350 Legend? How do the bullets hold up on deer?

Fox

Fox

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I notice that Hornady now lists a couple .355 bullets for loading into the 350 Legend.

There is a muzzleloader I am working with that I plan on using duplex sabots from PR bullets and a jacketed 35 cal bullet to make a low recoil load for my wife to join me on a muzzlelaoder hunt. She is not a fan of recoil, 300gr 44 bullets in a 5 1/2lb rifle with 80gr of 777 is a stiff load for her.

I did some testing with a 180gr .357 XTP bullet and it shoot pretty good but I have a concern about the bullets blowing up on impact, especially if she hits the shoulder.

I know that the twist rate is too slow for a 200gr 35 Rem bullet but these 165gr FTX and 170gr Interlocks seem to show some promise, as long as they hold up on game.

Any input is greatly appreciated, thanks.
 
I played with cast lead when i was still using sabots. Never shot a white tail but got good expansion with a 20 to 1 mix i believe it was. I used two 50gr 777 pellets. Recoil wasnt as much as a regular 50 slug but was still noticable

Powerbelt makes a massive poly tipped hp 250gr areo lite bullet. They expand well at 200 yards in standard loads. Theyre a full 50 cal gas checled bullet. Again i havent taken a deer with them yet but if i was looking for a reduced load i would use them. Even a lack of expansion would still leave a 1/2" hole.
 
brybenn said:
I played with cast lead when i was still using sabots. Never shot a white tail but got good expansion with a 20 to 1 mix i believe it was. I used two 50gr 777 pellets. Recoil wasnt as much as a regular 50 slug but was still noticable

Powerbelt makes a massive poly tipped hp 250gr areo lite bullet. They expand well at 200 yards in standard loads. Theyre a full 50 cal gas checled bullet. Again i havent taken a deer with them yet but if i was looking for a reduced load i would use them. Even a lack of expansion would still leave a 1/2" hole.
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With an absolutely brutal rainbow trajectory.
 
I had to go looking - the .350 Legend is a straight wall 5.56 with a big bullet, reported to be comparable to the .243 and .30-30. So that also includes similar to the 7.62x39. The new cartridge is a solution to a very specific set of US state game laws, and probably not exactly the answer to everyone's dreams.

Supposedly its advantage is to spitzer bullets out beyond 100-yds. One Winchester load pushes 150-grain bullets at 2325 fps with 903 ft-lbs of energy at 200 yards, dropping 7.5 inches when using a 100-yard zero. Not bad for a bush or small field gun. Seven and a half inches is half the height of an average deer's chest.
 
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maple_leaf_eh said:
I had to go looking - the .350 Legend is a straight wall 5.56 with a big bullet, reported to be comparable to the .243 and .30-30. So that also includes similar to the 7.62x39. The new cartridge is a solution to a very specific set of US state game laws, and probably not exactly the answer to everyone's dreams.
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No, but bullets are coming out that are pointed, .355-.358, higher BC, lower weight, designed to open up at lower velocities than most rifles but much higher than 357 mag bullets.
 
brybenn said:
Welcome to reduced loads in muzzleloaders.
Quite a few youtube videos showing factory legend rounds in gel. Expansion isnt all that great in some vids. And thats when fired from the actual rifle
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That is the whole point of these duplex sabots, you are shooting a 357 bullet in a 50 cal muzzleloader. You have less mass and higher BC than a 50 cal, 45 cal or even 44 cal bullet in that muzzleloader without the recoil for the same powder.

Essentially you should be able to get a 180-200gr bullet moving around 2000fps, so essentially a single shot 35 remington with similar recoil, not the recoil of a huge 50 cal slug.

I have 180gr 357 XTP bullets, they smoked an empty propane tank at 100 yards, blew through one side and bulged the back side. The problem though is that this bullet is only rated to 1750fps, based on Hornady's specs.

The 1 in 28in twist means that the bullet needs to be short at that diameter and velocity, these 350 legend bullet are shorter than 35 remington bullets, although I may do some testing with a RN 200gr 35 remington bullet and see what velocity I can get.

The hypothesis is that I should be able to get a 180-200gr bullet hitting with similar energy as a 30-30 out to 200 yards with a similar trajectory and similar recoil, which would make it usable for my wife, a full bore 50 cal slug that is only good out to 50 yards is not worth it, so no point in simply reducing the load and using traditional bullets.
 
I was testing the 180gr 40cal XTP's in a JR carbine. I shot through a 2l pop bottle, into a stack of 2x12's at 25 yds. The round left a huge hole in the first board and was buried in the second board. The recovered bullet still weighs 180gr. I know you are pushing them faster than intended, but you could try a similar test and see how they stand up. I would definitely be interested in your results.

Jim
 
Workin Man said:
I was testing the 180gr 40cal XTP's in a JR carbine. I shot through a 2l pop bottle, into a stack of 2x12's at 25 yds. The round left a huge hole in the first board and was buried in the second board. The recovered bullet still weighs 180gr. I know you are pushing them faster than intended, but you could try a similar test and see how they stand up. I would definitely be interested in your results.

Jim
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I want to do some close range water testing, just to see what will happen to the bullet. I smoked that propane tank at 100 yards, you could tell that the expansion was pretty significant.

I plan on getting or building a 35 Whelen so picking up some 200gr RN .358 bullets will not be a waste, just may sit in the cabinet for a bit.

They do not list the 180gr XTP on the charts for expansion but the 158gr XTP is a low velocity bullet, the FP version of that looks to be good up to 1400fps, Hornady said not over 1750, so that is why I am really iffy about how explosive this could be. There are guys loading them in sabots into their 45 cal muzzleloaders with good effect but they also use 158gr XTPs and say the same thing.
 
so my understanding of this new cartridge is for straight walled rifle cartridges only..... an the 350 fits into the AR platform, so wollahh its exciting.

not to me, however, i use the 375 winchester - a straight walled 375, on a straightened out 30-30 case............

you guys want penetration? i use hard cast mass produced boolits......... and have shot rear end through sambar with ease.

im suprised this 375 winchester isnt more used in the straight walled areas, cos i assume to be straight walled, the shots aint far either.... 375 great for 200 all day long.

any thoughts on this 375 winnie V that new 350 legion.
 
WhelanLad said:
so my understanding of this new cartridge is for straight walled rifle cartridges only..... an the 350 fits into the AR platform, so wollahh its exciting.

not to me, however, i use the 375 winchester - a straight walled 375, on a straightened out 30-30 case............

you guys want penetration? i use hard cast mass produced boolits......... and have shot rear end through sambar with ease.

im suprised this 375 winchester isnt more used in the straight walled areas, cos i assume to be straight walled, the shots aint far either.... 375 great for 200 all day long.

any thoughts on this 375 winnie V that new 350 legion.
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The states that have the straight wall laws also specify a case length and caliber as well
 
WhelanLad said:
so my understanding of this new cartridge is for straight walled rifle cartridges only..... an the 350 fits into the AR platform, so wollahh its exciting.

not to me, however, i use the 375 winchester - a straight walled 375, on a straightened out 30-30 case............

you guys want penetration? i use hard cast mass produced boolits......... and have shot rear end through sambar with ease.

im suprised this 375 winchester isnt more used in the straight walled areas, cos i assume to be straight walled, the shots aint far either.... 375 great for 200 all day long.

any thoughts on this 375 winnie V that new 350 legion.
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Actually, your 375 is a remake of the 38-55 with a higher pressure, the case length was changed slightly but not much. The 30-30 is a bottle necked 38-55 :D

I was asking because of a duplex sabot for muzzle loaders, an interesting concept that peaked my interest due to my small in stature wife hunting now. The idea is that you take a 357 bullet and seat it into a custom sabot that jumps up to 45, seat that sabot into a standard 45 to 50 cal and you can shoot lighter bullets with decent BC out of a 50 cal muzzle loader and reduce your recoil while having a flatter trajectory of traditional sabot rounds, like the 240gr and 300gr 44 and 45 cal in a 50 cal sabot.
 
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