Pro's & Con's of 350 Legend

[Highland Lofts]

I am thinking of either buying a rifle in 350 Legend or having a 223 H&R Handi-Rifle rechambeded to 300 Legend.
What's the pro's & con's or reloading for this round.
I have been useinga H&R 243 Handi-Rifle for the past three years and shot eleven deer with it.
I think for the area I hunt in this would be a great round for deer hunting.
Most of my shots are less then seventy yards or so with an occasional shot out to a hundred to a hundred-fifty yards.

Any of you guys use this round for deer hunting?
How do the deer react to this round.

 

[brewer12345]

Haven't had the chance to shoot deer with it, but I dropped a pronghorn doe with one shot this Fall. Creature was moving when I fired and I hit fairly far back at 75 yards or so. Fell where it was hit.

I hear good things about the round for deer, so next year I will likely alternate between Dad's 35 Rem and the 350 until I get a deer.

 

[AJC1]

I'm not keen on a rifle case that headspacrs on the rim. Some people are having a hard time with reloads. Have you considered any of tha magnum pistol rounds? I dont know what your state allows. The closest to that particular round is a 357 maximum and I would choose that in a single shot.

 

[MEHavey]

Am running both AR, and Win XPR bolt action
Reloading for AR is a learning curve.
Bolt action no big deal

Consider 350 Legend operating at 55,000 psi (vice 40,000 for 357Max) and w/ 7-8% more case capacity.
Consider commercial ammunition availability....
Think contact chest shot equivalent with 180-200gr 357 Mag using spire point/exposed lead .... at 150+ yards.
Go from there as to utility.


,

 

[AK Hunter]

It is a gun for hunting in caliber restricted states. There are some that are much better calibers to hunt in open caliber states.
But if you live in a caliber restricted state like I do it is a great caliber that can drop deer at sort ranges & reach out to about 300yds to stop deer. It only recoils like a .223/5.56 so women & children can shoot it.
It can be reloaded easily, it's like a long pistol round. It takes any round from .355 to .357 that is all 9mm up to 35 calibers.
By doing your own reloading you can tune your load to hit at sub-moa easily.
I dropped this doe from about 35 to 40 yds with a prefect double lung/heart shot it ran about another 30 yds & piled up.

 

[Cokeman]

Pro: Walmart ALWAYS has it in stock

 

[Varminterror]

I'm not keen on a rifle case that headspacrs on the rim.

.350 Legend does not headspace on the rim.

 

[MEHavey]

350 Legend does not headspace on the rim.

When I first read what was said, I realized the OP was speaking of the case mouth, but let it go.
That said, headspace on the Legend is determined by judicious case length monitoring/trimming.

You do not want a long case to slip by...


.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I am thinking of either buying a rifle in 350 Legend or having a 223 H&R Handi-Rifle rechambeded to 300 Legend.
What's the pro's & con's or reloading for this round.
I have been useinga H&R 243 Handi-Rifle for the past three years and shot eleven deer with it.
I think for the area I hunt in this would be a great round for deer hunting.
Most of my shots are less then seventy yards or so with an occasional shot out to a hundred to a hundred-fifty yards.

Any of you guys use this round for deer hunting?
How do the deer react to this round.

No, sorry, but I have used .357Maximum in a HandiRifle rechambered from .357Magnum. As I understand it, the Legend and Maximum are very close ballistically - pressure, velocities, projectiles, not twins but maybe kissin’ cuzins - and I know from that experience the .357Max can be pumped up to close to .35Remington velocities with the lighter range projectiles for the round. All that said, seems to me there’s not much you can do with a .35Rem you shouldn’t be able to do - or get close to doing - with a Legend in a fixed breech rifle. I highly recommend looking into the .357 HandiRifle as a starter platform. Or maybe a Ruger American bolt action made for .350Legend. Seems like a winner to me.

 

[AJC1]

.350 Legend does not headspace on the rim.

Correct i.miss spoke.

 

[MEHavey]

ballistically - pressure, velocities, projectiles, not twins but maybe kissin’ cuzins

Please see Post #4


,

 

[Tallinar]

The only ”objective” pro I can think of is that it opens up more options for bolt action and semi-auto platforms for deer hunting in restricted states.

A more subjective pro in my mind is that if you already hand load .357 pistol cartridges, you could theoretically load the same bullets for light loads in .350 Legend. But this has caveats, like the fact that .350 may not be likely to shine with a short bullet, or the fact that light cast loads may be a foul idea (pun intended) in a gas operated semi auto.

If you’re already able to use 243 in your state, and are having success with it, it doesn’t sound like you have anything to gain from .350 Legend — except to scratch an itch.

As for headspacing, my mind has a rough time processing the idea of a straight walled rimless cartridge in a rifle platform, but don’t overthink it. Bear in mind that’s how all of our 9mm and 45 ACP carbines are already working today. It just feels weird doing the same thing in a bolt action or AR platform — to me anyway.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Looking on gunbroker the bolt action guns are right around $600.
I'll check of rechambering my 223 into 357 maximum or the 350 legend and see if any one makes replacement barrels for the H&R Handi-Rifle.

I'd prefer the Handi-Rifle over a bolt gum and the AR platform is out for where I go hunting back in New Yorkistan. They raped the AR so much it's a morphidite.
I wouldn't made a single shot bolt gun in 350 legend.
For the last forty years it's alway been one shot-one kill on deer.
So cartridge capacity isn't a issue.
I haven't bought a gun in about four years or so. It's about time to pick another up.
I did piece together a AR15 223 rifle and will finish another AR15 in 223 pistol.

 

[Tallinar]

Check out the Greybeard Outdoors forums for the .357 Maximum H&R idea. I seem to recall a number of threads over the years there about folks reaming out barrels to that cartridge. You may not find a new barrel, but you’ll likely find someone who can ream an existing barrel for you.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Check out the Greybeard Outdoors forums for the .357 Maximum H&R idea. I seem to recall a number of threads over the years there about folks reaming out barrels to that cartridge. You may not find a new barrel, but you’ll likely find someone who can ream an existing barrel for you.

I used a .357Mag barrel and my gunsmith just ran a chamber ream through it. The gunsmith who did it is now gone, sadly (dies WAY too young! 58) said I could just as easily take it to .35Rem if I wanted, the action was plenty strong and there was more than enough steel, but it would be tight for traditional .358" jacketed rifle bullets. There are lots of Contender recipes out there for both and I'm pretty sure the Legend can be driven well past what a .35Rem will do, maybe bot at Contender pressures but definitely at SAAMI spec's. A big reason the 35 Remington is held to lower pressures is that it was introduced in an auto-loading rifle for which higher pressures were not safe. The .357Max was introduced in a revolver platform with similar restrictions - not safe for the platform. In the Contender and bolt-action rifles with strong actions, both can far exceed those limitations - but not inside the SAAMI spec. But then, isn't that why we handload?

And, to answer the OP, some of the big advantages of the .350 Legend are: to provide similar or better performance using available bullets than the time-tested and experience-proven .35Remington; in a case which is less costly, more available, easier to reload, and more durable than the delicate (neck cracking) .35Rem; and, in a platform designed for higher pressures than the straight-walled revolver cartridges (.357Mag/Max) or older auto-rifle cartridges (.35Rem/.351WSL).

 

[Highland Lofts]

Ii have a bunch of deer hunting rifles so.e I haven't used in decades.
When I was on my Ruger 77 phase I picked up six or seven of them. I did pick up one in 357 magnum and another in 44 magnum. Both stainless steel and synthetic stocks, both with decent scopes.
I did register on the Greaybeard Outdoors Forum so I can see what them goes have done on the H&R platform. I'm thinking heavily on reboring one out to the 350 legend. But will wait and look into it before I decide what way to go.
I also have a couple old Remington 141 pump rifles. One in 32 Remington and one in 32 Remington.
I have been swaying towards the H&R platform.

 

[MEHavey]

Legend can be driven well past what a .35Rem will do

It's . . . "Close"

35 REM
200 gr (13 g) Lead FN 2,084 ft/s (635 m/s) 1,929 ft⋅lbf (2,615 J)
180 gr (12 g) FN 2,122 ft/s (647 m/s) 1,800 ft⋅lbf (2,400 J)
200 gr (13 g) RN 2,071 ft/s (631 m/s) 1,905 ft⋅lbf (2,583 J)

LEGEND (Mine own -- staying well under 55ksi Max -- all 16" AR)
180gr ACC 36-180LG Lead: 2,090 ft/s
180gr SPEER FP 2087 ft/s

and my two favorites: The Lee 200gr and SAECO 240g

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Ignore the failure to edit the label before printing. I used 2400, not Herco, and a standard small rifle primer (CCI). This load chrony's at 1750fps from the 22" barreled H&R. Hits like the proverbial brick through a glass window.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

It's . . . "Close"

35 REM
200 gr (13 g) Lead FN 2,084 ft/s (635 m/s) 1,929 ft⋅lbf (2,615 J)
180 gr (12 g) FN 2,122 ft/s (647 m/s) 1,800 ft⋅lbf (2,400 J)
200 gr (13 g) RN 2,071 ft/s (631 m/s) 1,905 ft⋅lbf (2,583 J)

LEGEND (Mine own -- staying well under 55ksi Max -- all 16" AR)
180gr ACC 36-180LG Lead: 2,090 ft/s
180gr SPEER FP 2087 ft/s

and my two favorites: The Lee 200gr and SAECO 240g
View attachment 1051491

Man did I ever make the wrong call! In '17 I was selling off a lot of my junkier mil-surp rifles (Argies, Carcanos and Spanish reworks in 7mm) and ended up with a stash of cash at the store that consigned them. I went to pick up my cash and saw some Ruger rifles I'd never seen before, "Ruger American Ranch" the tags said. Nice handy little carbines setup for scope only. I thought REAL hard about the .350 Legend, even harder about the .450 Bushmaster, but ended up getting the .223 with the 4-round rotary magazine, a compact 1.5-4x Swift scope, and a couple boxes (100 rounds) of .223 Hornady varmint loads for $325 out the door - no tax because it was store credit. It's a nice rifle, don't get me wrong, but I do sorely regret now not getting all three. That Legend's a nice round.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I talked to a couple guys who hunt deer with the 350 legend and they love that caliber.
Like I said before I like the simple break open single shot H&R.
I called Benchmark Barrels and asked if they could rebore my 223 barrels out to 350 legend.
Haven't heard back from them yet.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Benchmark barrels called back and they can not modify my 223 barrel.

 

[jmorris]

having a 223 H&R Handi-Rifle rechambeded to 300 Legend.

Like drill it out and install a liner?

Would probably be better to chop the barrel off and thread the stub, then thread the new barrel into it.

I'm not keen on a rifle case that headspacrs on the rim…. I dont know what your state allows. The closest to that particular round is a 357 maximum and I would choose that in a single shot.

.350 Legend does not headspace on the rim.

The 357 maximum does though….

 

[Highland Lofts]

The H&R Handi-Rifle isn't a threaded barrel. It is a break open single shot that has a steel block on the barrel that goes into the receiver with a steel pin that holds it together just like on a break open double barrel shotgun.

 

[TarDevil]

I bought the Ruger American Ranch in .350 Legend late last year for woods hunting. One reason for my choice; AR mags holding up to 20 rounds. Pretty decent bug out set up.

 

[Armorer 101]

If you can not find a 357-8 barrel for a HR, it is simple to cut a barrel off, drill and thread (ream) the stub, turn a 357-8 barrel, thread and screw it onto the HR barrel’s stub. Chamber the 357-8 barrel to a 357 Super Mag (Max if you must) and you are trucking. That HR single shot likes rimmed cases. Of course if you feel froggy, there is the 357 Herrett also….as seen on the right, the rimless version for the AR is next to the SM in the middle.