.358 Yeti
The .358 Yeti is a mid-bore wildcat developed for the AR-15 platform with the balance of speed and power in mind. The main purpose of the round is hard hitting supersonic performance inside of 350y capable of taking any game in North America. Preliminary testing has shown promise with 310g subsonic loads as well.
The 358 Yeti case is based off plentiful 7.62x51 NATO brass shortened to 1.646" and resized to accommodate a .358 diameter projectile. The choice to use NATO brass for the parent case is because it has the thickest case wall, meaning that any other brass with the .473" head will be useable (i.e. .308, .243, 7mm-08, 6.5CM, etc). This gives the end user many sources for very affordable (and sometimes free) brass. The chamber has been designed with brass making in mind meaning there is no neck turning or reaming necessary. Simply chop the brass at the neck/ shoulder junction, run through a sizing die, final trim, and chamfer/ debur –much like the 277 Wolverine and 300blk case forming process. Formed cases hold 45-47g of water with a slight increase of capacity being gained once fired, but this round not one to be classified as “requiring fire-forming.” To date, JB's Firearms has been producing and selling both pre made brass as well as 180g ammunition. Outdoor Shooter Supply is also selling both loaded ammunition as well as Red Stag 358 Yeti headstamped brass.
The .358 Yeti is a mid-bore wildcat developed for the AR-15 platform with the balance of speed and power in mind. The main purpose of the round is hard hitting supersonic performance inside of 350y capable of taking any game in North America. Preliminary testing has shown promise with 310g subsonic loads as well.
The 358 Yeti case is based off plentiful 7.62x51 NATO brass shortened to 1.646" and resized to accommodate a .358 diameter projectile. The choice to use NATO brass for the parent case is because it has the thickest case wall, meaning that any other brass with the .473" head will be useable (i.e. .308, .243, 7mm-08, 6.5CM, etc). This gives the end user many sources for very affordable (and sometimes free) brass. The chamber has been designed with brass making in mind meaning there is no neck turning or reaming necessary. Simply chop the brass at the neck/ shoulder junction, run through a sizing die, final trim, and chamfer/ debur –much like the 277 Wolverine and 300blk case forming process. Formed cases hold 45-47g of water with a slight increase of capacity being gained once fired, but this round not one to be classified as “requiring fire-forming.” To date, JB's Firearms has been producing and selling both pre made brass as well as 180g ammunition. Outdoor Shooter Supply is also selling both loaded ammunition as well as Red Stag 358 Yeti headstamped brass.
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Usable projectiles are in the 180g-225g range with the option of lighter projectiles such as those for 38/357 and 9mm as well for inexpensive training rounds. The 358 Yeti is designed to have optimal performance with projectiles in the 180-200g range such as the Speer Hotcor, Hornady interlock, and Hornady FTX. Some Barnes and Nosler offerings are also possible with the removal of the polymer ballistic tips.
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A proprietary, strengthened bolt is utilized in a standard AR15 bolt carrier group in conjunction with a matching over sized extension on the barrel. The bolt being used has been tested via pressure trace equipment to more than withstand the 55,000-60,000psi generated by the round. Aside from the bolt and barrel, a slightly modified 450 bushmaster magazine is used to fully convert an AR15 to shoot 358 Yeti. (PRI 10rd 6.8spc magazine's work unmodified, lancer 5.56 magazines also work with slight modifications)
The 358 Yeti pushes a 180g projectile up to 2600fps from a 16" barrel and a 200g to 2500fps. At those velocities, the 358 Yeti generates more energy than any of the "big bores" currently on the market, with a much flatter trajectory to boot!
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Although in its youth, the 358 Yeti has already enjoyed success in the field on several hogs and deer.
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.358 Yeti related videos - CAUTION - hunting videos may contain graphic images.
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