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Printed Nov 17, 2022 4:26 PM
Though it’s comparable in ballistic efficiency to the .35 Remington and .357 Most, the .350 Legend was a witty seize at a whitetail looking market that’s purely the results of regulation—straight-wall states and counties. The prospect of a compact straight wall cartridge that delivers extra power than a .30/30 with low recoil, and capabilities in customary ARs struck a chord with many hunters. Any new cartridge’s success and acceptance relies upon partly on the provision of ammo—one thing that’s something however sure lately. Thankfully, Winchester (who developed the cartridge) threw their weight behind producing a excessive quantity of .350 Legend deer ammo. If this take a look at seems to be a bit like a Winchester present, it’s as a result of they’ve put out a greater variety of .350 Legend ammo than every other producer. How good is that ammo? That’s what I supposed to search out out.
.350 Legend Ammo is Versatile and Shockingly Correct
Regardless of some present straight-wall cartridges that match or barely outperform the .350 Legend in uncooked ballistics, the Legend is healthier fitted to trendy firearms. This doesn’t imply that these cartridges aren’t nice, however there’s a motive the .350 Legend has change into fashionable. As a lot as some of us consider that it’s all advertising hype, the .350 Legend’s design provides it two benefits that set it up for achievement—utilizing a .355-inch diameter bullet and having a rebated rim that matches a regular AR bolt face.
In contrast to older rimmed cartridges (or the .35 Rem.), it’s each a straightforward match for any trendy rifle, and authorized beneath straight-wall rules. The .355-inch diameter bullet may not make sense to some, however it permits the manufacturing and straightforward handloading of low cost plinking and apply ammo—utilizing common previous 9mm FMJ bullets.
I had measured expectations for the accuracy of accessible .350 Legend ammo and was shocked at how tightly a lot of the rifles and ammunition grouped. I examined six .350 Legend rifles, and was in a position to shoot seven various kinds of ammo by way of them, utilizing a five-shot-group protocol. General, the .350 Legend ammo and rifles averaged a gaggle measurement of 1.78 inches (counting all teams fired), which was extra correct than the .308 ammo I examined in 11 completely different rifles. These had a complete common group measurement of two.02 inches. The common group measurement doesn’t essentially mirror how the ammo will shoot in your rifle, however the way it did throughout a variety of rifles. The usual deviation provides you an concept of the variation of that accuracy. A load that shoots rather well in a single rifle and actually poorly in one other could have a excessive customary deviation.
I didn’t count on ultra-tight teams from any of the .350 Legend ammo, however 4 masses turned in sub-MOA five-shot teams and averaged simply over an inch in rifles that most popular them. General accuracy was glorious and constant for a cartridge that may sometimes be restricted to beneath 200 yards. It’s notable that these distinctive outcomes are with non-premium ammunition.
Issues to Think about When Shopping for .350 Legend Ammo
Software
Though the cartridge was designed with a slender give attention to deer looking, it will make an ideal hog gun, plinker, and even defensive rifle when chambered in an AR. Many of the ammunition you’ll discover is meant for deer, and it’s all fairly correct. That ammo would work effectively on hogs too, however for different functions you could find full metallic jacketed ammo, defensive hollowpoints, and subsonic masses (that are glorious when utilizing a suppressor).
Value
As with many merchandise, you typically get what you pay for relating to rifle ammunition. On this case, essentially the most correct and constant ammo was on the prime for worth, however even the cheaper .350 Legend deer ammo shot very effectively. For many functions inside the purview of the .350 Legend’s capabilities, the cheaper looking ammo ought to work simply high-quality.
Award: Finest General .350 Legend Ammo
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 1.42 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .48 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
The 160-grain Energy Max Bonded load was essentially the most correct .350 Legend ammo examined, and has a bonded bullet that expands quickly.
Key Options
- Protected hollowpoint
- Notched jacket
- Bonded jacket and Core
- Velocity: 2,225 fps
Execs
- Nice accuracy
- Fast enlargement
- Bonded bullet provides deep penetration
- Good for looking a wide range of recreation
Cons
- Large hole level doesn’t assist trajectory
Product Description
The .350 Legend’s wheelhouse is 150 yards (and fewer), on medium sized recreation, and the Winchester 160-grain Energy Max Bonded suits it splendidly. At its decrease velocities, a quickly increasing, deep-penetrating bullet is concept, and that’s what you get with this jacketed hole level .350 Legend ammo. The core and jacket are bonded collectively on this bullet, however the protected hole level and segmented jacket increase quickly—even at decrease velocities.
The general accuracy of the .350 Legend ammo I examined was good, however these things was proper on the prime. In a single rifle, it averaged 1.25-inch five-shot teams at 100 yards. That’s one thing that a number of .308 and .270 Win. masses I’ve been testing can’t declare.
This .350 Legend ammo is a little bit slower than some 180-grain masses and will actually be used inside 150 yards. At 2,225 ft per second, the trajectory isn’t spectacular. In case you zero two inches excessive at 100 yards, you’ll be about two inches low at 150 yards, and 7 inches low at 200 yards. Regardless of that decrease velocity, it ought to ship glorious terminal efficiency and would make an ideal black bear load at quick vary.
Award: Finest Worth .350 Legend Deer Ammo
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 1.87 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .58 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
This Ammo wasn’t a standout in any single space, however was correct, has an excellent bullet, and—at $27 per field—is a number of the most reasonably priced .350 Legend Deer Ammo obtainable.
Key Options
- 180-grain comfortable level bullet
- Bonded jacket and core
- Velocity: 2225 fps
Execs
- Good accuracy
- Good enlargement
- Nice all-purpose looking bullet
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Deflected simply by brush
Product Description
Winchester’s Tremendous X line has lengthy been a bread-and-butter ammo for deer hunters, and it’s no completely different with .350 Legend ammo. In reality, this .350 Legend load is without doubt one of the most correct Tremendous X Energy Level masses I’ve tried in any caliber shortly. This straightforward 180-grain lead-alloy core comfortable level is a cup-and-core bullet with a notched jacket to help enlargement.
The non-bonded bullet ought to retain a excessive proportion of weight at its decrease velocities, particularly past 100 yards. The .355-inch, 180-grain bullet isn’t very aerodynamic, so it sheds velocity quick—a part of the explanation cartridges like this are deemed less-apt to journey lengthy distances ought to they ricochet. With a 100-yard zero, this load will drop nearly 10 inches at 200 yards. Set your zero two or three inches excessive at 100 yards, and you’ll nonetheless be efficient to 200, however 150 yards is a extra life like most point-blank vary.
The accuracy of the 180-grain Tremendous X Energy Level wasn’t distinctive, however it was ample for the fundamental deer ammo that it’s. The Winchester XPR Stealth SR averaged 1.12-inch 5-shot teams with this ammo, which was distinctive. In each rifle examined, accuracy was greater than adequate for the efficient vary of the cartridge. As a result of the .355-inch bullet is broad and comparatively sluggish, you may be tempted to poke by way of some gentle brush with it—don’t. I did some thorough brush bullet testing and regardless of the previous .35 Remington’s fame as a “brush buster,” bullets are simply deflected by small twigs and brush.
Award: Finest Copper .350 Legend Ammo
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 2.02 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .90 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
Though another mono-metal .350 Legend ammo is trickling out, Winchester’s 150-grain Copper Impression is essentially the most obtainable. It’s deep-penetrating, correct, and lead-free.
Key Options
- All-copper bullet
- Strong base with tipped hole level
- Giant polymer tip to provoke enlargement
- Velocity: 2260 fps
Execs
- Good accuracy
- Lead-free development
- Wonderful weight retention
- Appropriate for giant recreation
Cons
- Some rifles will be choosy with these bullets
- Costly
Product Description
As within the title, the Excessive Level Copper Impression bullet is instantly noticeable by its giant, pointed, translucent purple polymer tip. A part of Winchester’s bigger Copper Impression line, this lead-free .350 Legend ammo options an all-copper increasing bullet with that notable tip. The bullet itself is monolithic with a strong base and a wide-diameter hole level. The massive polymer tip sits inside that hole level, making the bullet extra aerodynamic and initiating fast enlargement.
Like different .350 Legend masses, this one is in its prime out to 150 yards. Get past that and your trajectory and enlargement will start to drop dramatically. Being that the cartridge is designed for whitetail deer looking, that’s completely appropriate. The all-copper bullet will retain nearly all its weight and ship nice penetration.
Copper bullets have come a good distance when it comes to accuracy, however they’ll nonetheless be a little bit unpredictable. In all of the rifles examined, the Copper Impression shot fairly effectively—apart from one rifle that averaged 4.5-inch teams with it. Take these teams out, and the typical group measurement was 1.83 inches. Two of the rifles I examined it in averaged 1.3-1.4 inches, and the Henry Single Shot fired sub-MOA three-shot teams, opening up usually with all ammo on rounds 4 and 5. Due to the copper projectiles, this .350 Legend ammo is a number of the most costly, however the efficiency will be value it.
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 1.71 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .63 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
Hornady’s 170-grain American Whitetail .350 Legend ammo is an correct, good-quality deer spherical at an ideal worth.
Key Options
- 170-grain comfortable level
- Secant ogive design for higher ballistics
- Designed for straightforward enlargement and good weight retention
- Velocity: 2200 fps
Execs
- Good accuracy
- Excessive weight retention
- Bullet profile provides an excellent trajectory
- Wonderful worth at $29 per field
Cons
- Mediocre accuracy in most rifles, no standouts
Product Description
Hornady’s American Whitetail line is meant to carry good high quality deer ammo at an reasonably priced worth. In that line, the .350 Legend ammo does simply that. There aren’t many frills right here, only a comfortable level and the reliable Interlock bullet which contains a locking ring contained in the jacket that maintain the core from separating throughout enlargement.
One attention-grabbing characteristic of the .355-inch interlock is that it has a secant ogive design—it’s steadily rounded nostril profile—that provides this bullet a greater trajectory than many different .350 Legend bullets. Even with the identical velocity as different masses examined, this ammo provides the shooter a little bit bit more practical vary. If zeroed two inches excessive at 100 yards, you need to solely be impacting two and a half inches low at 200 yards.
This .350 Legend ammo’s accuracy wasn’t unhealthy, however it’s middle-of-the-pack. Many masses excelled in a single or two rifles, however this one simply shot a dependable good common. At solely $29 per field, it’s one of the reasonably priced sorts of .350 Legend deer ammo.
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 1.97 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .70 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
This .350 Legend ammo is an efficient mixture of accuracy, terminal efficiency, and affordability. It has a 180-grain soft-point increasing bullet and prices about $30 per field.
Key Options
- 180-grain bullet
- Lead comfortable level
- Velocity: 2100 fps
Execs
- Good enlargement
- Good trajectory
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Accuracy was okay, not nice
Product Description
Federal’s Energy Shok 180-grain is one other reasonably priced .350 Legend deer ammo that performs effectively. The soft-point Energy Shok bullet isn’t bonded, however it’s designed to offer good enlargement. It’s heavy sufficient to keep up weight at .350 Legend velocities. Easy, reasonably priced, and dependable is what places meat within the pot for many hunters, and this suits the invoice.
This .350 Legend ammo has a barely higher trajectory than a few of its rivals, dropping solely about 4 and a half inches between 100 and 200 yards. That appears to be a reasonably correct declare, and should you sight two inches excessive at 100 yards, you’ll be about two and a half to 3 inches low at 200 yards. In different phrases, you possibly can maintain useless nuts and be proper within the cash out to the .350 Legend’s cheap efficient vary.
The accuracy of the Federal Energy Shok wasn’t as tight as most of the different masses, however it’s about what I anticipated from the .350 Legend, so I don’t discover it disappointing. Another masses merely stunned me. Averaging nearly two inches for five-shot teams at 100 yards is totally adequate for any deer or hog looking you’d do with one in all these rifles.
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 1.60 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .74 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
This .350 Legend deer ammo was surprisingly correct in various rifles and is constructed for fast enlargement and terminal efficiency on whitetails.
Key Options
- 150-grain Excessive Level bullet
- Giant-diameter polymer tip
- Lead core
- Velocity: 2325 fps
Execs
- Nice Accuracy
- Dramatic enlargement
- Splendid for deer or black bears
- Good trajectory
Cons
- Possible wouldn’t have the most effective penetration on bigger recreation
Product Description
Just like the Copper Impression, this Excessive Level .350 Legend ammo has a large-diameter polymer tip that’s designed to provoke fast enlargement. In contrast to the Copper Impression, this Deer Season XP ammo has a cup-and-core lead-core bullet. The bullet additionally contains a notched jacket that guides enlargement, and the upper velocity of this ammo provides it a extra cheap 200-yard efficient vary than another Winchester masses.
Popping out of the muzzle at 2325 ft per second, the bullet has about seven and a half inches of drop between 100 and 200 yards. In case you zero about 3 inches excessive at 100, it is possible for you to to carry barely above center of a deer’s vitals and hit them reliably at 200 yards. The simple-expanding design of the bullet will be sure that you get good terminal efficiency at barely slower downrange velocities.
Though the Deer Season XP wasn’t essentially the most correct ammo within the take a look at, I used to be constantly impressed with the accuracy of this .350 Legend ammo, and it averaged 1.1-inch five-shot teams in two completely different rifles. That accuracy is vital when capturing at or close to 200 yards as a result of the trajectory of the .350 Legend doesn’t supply a lot ballistic forgiveness.
Common 5-Shot Group Dimension: 1.74 inches
Customary Deviation in Group Dimension: .69 inches
Why It Made the Reduce
The .350 Legend is a superb cartridge to suppress, and it’s excellent for heavy subsonic bullets. The Winchester 255-grain Tremendous Suppressed ammo is correct, efficient, and whisper-quiet.
Key Options
- 255-grain bullet
- Jacket designed to scale back suppressor fouling
- Open tip for enlargement
- Velocity: 1060 fps
Execs
- Nice accuracy for a subsonic
- Splendid subsonic suppressed cartridge
- Open tip helps with enlargement
- Extremely-quiet with a suppressor
Cons
- Not the only option for looking large recreation
- Poor trajectory
Product Description
The .350 Legend is already an excellent cartridge to suppress, and supersonic masses take to a suppressor effectively. In reality, a few of them confirmed higher accuracy when shot by way of a can in my testing. A advantage of the cartridge just like the .350 Legend is the power to seamlessly deal with each supersonic and subsonic bullets. This wide-diameter 255-grain open-tip bullet carries plenty of mass and may be very quiet. The open tip isn’t deep, and possibly received’t give dramatic enlargement, however subsonic ammo doesn’t ship dramatic terminal efficiency anyway.
By means of the Ruger American Ranch Rifle, the Tremendous Suppressed delivered a superb 1.33-inch five-shot common group measurement. The trajectory is anemic, and that sluggish bullet drops like a rock between 50 and 100 yards. Past that, it drops off even quicker (as subsonics do). An upside is that this .350 Legend ammo (and .350 Legends typically) don’t appear to warmth up barrels and suppressors almost as quick as different rifle ammo—even .300 BLK.
The 255-grain Tremendous Suppressed wouldn’t be a great big-game looking ammo just because subsonics don’t carry out to the identical degree on recreation that supersonic bullets do. I’m positive it will be hell on hogs and small recreation although.
How We Examined .350 Legend Ammo
To check the accuracy and performance of this .350 Legend ammo, I used it along side my take a look at of six .350 Legend Rifles. I fired five-shot teams at 100 yards from sandbags on a bench. Teams had been fired in succession with out breaking place (when attainable) and barrels had been allowed to chill utterly between teams. I recorded a minimal of six teams per load, relying on obtainable ammo. For many choices, I recorded between 15 and 25 teams. Common general group measurement is listed right here, in addition to the usual deviation in group measurement. Most rifles had their most popular masses, however ammo with small customary deviation shot comparatively uniformly in all rifles.
FAQs
Q: What’s the greatest .350 Legend deer ammo?
There are various glorious masses for deer, and plenty of of them are reasonably priced. Typically, a soft-point bullet that’s reasonably priced and shoots effectively in your rifle will work simply high-quality.
Q: What’s the greatest .350 Legend ammo bullet weight?
A: That relies on the applying, however most good looking bullets are within the 150-grain to 180-grain vary and are efficient to about 200 yards. In case you’re searching for the most effective penetration, use a heavier bullet. In case you’re trying to maximize enlargement on lighter recreation, use one thing on the lighter finish of that spectrum.
Q: What’s the quickest .350 Legend ammo?
A: Winchester’s Deer Season XP 150-grain Excessive Level was the quickest ammo I examined, however some plinking and vary ammo like Browning 124-grain FMJ is as quick as 2500 fps. Lighter mono-metal bullets might be loaded to excessive speeds, however 150-grain masses will sometimes be the quickest for lead-core big-game masses.
Learn Subsequent: The Finest .308 Looking Ammo of 2022
Remaining Ideas On .350 Legend Ammo
Dwelling far, distant from any straight-wall cartridge restrictions, I by no means gave the .350 Legend a second thought. I nonetheless don’t have a specialised use for one in Alaska however capturing this ammo and these rifles have made me recognize the cartridge’s accuracy and flexibility for individuals who do stay in these areas.
The accuracy of those masses impressed me completely. None of them are premium or goal masses constructed particularly for accuracy, however it’s most likely essentially the most correct batch of normal ammunition in any cartridge that I’ve just lately examined. I don’t assume you could possibly actually go incorrect with any of this ammunition.
