Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 350 Legend feedback on deer

We built some (19 to be exact) as the ".358 Macho" (my name... yeah I know stupid) before the 350L came to market... Guy on another forum was the "original parent" (I just piggybacked). Think he was Mole Man of something like that.

Long story short... much load development.

After the .350L occurred many folks rebored from .358 Macho to .350L... and we also kept pushing data.

Exceeded ..357 Maximum... but never got to 358 Winchester (about 80% IIRC).

Never hunted with one, but the math is there.

Correct... our final data ended up well under 1"... maybe 5/8" on a 3 shot group... plenty good to hunt with.

CiK, I've been considering Moleman's round. Which would you prefer today? His or the Legend?

A couple of years ago I got the itch to try a 350 Legend for
deer in Ohio. I bought a Bear Creek Arsenal upper for my AR-15. I already had a Leupold VX-1 3-9x40 scope laying around, so I mounted it on the 350 upper. With Winchester 150 grain Deer Season XP ammo it shoots dime size groups at 50 yards, and quarter sized groups at 100 yards. I shot a full grown doe with it last season at about 40-45 yards. The 150 grain bullet punched clean through her chest and she made it about 25 yards before piling up. My brother and my other hunting buddy were so impressed that they both purchased Ruger Ranch Rifles in 350 Legend. Their Rugers are more accurate than my AR and get about 40-60 FPS more velocity with the same ammo. I'm totally confident in my rifle on deer out to 150-175 yards. Lethal on deer without the punishing recoil of a 12 gauge with slugs.

Ron

I have huge respect for Moleman and his thinking... a genuine appreciation for men that think up and do such things.

With that said... I recommend the .350L for many many reason.

The fallacy that big equals destruction.

Least amount of damage for caliber ever. 50 bmg. Deer ran 200 yards on top of it with a hole in both lungs. 50 cal in. 50 out.

Damage comes from speed and bullet choice.

Not simply a large round. Generally speaking large rounds are slower and more controlled expansion bullets. See the same on my moose hunts all the time. Fast whiz bangs have lots of bloodshot. 375 HH eat up to the hole...

I wanted another gun for my younger son that wasn't going to kick like a 30.06. I ended up finding a ruger ranch style 350 legend. Rarely are our shots over 125 yards in my state so i said what the hell and bought it. It has become a favorite and even thou we didn't get a deer this year with it, we have been shooting it plenty on the range getting ready for the season. Its recoil is quite tame, and the accuracy has been extremely good. I was getting 3 shots inside of a quarter at 100 yards when all said and done which i was quite impressed with. Ammo availability and cost is really good to. I don't live in a state where straight wall is required. I just find this cartridge to be better than the 3030, less recoil than 30.06 by far and a great woods gun. The longest shot i would take would be 200 yards and figure this gun could reach that. If i need to shoot longer i will take my 308 or 30.06. the 350 L fits a purpose even if your not required to shoot straight wall. its a handy cartridge, accurate, and mild recoil. I am quite pleased with the purchase.

Been thinking about something along these lines, even though we have no restrictions here as yet. A trip to Ohio has been kind of in the back of my mind for a while, and my cousin has done very well there in recent years using a Browning A-Bolt slug gun and a borrowed .450. What I really want is a .444, but those are pretty scarce now. Keep hoping Henry will add that to the chamberings of the single-shot. Not certain is a re-chamber of a .44 is possible after examining the specs.

A .357 will get about 1900fps with Lil Gun and a 158 in a rifle, and maybe 1600 with a 180, plenty for here, but I think I’d want a little cushion for those big Midwestern deer. Maybe a rechambered Henry in .357 Max is the best choice as I could still shoot .38s and .357 mags for fun and utility.

1.8" max case length in MI

450BM has been my choice since being made legal (replacing the MLer only due to convenience )
Bear Creek Ballistics 285gr copper bullet@ 2375 out of my custom
Savage ...

What do you guys think about the 350 Legend vs a fully rifled barrel 20ga slug gun??

A fully rifled 20 gauge with the correct ammo is an honest 150 yard deer gun. It just recoils more than the 350. A 20 gauge sabot round is pretty close to the ballistics of a 454 Casull with jacketed factory ammunition. A bud of mine killed a nice buck in Ohio last year with a Savage bolt gun and sabot slugs. Distance was about 120 yards.

Ron

I had a 20ga Ultra Slugger…. Sumb*tch was that thing accurate and recoil wasn’t bad at all…. Sold it like an idiot….

I miss that gun

Scott, I have an H&R ultra sluggger in 12ga. The reason they don't recoil as bad is because they are HEAVY! Mine is a tack driver, especially with Federal Barnes Trophy copper slugs (Not the tipped ones, they keyhole out of my gun)

Ron

I hunt in Mass. where I have to use a shotgun or MZ for gun season on deer. We use 20ga. fully rifled H&R ultras and Savage 220s. A 150 yard shot is not a problem to make and I have no doubt of their effectiveness.

Where I see the advantage of being able to use something like the 350L is less recoil and cheaper ammo combining to make preseason practice more enjoyable and affordable. Five dollars a shot makes for expensive practice.

Definitely no arguing that point. Although, with hunting rifles, I generallly only check my zero prior to hunting season. There’s never a “day of shooting” with my hunting guns. So I don’t think ammo cost is a notable deterrent for the 20ga option. It’s a tough choice ahead

I really don't mean to me dismissive, but I don't see it as a tough choice. You have two weapons already that you like, adding the rifle is either something you want or not. To most hunters in shotgun only zones, the option of a rifle would be a no brainer.

350 will work but I like the 450bm better