They live in steep, rough country, and their long legs cover a lot of ground. On those gray, moody November days when I am feeling blue I take my Remington Model 141 pump-action rifle in .35 Rem. Tried and true. I have no experience with the Norma mag. of energy at the muzzle. Mag. I have shot a few critters, including a tough South Texas Nilgai, and have been happy with the performance. On June 26, 1959, Sweden's Ingemar Johansson demolished Floyd Patterson in the third round of their first heavyweight title fight in New York. Boltface would have to be altered for the Norma. was also the only cartridge of that original Remington family that was based on a different parent case. By coincidence, in that same year, Norma Projektilfabrik of Sweden introduced its own heavyweight champion, the .358 Norma Magnum. Is the .358 Norma Magnum a cartridge destined to make a huge comeback? But they are not essential, and despite their effectiveness, all magnums from .30 caliber upwards generate more recoil than many folks are comfortable withand are able to shoot well. G. Joined: Sep 2009. Petersen's HUNTING Publisher, Kevin Steele is in the CZ booth with Dylan Rice at SHOT Show to talk about CZ 600 Series Trail rifle. As a "stopper" for use on dangerous game the .358 Norma is clearly superior to the .300 Magnums. The .358 Norma established its reputation in high-end hunting rifles like this Schultz & Larsen Model 65DL. 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. Rifle Recoil Table. Mag., and I think thats the only current production rifle in that cartridge. 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. Spl. Posts: 46,063. Thinking of a medium bore with a bit of thump.9.3 x 62 holds some exotic mystique for me being its use on African large game but I am thinking realistically .366 cant be that much of an advantage over .358 can it? from the 24" barrel of a Marlin 336XLR rifle. Barnes has a Vor-TX load with a 180-grain TSX bullet and a muzzle velocity of 2900 f.p.s. 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. Far more alternatives, in fact, than exist in several more popular caliber families. For the next year, comparisons were inevitable between Johanssons Hammer of Thor and the .358s powerful 250-grain bullet. The .350 Rigby Magnum is, in the words of veteran Professional Hunter Robin Hurt, a perfect caliber to hunt lion and leopard. With a few exceptions, most African countries require a minimum of .375-caliber cartridges for thick-skinned dangerous game like Cape buffalo and elephant, and that makes sense in most instances. But when Winchester chambered the .358 the following year in its unique lever-action, the Model 88, it became a really interesting cartridge. has been offered in just about every rifle action type ever conceived and a few handguns. From the Green Goblin (a bolt-action rifle I built on a Remington action), both will produce groups that are sub-minute-of-angle. to achieve its potential. The .35 Whelen is accurate, hits hard, penetrates deep, shoots flat and recoils mildly. factory load is a 250-grain Oryx bullet listed with a muzzle velocity of 2723 f.p.s. .35s That Survived - BUCKMASTERS Most rifle elk hunting is not like bowhunting during the bugling season. [1] The sad truth is that the active list of current .35-caliber rifles and cartridges is tragically short. Federal loads the 225-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2600 f.p.s. but it does have the 22" barrel and the irons , looks and feels like a MTN rifle to me. With such a wide range of both cast and jacketed bullets available, and todays variety in powders, the .358 Norma has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to load possibilities. 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. 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. One can almost hear the echoes of Norma Mag. was designed for the American market, but sadly no American riflemaker ever chambered the cartridge in a cataloged gun. I own several rifles in this cartridge and all my .35 Whelen rifles are accurate. The .338-inch fans cite the advantage of the higher sectional density figures, while the .358-inch camp favors the better frontal diameter of the larger bore. The Remington Model 600 Magnum rifle, along with the cartridge it birthed, was just such a product. The .35 Rem. It can work in close or at a distance or dazzle you with footwork. Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Perhaps thats how it should be, the masses rarely embrace true greatness. The .350 Remington Magnum is the only cartridge that appears on both lists of current and obsolete calibers. All rights reserved. Campfire 'Bwana. The .351 WSL did grab a bit of fame, first as a popular rifle for prison guards and then as one of the rifles used to punch a lot of holes in Bonnie and Clydes automobile (although that accolade is in question). is still not burning up the sales records, so maybe ahead of its time is the wrong description. Mag. That version is in some dispute, with evidence that Whelen himself developed the cartridge or at least worked with Howe on its development. crying, My kingdom for a rifle.. Among my own favorites for the .358 Norma are the Nosler Partitions in both 225 and 250 grains, Swift A-Frames (225, 250, 280) and various Woodleighs, including the unique 310-grain Weldcore. Fusion Ammo has a 200-grain with a muzzle velocity of 2800 f.p.s. There have been many others, such as the .35-30 Maynard (both in the 1865 and the 1882 versions) and .35-40 Maynard. At 300 yds., the .358 Norma impacts only 0.96" lower than the .300 Win. Right now, I think that the Browning BLR lever-action rifle is the only production gun left on the market in .358 Win. Faster 6.5sthe new 6.5 PRC, the old .264, or the super-fast .26 Nosler and 6.5-300 Weatherbywill deliver more energy and open the range envelope a bit. As many hunters know, the Remington Model 600 carbine, which was introduced in 1964, was one of the first short, light, bolt-action rifles to find success with deer hunters. Im voting no. Even the obscure .358 Norma Magnum is the most efficient of the belted-magnum cartridges [note - by the author's own data the 350 Remington Magnum bests the 358 Norma]. The .358 Norma Mag. This means that the momentum of a rifle's reaction will exactly equal the momentum of the bullet and powder gasses ejected from the barrel. 5 Forgotten .35-Caliber Cartridges. Are They Doomed? - Field & Stream The "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903," better-known as the M1903 Springfield, has become one of the most popular U.S. military small arms to collect. Honestly, the concept of being overgunned is somewhat mystifying to me, provided you can place the shot. There is only .007-inch (seven thousandths) difference between the .270s .277-inch bullet and the 7mms .284-inch bullet. Layne Simpson did an article on the comparison of the two and it was reprinted in Big Bore Rifles and Cartridge ISBN 1-879356-00-7. This standard (.30-06) length magnum cartridge drives a 250 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2799 fps with 4350 ft. lbs. Remington loads a 200-grain PSP Core-Lokt bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2775 f.p.s. Yet, that bore diameter produces some of the best hunting cartridges available. The .35's are just plain superior for CXP3 class game. Rifle Recoil Table - CHUCKHAWKS.COM Is there a way to find out what year it is by serial #? Its often thought that if they had it would have gained popularity over the .338 Win. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. The .350 can drive a 250 grain bullet to a MV of 2500 fps. My vote is for the .35 Whelen. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. The .35 Whelen is a powerful medium-bore rifle cartridge that does not require a magnum action or a magnum bolt-face. In rifle cartridges, we usually take the safe route and .30-caliber has emerged as the American shooters choice. Winchester and Hornady both offer 200-grain loads at 2475 f.p.s. How it would have done on a live animal is impossible to say. Clearly, for the hunter seeking heavy game and willing to accept this level of recoil, the .358 Norma Magnum deserves far more popularity than it has received. 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? The long accepted story was that James V. Howe developed the cartridge in 1922 and named it in honor of his friend, gunwriter Col. Townsend Whelen. as a way to boost the power of the Model 94 lever-action rifle. Sometimes you get a point-blank shot; other times you need to stretch it a bit farther. It also notes that the reconstituted Schultz & Larsen company is offering the chambering in its Model 97 takedown rifle. I believe it never will. Mag.-all with a bigger, heavier bullet that will punch a bigger hole and penetrate deeper. The .358 Win. But starting in the late 1950s, the .338 bore size gained considerable tractionthanks to the emergence of the .338 Winchester Magnum. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. With todays interest in long-range shooting, big scopes are in, but powerful scopes add weight. This raises the obvious question: Why, with so many modern cartridges around of more or less equal power, chambered in readily available rifles, is there this lingering interest in, and loyalty to, the .358 Norma? Hunting Shack 358NORMA2N Game King 358 Norma 225 gr Sierra GameKing Spitzer Boat-Tail - 20rd Box. Either of the other two cartridges mentioned will work just fine also. 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. However, Winchesters .338 Magnum proved to be the darling of not only those bound for the 49th state, but for those hunting elk and moose at lower latitudes. zero-we see that contrary to popular belief, a 35-caliber can be a long-range cartridge. Now, I have to go out on a limb and say that sensible elk cartridges aren't all about power. They are a little short initially and after two firings they were just fine. So, I've hunted elk with less ambitious rounds. 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. of muzzle energy. I have one, of course, and it is fun to shoot, but I would never use it on a serious big-game hunt. 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. Compare practically any small bore cartridge (.32 caliber or less) with a .35 caliber cartridge of similar powder capacity and the result is pretty much the same. Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line in 2023. All Petersen's Hunting subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Heres a look at 10 of the most flexible long-range hunting cartridges. Your rifle is your most important hunting tool, and knowing how to properly clean and store it when hunting season comes to a close is critical in keeping it in tip-top shape. Ruger made a few bolt-actions some years back, and Remington made rifles in the 700 Classic line, but they are long gone. .35 Whelen - Wikipedia In cartridges, as in boxing, what goes on behind the scenes often determines the outcome. .35 caliber rifle cartridges have been around practically forever without ever really becoming popular. 1 Item (s) Show per page. Short of a wounded elephant or Cape buffalo in thick cover, there is no game I can think of for which you could not concoct a load in the .358. Whelen would not. So are the .350 Remington Magnum and .358 Norma Magnum. So we see that even with a one pound lighter rifle, the .358 recoils slightly less than a .300 magnum. were to go head to head with the .25-35 Win., .30-30 Win. 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. Not necessarily top dollar everything. Today we have better bullets than when I was a kid. it is complicated further by a requirement for different burning rate powders. 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. 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. Mag. We argue cartridges and calibers endlessly, but bullet choice matters. Just have it rebarreled to 9.3X62, and you will have a 358 Norma with five in the magazine! The Remington Model 673 Guide Rifle was chambered in .350 Rem. In the entry on the .358 Norma, it maintains that, had Norma convinced a major American riflemaker to offer the chambering in the early years, it could have become one of the greats. My 35 Whelen will run 250gr partitions at 2700 fps with power pro 2000 powder. From limited experience of loading for two different 358 Norma Magnum rifles (a Schultz & Larson Model 65 and a Custom Sako AV) I used to neck up new Winchester 338 Win. I have needed to reach 400 yards, but never a whole bunch farther. The .35 Whelen is a fine elk cartridge. The .35 Win., .35 Newton and .350 Griffin & Howe Mag. 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. plowed fresh ground. For the handloader, as the accompanying table demonstrates, the .358 Norma Magnum provides an almost unbelievable range of possibilities, from loads light enough for gallery shooting to heavy enough. Why the public abandoned it so quickly is a mystery to me. From left: (1) .35 Remington, (2) .358 Winchester and (3) .358 Norma Magnum. This is comparable killing power to the long .375 H&H Magnum with a 300 grain bullet (ME 4331 ft. The 600 Magnum suffered from a barrel that was too short at 18 inches. Mag. bruce. After ten years of not getting drawn I sold it it was too much gun for most of my hunting. 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 . Cartridges that in many cases cannot match the killing power, at normal hunting ranges, of comparable .35's. .35 Caliber Cartridges - CHUCKHAWKS.COM Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. And, as any fan of the .35-caliber cartridges knows, there are quite a few bullet weights to choose from within the caliber. Three rivals: (1) .338 Winchester Magnum, (2) .358 Norma Magnum and (3) .375 H&H. The .35 Whelen has a relatively simple design: it's a .30-06 Springfield case necked up to use .358 instead of .308 bullets (the exact opposite of the .270 Winchester in other words). offered the performance level of the .358 Win. Follow along to see exactly how. Mention the Rigby name to any rifle aficionado, and odds are that the famous .416 Rigby cartridge will come quickly to mind, and with good reason; it is an undeniable classic. 358 norma mag is a rarer bird but as I understand fire forming 300 win mag brass an easy way to feed it. | I am also looking at building a 358 Norma Mag on a model 110 Savage action, formerly a 300 Win mag, and start from scratch with the stock ( bedding and pillar) and make it a tolerable shooter even if a bit heavy. 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. The hunter from afar, journeying into unfamiliar country, must also accept the pressure of a limited period of time and the knowledge that it may come down to just one chance. At 300 yards, it has 19 percent more energy than the .300 Win. Moderate, safe, bland and predictable. They will also slap down lighter game like deer, feral hogs and black bear with authority, of course. Have all three, and have not shot any of em My medium is a 9,3x62. With the 250-grain bullet, it's better than the .30-06 on heavy game at close ranges. But in those countries where the lighter cartridges are legal for the cats, the .350 Rigby Magnum is just about perfect. Your at the old delema again: does 200 fps matter to the deer. The Norma factory load, with Normas own 250-grain bullet, performed poorly, coming apart in the chest cavity. The .35 Whelen is a fine elk cartridge. In many areas a 100-pound deer might be normal, but mule deer and whitetail bucks exist that are triple that size. Kynoch was a big producer of .350 ammo, but that has ceased in the recent past. .50 Beowulf. That load has a maximum optimal range on 1000 pound game (like a big Alaskan moose or brown bear) of 151 yards. 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. All in, it weighed over 11 pounds, which is too heavy. The parent of this cartridge is the .30-06 Springfield, which is necked-up to accept a bullet diameter of .358 in (9.1 mm).This cartridge is more powerful than its parent, especially in killing power on large game. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. can drive the same weight bullet a bit faster. Folks who live in elk country may consciously seek a cow for the freezer. With such a variety of bullets, you would think the skys the limit in terms of different loads, but there are other factors to consider. The nearest of any to the .358 Norma was the .35 Newton, which it closely resembles. Movement is more random in big country. At the same time, it will do almost everything the .375 will but with vastly more versatility. The quest for an acceptable .35 has inspired such impotent wastes as the .35 Winchester Self Loader, once labeled a candidate for the title: Worlds Most Useless Center-Fire Rifle Cartridge.. The company made its humble start in 1963in Gussago, Italywhen Giuseppe Pietta made a commitment to produce guns as authentic and true-to-original as possible. Norma offers factory ammunition, E.R. Give a Gift Im going to rule out short-range cartridges that have the power because theres no sense in making the shot more difficult than necessary. The bullet was the then-new Trophy Bonded 250-grain Bear Claw. In addition, for stopping the big predators of the world, it's hard to beat a suitable .35 caliber rifle. Back in the late 70's I picked up a custom 1903 in 358 Norma Mag, awesome rifle, very accurate and it put a thump on deer, I bought it hopping to get a moose tag back in MN, never did and sold the rifle. Every time I use it I ask myself, Whats not to like? Beats me, but nobody liked it enough to keep it in production. 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. Can this be made into a .358 Norma Mag or must I do a .35 Whelen. 35 whelen vs everything else - Mississippi Gun Owners With its spitzer-pointed bullets, the .358 is a good medium- to long-range cartridge with capabilities out to 250 yards on big game. So while some of my rifle choices may have been oddball, none of the rifles Ive used for elk have been exactly wrong. But have owned multiple 9.3s and Whelens. These include some of my favorites, such as the .358 Winchester and .45-70. Hornadys LEVERevolution pushes the performance up a notch with a 200-grain pointed bullet at 2225 f.p.s. Another vote for something different.The 358 STA would be the one. My .375 H&H seemed quite adequate. The .358 Win. of muzzle energy. Its said that the French used it in World War I, but it probably didnt see much action. From there, you can work up until you find a load that gives you the accuracy and velocity you want. In a letter written to friend Townsend Whelen during early 1920s, Leslie Simpson-- one of the first Americans to become a professional hunter in Africa--opined that the hunting world needed a .35 caliber cartridge . These were, primarily, the Schultz & Larsen (Denmark), the Husqvarna (Sweden) and a few Browning High Powers made by FN in Belgium. Then come the .270s. Of course, not all .35-caliber cartridges approach greatness. I took it to Texas in 1989 and decked a nilgai at about 90 yards. However, the optimum game range of the .358 (250 grain bullet at a MV of 2300 fps) is 240 yards. The .35 (.358) caliber has never really gotten a serious toehold here, although the occasional item like the .35 Whelen, .350 Remington Magnum, or .358 Winchester roils the waters every now and again. As Ive said, I like mediums, such as the unpopular 8mm Remington Magnum and the faster .33s. Real world, the Norma bitchslaps brown bears and moose as convincingly as the 375H&H. The rifle, cartridge, and bullet must be capable of handling that one opportunity. Synthetic wins over laminate because laminates, strongest of all, are also heaviest. .358 Norma Magnum - Wikipedia 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. and is probably a better deer and black bear cartridge at woods ranges than the more popular .30-30 Win. 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. These are elk cartridges, and as Jack Atcheson Jr. likes to say, the .338 numbs them. While the American mainstream wont accept the .35, they are not unloved. So, if you have an interest in carrying an ultra-rare cartridge of impeccable pedigree, you either roll your own or have someone load it for you. The .308 Winchester is a fine elk cartridge, and the grand old .30-06, with a bit more velocity and energy, is better. Oklahoma. into the deer woods, and I pine for what could have been. pushes a 200-grain bullet to just more than 2000 f.p.s. The only rifles I can find in production are from Nosler, Remington and CVA. Let's also compare the .358 with the other end of the spectrum. Mystery of the .358 Winchester - CHUCKHAWKS.COM Also, after a few dozen elk hunts, Ive seen many taken effectively with lighter cartridges. I am not into the current long-range fad, especially on powerful animals like elk. 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. with a similar 180-grain bullet. 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. People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. You can start with the 6.5mms. The .318 Westley Richards was a highly popular choice at that time, and it drives a 250-grain bullet of .330-inch diameter, with a SD of 0.328, and the .375 Holland & Holland uses a 300-grain bullet of nominal diameter with a SD of 0.305; both are renowned for their penetration.