ENCORE/PH .358/.356 WIN barrel 22 inch Matte Hunter Stainless Steel, with FREE barrel sock!
Personal Note from Mike Bellm:
Mc Gowen Rifle Barrels in Illinois made my first custom rifle in 1968 after I returned from my first elk hunt in 1968!
After negotiating thick downed timber in Colorado carrying a full sized M70 Winchester factory .270 Winchester, a real favorite of mine, I decided I wanted a short, light "brush gun," but also capable of a good solid 300 yard trajectory for longer shots.
Nearly memorizing the old Speer manual, I kept coming back to .358 Win. & had Mc Gowen install a light weight 19" barrel on a Herter's BSA action.
Remember the Herter's catalogs, discontinued in the mid-70's?
If so you just dated yourself!
I only shot one elk with it, a 5 point. The maxed out 250 gr load sure did the number on that bull after riding a quarter horse appropriately named "Chub" full gallop, reigns in one hand, rifle in the other to head off the herd, then running to get the shot as the bull broke out of the oak brush & stopped broadside at the top of the ridge!
TIP:
For most deer hunting you definitely don't need the punishment of 250 gr. bullets!
This barrel was made with lighter bullets in mind for southern states' .35 cal. or larger primitive weapons regs as a better alternative to the punishing .35 Whelen.
180 to 200 gr. bullets are plenty. Choose a well constructed game bullet such as the 180 gr. Barnes TTSX to keep the recoil most comfortable & flatten the trajectory.
Or, load it down to .35 Rem levels!
It is much more flexible to load than .35 Whelen.
I still have a lot of .358 Win. fired brass you can HAVE for the separate shipping cost! Much of it is reformed .308 military & some Herter's commercial brass. If interested, let me know & I'll anneal it on the Ugly Annealer. This is old brass, and you may find some split necks I miss sorting them out.
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