Savage 220 vs 350 Legend

[Quackshack]

My great state of Pennsylvania legalized straight walled rifles for deer late last year. Previously, in our county, we were shotgun only. I have gotten the idea that the Savage 220 was the best whitetail gun option for our area. My question is for those that have used both, is the 350L an upgrade from a bolt action 20 ga slug gun? How does effective range and recoil compare? Thanks

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[Squints08]

I own both and have killed deer with both. In my opinion the 350 will have a slightly greater range, flatter trajectory, less weight, easier to find ammo for and less recoil. Just my opinion.

 

[Fordguy]

I grew up in what used to be the shotgun only (for deer hunting) area of Michigan. I had a single shot heavy barrel HR 1871 20 ga that would really shoot, and I killed multiple deer out to 150 yards with it every year. Compared to the 20 ga the 350 legend gives you greater range, flatter trajectory, and a lot less recoil. Also, quality hunting ammunition is usually cheaper for the 350. $25-$30 for 20 compared to $15 for a box of 5 sabot slugs. Unless you really love your 20 ga, it's a no-brainer.

 

[Rich M]

I dont use shotgun but do reload 350 Legend w 165 gr FTX bullet and Lil Gun Powder. My Ruger Ametican Ranch Rifle w 16 inch barrel will put those inside a quarter at 200 yards and also shoots well at 250 yards.

Recoil is about what a .243 puts out, which IMO is a bit less than 20 guage w birdshot.

You’re not gonna get DRT performance like you would with a 3006, but will get full penetration and a decent blood trail.

The 145 gr solid from Winchester shoot about where my homeloads do, i can get em for $16 a box. Cheaper than reloading w new brass and i get 1x fired brass to load. Imo, win has the best brass.

Ymmv. Hope this helps. I love my Legend.

 

[ClayA23]

Another vote for the 350L. I shoot the Winchester 150g for deer and they have performed very well.


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[tt_johnsclist]

I own both and have killed deer with both from 15 to 150 yards, plus a 450 Bushmaster. In terms of recoil the 350 is a pleasure to shoot, hands down. It’s also very accurate and nice and light to carry (at least my gun is) In terms of effective range, the 350 shoots a little flatter but you are giving up power down range. In my opinion the killing power of the 350 is overrated by many, I would give the 220 the edge at 150yds. I feel the 450 bushmaster and 220 are about equal in most regards. If recoil is an important factor I’d go 350 hands down, especially if you are hunting within 100 yards.

 

[Rich M]

I own both and have killed deer with both from 15 to 150 yards, plus a 450 Bushmaster. In terms of recoil the 350 is a pleasure to shoot, hands down. It’s also very accurate and nice and light to carry (at least my gun is) In terms of effective range, the 350 shoots a little flatter but you are giving up power down range. In my opinion the killing power of the 350 is overrated by many, I would give the 220 the edge at 150yds. I feel the 450 bushmaster and 220 are about equal in most regards. If recoil is an important factor I’d go 350 hands down, especially if you are hunting within 100 yards.

Wow. I used to think a deer had to just fall over at the shot andcwas shooting 3006 so that usually happened, for 30 some odd years of deer hunting.

Then got tired of the recoil and went to 243

 

[Fordguy]

If you're capable of hitting a pie plate (heart and lung area for a deer) at distances out to 250 yards you should have zero problem with the 350 legend. As for energy, Winchester's 350 legend 150 gr xp has more ft lbs than Remington's 20 ga 260 gr accutip sabot slug at 100 yards (and a bc of.223 for the 350 vs a bc of .144 for the 20 ga also) Wondering where the loss of down range power comparison is occurring here? Out of curiosity I looked at the numbers for Hornady's 20 ga sst and the numbers are a bit lower at both 100 and 200 yards than Winchester's numbers for the 350 legend 150 gr. xp).

Also, the price on the accutips I just looked at was $25 for a box of 5 slugs. You can buy a box of 20 in any of several flavors of hunting ammo at roughly the same price in 350 legend. More shooting/range time for your money, and a more pleasant shooting experience. As for the 450 bushy... It's one of my favorites, but it outstrips both the 350 and the 20 ga sabots by a large margin. If you like it, shoot it. Killing a deer doesn't require that much though.

 

[Maki35]

Savage 220 w/ 22" barrel. bolt action only. heavy.
Sabot slugs are expensive ($4-$5 per rd.) Sabot has more recoil than 350L.

350 legend: avail in bolt action & semi-auto. Available in 16"- 22" barrel lengths. Lighter rifle. Cost of ammo is a lot cheaper than sabot slugs.

I would choose the 350L for whitetail hunting in your area. my $0.02

 

[Quackshack]

Thanks for the responses. I was at my local gun shop checking on ammo and talked to a guy who used a 450 Bushmaster and was going back to his Savage 220. I was learning towards the 350L, but figured I could get more opinions here. Thanks again.

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[tmater]

I have used the 450 Bushmaster in Indiana for several years now, and have taken alot of deer with it. I really like this caliber, with that being said I also just bought a Savage in 350L for my son to start hunting with this year. This year will be our trial run for the 350L. One thing I do know is we will not be using a shotgun, I personally am glad those days are over.

 

[mckbcat2000]

My 2 cents. I live in IL and JB Fatboy just has to sign the bill to allow straight wall cartridges. I have lots of deer guns on hand to hunt with....TC Omega, Savage 212, Savage 220, H&R 20 gauge, and 2 custom smokeless muzzleloaders. Needless to say I like to have choices. After doing some reading on the ballistics of these straight walled guns I have to think if I already had a Savage 220 that shot good AND (Big and) had an ample supply of slugs I wouldn't run out and buy a new gun just because it's now legal. If you already have a 220 that you're pleased with and have slugs I'd keep carrying on. Heck, a 220 doesn't kick that bad anyway. Now if all I had was a 220 and was down to a box of slugs I might look more into the straight walled. I hit Cabelas about once a week now and they have several varieties of 350 Legend ammo. Shotgun slugs...yeah, they don't have any. I recently bought 8 boxes of the new Barnes slugs for the Savage 220 on GunBroker. I'd try those before I rushed out and bought a new gun.

 

[bwuebbels]

One vote for the Savage 220!