Since it is a fairly new cartridge, I though this might be the best place to post this. The self-quarantine we are all experiencing has allowed me to do a number of things – one of which is to sit and explore and read about cartridges I’m not familiar with – just for the sake of learning new things. A few weeks ago, when I picked up my new Ruger American Ranch rifle in 5.56/.223 at a LGS, they had one in 350 Legend. I wasn’t familiar with the cartridge so the owner gave me a brief “short course” on it and I decided to do more digging on it. Now my deer hunting days are over but if I was still deer hunting in Michigan, I would definitely be interested in a rifle chambered in this – whether I ever get one or not for playing with reloads at the range and for plinking, I don’t know – but I find it interesting and would like to hear from those on here who may have a rifle in that caliber and if they are reloading and shooting cast.
I suppose that some may argue that a 357 Mag would do the same thing. I had a 357 Handi – never reamed the chamber to 357 but the chamber was deep enough that I could use 360 Dan Wesson brass in it – a tad bit longer than the 357 Mag. I shot everything in that rifle – smokeless and black powder including 38 Colt Shorts, Longs, Specials, 357 and the 360 DW – all handloads with a wide variety of designs and grain weights of boolits – a lot of fun. For a cartridge that came out in 2019 or thereabouts, the 350 Legend seems to have been picked up by a lot of different gunmakers – both in bolt action and I’m guessing AR platforms. Brass is not readily available from Starline and others, dies from Lee, RCDS and others and with the size of the bore, a wide variety of molds available already that should work.
From what I’m reading, the effective range for a rifle with a full power cartridge is about 250 yards. I would think that the cartridge would be easily downloaded for general plinking and range shooting at shorter distances and overall, with the recoil of the cartridge, be excellent for oldters, women and youngsters to shoot without taking a beating.
I did a search on here but there aren’t too many posts that I came up with for the 350 Legend.
If you have a rifle chambered in it – could you share your thoughts on the rifle and on the cartridge? Are you hunting or range shooting or both with it? If you are shooting cast – what have your experiences been and what kind of bullet designs, weights and loading data are you using? Is the cartridge a “keeper” for you or do you think the novelty will wear off? I’m sure it is here to stay, the same as the 450 Bushmaster but how far will it extend beyond the hog hunters and those that live in states that require a straight wall cartridge in their restrictions for deer hunting.
I don’t know if I will pursue a rifle in this caliber later on, but the idea of having a wide variety of molds already that would work and playing with different loads I do find appealing. Ideally, I’d love to have a single shot in 350 Leend – since Henry makes their single shots in .223 and 357, I would think it would be an easy offering to come up with a single shot in it.
At any rate, I think it’s an interesting cartridge and would love to hear from those that have a rifle chambered in it as to how they like it and what they are doing with it. If nothing more, it at least offers hunters in Michigan and other states a decent cartridge to hunt whitetails with where bottlenecks can't be used.
Thanks!