The following includes some updated information recently sent to known suppliers of rifles, barrels, and ammunition for the .358 Hoosier:

Because of the continuing shortage of .358 Winchester brass (the original parent case of the .358 Hoosier) many owners of existing .358 Hoosier rifles and barrels are forced to use various brands of .308 Winchester commercial brass to make Hoosier cases. Some (not all) of this brass is a little too thick in the neck area to chamber in existing rifles without first outside neck turning the formed brass. In order to make it easier to use commercial .308 Winchester brass as the parent case (and not needing to neck turn the brass) in future barrels, Pacific Tool and Gauge has made a modification to the finish chamber reamer that they produce. The headspace and other dimensions stay the same, but the neck diameter is increased about .004 inches. Also, about .020 inches longer freebore is used in the latest version of the .358 Hoosier to better accommodate slightly longer overall cartridge lengths. The finish reamer Print Number is D-32464.

It has been requested that future .358 Hoosier barrels be chambered with the latest reamer dimensions. However, if or when a supplier does this is strictly up to them. The same thing holds true regarding possibly “opening up” some existing chambers to the new dimensions. As you know, the cartridge and all that goes with it are in the public domain.

There still exists the caution regarding surplus military .308 (7.62 X 51 NATO) brass. It may have thicker case walls and necks than commercial brass and a somewhat smaller powder capacity. Also, some of it may have been fired in machine guns having very “generous“ chambers (which can make initial resizing more difficult).