[dgludwig]

I like to think that I know a little about the Winchester Model 100 rifle ever since I shot my first deer with one back in 1964. I've always believed that the Model 100 was only chambered in the .243, the .308 and the .284 cartridges-until yesterday; after I attended a gun show in Wilmington, Ohio. It was at this show that I saw a Model 100 carbine, sans checkering or "basket-weave" impressions, that had a price tag of $1,295.00 and an identifier tag that said it was chambered in .358 Winchester!
I thought that, maybe, the seller had simply misidentified the chambering but he assured me that the rifle came from the factory chambered in .358, and, in fact, he has seen a couple of other Model 100s so chambered by the factory over the years. A careful examination of the rifle persuaded me that the rifle was, indeed, a factory rifle chambered in .358. Because I am certain that the Model 100 was never cataloged in this chambering, I can only assume that it was a special order that the factory honored. This struck me as being very unusual because rechambering a semi-auto in a different cartridge (even one thats parent shared the same case-.308 to .358 in this instance) would be a lot more involved than rechambering, say, a bolt-action or a lever-action or a single-shot rifle would be.
So I am wondering if anyone on the forum knows more about the history of the Model 100 being chambered in .358? For sure, it seems to me that a Model 100 carbine chambered in .358 would make for a superb woods rifle for hunting whitetails and black bears in heavy cover.