Photo: Trigger Press Blog
Just a few weeks away, and Michigan’s firearm deer season will kick off. This year there will be a new round in the woods, and by the amount of ammo that I have seen come and go on the shelves, I am going to guess it is already a popular option. That round is the 350 Legend. Introduced in the beginning of 2019 by Winchester, the 350 Legend brings inexpensive ammo, lighter recoil, and most importantly legal for use in Michigan’s limited firearm zone as well as a few other states. Ballistically it is sufficient for whitetail deer and other game within reasonable range. Like the 450 Bushmaster it was designed to be used in an AR type platform, but various bolt actions are available at the time of this writing.
Michigan’s Limited Firearm Zone
A few years ago, Michigan changed the law on it’s formerly known shotgun only zone. It is the southern part of the state where population density is highest. Previously, handguns, shotguns and muzzleloaders were the only legal firearms for that area. Now the law states straight wall cartridges, minimum 35 caliber, with a case length of 1.16” to 1.8” can be used in rifles in addition to the above firearms. Basically the law was created by measuring revolver cartridges, starting at 44 special and ending with 460 S&W. I am not a fan of the new law since it doesn’t make much sense on how the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) came to their new restrictions. The law could simply have no maximum length call out, since virtually all straight walled cartridges over 35 caliber have a poor short range trajectory. Furthermore the law could have an inclusive list of cartridges by name, like most bottlenecks chambered in tube fed lever actions. 30-30, 35 Rem., 32 Win. Special are examples of necked down cartridges with similar trajectory as the already legal straight walls.
350 LEGEND VS. 450 BUSHMASTER
The 450 has been around for about a decade now. It had little success but not necessarily it’s own fault for not becoming mainstream, all three of the original thumpers for AR-15 platforms, (450 Bush, 458 Socom, 50 Beowulf), did not stay in the headlines long. I read some popularity hog hunting with them, but I never knew anyone that bought one strictly for deer hunting. They were (are) expensive to shoot and until recently only available as an AR-15. AR platforms can work wonderfully in the deer woods, I have tried it. They just still seem absent from most tree stands and deer blinds.
The 450 Bushmaster has newfound fame with the help of Ruger and many other makers of bolt guns. It has been a very popular deer round in the restricted part of the state. Ballistically it is a metallic cartridge .50 cal. muzzleloader. They both launch near identical bullets at roughly the same velocity. The Bushmaster however is faster to reload, and more consistent which can lead to better accuracy. Muzzleloaders can be accurate too, it just takes more effort weighing charges and seating bullets the same every shot. Most hunters I know just dump in a few pellets of Pyrodex, seat a bullet until they stop, and drop in the cheapest 209 primer they can find. At the end of the day a muzzleloader is still shooting a bullet wrapped in plastic, whereas the 450 launches a projectile at bore diameter.
The 350 legend, like the Bushmaster, is offered in a few bolt action rifles as well as complete AR-15s. They both headspace off the case mouth, and they both fire handgun diameter bullets. Even if they were chambered for their respective rifle bullet diameter (.458 and .358) I do not believe it would benefit them as much as I had thought when I first read about the Legend. The increase to rifle bullets would allow more weight and higher sectional densities, but I do not think either round could push much heavier bullets without harming an already rainbow trajectory even more. The 350 could possibly push a 200 gr. slug at about 19-1950 fps?? Putting it just behind a 35 Remington, but the 180 gr. is probably the Legend’s best balance with just over .2 sectional density and a respectable, for it’s class, .245 ballistic coefficient. Running at a decent 2100 fps. The 450 Bushmaster launches a similar load, in terms of over .2 S.D., at 300 grains cruising at 1900 fps. The 275 gr. Remington Barnes XPB with a .193 S.D. running 2125 fps, is probably more of the equal to the Legend’s 180s. Currently on the local gun shop shelves, 350 can be had in 150 and 180 grain hunting bullets, with a 145 FMJ plinking round. The cost of ammo is the first major difference between the Legend and Bushmaster. Although 450 ammo has went down, it is still around $30 dollars or more per box. I have seen the 350 180 grain loads on sale for about $18, with MSRP around the $20 mark.
Ammunition cost isn’t the only positive for the Legend, recoil is also significantly less. At roughly half the felt recoil of the 450 in the same weight rifle. It took me awhile to understand the merits of low recoiling hunting rifles. I used to think you only shoot once or twice in the woods, so who cares how bad the kick is. Now having children I can relate to the importance of a soft shooter. It is less intimidating and they can actually get in more practice with the same firearm they will be hunting with. Softer recoil has the same pros for adults too.
After reading and charting the data, I do not see where the 350 Legend is at a disadvantage to the 450 Bushmaster. Sure it doesn’t have as much energy, but it shoots the same or better sectional density bullets at the same or better velocity and the same or better trajectory. With the reduced cost, reduced recoil, and acceptable performance, the Legend may become the mainstay cartridge for Michigan’s limited firearm zone. The future of these cartridges rely on the law and regulations that brought them here. If legislation changes it could easily put them back on the shelf collecting dust like previously with the 450. Maybe the Legend could survive for its merits mentioned above, and maybe it could live up to it’s name “LEGEND”.
OTHER OPTIONS:
12/20 Gauge
Shotguns have been the number one option for years, and many deer have fell due to them. With the advent of sabot slugs and rifled barrels, shotguns can be capable to about 200 yards. The down side is recoil and expenses finding the right slug for your gun. Rifled slugs or slugs with full bore diameter are fairly affordable and devastating at archery ranges, but really poor trajectory and hit or miss accuracy bogs them down. The right combination still makes a slug gun popular, considering most serious hunters own at least one 12 or 20 gauge.
50 cal. Muzzleloader
Muzzleloaders have their own season, so chances are if a hunter utilizes all seasons for Michigan deer, he or she already has a modern in-line musket stashed in the safe. A person could own a single firearm and hunt multiple seasons. Effective and proven, in-line muzzleloaders can reach out with the best of the newly legal cartridges. The negatives are not that bad if you hit what you shoot at the first time, and clean the bore thoroughly after use. They are definitely more inconvenient than shooting preloaded ammo from a box, but modern day muzzleloaders still are relevant.
357/44 Magnum
Magnum pistol carbines are another compliant platform. 357 Mag, 44 Mag, and hot 45 Colt fired from a Marlin 1894 lever gun is a handy tool. I own a newer model in 44 Magnum. These little levers feel like a Red Ryder BB gun, and shoot rather soft considering what they are firing. The full magnum loads out of a revolver can be a handful, not so much in a rifle/carbine when you add 16-20″ of barrel length. Ballistics are really not that much greater from a long barreled revolver. I average an increase of about 200 fps from my 7.5″ Ruger Super Black Hawk to my 20″ Marlin. Roughly 16 fps per inch of barrel increase. All three of these pistol magnums are limited on range over the rest of the playing field. They just do not put out enough velocity to stay in flight for long. I figure they run about 75 yards behind the 450 Bushmaster or 350 Legend in terms of impact energy and drop.
460/500 S&W
Smith and Wesson’s big magnums deliver the most performance out of a rifle for the limited hunting zone. There are not too many options for firearms, T/C Encore or H&R Handi Rifle come to mind. Big Horn Armory does make a fine lever gun chambered in either, at a custom price of course. The 45 Raptor is a rimless 460 S&W fired from an AR 308 platform. I’ve had the treat a couple years back to try a T/C Encore Khatadin in 460 with a 20” barrel. The gun is light and compact. A real joy to haul up to a tree stand or climb into a blind, but that is where the fun ends. The recoil with any full power load tested was eye watering. The Encore can also fire 454 Casull which tones it down a bit. The draw back, other than stout recoil, is cost and somewhat rare. There is not too many choices for ammo locally. The Hornady FTX 200 gr. 460 S&W and Hornady FTX 300 gr. 500 S&W is all I can find in store. At over $50/box I would definitely recommend reloading. I would also prefer stuffing 300+ grain bullets in the 460, it has the capability to push them to levels of hot loaded 45-70. The factory Hornady load is fast, running over 2800 FPS in the Encore. With an extremely low sectional density for a hunting bullet, I am a bit skeptical of this 200 grain’s performance.
THE NUMBERS…
The 30-30 load is for comparison only, as it is not a legal cartridge yet for Michigan’s limited zone. Take note on how close the 150 gr. Legend is to the 150 gr. 30-30. Almost the same except the 30-30 boast a much higher sectional density than the 350.
Thanks for your time, and be safe.