358 W. load testing

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
I just started testing loads for the 358 W. My starting powder is H335 because of how it worked in my 35 Rem. My goal is a load in the 1600 to 1700 fps with an RCBS 35-200 variant mold. In my initial firing. I used one round each of 29 to 32 grains of powder ran in the velocity of 1600 to 1780 fps. But those loads only filled the case about 60%. To fill the case fuller should I go to the burn rate chart and look for a slower burn rate.? Than what i started with.
I have on hand. Varget - H335 - H322 - 3031 - H4895 - IMR 4895 - BLC2 - Lever Rev - W296 - Rl7. And by the chart 3031- H322- RL7 are all slower than my H335
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Burn rate doesn't have much relationship to powder volume, except for ball powders.

My 35 Whelan and 358 Norma both prefer either of the 4895's for sub 2000 f/s loads. FWIW
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
Not in books ......maybe Ken Waters book .
I4350 gave me excellent results at 90% with the 35-250 and 2100 fps MV
If I were going to stay around 1600 fps with the 200 I'd probably just lean Unique for it .

This is just my cogs grinding and my wandering thoughts .
4350 and 4831 are right in the fringe of not enough volume to get enough powder in the case to make clean up pressure , they are also at the edge of SEE if not a full case I suspect . I would look at the slowest powders for the heaviest bullets in 308 and 338 FC and look at those for the 358/200 loads . They will run lower pressure per bullet weight just because the hole in the front is bigger so that moves them into the IMR 4350 class of "too slow to get hurt as long as the case is close to full " .
 

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
I figured Unique or 2400 would have been in left field for what i wanted to do. So I didn't even mention them in the available powders.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
well the 358 will hold 50grs. of rl-19 no problem.
you'll be pushing that 200 to about 2500 fps though.
so your looking at something even slower like H-1000 to have it full and still be slow.
that leaves lowered rifle type powder amounts.
or even less of a case full with the fast guys.

of your choices,,, 3031.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
RE7 @ a 220 MP bullet is my most accurate. I want to get the NOE 360-232 to shoot but havent foud acceptable recipe yet.

That 220 load shoots under 2" mostly under 1.75 @ 1900 in my 18" Ruger American.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
well the 358 will hold 50grs. of rl-19 no problem.
you'll be pushing that 200 to about 2500 fps though.
so your looking at something even slower like H-1000 to have it full and still be slow.
that leaves lowered rifle type powder amounts.
or even less of a case full with the fast guys.

of your choices,,, 3031.
Agree 3031 sounds like the best choice of the listed powders to me. Somewhere around 25 gr's to start judging by 30-30 loads. I'd be lots more likely to use less powder these days and go with 2400. Start at 16 grs.
 

Edward R Southgate

Component Hoarder Extraordiniare
Not something I use but my dad used it in 38-55 with lead , have you tried Trail Boss ? Might check all of your boxes. Low velocity, low pressure, full case. I load my .358 just the opposite of what you are doing and have never loaded lead in it so I'm just making a swag but TB might be just the thing if you can find some.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Not something I use but my dad used it in 38-55 with lead , have you tried Trail Boss ? Might check all of your boxes. Low velocity, low pressure, full case. I load my .358 just the opposite of what you are doing and have never loaded lead in it so I'm just making a swag but TB might be just the thing if you can find some.
That is its street reputation, an error. I think of it as fluffy Bullseye with delusions of being a BP substitute.
 

Edward R Southgate

Component Hoarder Extraordiniare
Just a thought, like I said it's not something I use. My BLR eats 43 grains of H4198 and Speer 180's as a hunting load and that's all it is used for.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Reloder 7, hands down. 3031 second. Reloder 7 gives me lower SD and better accuracy in a handful of rifle cartridges than any other in that burn range even at well below ideal burn rate. It also isn't as position sensitive as 2400 in medium sized cases.
I'd not have thought of the R7. Interesting.