I’m looking forward to the 358 Norma Mag that I’m going to have built soon. Thanks to your advice on it North61 I’ve been watching videos and researching the cartridge and I’m impressed.
Thank you for such a informative video. I like how you relate them to other more comon rounds . It makes me ponder how it would fit in with what I already have for hunting.
Another nice thing about these medium bores is less meat damage…some people joke that there won’t be anything left of a deer shot with this kind of gun…it’s obvious they’ve never done it. Small soft bullets going fast are the worst for that. Some of the worst meat damage I’ve had was from my .270 with 130 soft points loaded to 3200 fps.
Any game animal that steps out in front of a rifle chambered in this powerful cartridge is going to have a bad day. Love the Normas, have custom rifles in 358 as well as his little brothers, 308 NM and 7x61 S&H.
Any bullet less than 250 gr. In the 358 Norma is not using the cartridge to its fullest potential. I have my 358 Norma throated for the Woodleigh 310 gr. bullet, in case an Alaskan grizzly bear gets any ideas about who's boss. It's still accurate with 225 250 275 and 280 grain bullets.
If I were you, I would never sell that rifle. I love the .35's. The 358 NM it is awesome, you can move 310 grains Woodleigh at 2500 fps. It is a beast, with a better terminal performance than a 338 WM. Enjoy that rifle! A greeting from Spain.
I will keep testing it and if it continues to impress it will make it into my never sell safe along with my 348 Winchester 71 and my 350 Rem Mag Model 660. The Norma is really a fun run and for the power level isn't that bad of a kicker when the stock is well designed. Love Spain!
I used 358 NM with Woodliegh 20,1 gram and Woodlieght 19 gram protected point. Werry good bullet. normaly we use 250 grains Norma Oryx for moose hunting with awsome results. If Blaser have a 358 Norma barrrel original i would be the first one in line for bying it.
I just picked up a custom .358 Norma Mag built on a commercial Zastava Mauser action. 26" heavy barrel with redfield one piece mount and an old Weaver K3 3x scope. I bought it because I love .35 cal rifles and had a bunch of bullets on hand from a previous .35 remington and .35 whelen. Also at $525 it was far too nice of a rifle to pass up. I formed some test brass from .338 Win Mag and sighted it in with some 200 grain Hornady SST's the other day. Plenty of recoil, definately up there with my .375 H&H Ruger if not a tad bit more. I wouldn't call it unpleasant but it definitely lets you know it went of, and I would say it weighs a good 10-12 lbs.. I too am a big fan of speer Hot-Cor bullets I use them in .358 and .375.
I always thought the 358 Norma mag. Would make the altimate north American big game rifle for large and dangerous game yet it never really caught on commercially in the U.S. and Canada, it's a rifle I had to seek out on my own
Hey man I just acquired an old Brno 358 norma…where did you find dies??? I’m in Saskatchewan and it’s starting to look like I’ll need to try and see if any vendor from the states will ship to Canada, can’t find them anywhere!
@@north61 I tracked down some dies! Guy in Alberta was getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Got dies and a bunch of projectiles for what I thought was a very good price. Among others…280 grain swift a-frames! That ought to flatten anything on this continent.
The Varberger looks somewhat similar to the Schultz and Larson Model 60. I have a chance to pick up a Schultz and Larson in 7x61 S&H super. What do you think of the Schultz and Larson rifles and the 7x61 S&H super cartridge. I hear they were very popular in Canada. I think it would do okay on caribou, sheep, goat etc. I'm sure it would kill moose but there are better cartridges like 300, 340 Wby, 358 Norma.
A question. Have you ever tried to make the .358 Norma brass from the .300 Win Mag case and leave it long? My .358 Norma chamber allowed that. I didn't have to trim the brass down to standard length, and I liked more neck anyway to grip the bullet better. I would trim the .300 Win Mag brass to standard .300 Win Mag brass length and then expand the neck up with the case forming die. Do you think that any .358 Norma would allow this, or would you have to have the neck dimension lengthened in a custom project?
The reamer on my custom rifle got away from the gunsmith. My 358 Norma Will Chamber full length 300 Win Mag which saves a lot of case trimming. I can seat bullets out further and with increased powder capacity get 358 STA ballistics.
@@craigleibbrand7761 So is it the .300 Win Mag necked up? Does it headspace on th 30-0 Win mag shoulder? That means you can't fire ordinary .358 Norma Mag rounds, right?
That Is a very thin Barrel for a 358 Norma but you carry it more than you shoot it. I got a good deal on a stainless number 3 Contour Barrel otherwise I would have put a number 4 Contour on it. Jon R Sundry put a number 5 Contour Barrel on his 358 Norma custom rifle.
The light barrel is an amazing shooter. The rifle stock handles recoil very well. I sold off my heavy barrelled Sako in 358 Norma with a Douglas Sendero profile as at 10.5 pounds it never ended up coming with me! The Varberger shot just as well too!
I think Varberg make their own barrels that time your Norma rifle vas manufaktured. Later models used Lotar Walter barrels. It is a lovely weapon. Have used mine in South Africa. I never need more than one shot for a kill.
I'm building one on a savage 111 action with a Boyd's heritage stock and #4 mcgowan barrel... After falling in love with my 308 Norma I had to get one. What's your favorite load?
@@north61 I just noticed this comment. Sorry. I use the Speer 250s over h4350. Chronos 2850 in my 26" 10 twist barrel. It is about an moa. I have 200gr ttsx to try but haven't had time to work up a load. The Speers seemed to separate and do strange things terminally.
@@north61 I split 2 boyds stocks before going back to the savage Tupperware. It's light and effective. And with a light 4x leupold scope the rifle is very packable.
@@north61 yeah. I have had the core separate from the jacket on every animal. Bears and even deer giving longer than expected tracking and recovery compared to say a 2506 or 270. I'm hoping that the barnes will remedy this or I will have to take the 416 when in big bear areas. I just think maybe it's too fast for Speers. At the moment finding nosler or hornady bullets has been impossible.
Never heard of the Varberger (Norma) rifle here in Australia. I'll just have to cope using my 1967 BRNO ZKK602 in 358 Norma Mag 😉👍 I saw your vid on the 21H 7x57mm. Nice rifles aren't they 👌
Don't think they make anything like the 21H anymore! Those old BRNO's are pretty nice too. Outfit here in Canada called Tradeex brings in rifles from Europe and you never know what you can find!
@@north61 I often see rifles in Europe online that are cheap. I shouldn't torture myself. Once shipping and all the BS fees & taxes are added it more than doubles the price to import 👎 I just sold a BRNO ZG47 in 7x64. Thinning the herd so to speak. Here in Victoria Aus we have Samba, Red, Fallow, Chital & little Hog deer. 243Win, 30-06 and my favourite 358NM do the job. Your winter conditions are amazing to see. It may hit -7°C at night here, but that's rare. Definitely don't have frozen triggers and safeties.
@@tikkabrno whatcha using it for in Australia? That’s a place I’d like to visit someday for sure. I’m in Canada, it’s overkill but think it’s be great for moose and big bear. As fellow former British commonwealth nations I have to ask…does everyone and their dog (in rural places) in Australia also have an old enfield .303 British? 🤣
Hello, do you know of a supplier of 358nm ammunition. Local hunting shops will not order it. I guess their suppliers don't carry it. Mike Ontario hunter
I like your discovery of having the Speer 250 gr. @ 2800 fps as not being sturdy enough at 20 yards. But, what about longer range shots as the bullet starts to lose velocity? As the bullet starts to lose speed that heavier 250 grain Speer may be the best medicine. I am not saying to not try other brands such as Barnes. I don't know too much about Sierra You never mention Hornady bullets. Have you ever tried those. I"m pretty much a Speer and Hornady reloader. Did you know Vernon Speer and Joyce Hornady started in business together after WWII? The.358 Norma Mag is a true brute.
Exactly! The 250 Speer has a great b.c and can't be beat for long range caribou or sheep. Past 100 yards they should slow down enough to work well on almost anything. I have used Hornady bullets. They are generally a little tougher than the Speers as that interlock feature works surprisingly well. In caliber 35 rifles though that 250 Speer is almost always the most accurate bullet I have tested. For Bison only, I think I need a tougher bullet than either the Speer or Hornady. They have very heavy bones and weight over 1 ton. TSX, Partition or A-Frame, will get tested next.
I’m looking forward to the 358 Norma Mag that I’m going to have built soon. Thanks to your advice on it North61 I’ve been watching videos and researching the cartridge and I’m impressed.
It's super popular up here with a band of enthusiasts. It works with reasonable recoil. Like a 30-06 on steroids.
Why the .358 Norma Magnum isn't more popular is beyond me.
Thank you for such a informative video. I like how you relate them to other more comon rounds . It makes me ponder how it would fit in with what I already have for hunting.
Another nice thing about these medium bores is less meat damage…some people joke that there won’t be anything left of a deer shot with this kind of gun…it’s obvious they’ve never done it. Small soft bullets going fast are the worst for that. Some of the worst meat damage I’ve had was from my .270 with 130 soft points loaded to 3200 fps.
Any game animal that steps out in front of a rifle chambered in this powerful cartridge is going to have a bad day. Love the Normas, have custom rifles in 358 as well as his little brothers, 308 NM and 7x61 S&H.
Any bullet less than 250 gr. In the 358 Norma is not using the cartridge to its fullest potential. I have my 358 Norma throated for the Woodleigh 310 gr. bullet, in case an Alaskan grizzly bear gets any ideas about who's boss. It's still accurate with 225 250 275 and 280 grain bullets.
If I were you, I would never sell that rifle.
I love the .35's. The 358 NM it is awesome, you can move 310 grains Woodleigh at 2500 fps. It is a beast, with a better terminal performance than a 338 WM. Enjoy that rifle!
A greeting from Spain.
I will keep testing it and if it continues to impress it will make it into my never sell safe along with my 348 Winchester 71 and my 350 Rem Mag Model 660. The Norma is really a fun run and for the power level isn't that bad of a kicker when the stock is well designed. Love Spain!
@@north61 I'm sure it will continue impressing you. The Winchester 71 and Remington 660 make a beautiful pair.
All the best!
Awesome! Definitely a keeper.
1/2 MOA today... What load? Norma factory with 250 grain bullets just under 2800fps.
Nice to see a rifle from the home country doing so well. Greetings from sweden
That's great. It's a lovely rifle in a great caliber!
I used 358 NM with Woodliegh 20,1 gram and Woodlieght 19 gram protected point. Werry good bullet. normaly we use 250 grains Norma Oryx for moose hunting with awsome results. If Blaser have a 358 Norma barrrel original i would be the first one in line for bying it.
It's a great caliber.
I just picked up a custom .358 Norma Mag built on a commercial Zastava Mauser action. 26" heavy barrel with redfield one piece mount and an old Weaver K3 3x scope. I bought it because I love .35 cal rifles and had a bunch of bullets on hand from a previous .35 remington and .35 whelen. Also at $525 it was far too nice of a rifle to pass up. I formed some test brass from .338 Win Mag and sighted it in with some 200 grain Hornady SST's the other day. Plenty of recoil, definately up there with my .375 H&H Ruger if not a tad bit more. I wouldn't call it unpleasant but it definitely lets you know it went of, and I would say it weighs a good 10-12 lbs.. I too am a big fan of speer Hot-Cor bullets I use them in .358 and .375.
Nice video of a great caliber.
I always thought the 358 Norma mag. Would make the altimate north American big game rifle for large and dangerous game yet it never really caught on commercially in the U.S. and Canada, it's a rifle I had to seek out on my own
It's a pretty great rig! Surprisingly flat shooting.
Hey man I just acquired an old
Brno 358 norma…where did you find dies??? I’m in Saskatchewan and it’s starting to look like I’ll need to try and see if any vendor from the states will ship to Canada, can’t find them anywhere!
I got it back in the day when Dies and components were easy. I have a set of Hornady dies.
@@north61 I tracked down some dies! Guy in Alberta was getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Got dies and a bunch of projectiles for what I thought was a very good price. Among others…280 grain swift a-frames! That ought to flatten anything on this continent.
@@roadkillanonymous4807 That's a great find! Keep me in the loop as to how it goes. IMR 4350 working really well with 275 grain bullets in mine.
The Varberger looks somewhat similar to the Schultz and Larson Model 60. I have a chance to pick up a Schultz and Larson in 7x61 S&H super. What do you think of the Schultz and Larson rifles and the 7x61 S&H super cartridge. I hear they were very popular in Canada. I think it would do okay on caribou, sheep, goat etc. I'm sure it would kill moose but there are better cartridges like 300, 340 Wby, 358 Norma.
IMR4350 has been my go to powder for my 358 Norma when using 225 Nosler's!
I have a .308 Norma, but the 358 is on my to get list. Beautiful rifle! Tough to find one in decent shape. How old is yours?
I don't really know. Hard to find out info about these (rare in NA) rifles.
A question. Have you ever tried to make the .358 Norma brass from the .300 Win Mag case and leave it long? My .358 Norma chamber allowed that. I didn't have to trim the brass down to standard length, and I liked more neck anyway to grip the bullet better. I would trim the .300 Win Mag brass to standard .300 Win Mag brass length and then expand the neck up with the case forming die. Do you think that any .358 Norma would allow this, or would you have to have the neck dimension lengthened in a custom project?
Many of the norma chambers have free-bore so it might work. I'd want to cast my chamber first.
The reamer on my custom rifle got away from the gunsmith. My 358 Norma Will Chamber full length 300 Win Mag which saves a lot of case trimming. I can seat bullets out further and with increased powder capacity get 358 STA ballistics.
@@craigleibbrand7761 So is it the .300 Win Mag necked up? Does it headspace on th 30-0 Win mag shoulder? That means you can't fire ordinary .358 Norma Mag rounds, right?
That Is a very thin Barrel for a 358 Norma but you carry it more than you shoot it. I got a good deal on a stainless number 3 Contour Barrel otherwise I would have put a number 4 Contour on it. Jon R Sundry put a number 5 Contour Barrel on his 358 Norma custom rifle.
The light barrel is an amazing shooter. The rifle stock handles recoil very well. I sold off my heavy barrelled Sako in 358 Norma with a Douglas Sendero profile as at 10.5 pounds it never ended up coming with me! The Varberger shot just as well too!
The Varberger is a cool rifle.
I think Varberg make their own barrels that time your Norma rifle vas manufaktured. Later models used Lotar Walter barrels. It is a lovely weapon. Have used mine in South Africa. I never need more than one shot for a kill.
Whoever made the barrel, they did a first rate job! This gun shoots!
The Hammer of THOR
Yup! Good one.
I'm building one on a savage 111 action with a Boyd's heritage stock and #4 mcgowan barrel... After falling in love with my 308 Norma I had to get one. What's your favorite load?
H414 or H4895 200-250 grain bullets.
@@north61 I just noticed this comment. Sorry. I use the Speer 250s over h4350. Chronos 2850 in my 26" 10 twist barrel. It is about an moa. I have 200gr ttsx to try but haven't had time to work up a load. The Speers seemed to separate and do strange things terminally.
@@north61 I split 2 boyds stocks before going back to the savage Tupperware. It's light and effective. And with a light 4x leupold scope the rifle is very packable.
@@ducatidude4483 That Speer works ok at 2400fps and less for me. Above that it gets a bit weird.
@@north61 yeah. I have had the core separate from the jacket on every animal. Bears and even deer giving longer than expected tracking and recovery compared to say a 2506 or 270. I'm hoping that the barnes will remedy this or I will have to take the 416 when in big bear areas. I just think maybe it's too fast for Speers. At the moment finding nosler or hornady bullets has been impossible.
Ok, I have to get one of those!!!!!
Varberger company went out of business in Sweden but you can buy a nice Husqavarna 1600 series in 9.3x62 or 358 Norma pretty easily.
LIKE ! !
Never heard of the Varberger (Norma) rifle here in Australia. I'll just have to cope using my 1967 BRNO ZKK602 in 358 Norma Mag 😉👍
I saw your vid on the 21H 7x57mm. Nice rifles aren't they 👌
Don't think they make anything like the 21H anymore! Those old BRNO's are pretty nice too. Outfit here in Canada called Tradeex brings in rifles from Europe and you never know what you can find!
@@north61 I often see rifles in Europe online that are cheap. I shouldn't torture myself. Once shipping and all the BS fees & taxes are added it more than doubles the price to import 👎
I just sold a BRNO ZG47 in 7x64. Thinning the herd so to speak. Here in Victoria Aus we have Samba, Red, Fallow, Chital & little Hog deer. 243Win, 30-06 and my favourite 358NM do the job.
Your winter conditions are amazing to see. It may hit -7°C at night here, but that's rare. Definitely don't have frozen triggers and safeties.
Hey I just got a BRNO on auction, a 1956 manufacture zg47 action in .358 Norma (aftermarket barrel). Looking forward to shooting it
@@roadkillanonymous4807 it's a great cartridge for sure 👍 great action for it too!
@@tikkabrno whatcha using it for in Australia? That’s a place I’d like to visit someday for sure.
I’m in Canada, it’s overkill but think it’s be great for moose and big bear. As fellow former British commonwealth nations I have to ask…does everyone and their dog (in rural places) in Australia also have an old enfield .303 British? 🤣
Hello, do you know of a supplier of 358nm ammunition. Local hunting shops will not order it. I guess their suppliers don't carry it. Mike Ontario hunter
Try Elwood Epps. Norma still makes it and I am sure they will order it.
They have two boxes on their web site. Go quick!!!!!
Thank You
What twist rate does that 358 Norma have?
Not sure.. I know you can measure with a rod but I am never convinced/ Looks like maybe 1-12.
I ever use HAWK bullets?
Hawk is good
I like your discovery of having the Speer 250 gr. @ 2800 fps as not being sturdy enough at 20 yards. But, what about longer range shots as the bullet starts to lose velocity? As the bullet starts to lose speed that heavier 250 grain Speer may be the best medicine. I am not saying to not try other brands such as Barnes. I don't know too much about Sierra You never mention Hornady bullets. Have you ever tried those. I"m pretty much a Speer and Hornady reloader. Did you know Vernon Speer and Joyce Hornady started in business together after WWII?
The.358 Norma Mag is a true brute.
Exactly! The 250 Speer has a great b.c and can't be beat for long range caribou or sheep. Past 100 yards they should slow down enough to work well on almost anything. I have used Hornady bullets. They are generally a little tougher than the Speers as that interlock feature works surprisingly well. In caliber 35 rifles though that 250 Speer is almost always the most accurate bullet I have tested. For Bison only, I think I need a tougher bullet than either the Speer or Hornady. They have very heavy bones and weight over 1 ton. TSX, Partition or A-Frame, will get tested next.
@@north61 Thanks, North61. Please let us know what you find out with Partitions and A-frames. The tougher the game the tougher the bullet needed.
swift a frame better shot a 416 rem mag at concreat 400 grain a frame it turned in side out what a bullet it stayed to gether
+2 lbs in rifle weight and a hard butt plate