When I first read about the 350 Legend I was jazzed. And then the specs and the details started coming out and I was a little disappointed.
Why?
Because the initial reports lead me to believe I could use .223 brass.
Because I was lead to believe I could use standard AR magazines.
Then I started doing more reading a research and
I am of the opinion that because some gun writers and evaluators at SHOT Show put out misinformation (.223 brass could be used and all you need to do is swap a barrel on and AR) a lot of people got really disappointed and started kicking Winchester and the .350 Legend in the teeth. Some to the point of taking it really personal. Why? If people don’t like the round, move on!
More of my opinion...
Sure, the cartridge dimensions don’t meet the 223 hype. So what?
Yes, Winchester did take liberties when comparing the round to other rounds. So what?
Sure, your standard AR mags won’t work. So what?
The 350 Legend appears to be a good round and meets a need. Winchester developed a round to meet the restrictions placed on people by mindless bureaucrats in various states. I say “Bravo Winchester”.
They have developed an affordable hunting round that can be used in the favorite hunting and shooting rifle platforms in America. The round itself is an excellent choice if you need a low recoil round that is suitable for humanely taking game. The ammo will be much more affordable as compared to other rounds and it’s going to be mainstream, not a wildcat, that the average Joe with a basic single stage reloading set up can reload easily.
Like I said, these are my opinions. I have decided I like the idea of this cartridge and I think that in the next few months I might just set a gun up to fire it. I don’t live in a state that requires it but I do live in a state that finds every way possible to mess with gun owners and I don’t doubt California will jump on the straight wall bandwagon soon.
The 350L looks like a fun round to tinker with as well for those of us that reload.