350 Legend

[Ruffdude]

I love big, fat, heavy slow moving bullets for whitetails in the woods where seeing a deer out past 150 yards would be tough.
35 Remington is my choice. A close cousin ballistically to your 350 Legend. I shoot 200gr. core lokt handloads.
I zero @ 100 yards and seem to shoot deer inside of that. Honestly, I am not real comfortable with my rifleman abilities beyond 125.
This buck went about 40 yards after the shot.

 

[Talonted]

Any preference for Savage, Ruger, Winchester? And why?

I purchased the Ruger, at the time our shop could not get a rail that worked with the Winchester. I liked the feel and the finish of the Winchester but we had to have a scope so went with the ruger. It shoots tremendously well for such a small barrel and Id absolutely purchase it again.

 

[bjseiler]

My .308 often does that. And my slugs have always done that. Even the .45-70 dis that on the one doe I shot with it. It can, and often does mean that the round performed perfectly. It left most of the energy inside the deer, and the bullet was going fast enough to penetrate clear through, but slow enough to avoid blowing out the opposite side. In fact, the Nosler Partition bullet is designed to do exactly that. I don't think the size of the exit wound is necessarily a way to judge the effectiveness of a round.

How far did the deer travel after being hit? How was it hit? How fast did the bullet kill the deer? What organs were hit? How did the organs look? I think these factors are far more important than the size of the exit wound.

This has been an interesting thread. My oldest turns 9 next month and I've been thinking for a while about what to start her with for deer hunting. I want a low recoil round with available bolt action rifles and ammunition. Where we hunt, 150 yards is a long shot. I have been leaning toward 6.5 Grendel. After looking up the 350 Legend, I found some info on 6mm ARC which looks good too. I'll see which are still around in a couple years and decide.

But first she wants a pink Savage Rascal .22 for her birthday.

Love my 6.5 grendel. Technically a pistol. Alexander arms Highlander. Kicks like a .410. Daughter got one this year with it. No flinching and shoots flat.

 

[roymunson]

Wanted a 444 badly, but the more I think about it, in Ohio, I never kill deer past 100-150 yards anyways. Why not get a 450 bushmaster. At 150 yards and in, the energy and knockdown change will be negligible. Someone able to talk me out of it?

 

[bwoods11]

Wanted a 444 badly, but the more I think about it, in Ohio, I never kill deer past 100-150 yards anyways. Why not get a 450 bushmaster. At 150 yards and in, the energy and knockdown change will be negligible. Someone able to talk me out of it?

I don't have personal experience with each, but from what I have read....The 350 Legend has less kick, and a bit more range?

 

[roymunson]

I don't have personal experience with each, but from what I have read....The 350 Legend has less kick, and a bit more range?

350 legend is a good gun. I actually loaded some rounds last night. It'd be a perfect flat shooting gun for say a doe managment hunt where you're neck/head shooting, or my kids.

However, I want something that's a sledge hammer in the woods if I'm buck hunting. Wanted the 444, but I think the 450 would do just as good.

 

[Mortenson]

So did you decide on a new gun yet? This is exactly the dilemma I'm in now, with IL's new bill about to become law. I want as much knock down as possible, so probably be one of those two. I'm thinking of the 350 for my kids and 444 Marlin for myself. My dad still has 20 slugs for his 220, so I think he can stand pat.

 

[Telemark]

So did you decide on a new gun yet? This is exactly the dilemma I'm in now, with IL's new bill about to become law. I want as much knock down as possible, so probably be one of those two. I'm thinking of the 350 for my kids and 444 Marlin for myself. My dad still has 20 slugs for his 220, so I think he can stand pat.

I prefer the 45-70 over the 444 because there is more diversity in commercial ammo available for it.

 

[SwampCat]

In the states where straight walled cartridges are legal, can you hunt with an AR 15?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

In the states where straight walled cartridges are legal, can you hunt with an AR 15?

Depends on the state.

 

[roymunson]

In the states where straight walled cartridges are legal, can you hunt with an AR 15?

in ohio, yes.

 

[roymunson]

So did you decide on a new gun yet? This is exactly the dilemma I'm in now, with IL's new bill about to become law. I want as much knock down as possible, so probably be one of those two. I'm thinking of the 350 for my kids and 444 Marlin for myself. My dad still has 20 slugs for his 220, so I think he can stand pat.

Like a wise man once said, do all 2.

I found an H&R Handi Rifle on a consignment in 444. Put a 3x9 on it and it's a stone cold killer. That's "my" gun if I'm out buck hunting and want them to drop right there.

My 9 year old took out the 350 and dropped a doe at about 40 yards on the spot with a 170 grain interlok last fall. There recoil is MUCH less on the 350 and would be my choice if I was out just meat hunting. You can hold for the earhole on a meat doe and be confident that's where it'll hit. I will kill more deer with the 350, but if I'm buck hunting I can hold POI from 200 and in and it's lights out.

The 350 I have is a Cascade from CVA. Since I bought it in 2020 there are roughly 7 million new 350 legend styles available. Some really nice units. Mine shoots fine.

 

[SwampCat]

A .350 on an AR 15 platform would be a really good model for anyone - with the collapsable stocks, they fit anyone and grow with a youth. I have shot a .350, but dont own one. I live with a .450 Bushmaster. It is a sure enough deer and hog killer. I have probably killed close to 1000 hogs with mine. The .350 is an easy gun to shoot with decent ballistics for a heavier bullet in an AR 15 platform.

 

[bwoods11]

There’s a thread on Iowawhitetail about .350 Legend. It was mostly positive. I have a Winchester.350 Legend. So far so good !

155 grain Browning is what I use. 1-1 on shots

 

[Mortenson]

I just read the thread on IW. Mostly good, a few not totally thrilled. One guy said he went back to his 870. I'd stick with my 12 gauge if it wasn't for the scarcity of good slugs. I'd forego the nice shooting 350 for, as Roy said, a "sledge hammer" because we have a lot of heavy cover and also adjoining line sitters. I don't care if the ammo is expensive because I'm already used to it. I won't go through all that much. Sight it in then go deer hunting. But ammo still has to be available. Don't want to run into the same situation. I'll buy a decent stash once I see what works. One thing I've read so far is the 45-70 has quite the rainbow trajectory. 50 and 100 yard will be different holdovers. Sounds like the 450 is flatter.

 

[SwampCat]

I just read the thread on IW. Mostly good, a few not totally thrilled. One guy said he went back to his 870. I'd stick with my 12 gauge if it wasn't for the scarcity of good slugs. I'd forego the nice shooting 350 for, as Roy said, a "sledge hammer" because we have a lot of heavy cover and also adjoining line sitters. I don't care if the ammo is expensive because I'm already used to it. I won't go through all that much. Sight it in then go deer hunting. But ammo still has to be available. Don't want to run into the same situation. I'll buy a decent stash once I see what works. One thing I've read so far is the 45-70 has quite the rainbow trajectory. 50 and 100 yard will be different holdovers. Sounds like the 450 is flatter.

.450 Bushmaster has been relatively easy for me to find ammo. Not horribly expensive. I go through about 200 rounds a year on hogs and one or two rounds a year on deer. Havent had any trouble finding that much ammo, and then some. Recoil isnt bad at all - about like game loads out of a 20 ga.

 

[SwampCat]

Two of 12 in the last two weeks with a .450

 

[Kdog]

My brother in MI just got a 350 Cascade and is very happy with it so far. He was looking for a 450, but decided on the 350 after looking into it in more detail.

 

[bigboreblr]

I mainly hunt with 2 guns. A 54 cal flintlock, or a 450 marlin browning BLR lightweight. 450 marlin and lightweight not a great mix.

Guns with alot of recoil do not make great hunting rifles. IF you want to target shoot, you dont. I shoot 2 or 3 round to check zero, and thats it. For a few years I wanted to get rid of the gun, but wanted to hit the woods with it. I use the gun within the zero range of 150 yards.

I was in the process of building a 450 bushmaster in 2011 when NY banned those evil black rifles....... Even worse, about a week after the law went into effect, Lancaster Arms calls me saying my custom AK is ready........ Beautiful bluing / plum purple laminate stock. Eotech 517 red dot.

 

[Angus 1895]

Sectional density comes into play.

For elk a SD of .25 or greater is what I look for.

That equals about 168 grains in. 30 caliber.

the higher the number the better it should penetrate

A 150 grain 35 caliber is lighter in SD than I would like.( SD = .165 )

Even 4 whitetail.

monolithic bullets don’t behave like cup and core bullets so SD isn’t as important but they need velocity to perform generally over 1800 fps if I remember.

I think 38/55, 375 win, and then the hand gun cartridges 44 rem mag, 45 LC would be other options for hunting. ( Marlin 1894)