Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Why so much .350 Legend ammo?

As other threads point out, the .350 Legend ammo is everywhere, even more available than .30-30, .270 and .30-06 around here. Is the ammo not selling? Come to think of it I haven't seen all that many rifles chambered for the .350 Legend either.
Just curious.

Fad.

Unless required in certain states (straightwall ammo?)

Here too in Alaska, but I think no one (much) buys it up here.... Far better cartridge choices available.

350 Legend is a straight wall cartridge which was recently legislated into existence in shotgun-only whitetail hunting states (eg. Michigan, Ohio, Indiana). Outside of those areas, there are numerous bottleneck cartridges better suited for every job. One of its attractions is its suitability for use in AR platform. Recoil is less than .243 which makes it popular with da yutes.

It was made for certain states but it's a helluva good woods cartridge. It's accurate, low noise, almost no recoil, and packs plenty of punch at woods ranges.

Marketing… Put out a new round and a company is going to do everything they can to make sure ammo is out there. Anyone who shoots 30-30, 30-06, 270 etc should always have at least 3 or 4 years supply on hand

It seems like a niche cartridge with a shrinking niche. Without consumer demand, the rifles and ammo gathers dust on dealers' shelves.

If we’re talking chain stores, it might be their buyers’ fault. Those guys don’t always know what’s what, and the stores have to take what’s sent. OTOH, maybe it’s what’s available in good amounts, so they buy it to fill shelves. I think it’s agood round in ARs and mini bolts, but with no restrictions here I’ll stick with more versatile rounds like the Grendel and ARC for the same platforms.

It is selling quite well even in places straight wall not required from what I gather. I see lot of it in TX anyway. Hornady gets kudos for marketing but Winchester has several of the big “deer tv shows” push their stuff and deer hunters are a big audience. I overheard some guys talking about it at the gun counter and the general consensus of the group was up close hits like a 30-06 and lot less recoil so they thought a good choice for hunting. People who fantasize about shooting animals at extreme range may not find it interesting but apparently lot of folks do. In grand scheme of most deer hunting the PRC class of rounds is more niche than the 350 legend.

Lou

Its the basic case for the 223/5.56 NATO, its uses the cheapest powders to manufacture, the most common primer and 9mm bullets and fits in the most popular rifle.

Its the 351 Winchester Self Loader from a gun nut perspective and to others a marketing campaign.

Its economical to make and manufacturing wise it uses pre-existing stages for other common rounds.

And it doesn't hit like a 30-06...

Well said.
I enjoy the Legend (picked it up for OH, but still grab it in NH just ‘because’), but it definitely isn’t an ‘06.
We all know that deer don’t take a lot of killing, though, so it works just fine.

George

Fuds like it because they think they’ll get KNOCKDOWN POWER compared to other AR rounds or even 6.5CM/308/270 etc. Another, more valid reason for the popularity is that’s it legal in some states that allow single shots .35 caliber and up during primitive arms season.

It’s NOT a 223 case. Everything I’ve seen, from original SAAMI specs on, indicates the case body of the legend (past the case head) is larger than the 223, and tapers. Maybe the original specs have been adjusted, or loaders are getting away with it without case head separation….i don’t know. I do know it was introduced as a proprietary case.

Its a basic case; basic in diameter from a manufacturing standpoint, not the finished product. The 357 Maximum wasn't a 223 case either, but the basic case was used for the rimmed cartridge.

You could call that proprietary as well, but its still using components adapted from manufacturing stages.

There wasn't a rampant desire from the public to re-introduce the 351 Self loader, but if thats all the shelves were stocked with I'd imagine it would get popular too.

The ‘basic’ 223 case was not used for the legend. The legend case has different dimensions ahead of the rim.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/07/22/wildcatting-potential-of-350-legend-cartridge/

….which explains how a straightened/blown out legend case will hold a .366 bullet. Not possible in a 223 ‘basic’ case.

The 357 maximum was a lengthened 357 magnum case, which came along in the 30s before the 223 (late 50s), which was based on the 222/magnum case, which was a brand new case in early 50s. Non of which is the same diameter as the legend, outside of the rim commonality for AR bolts.

You mean .355" bullet.

The case is a 223 basic case. Then they stuffed a larger diameter mandrel into it to get the extra diameter from the web so they could build a little more taper into it for feeding.

I think about every handloader & his cousin has chopped off a .223 at the shoulder & stuffed a .35" bullet in it and said "Hmm...".

No. I mean a .366….WHEN the legend case is blown out straight wall/full capacity. Winchester doesn’t mandrel out a case, and (unless the deviated from SAAMI) they don’t use a 223-related case for it. Their parameters, not mine. Again, a 223 case blown out truly straight can hold a 357/358 bullet. A 350 legend case blown out truly straight/full capacity, will hold a .366/9.3mm

Indiana has no straight wall case mandate.
.35 cal or larger, 1.16 min case length, 1.8 max.

That is the PUBLIC land rifle spec .

The PCR case max used to be shorter, but they changed it.
The longer 1.8 allowed the .460 S&W, but also other rounds to be trimmed a bit and made legal.
Example: 35 remington.
Of course there were also wildcats.

AR 15 in .350 Legend.
Low recoil, adjustable stock........fit a variety of shooters.
Might even be decent for defending the fort.

So Fuds hunt with ARs?

I don't hunt deer with an AR. Am I a Fud or not? I need to know whether or not to be insulted.

The basis for the 357 Maximum was a "basic" 223 case in a forming stage.

I read it long ago, but I doubt its on the internet. It was in print. Maybe an Elgin Gates book I had.

I'm not saying the finished Basic case is used like you get from Starline; obviously it is not. But cylindrical brass is formed in stages that facilitates being used for a variety of cartridges, the 9mm included, which shares a similar pressure ring diameter.


The idea behind the round was to reduce manufacturing costs and stages.