350 legend testing

[MightyMatt]

Well I just finished the second year in Michigan using the little 350 legend. I'm running a Winchester XPR with the Leupold VX-Freedom 350 legend turret for glass. I shot a nice 3 year old buck at 208 yards and was one of the few bullets I've recovered from the Winchester Deer Seaon XP 150 grain load. Then last weekend I drove south to finish my season on the farm. Saturday was not real hot and I ended up with only Sunday morning left in my season.
Long story short the stars aligned Sunday morning and I walked across the road from my parents house and noticed a nice big doe standing in the head row. Only 150 yards away and had no clue I was there. I got a bead on her and squeezed the trigger and quickly hard the thump of bullet in chest cavity. I look to the right 40 yards and there stands another doe looking around and standing broadside stationary. Being I had 3 doe tags in my pocket I swung right and squeezed the trigger again. I quickly heard the familiar thump of the bullet on her and she jumped the fence behind her and down she went. I quickly raced up the hillside to make sure she was down and see another group of does staring at the second doe laying there. I had to shift about 10 yards to get a clear shot and again squeezed the trigger with my cross hairs on the third doe.
All within two minutes I filled all three doe tags and then the realization set in that I had a lot of work to do before I started the 3 hour drive north back home. Anyway, I fired all 3 rounds from the little 350 legend and just a short blood trail later I found all three with a clean pass-through on each one. I'm really liking the rounds so far and just maybe it could eventually earn the name it has been given.

 

[MightyMatt]

The recovered bullet was from the 8 point the weekend prior.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

How's the noise "report" from the 350? I would assume fairly quiet?

 

[wesfromky]

I killed a couple deer this year with my new ruger .350. Like it quite a bit.

You might check out some of their all copper ammo - https://bearcreekballistics.com/product/350-legend-ammunition/

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Congratulations on the clean and efficient harvests! Love the Kubota too, my old B2410 is just one size bigger and is one heck of a machine.

My experience on one deer killed with a .350 was successful but not impressive. I took my nephew out during Iowa's second gun season and he shot his first deer, a small buck, at approximatley 55 yards. Unfortunately, he hit the deer threw the stomach/liver on first shot. After the first shot, the buck trotted down and walked under our ladder and stopped about 10 yards behind us. Nephew was able to swivel and put another round in the buck at a steep downward angle, obliterating the heart and taking out both lungs (upon post-mortem). However, the deer ran about 100 yards downhill, and when we got down to trail it there was an absolute bare minimum blood trail in fresh snow. Only a tiny drop here and there until we got close to the body. I would've expected the trail to be painted on both sides, but it wasn't. I'm still trying to figure it out. Both shots were pass throughs, and although the first one was plugged on both sides with stomach contents and fat, the second shot was through the boiler room. He was shooting a JSP round and wasn't sure the brand/grain of course.

Muzzle blast out of his Winchester bolt action wasn't bad at all.

 

[MightyMatt]

How's the noise "report" from the 350? I would assume fairly quiet?

Really not bad at all. I don't bother to put ear plugs in shooting it at game.

 

[Rich M]

Jumped at this post cause I really like the 350 Legend. Been playing with and testing it. Was hoping for some testing data. Don't get me wrong - dead deer is great.

Shooting a Ruger American Ranch Rifle w 16 inch barrel. Diamondback BDC 3-9x40 scope on there.

The muzzle blast is mild. Recoil is mild.

Down side to the cartridge is that most of the factory ammo has a regular rifle bullet in it - what I mean is that once you get out to 200 yards, the bullets don't expand very well. That's where reloading comes in handy. Those 150 gr Winchester bullets look real nice but I haven't seen any available locally. Fury and Hornady FTX bullets will expand reliably down to 1,000 fps or less and are my choice for that reason.

Being a reloader, there are tons of bullet options in .355 and .357 (resize the .357 down to .356 and go to town). Have shot the 145 gr solids, 170 gr interlocks, 165 gr FTXs, 158 Fury's, 158 XTP FPs (.357 sized down to .356), and some 125 gr .355 solids like you'd use in a 9mm handgun.

Want to resize some 180 gr .357 XTP HPs for use in the thick cover down here - figure a 180 gr HP at 2200-2300 fps should pretty much body slam a FL deer. Also have some 170 gr Fury bullets to test run. The Fury's are a little pricey but they shoot good and I haven't been able to catch any at 175 yards in 1-gal water bottles - they usually exit to left after 2 or 3 jugs.

Hunting with 165 gr ftx (flex tip) bullets at about 2300 fps. They shoot 1/2 inch (outside to outside) at 100 yards and 1 inch at 250 yards. Need to find a 300 yard range. Anyway, only have 2 does down with the Legend so far. Full penetration but they were about 30/35 and 50 yards, thereabouts anyway.

One was DRT, other one ran 100 yards with dbl lung (in tight to shoulder, out paunch at 50 yards) - had a fist sized hole just behind the scapula - she was painting trees after about 75 yards. Took her off her feet but she got moving and buggered off a little bit.

Not nearly the size of the deer OP has up north. This is about 90 pounds of GA whitetail.

 

[MightyMatt]

How's the noise "report" from the 350? I would assume fairly quiet?

Might be about a good as it gets for a suppressed hunting rifle for deer inside the ranges 90% of deer are harvested.

 

[MightyMatt]

 

[MightyMatt]

 

[MightyMatt]

This was the decent 8 that fell to the 350. 208 yards and was the only broadside spot that's stopped a bullet. It blew through the scapula, vitals and was balled up just under the offside hide and is the bullet pictured in my hand in the earlier pics. I didn't bother to weigh the buck but would guess him to be 160-170 lbs dressed. The buck being thicker and still decently rutted up in guessing created enough resistance to barely stop the bullet. It did separate from the jacket but both were found together so it might have separated as the hide was stretched before snapping back without breaking through.

 

[Rich M]

We dont see em thst big around here. That bullet did a great job.

Agree, bone usually separates bullets but not from shoulder to ribs, the speed reduction at the skin likely did it.

Im looking forward to using mine on game at 200-250 yards. See how well she functions.

 

[Libtard McSocalist]

Good info here glad to see it. I have been looking into a 350 legend for the wife/future kids

 

[Rich M]

Congratulations on the clean and efficient harvests! Love the Kubota too, my old B2410 is just one size bigger and is one heck of a machine.

My experience on one deer killed with a .350 was successful but not impressive. I took my nephew out during Iowa's second gun season and he shot his first deer, a small buck, at approximatley 55 yards. Unfortunately, he hit the deer threw the stomach/liver on first shot. After the first shot, the buck trotted down and walked under our ladder and stopped about 10 yards behind us. Nephew was able to swivel and put another round in the buck at a steep downward angle, obliterating the heart and taking out both lungs (upon post-mortem). However, the deer ran about 100 yards downhill, and when we got down to trail it there was an absolute bare minimum blood trail in fresh snow. Only a tiny drop here and there until we got close to the body. I would've expected the trail to be painted on both sides, but it wasn't. I'm still trying to figure it out. Both shots were pass throughs, and although the first one was plugged on both sides with stomach contents and fat, the second shot was through the boiler room. He was shooting a JSP round and wasn't sure the brand/grain of course.

Muzzle blast out of his Winchester bolt action wasn't bad at all.

The lack of blood was due to the heart being destroyed. Had same thing w my BIL shooting a doe and destroying heart. 1 fleck of blood. Dead deer 75 yards or so away, an hour or so to find it.

 

[meddlecho]

I put together a 350 legend upper to try out a few years back. First time out with it and got a buck, but was not sold and ended up selling the barrel and bolt. First shot was about 25 yards and he didn't even flinch, thought I somehow missed so I followed up with a second shot which you could visibly see he felt. He walked/ran for about 75 yards and fell. Got him field dressed and drug him out to another friend's garage. Shots were about .75 of an inch apart right in the boiler room.

Few years ago now, but I believe I used the Winchester SuperX 180 grain. Was when it was first introduced so options were limited.

 

[Forestryguy]

Since this old thread somehow got restarted (seems to be the trend lately). Has anyone messed with extending the throat in the chamber and loading heavy bullets in this cartridge. It has seemed to work doing this with 45/70, 375 Raptor, 458 SOCOM and the new 8.6.