# Hunting With the 225gr Accubond in the 358Win



## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

I had a ball this past week hunting. Jerry killed a big 175 pound 7 point buck and I killed a small doe and a 145pound 8 point buck. I killed the doe with my 338Win mag and needless to say the 210gr Partition did to the doe what it did to a 5 point buck I killed two weeks ago, instant death. 

*Deer are much larger up north but it was a lot of fun and a real challenge hunting these bucks in the swamp of White Castle, Louisiana.*

The 225gr Accubond in my 358Win Ruger M77 Hawkeye is moving 2556fps and let me tell you that the 8 point that was hit with with the 225gr Accubond went down just like a sack of potatoes at 100yds, very impressive indeed. 






























Here are a few more pictures. We had two deer, two men on the four wheeler and that was just at 700 pounds and going through those swamps was something else. 





































Well, that is three deer that have fallen for me this year with one buck and one doe to the 210gr Partition out of my 338Win Mag and they dropped right where I shot them and one buck with the 225gr Accubond out of my 358Win and it dropped right where I shot it.

In my Ruger M77 Hawkeye, the magazine space is generous at over 2.990" and my OAL with the 225gr Accubond is 2.880" for accuracy. I use Win brass, TAC powder and 215 Fed primers and this load moves on the average at 2556fps and is 1/2-7/8 on groups at 100yds. Cool cartridge and rifle.


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## passport (Jul 26, 2009)

Good post, congrats!! Im really likin that M-77 in 358 Win, PERFECT deer, bear, moose what ever round.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

passport said:


> Good post, congrats!! Im really likin that M-77 in 358 Win, PERFECT deer, bear, moose what ever round.


Yes, this rifle and cartridge are a ball. Killed deer, hogs, a coyote and bobcat with it. Very accurate and deadly cartridge.


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## Enigma (Jan 30, 2006)

I've allways wanted a rifle in this cal.beartooth the only thing your missing in your weatherby wool clothing.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

Enigma said:


> I've allways wanted a rifle in this cal.beartooth the only thing your missing in your weatherby wool clothing.


Well, I don't want to offend my Ruger M77 Hawkeye and MK II rifles. I go from one to the other and have a lot of fun. I own a Ruger #1 300Wby, Ruger MK II in 300Win mag, 260, 22-50 and 338Win mag, and in the Hawkeye a 358Win and 30-06. I like the Ruger, Remington 700 classic, Winchester Mod 70, Weahterby Mark V and Sako TRG, Brownings and Marlins, shoot, I just like guns.


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## 8iowa (Jan 28, 2008)

I have the .358 Winchester in a Browning BLR-81. Kudos to Ruger and Browning for helping this great hunting cartridge make a strong comeback from near oblivion.

I use IMR 4320 behind Sierra's 225 grain Game King. In my 20 inch barrel the velocity is in the 2400's, still plenty of power for shots up to around 250 yards.


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## Wareagle1 (Jun 10, 2002)

Big Gun equals no tracking...I get that. Nice post (Thanks for that) - I think you DID have fun!

I am guessing that by using this type of gun, caliber that it opens your margin for error on shot placement. Any experience there? Do you (question for all here) still prefer a boiler room shot? High shoulder, neck? Whats the preference? Large canon = doesnt matter? Curious what you have seen work.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Always nice reading about your experience with the 358 Win...one of these days hopefully I will tag something with my BLR...I do want one in a Hawkeye but I may get the 257 Robers in the Ultralight. I'm with 8iowa, I also commend Ruger and Browning for keeping such a great cartridge alive. Now if the ammo makers (Rem, Win or Fed) would make better ammo for it, I'd bet it would really give it a boost.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

Wareagle1 said:


> Big Gun equals no tracking...I get that. Nice post (Thanks for that) - I think you DID have fun!
> 
> I am guessing that by using this type of gun, caliber that it opens your margin for error on shot placement. Any experience there? Do you (question for all here) still prefer a boiler room shot? High shoulder, neck? Whats the preference? Large canon = doesnt matter? Curious what you have seen work.


No matter what cartridge I use I want to place the shot above the top of the heart just a tad high in the lung area just in the crease behind where the shoulder meets chest allowing the bullet to pass not to far under the spine and when that is done they go down.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

M1Garand said:


> Always nice reading about your experience with the 358 Win...one of these days hopefully I will tag something with my BLR...I do want one in a Hawkeye but I may get the 257 Robers in the Ultralight. I'm with 8iowa, I also commend Ruger and Browning for keeping such a great cartridge alive. Now if the ammo makers (Rem, Win or Fed) would make better ammo for it, I'd bet it would really give it a boost.


No doubt about it M1Garand, it would really cause more 358Win rifles to be purchased. Great cartridge and the Hawkeye with the Luepold 1.5-5x20mm is really a well balance good shooting rifle.

Here are a few targets of my hunting load at 100yds. 

The only five shot group I have fired with my hunting load.


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## hunt-n-fool (Oct 10, 2006)

thanks for sharing your experiences, I have a rem 700 classic in 35 whelen I want to use for whitetails............ thinking that I might drop down to the 200gr projectile tho......

cheers !


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## huntincountryboy79 (Feb 22, 2007)

I also have a 358win Ruger 77 Hawkeye topped with a Weaver K4. Great gun & cartridge. Im also shooting the 225gr Accubond doing 2520fps & get groups about like yours. I played around with 250gr soft points doing 2420fps, however they didnt group as well as the Accubond.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

huntincountryboy79 said:


> I also have a 358win Ruger 77 Hawkeye topped with a Weaver K4. Great gun & cartridge. Im also shooting the 225gr Accubond doing 2520fps & get groups about like yours. I played around with 250gr soft points doing 2420fps, however they didnt group as well as the Accubond.


Yes, if you are getting good groups out of the 225gr Accubond then I think it is just about the best all around bullet for anything you would hunt with the 358Win. I do also like the 225gr Partition and it is a fine bullet and it is also accurate in my 358Win.


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## ajmorell (Apr 27, 2007)

Beartooth, good info and great pics. I'm not all that familiar with the 358 Win, but from what I've read it is a necked up 308 cartridge. I looking at load data for both the 358 and 35 Whelen (necked up 30-06) and noticed there is almost no difference in the two for a particular bullet weight. It made me wonder why there would be two loads with almost identical ballistics. Any insight on that? If they are truly equal, or thereabouts, why would anyone ever opt for the long-action 35 Whelen over the short-action 358 Win?


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## Rootsy (Nov 1, 2006)

All my 35 Whelen AI eats is 225 gr BT's (now discontinued) and accubonds... same profile and weight... slightly different construction. Much different price...

I love this bullet for whitetail. Have never had to track a deer hit by one.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

ajmorell said:


> Beartooth, good info and great pics. I'm not all that familiar with the 358 Win, but from what I've read it is a necked up 308 cartridge. I looking at load data for both the 358 and 35 Whelen (necked up 30-06) and noticed there is almost no difference in the two for a particular bullet weight. It made me wonder why there would be two loads with almost identical ballistics. Any insight on that? If they are truly equal, or thereabouts, why would anyone ever opt for the long-action 35 Whelen over the short-action 358 Win?


There is a difference. I have owned, hunted with and reloaded the 35 Whelen for two years and it is a 100 to 150fps sometimes 200fps faster than the 358Win. Now handloading the 358Win does get us closer to the 35Whelen. My 225gr is moving at 2556fps and that is not that far from the 35 Whelen but it still is not a 35 Whelen. Of course the 358 is a Handloading proposition anyway. 

The best way to explain it is that the same reason the 308 and 30-06 are different. The 308 is more efficient than the 30-06 in that it takes less powder to get it's velocity which is a 100-150fps or so less than a 30-06. But for the 30-06 to get the velocity of a 308 or better it takes more powder. Now a 308 is not a 30-06 but it is close. Of course I don't at this point want to get off into the 308 vs the 30-06 thing. I own both and use them both for different reasons. What is strange is I like the 30-06 better than the 308 and I like the 358Win better than I like the 35 Whelen, but that is my preference.


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## ajmorell (Apr 27, 2007)

beartooth said:


> There is a difference. I have owned, hunted with and reloaded the 35 Whelen for two years and it is a 100 to 150fps sometimes 200fps faster than the 358Win. Now handloading the 358Win does get us closer to the 35Whelen. My 225gr is moving at 2556fps and that is not that far from the 35 Whelen but it still is not a 35 Whelen. Of course the 358 is a Handloading proposition anyway.
> 
> The best way to explain it is that the same reason the 308 and 30-06 are different. The 308 is more efficient than the 30-06 in that it takes less powder to get it's velocity which is a 100-150fps or so less than a 30-06. But for the 30-06 to get the velocity of a 308 or better it takes more powder. Now a 308 is not a 30-06 but it is close. Of course I don't at this point want to get off into the 308 vs the 30-06 thing. I own both and use them both for different reasons. What is strange is I like the 30-06 better than the 308 and I like the 358Win better than I like the 35 Whelen, but that is my preference.


Thanks. I figured there was a difference, it just wasn't apparent to me in the load manual I have and I didn't really look into it at any great depth.


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## 8iowa (Jan 28, 2008)

The 100 to 150 fps difference between the 35 Whelen and the 358 Winchester is not going to detected by any game animal. The big difference between the two is in the type of rifles that the cartridges are chambered in. Most 358 Whelen rifles are long action bolt rifles with 22 or 24 inch barrels. By the time you put a scope on the rifle it will typically weigh 8 1/2 to 9 lbs. The 358 Winchester is chambered in short bolt action and lever action rifles that are 1 to 2 lbs lighter, and are for the most part faster handling. For someone who does a lot of hunting in various types of circumstances and terrain, it would not be unusual to find that they have both types of 35 caliber rifles.

The greater case capacity and longer overall length give the 35 Whelen a slightly greater advantage with 250 grain bullets and some "lead free" premium bullets that have longer lengths than conventional jacketed bullets. However, in my opinion, at either 35 Whelen or 358 win velocities, premium bullets offer little or no advantage over conventional projectiles.


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## beartooth (Feb 14, 2007)

*8iowa, very well said and I do agree with you summary, especially your comment* *"However, in my opinion, at either 35 Whelen or 358 win velocities, premium bullets offer little or no advantage over conventional projectiles."* *The field has proved this to me with both cartridges.*


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