As you can see, there’s a wide disparity in availability between the three cartridges. Hornady left the barrel at 2438.0 ft./sec and his deer hunting dilemma was resolved. I got into .338 Federal back in 2017 when I found a Savage model 11 cheap. The 210 tsx flattened a bull moose at around 75 yds. At this time, the Browning BLR (Browning Lever Action Rifle) is the only rifle currently manufactured in .358 Winchester. The .338 Federal and especially the .308 Winchester have a pretty manageable amount of recoil that most shooters and hunters should be able to handle without too much trouble. It’s first chambering was the Winchester Featherweight Model 70 bolt-action rifle, a year later in their Winchester Model 88 lever-action. Calculate a trajectory from bullet, velocity, firearm and atmospheric parameters. While I don’t own a .358 Win., one of my hunting buddies does hunt with one and I can say it is a terrific deer caliber. However, the newer cartridges used a significantly smaller package. It’s still possible to find .358 Winchester ammunition if you look hard enough, but it’s by far the least common and most difficult to obtain out of the three cartridges. In 1977, Ron (pictured with his deer) purchased a new Browning BLR lever action rifle chambered in .358 Winchester to hunt native deer in his home state of Louisiana. Even then, this may not be a big issue for most hunters, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind. Aussi un artisan meilleur ouvrier de France me le fabrique actuellement; une carabine de grande chasse, un custom à partir d’une Remington 700 action courte cal 7-08. .338 Federal ammo and .358 Winchester ammo are MUCH less common than .308 Winchester ammo. The potential is there without losing a shoulder in the process. The cartridge on the right is the .358 Winchester as compared to the standard .308 Winchester it is made from. 200-grain Fusions are my medicine of choice, although I will be using their VitalShok rounds this fall. The Lyman 50th Edition (p241-245, 290-291, 311-312), Speer Number 10 (p290-292), and Hornady 10th Edition (p474-484, 650-652, 686-688) reloading manuals were used as references for the history of the cartridges. John, J’ai craqué pour le 358 Win. The .358 Winchester is the little brother to the 35 Whelen, which uses a necked up 30-06 case. FACTORY LOAD CHRONOGRAPH RESULTS | .358 WINCHESTER CARTRIDGE, Notes: Velocity figures are derived from a ten-round average recorded on a Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph G2 placed 15 feet from the muzzle. I’m not aware of any rifles that are currently manufactured in all three cartridges, so in the interest of making as close to an “apples to apples” comparison as possible, I just decided to make the comparison with a hypothetical rifle that weighs exactly the same for each cartridge.