Lyman 358318 250 gr. RN

[Ben]

I always said that a day would come when you would want to buy bullets, primers, & powder but you wouldn't be able to find them. Factory ammo in my area in many calibers can't be found. If we are not there right now, we are real close.

Gives me a good feeling that If I want to put some meat on the table , I can take my Custom 358 Win. Ruger # 1 rifle and these 250 gr. RN, G/C cast bullets and get the job done ! This bullet will take the front shoulders of any whitetail in my area and smash them.

Ben

My particular mould can make a conventional HP or a solid with a " flat " on the end of the nose.

This pic shows the later :

If I want a HP , I have a HP pin for this mould that will make it for me :

I'm not certain that anyone would believe how many labor hours and how much sweat went into this cheek piece :

 

[Brother_Love]

Ben,
Congrats on finding that mold, I’ve been looking for years. I’m with you, as long as I have lead I have bullets.
I did get Tom at Accurate to furnish me a 250 g mold for my 358 and it is a great mold. Love that #1 too. There is nothing in my area in MS that the 358 won’t put down.
Good hunting,
Malcolm

 

[Spindrift]

Beautiful bullets and rifle!
The .35 caliber rifle is a remarkably versatile tool with cast bullets, I must say.

Whenever I browse the bullet section of my gun shops, I’m reminded how nice it is to be able to make my own bullets.

Thanks for the nice post, Ben! Beautiful photos, as always!

 

[Ben]

Many thanks !

Ben

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

WOW!! Beautiful walnut and blued steel in a gorgeous platform named Ruger #1!

I also been watching for that Mold. Its not a top priority. Esp since finding a Saeco 245g.

Good looking bullets in a better looking rifle!!

CW

 

[Ben]

Thanks CW !

 

[twodot]

I have to agree, that is one super nice rifle!
I see it started out as a .243 Win. Who did the rebore?
..

 

[Ian]

I'm not certain that anyone would believe how many labor hours and how much sweat went into this cheek piece :

Oh, I can imagine.



Nice rifle, Ben. I know a guy who bent the tangs on a #1 to make a more comfortable pistol grip, that shot of yours from the butt end really shows how straight the #1 form is. I bet yours kicks like a mule with full power loads!

 

[CZ93X62]

Beautiful wood and execution on the #1, Ben.

I have yet to venture into the 358 Winchester or 35 Whelen venues, but the decision to buy that Model 71 was cast-bullet/home-made-projectile driven, just as the 9.3 x 62 Mauser purchase was and the Win 94 re-bore to 38-55.

 

[fiver]

I got a roughed in stock with that same cheek piece and thumb scallops around the grip portion.

it took me something like 2-1/2 months working on it a few hours a day to get it shaped something like it was supposed to be.
that double taper [on both parts] is harder than it looks, and I come real close to just running a belt sander over it more than once.

 

[Ben]

I have to agree, that is one super nice rifle!
I see it started out as a .243 Win. Who did the rebore?
..

JES did the rebore and I'll put it up against any factory barrel.
JES does great work.
He has done 3 rifles for me, all with 3 groove rifling, all super accurate.

 

[Ben]

I bet yours kicks like a mule with full power loads!

Yes Ian, " on the top end ", it packs a wallop !

Ben

 

[Ben]

Oh, I can imagine.

View attachment 18265

Nice rifle, Ben. I know a guy who bent the tangs on a #1 to make a more comfortable pistol grip, that shot of yours from the butt end really shows how straight the #1 form is. I bet yours kicks like a mule with full power loads!

Some beautiful checking on that rifle Ian.

Ben

 

[Brother_Love]

Beautiful work on both rifles! I admire you guys that make woodworking a “work of art.” That cheek piece on the #1 deserves a place in the NRA firearms museum.

 

[Rockydoc]

That is some beautiful work, Ben. I think the blued steel looks so much better with that beautiful walnut.

I have wanted a 358 Winchester for a long time but it is custom or semi custom or a BLR and I don’t want a BLR. As far as a custom or re-caliber is concerned I have a 264 WinMag made by PO Ackley whose throat looks like a dried up muddy road that could be re-bored to 358 win (I think?) except for a few problems, one emotional others technical. The emotional one that I would no longer have a PO Ackley custom. The technical ones: the FN action is full length, will a short cartridge like 358 Win work in it. The bolt face is for a belted magnum. What can be done to make it work on the 358 Win size cartridge? Would this be more trouble and expense than another approach?

Rocky

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

JES did the rebore and I'll put it up against any factory barrel.
JES does great work.
He has done 3 rifles for me, all with 3 groove rifling, all super accurate.

My 358 NORMA MAG was a rebore by JES too. Its proven a great shooter if ya can stand the recoil.

CW

 

[fiver]

Rocky...
can be done, yeah.
worth all the effort?
not in my opinion.
the bolt face would need re-worked and the box would need an insert in the right place for feeding.
plus the rails might need added onto then re-shaped to hold the non belted case in place.
I personally wouldn't do it, but if the rifle don't shoot anymore a re-barrel into something else wouldn't break Parkers heart.
the 300 H&H would work fine and at least keep some of the nostalgia in place while still allowing the use of cast bullets.

 

[RBHarter]

I have a 358 in a Santa Barbara 98 marked "M" implying that it was tooled for magnum length cartridges . The 264 was one of Winchester's "magnums in a standard action" cartridges . No magazine spacers and the 3.75(?) 06' compatible standard box and follower . The bolt face should be filled from .505/.510 to .473 and a new extractor although that one may pass as a "snapover" modified .
I'd be inclined to do a set back on a genuine Ackley .......but then it would be a collector piece modified and blah blah ........ Mauser bolts are pretty common a 35 cal blank isn't all that expensive so you could make the change , keep the original parts to reinstall or sell with the disposal . But I'm sentimental about relics like that .

 

[Jäger]

As far as a custom or re-caliber is concerned I have a 264 WinMag made by PO Ackley whose throat looks like a dried up muddy road that could be re-bored to 358 win (I think?) except for a few problems, one emotional others technical. The technical ones: the FN action is full length, will a short cartridge like 358 Win work in it. The bolt face is for a belted magnum. What can be done to make it work on the 358 Win size cartridge? Would this be more trouble and expense than another approach?

Well, you can take the Ackley barrel off and save it for posterity - or a collector. I've never owned a 264 Win Mag, but the case is pretty much close to being the same as a 358 Norma Magnum, other than the neck/caliber, is it not?

If so, a replacement barrel chambered in 358 Norma Magnum won't require any alterations to bolt face, receiver rails, etc.

Just because the case will take enough powder to drive bullets at 358 Norma Magnum velocities doesn't mean you have to do it. You can pretty much choose whatever velocity with whatever .358 caliber bullet you would want if you were loading for a 358 Winchester, and call it good.

 

[fiver]

the 264win. was the pad work for the 7mm Remington magnum.
someone at Remington reportedly found a couple of 264 test cases and necked it up to 7mm then released it right about the same time as the 6.5 come out.
the 6.5 might have done better if it didn't take an odd two diameter bullet, and probably would have done a lot better if Winchester had a little better security with their test materials.