Graybeard Outdoors banner

The .356 Winchester, greatest lever caliber of 'em all

64K views 81 replies 40 participants last post by  WCW4269 
#1 ·
Several months ago I was fortunate to acquire a Model 94 in .356 Winchester. I just LOVE this gun and took a small whitetail buck with it on my Montana trip this year. Before I bought the gun, I did a lot of reading about the caliber. One of the 'warnings' I heard was that recoil was pretty stout. After firing a box of Winchester 250 grain commercial loads, I was left wondering why anyone would be scared away from the caliber because of recoil, which was noticeably less than my .30-06 with 180 grain commercial loads. I've acquired an ample supply of new brass and Speer bullets, both in 220 and 180 grain weights, and look forward to using this rifle on everything from deer to (if I ever draw a tag) moose. Though my rifle now wears a Williams peeper, I'm going to replace it with a 4x fixed power scope because 1) these 50 years-old eyes aren't good enough to take advantage of a peep anymore, and because the scope should help me take better advantage of the rifle's power and range, which are both impressive. In terms of ballistics, this rifle with 220 grain loads ought to be the cat's meow for elk up to 200 yds, and it is a superb deer caliber up to 250 yds., depending upon the skill of the shooter. Why Winchester and Marlin don't reintroduce this great caliber is beyond me. Since I bought my first .356, I've been looking for a second...and their harder than snail's teeth to find.

I'd really enjoy hearing others' stories/impressions of the great .356 Winchester.
 
See less See more
#54 ·
Cannot seat deep enough no. There would be 1/8” of bullet exposed. ::)

Jt would be fine in my Factory Maxi ill try in the Legend.

CW
 
#55 ·
Cobalt blue Finger Nail Electric blue Ring


Look close or zoom and you can see where bullet dia reduces from .358.

Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content
Cobalt blue Blue Finger Electric blue Nail


Second pic shows rifling indentation in dummy. Will also push into muzzle if aligned properly.

CW
 
#57 ·
I have nose sizer not a practical answer.

Its just a real short throat in this chamber. You can see in the bullet it is MAYBE 1/8”

CW
 
#59 ·
North American hunters have largely ignored the middle bore cartridges. Why this is so is a mystery to me.

I wanted to buy a Winchester in .356 but at the time was raising a family on a single income. Now I really would enjoy the rifle and the cartridge but they're certainly not affordable. So it goes.

TR
 
#60 ·
Sadly yes.

Flash and Velocity sells here superficial stuff.
Thats why we have a Creedmore thats all that and a 6.5/55 who?

A 35 was the first “deer gun” I bought myself after becoming enamored with my Older Cousins 336/35 Rem.

I bought a 358 BLR. Yet another 35 fan was born.

CW
 
#61 ·
35s are really appreciated by casters because at least in my opinion if your going to shoot big game with a cast bullet the 35 is about as small as you want to go. Ive seen a big difference between the 30s and the 35s in killing deer bear and pigs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Anduril
#63 ·
 
#64 ·
I had my 30-30 re-bored out to a 356Win. And I love it. Primarily shooting 220gr Speers for now. No recoil issues. Winchester still does their annual runs of 356W brass. I just bought another 200 rounds of brass off Powder Valley. And Sportsmans always has the 220gr Speers in stock for cheap. We used to harvest elk with 170gr bullets out of a 30-30 (short ranges as it's thick forests in Roosevelt elk country), but the 220gr 356W gives quite a bit more power for those uses.


I have some 250gr Beartooth GC cast bullets for my 35 Whelen that I was contemplating trying to load in my 356W this summer. Might require a modification to fit and crimp properly, but we'll see. Haven't started casting my own lead bullets yet, but the Beartooth bullets are great quality.
 
#69 ·
Several months ago I was fortunate to acquire a Model 94 in .356 Winchester. I just LOVE this gun and took a small whitetail buck with it on my Montana trip this year. Before I bought the gun, I did a lot of reading about the caliber. One of the 'warnings' I heard was that recoil was pretty stout. After firing a box of Winchester 250 grain commercial loads, I was left wondering why anyone would be scared away from the caliber because of recoil, which was noticeably less than my .30-06 with 180 grain commercial loads. I've acquired an ample supply of new brass and Speer bullets, both in 220 and 180 grain weights, and look forward to using this rifle on everything from deer to (if I ever draw a tag) moose. Though my rifle now wears a Williams peeper, I'm going to replace it with a 4x fixed power scope because 1) these 50 years-old eyes aren't good enough to take advantage of a peep anymore, and because the scope should help me take better advantage of the rifle's power and range, which are both impressive. In terms of ballistics, this rifle with 220 grain loads ought to be the cat's meow for elk up to 200 yds, and it is a superb deer caliber up to 250 yds., depending upon the skill of the shooter. Why Winchester and Marlin don't reintroduce this great caliber is beyond me. Since I bought my first .356, I've been looking for a second...and their harder than snail's teeth to find.

I'd really enjoy hearing others' stories/impressions of the great .356 Winchester.
I've had a .356 for many years and bought mine when they first came out. I was impressed by the muzzle energy and the fast handling characteristics, plus the fact that I'm a hard core lever action man. I do my own reloading to offset the cost of ammunition. There's not many of us around and yes, the recoil is rather stout. Mines been modified (by me) with a shortened 3 +1 round magazine and 18.5 inch barrel with 4 x fixed BSA scope. A .356 will take down just about anything you'll find in North America and as a modified "mares leg" very nimble and easy to carry. I'll never part with it and use it when whitetail hunting. Happy to hear we share the same love.
 
#71 ·
Several months ago I was fortunate to acquire a Model 94 in .356 Winchester. I just LOVE this gun and took a small whitetail buck with it on my Montana trip this year. Before I bought the gun, I did a lot of reading about the caliber. One of the 'warnings' I heard was that recoil was pretty stout. After firing a box of Winchester 250 grain commercial loads, I was left wondering why anyone would be scared away from the caliber because of recoil, which was noticeably less than my .30-06 with 180 grain commercial loads. I've acquired an ample supply of new brass and Speer bullets, both in 220 and 180 grain weights, and look forward to using this rifle on everything from deer to (if I ever draw a tag) moose. Though my rifle now wears a Williams peeper, I'm going to replace it with a 4x fixed power scope because 1) these 50 years-old eyes aren't good enough to take advantage of a peep anymore, and because the scope should help me take better advantage of the rifle's power and range, which are both impressive. In terms of ballistics, this rifle with 220 grain loads ought to be the cat's meow for elk up to 200 yds, and it is a superb deer caliber up to 250 yds., depending upon the skill of the shooter. Why Winchester and Marlin don't reintroduce this great caliber is beyond me. Since I bought my first .356, I've been looking for a second...and their harder than snail's teeth to find.

I'd really enjoy hearing others' stories/impressions of the great .356 Winchester.
I've had a .356 Winchester since they were released back in the 80's. I was always impressed with the ballistics and power behind these rifles. They're basically a .308 necked up to a .35 caliber bullet. The rim is different, so stay away from .358 brass as they won't eject properly. You can us however, .358 dies for reloading, just make sure you don't push the neck back too far or you'll end up with dimples in your brass. Two or three pieces of paper between your die and shell holder should see to this. Also, don't overload them as you'll end up with finger sting as the lever will try to open and the brass will be hard to eject. I use a 220 grain Speer bullet with 35 to 36 grains of IMR 3031 powder and a good quality 4X scope. There is nothing these little rifles won't knock down and they remain supremely accurate. Glad to hear I'm not alone when it comes to owner appreciation. .
 
#72 ·
I have owned, and have taken big game, with a .358 Win., .348 Win., .356 Win., and .35 Whelen. Frankly, they all work about the same, which is to say, very well. The Whelen can be loaded to shoot a little flatter, and hit a little harder, but none really out shines the other in the field. After all these years, the Browning BLR in .358 Win. is still my go to deer rifle, and my 1909 Argentine Mauser in .35 Whelen is a close second.

All the .35's are under rated by modern shooters, but really fill a need for close to medium range big game thumpers that don't kill your shoulder and ears like some of the smaller bore magnums do.

Since we all like pictures...

.35 Whelen shown second from the top
.358 Win. shown 4th from the top

Larry

Gun Firearm Trigger Machine gun Shotgun
 
  • Like
Reactions: Anduril
#73 ·
Because why not ! I owned 2 Marlin 336ER's, one that I hunted with and one that was NIB that stayed that way. My divorce in '07 cost me both of them along with about 48 other of my then 62 long gun collection, but that's another story for another forum. The .356 in a 7lb rifle always stung a little at the range in a short sleeve shirt, but I don't believe there is anything in N.A. that it can't take within reasonable ranges and with proper shot placement. While I have not been able to replace my Marlin 336ER's (reasonably), since 2018 when I finally got back on my feet, and until now, have managed to add 3 Browning BLR's in .358 to my safes, one a 2012 stainless / synthetic take-down and the other 2 both from 1974. Browning had the wisdom to install a factory pad rather than a steel or plastic butt plate. It is heavier than the 336 for sure, but with the locking lug, pad, and added weight, I enjoy shooting these more than I ever did my Marlins even though I miss them and hope to one day find one at a decent price. Yes, for all intents and purposes, they are essentially the same round. I saw several comments about the .348 and I finally checked that one off my bucket list this past Sunday, last minute, as the gun show was closing down. I haven't fired it yet, but I've read everything you could read on this round and the Winchester 71 and can't wait to take it out to the range. Thankfully, it came with a boatload of vintage full boxes of ammo which I'll never use, handloads which I will, several incomplete boxes of factory ammo which I will also shoot, dies, nearly 50 pieces of once fired brass, and 3 boxes of 100 Hornady 200gr bullets which they no longer even make. I'll be working on loading up the brass within the next couple of weeks. It was factory drilled and tapped for a receiver side mount peep sight, which I will get if I must, but I'm going to see what she'll do with the irons... actually, I'm going to see what I can do with them as I really only use scopes at this point... and considering my eyesight, I'm not so optimistic. Thankfully, my hunting shot distances have never been more than about 85 yards, so I may get away with taking the lady out next season. Totally off topic: I hunted with my 1935 Savage 99 in 250 Savage this past season for the first time. Yeah... I know it's a quarter bore, but with next to zero recoil, the hydrostatic shock of an 87 grain hand loaded pill moving at a measured average of 3,045 FPS did more internal damage to the heart and lungs than everything I've ever hunted with before which were all .30 Cal and higher. Impressive actually. The hearts AND lungs were bloody pulp. It left .25" hole on the way in, a .375" hole with a 4" bruise on the inside of the ribs on the way out, and even bruised the rears of the front shoulder meat. Very little blood at all on the exit wound. The deer literally hemorrhaged internally. One did a back flip and was DRT, the other didn't go 20 feet. I've never seen anything like it, but I'm told the .243 does the same thing and I'm sure other fast moving smaller bullets are likely the same. Bought a 70's vintage BLR in .243 a few weeks ago and I'm gonna give that a whirl next season. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I guess the bottom line will always be: Hunt with what you like at reasonable for cartridge distances and make the shots count. You will never be disappointed.
 
#75 ·
had a 71 for about 15 minutes. i was hooking a new electrical service to a guys house. i knew the guy well enough to say high walking by but not well. he knew i was into guns and said he had a few guns he had to sell to pay his x off. went in the garage and there was an about like new 71. asked him what he wanted waiting to here some wild high price. he said 350 and you can have it. grabbed my partner hopped in the line truck and drove 10 miles to my house, got the cash and headed straight back. bought it and was heading back home to drop it off and called my buddy who probably has owned more guns than all of us put together. he was almost begging. said hed give me twice what i paid. chuckled knowing it was his birthday the next day and told him its yours for 350 happy birthday.
 
#80 ·
Never had a 348. 358 was my jamb. Browning BLR flavor. Man that rifle BUCKED!! Bloody Eyebrowed three guys I know of!! :p Man it flattens deer & bears!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: lloyd smale
#81 ·
one of the most dramatic kills ive seen was an 8 pointer that came on a slow trot after a doe. i shot it behind the shoulder at 55 yards and it immediately nosed into the dirt and did a summersault. gun was my 356 big bore shooting a 200 grain speer. that gun will run 358s too
 
#82 ·
Neither one of mine is scoped. Only time I was tattooed by a scope, I was prone in the winter time shooting at one gallon jugs filled with water for Expansion test. Gun slipped up off my shoulder and got me good. I was shooting a Model 70 Winchester chambered in .458 Win. Mag with a 500 gr. soft point. Didn't need stitches so that was a big plus.
 
Top