Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 350 legend

Dunno 'bout all those things.

I'm sort of interested in it, pondering a cheap Ruger bolt action. I don't NEED a straight walled cartridge in any sort of rifle, but seen what Hodgdon data shows it doing with a 147 grain Hornady XTP HP makes me think about jackrabbits. 2600-2700 fps should make the hair (and body parts) fly. Having a gun I don't really need for tasks I don't really need to do makes perfect sense to me. Separates the curious loonies from the boring, stodgy, and hidebound people.

Tom

Isn't that a plus for the 35 Remington?

Is the 444 considered a straight wall in these states ?

I used it for Mississippi primitive seasons and my rifle sticks each and every round in the same hole.

I understand like the 450 BM they made this 350 L for the youngster puzzies that use AR platforms ?

If you are gonna use a straight wall with shiddyballistacs then you’d fair waysbetta with an existing big bore caliber.

Yep it would be fine

But isn’t the 350 Legend faster than the Hornady 444, Advertising said the 350 L is the “fastest straight wall”.

A rhetorical post

Dunno. 2400 ish, I thought?

The 444 To contend with is factory Underwood at 2,660 fps.

The 350 is a fuggin Joke and the only thing “straight” about it is the lie.

https://www.underwoodammo.com/444-marlin-220-grain-xtreme-penetrator.html

I use the 444 for MS deer & hog hunting. I like It so much that I use it all season long - not just during Primitive Weapon season. That being said, if I were looking for my first rifle to use during the Primitive Weapon season, I would get the 350L. Ranges are short where I hunt and 350L ammo is plentiful and relatively cheap. Indeed, Wally World & Sportsman's Warehouse near me has a ton of this ammo. Nowadays, it doesn't get much better than that.

Nobody hunts more than me and I choose a 444 over a 350. I have it in single shots and leverguns. I use it in several states and all year long. Its been my goto caliber for over twenty years now. I regularly take shots from 5 to 225 yards with the 444.

I understand the going cheap though.

You guys can bad mouth the 350 all you want. I’m sold on it. I caught the 350 Legend bug in 2019. I bought a Bear Creek Arsenal upper for my AR-15 and started testing. It shoots MOA at 100 yards with Winchester 150 grain Deer Season XP. Didn’t kill a deer with it until 2020. A big doe at 45 yards. Shot through the lungs, she ran about 30 yards. I wanted a bolt rifle, but being a Lefty my choices were slim. I recently purchased a Savage Axis left hand in 350 Legend. It shoots great with my handloads (Hornady 165 grain FTX with 25 grains of H110 for 2242 fps average). I hunt in the hardwood hills of Southeastern Ohio where 100 yards is a long shot. This caliber works so well and shoots so accurately that if they’d open up the state to bottleneck cartridges, I don’t see where I’d gain anything. Recoils between a .223 and a .243.

Ron

Rimmed cartridges rule in a single shot rifle. 357 Maximum for the win!

Fine round. But try finding a rifle, let alone a $500 rifle chambered for it. Once you get one, start looking for ammo and/or brass.

Point of the .350 is easy, cheap, available, legal everywhere, and good enough to get it done. As JB has pointed out time and time again, most don’t load their own. Mostly I do, but I might not for one of those since good hunting ammo and cheap practice ammo is plentiful, courtesy of its .223 heritage (for the first couple or three brass draws anyway.)

I ain’t knocking it too hard other than the lies about it being the fastest. just trying to talk about something other than the norm.

A man should be able to choose whatever caliber he wants and even shoot Womens calibers if he chooses.

Oddly even in Texas there are places with straight wall restrictions. I have a 45 Colt rifle but I can't use it as the only FOUR cartridges allowed are 350 L, 450 Bushmaster,444 Marlin and 45/70. The area is swamp so you have to hunt out of boats. Shotguns and Muzzleloaders are allowed but I bought a 350 L upper anyway. After putting 300 rounds through it using both factory and handloads I have to say I like it a lot. The stupid part being the magazines available are not designed for the cartridge as well as they should be but are easily fixed.

I do a hunt every year in Ohio. Been going there to hunt with family for 30 years. Mostly walk in hunts in big timber. For 29 years I wished I was using a scoped bolt rifle. Granted I killed many deer with a 12 gauge open sight , 12 gauge scoped slug guns , 44mag encore pistol and a 444 Marlin lever gun.

The 350Legend scratched that itch. It takes care of a niche and thats why I bought one. Certainly not because I thought it was a jim dandy of a chambering or there was a lot of choices in rifles to pick from.

I do most of my deer hunting in Alabama. Im not saying I wont ever hunt with my 350 there but mostly I imagine I will be using my 270 or 7mm08. Since Im 59 not 9 I figure most companies stretch the attributes of their product some. So long as it killed deer at a range I would be hunting at and came in a reasonably light bolt gun I didn't give a crap what they promoted it as. If I didn't hunt in Ohio I wouldn't even know what the heck it was and would have little to no interest in it.

I love my 350 Legend rifle. Perfect for Whitetail hunting in my timber. Unusually mild muzzle blast and recoil. Way more than accurate enough for 150 yard deer hunting, and more than powerful enough.

I also love my 7-08 T3x with Hornady Custom Lite ammo in the timber, or Hornady 150gr ELD-X Precision Hunter ammo for my 400 yard shots. That ELD-X ammo shoots bug holes out of my rifle.

Until recently, IL has been a shotgun, muzzleloader, revolver, single shot state. The 350 L is now legal. If I hadn't already purchased three of the stainless camo savage 220s with leupold firedot scopes for my wife, young son, and I, I'd be getting a couple rifles in 350 legend. Those 220s have proven accurate and capable. Can't knock them; but I'm still a little tempted for something a little lighter, handier, and with less recoil for my wife and son.

Shot some big deer with one in a AR pistol, because it’s legal in MN slug zones. It’s a an efficient killer and a lotta fun. People that actually have shot one, all pretty much agree. If I lived in a feral pig area, I think one would be my go-to truck gun.

A friend of mine had used his Savage 220 to kill some nice bucks. I’d have no problem hunting with one if that’s what I had. I have hunted a bunch with my 12 gauge H&R Trophy Slugster. It’s very accurate with Federal Premium Barnes Expander all copper slugs. The big difference beside the recoil is the cost of ammo. Premium sabot slugs are going for $4-$6 a pop. If you watch the Walmart shelves you can find 350 Legend hunting ammo for $24 for a 20 round box. 145 grain FMJ is $13 a box. You can also get an accurate bolt rifle for $400-$500. 3 years ago I bought a 350 Legend upper for my AR from Bear Creek Arsenal for $240 shipped. But that was before Biden and Covid.


Ron

Yeah, cost differential for ammo is massive for anything "slug" compared to .350 Legend. Hand in hand with that is ammo availability.

The Legend is a really good round to meet the requirements it was developed under. Companies have done a good job producing ammo for it. I'm not pushing it but have to give credit for it's development and follow up of companies making guns and ammo for it. Lot's of cartridges get introduced where there really isn't a "need" and they may or may not make it. This one was developed for a specific role and it's filled it well.