I've really been looking hard at the 350 Legend. I'm not entirely sold on any of the rifles currently offered in the caliber but that may change. The thing that I find attractive about the Legend is that on the one hand it can be loaded to almost mimic the 30-30 winchester as a deer cartridge. On the other it would seem that since it can be loaded with any bullet designed for the 9mm (.355 diameter) it should be capable of being a relatively inexpensive (if you reload) plinker when loaded with hardcast bullets and pistol or shotgun powders. I was considering going that same route with my 30-30 but the bullet options are better for the Legend and bullet prices cheaper (also easier to find). Also, my 30-30 turned 120 years old this year and even though it has probably killed more deer than General Motors I am becoming more reluctant to keep beating the heck out of it year after year. Now finally my question, have any members done any experimenting with this caliber. I'm really anxious to hear about any other members experience with reduced loads. A second question, at about what velocity do you start needing gas checks. I've never loaded cast bullets for a rifle before so I'm still pretty new to the learning curve.

Ohio is a "Straight Wall" deer hunting state, so lots of people looked at the Legend with Deer in mind. Then we looked at loading for the round. Unless you're shooting several hundred a year, reloading was not going to be economical. When the deer season, the guys with 350 legends were very disappointed in the results!

Will it kill deer? Absolutely! (so will a bow and arrow or a rock) It is a descendant of the Winchester 351 SL, that round was very good on people but poor on deer too! They adapted the whole thing to fit AR platforms, but it really is a failure for deer, just like it's dad!

Ivan

A friend has one and it has killed 3 deer that I know of. It is throated that a 150 gr bullet is about max for length. It is not the 357 Maximum it was marketed to exceed. IMO, if you wanted the action to cycle, you would need gas checked bullets.
Mile Bellm has done a bit of rechambering on Contenders, Encores and Henry single shot rifles and likes the cartridge as a deer killer. His guns are throated to accept 180 gr bullets, AFAIK. He is also using a .357 bore not a .355 in his platforms.
It has been proven too many times that a 22 lr will kill deer. The AR and 350 legend are not designed to become legends IMO, but do a decent job in the areas one is handicapped by using a short, straight walled cartridge.

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Front sight and squeeze

I just finished building a lefty .350 legend for I person I know and truthfully couldn't see a good purpose for it here in Missouri.
I'm not the least familiar with the hunting laws in Ohio pertaining to straight walled cartridge's but it seems to me there are several that would far exceed the .350 in effectiveness the .444 Marlin being one.
I know these are not available in semi-auto rifles but my mind goes more to getting the job done and not the rifle type.

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SWHF #595

X2......Whole lota whoopla over a weinie do NOTHING exceptional cartridge.

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S&W Accumulator

In Michigan the straight wall zone case length is limited to 1.8 inches. Bordering states I think are similar. As noted the 350 Legend is a straight wall equivalent to a 30-30. So the 350 actually fills a need created by state regulations.

IMHO the 350 suffers in that available bullet choices are limited even more than they are for the 357 Max . Probably why Mr. Bellm is using a .357 bore in his barrels . I'm sticking with the Max . For deer the 180 Rem SJHP or Horn 180 XTP work fine . For bigger stuff I like the LBT 180 WFNGC & 200 WLNGC .

I was excited for the 350 until I saw they had to ruin it with a .355 bore. I already load 357 max, won’t be bothering with the 350

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-Matt

Read your ballistic charts. With same bullet weights .308" dia not .355" like 9mm it leaves the wiener legend in the dust.

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S&W Accumulator

Well if nothing else, the 350 Legend does generate a lot of opinions. I've been deer hunting with my 30-30 for several years. I don't get my deer every year but I've never lost a deer that I have shot. Still everyone tells me I need to have at least a .270 to be successful. I enjoy shooting. I live right next to the woods and shoot between 500 and 1000 rounds a month (mostly pistol). So for me, having a deer rifle that I can reload and plink with for a reasonable price is a major draw. Not counting the original cost of the brass I could probably reload the Legend as a plinker for less than $20 per hundred. Not too many deer rifles I can shoot for that cost. I spend a LOT more time shooting than I do hunting. I notice that in this thread anyway, the 350 Legend is being compared to the 357 Maximum. I agree that the two are very similar. So, if you can just tell me who is currently making a rifle chambered in the 357 Maximum (commercial not custom) I will absolutely look into it. Otherwise it makes no sense to be comparing it to something that doesn't exist.

I'm not aware of any current production rifle in 357 Max . For your purpose the 350 Legend will be much cheaper as factory fodder is readily available & if you can get it to shoot cast bullets ( especially if you roll yer own ) be cheaper to load for .
I'm the opposite as my Max is for hunting not plinking . It is a handloaders cartridge much like another of my addictions the 41 mag . I get the performance I want in platforms I like with the accuracy & power I need . I wish you luck with your endeavour & would be interested to see results , loads etc.

The Legand calls for a 150gr bullet going 2325fps with a ME of 1800.

Hornady has a 200gr FTX for the 35 Rem doing 2198 with a ME of 2198.
Buffalo Bore has a 220gr JFP for the 35 Rem doing 2200fps with a ME of 2364, fit for Moose hunting.

Being a smooth wall case it can be used in some states along with bow and black powder season on deer....falling into a separate class of ammo.

It does have less recoil working for it and a 0-200 yard window but so does the old 30-30.

Decisions, decisions....