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So i`m asking who can tell me from personal exp about the .358 Norma Mag as i am still toying with the idea of converting my 308Nmag to this cal.
How would it be on certain African game etc,i do know its a relatively unused cal much the same as the 308NM but none the less both are still fine rounds.
I have info as below but i would like to hear from actual game hunters that have successfully used this calibre if any and not necessarily in Africa either.

Factory loads are available from Norma and A-Square. The A-Square loads feature 275 grain bullets at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2700 fps and muzzle energy (ME) of 4451 ft. lbs. At 200 yards these powerful bullets are still traveling at 2108 fps and carrying 2713 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. From a rifle zeroed at 200 yards the Triad bullets will hit 2.3" high at 100 yards and 10.1 inches low at 300 yards. With these loads the .358 Norma is about a 250 yard big game cartridge.

The Norma factory load uses a 250 grain Woodleigh Weldcore bullet at a MV of 2799 fps and ME of 4350 ft. lbs. At 200 yards the velocity is 2112 fps and the energy is 2478 ft. lbs. The Norma trajectory figures show this bullet hitting +2.2" at 100 yards, 0 at 200 yards, and -10.0" at 300 yards. This is also about a 250 yard big game load.

The handloader has more bullet options. Speer has their 180 and 220 grain flat point bullets for deer-size game, the 250 grain Hot -Cor spitzer for large animals, and the 250 grain Grand Slam spitzer for heavy and/or dangerous game.

Hornady offers a pair of round nose bullets, a 200 grain number and a 250 grain, and a trio of spire points in 180, 200, and 250 grain weights. They recommend the 200 grain bullets for medium to medium-heavy game, and the 250 grain bullets for heavy and dangerous game.

Barnes offers X-Bullets (spitzers) in 180, 200, 225, and 250 grain weights, plus a 250 grain RN Solid and a 300 grain Original flat-point. The 180 grain X-Bullet is recommended for antelope and deer (medium game), the 200 grain X-Bullet is recommended for deer and elk (medium to large game), the 225 grain X-Bullet is recommended for elk and moose (large and heavy game), and the 250 grain X-Bullet is recommended for moose and dangerous game. The 300 grain Original is also recommended for moose and dangerous game.

Sierra catalogs a 200 grain Pro-Hunter RN bullet plus 225 and 250 grain spitzer boat tail GameKing bullets. Swift has .358" A-Frame bullets in 225, 250, and 280 grain weights. Woodleigh offers Weldcore bullets of 225, 250, and 310 grain weights. Nosler offers two Partition spitzer bullets of 225 grains and 250 grains, plus a 225 grain Ballistic Tip.

The Speer Reloading Manual Number 13 shows that 65.0 grains of IMR 4895 powder can drive their 180 grain bullet (SD = .201) to a MV of 2943 fps, and 69.0 grains of IMR 4895 can drive that bullet to a MV of 3133 fps. This is a deadly deer bullet for the .358 Norma, but should not be used on larger game. The 250 grain bullet (SD = .279) can be driven to a MV of 2581 fps by 72.0 grains of IMR 4350 powder, and 2732 fps by 76.0 grains of IMR 4350. 250 grains is the most popular bullet weight, and seems to be the consensus choice as representing the best balance between velocity, energy, sectional density, and recoil for use on most heavy or dangerous game in the .358 Norma cartridge.

As with all powerful medium bore cartridges, the biggest drawback to the .358 Norma Magnum is recoil, a familiar refrain to my regular readers. According to my Rifle Recoil Table, a 9 pound rifle shooting the Norma factory load (or a hot handload driving a 250 grain bullet at 2800 fps) hits the shooter with about 33.4 ft. lbs. of recoil energy. As effective as it is on big game, the .358 Norma Magnum is not going to be much fun at the range!

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