The 356 Winchester is a centerfire rifle cartridge with a semi-rimmed, bottle-necked neck that was developed for use in lever-action rifles. It was created at the same time as the.307 Winchester, which served as the parent cartridge. Both cartridges were first used in the Model 94 XTR lever-action rifle in 1982. Apart from Winchester, Marlin was the only other manufacturer to use the.356 chambering, producing little over 2000 Model 336 lever action.356 rifles.
At impact velocities exceeding 2200fps, the.358 bore performs at its finest. With any bullet weight, the.356 Winchester performs similarly to the.358 Winchester, giving up just 50–100 ft/s (15–30 m/s). Due to its thicker brass case, the.356 Winchester has somewhat less case capacity than the.358 Winchester. When using factory ammo, the.356 is most effective when hunting in the woods. Beyond 2200fps or 30 yards, the.356 requires more precise shot placement, but the blunt nose bullets still provide enough wounding and free gushing blood trails with back lung hits.
Hand loads for the.356 Winchester are an a different beast. Cases for the.356 are presently only available in small quantities and may readily be made from.307 Winchester brass. Straight.308 Winchester brass can also be used in the.307 and.356 Winchester calibers. When manually loaded with fast-burning powder like Hodgdon's H4198 / ADI 2207, the.356 provides excellent performance. The slightly slower H4895 / ADI 2206H burn rates also perform well in the.356 Winchester and aid to keep pressures down, with heavier rounds proving to be the most successful.
The .358 Winchester was one of the first cartridges created utilizing a modified.308 Winchester case, and it did have certain benefits over its parent cartridge. At the time of its introduction, it received little attention. However, while factory.358 rifles were not mass-produced, it is still common to find custom-built rifles chambered in this caliber. Although factory ammunition for the.358 Winchester is not widely accessible, components for hand loading are easily available.
Energy transmission is one component of the.358 that really stands out. A hefty bullet may be chosen without fear of inefficient energy transmission. At impact velocities exceeding 2200 fps, the.358 bore gives the most stunning effects. Previously, the.368 Winchester's popularity was limited by remarks claiming that it was exclusively intended for use on wood ranges.
In terms of bullet weights, the.358 Winchester performs best on light to medium game when loaded with 200-225 grain bullets, which achieve a balance of high velocity, a decent trajectory, high trauma, and desirable penetration. The.358 is a remarkable performer at close ranges when loaded with appropriate bullets, and in an accurate rifle, it is a reliable performer out to a maximum range of roughly 300 yards.
The.358 is intended for use in bushy to semi-broken terrain, such as river flats and open-faced slopes. The.358 Winchester is an excellent choice for hunters who require a cartridge that can assist them overcome shot placement challenges caused by challenging conditions, or who desire a low recoiling cartridge that can handle light to large sized animals.
