The Finest .350 Legend Ammo

Though it’s related in ballistic efficiency to the .35 Remington and .357 Most, the .350 Legend was a witty seize at a whitetail searching market that’s purely the results of regulation—straight-wall states and counties. The prospect of a compact straight wall cartridge that delivers extra vitality than a .30/30 with low recoil, and features in normal 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 as of late. 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 seek out out.

Finest Handloads

.350 Legend Ammo is Versatile and Shockingly Correct

Regardless of some current straight-wall cartridges that match or barely outperform the .350 Legend in uncooked ballistics, the Legend is best suited to fashionable firearms. This doesn’t imply that these cartridges aren’t nice, however there’s a motive the .350 Legend has turn out to be standard. As a lot as some of us imagine that it’s all advertising and marketing hype, the .350 Legend’s design provides it two benefits that set it up for fulfillment—utilizing a .355-inch diameter bullet and having a rebated rim that matches a normal AR bolt face.

In contrast to older rimmed cartridges (or the .35 Rem.), it’s each a simple match for any fashionable rifle, and authorized below straight-wall rules. The .355-inch diameter bullet may not make sense to some, nevertheless it permits the manufacturing and straightforward handloading of low cost plinking and observe ammo—utilizing common outdated 9mm FMJ bullets.

I had measured expectations for the accuracy of obtainable .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 capable of 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 bunch dimension of 1.78 inches (counting all teams fired), which was extra correct than the .308 ammo I examined in 11 totally different rifles.  These had a complete common group dimension of two.02 inches. The typical group dimension doesn’t essentially replicate how the ammo will shoot in your rifle, however the way it did throughout a spread of rifles. The usual deviation provides you an concept of the variation of that accuracy. A load that shoots very well in a single rifle and actually poorly in one other can have a excessive normal deviation.

I didn’t count on ultra-tight teams from any of the .350 Legend ammo, however 4 hundreds 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 can usually be restricted to below 200 yards. It’s notable that these distinctive outcomes are with non-premium ammunition.

Issues to Take into account When Shopping for .350 Legend Ammo

Software

Though the cartridge was designed with a slim concentrate on deer searching, it will make a terrific 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 properly on hogs too, however for different functions you will discover full steel jacketed ammo, defensive hollowpoints, and subsonic hundreds (that are glorious when utilizing a suppressor).

Price

As with many merchandise, you usually get what you pay for relating to rifle ammunition. On this case, probably the most correct and constant ammo was on the high for worth, however even the cheaper .350 Legend deer ammo shot very properly. For many functions throughout the purview of the .350 Legend’s capabilities, the cheaper searching ammo ought to work simply high quality.

Finest .350 Legend Ammo: Critiques & Suggestions

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.42 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .48 inches

Key Options

• Protected hollowpoint
• Notched jacket
• Bonded jacket and Core
• Velocity: 2,225 fps

Professionals

• Nice accuracy
• Fast enlargement
• Bonded bullet provides deep penetration
• Good for searching quite a lot of sport

Cons

• Huge hole level doesn’t assist trajectory

The .350 Legend’s wheelhouse is 150 yards (and fewer), on medium sized sport, and the Winchester 160-grain Energy Max Bonded matches 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 develop quickly—even at decrease velocities.

The general accuracy of the .350 Legend ammo I examined was good, however these things was proper on the high. 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. hundreds I’ve been testing can’t declare.

This .350 Legend ammo is somewhat slower than some 180-grain hundreds and will actually be used inside 150 yards. At 2,225 ft per second, the trajectory isn’t spectacular. For those who 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 a terrific black bear load at quick vary.

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.87 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .58 inches

Key Options

• 180-grain mushy level bullet
• Bonded jacket and core
• Velocity: 2225 fps

Professionals

• Good accuracy
• Good enlargement
• Nice all-purpose searching bullet
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Deflected simply by brush

Winchester’s Tremendous X line has lengthy been a bread-and-butter ammo for deer hunters, and it’s no totally different with .350 Legend ammo. The truth is, this .350 Legend load is likely one of the most correct Tremendous X Energy Level hundreds I’ve tried in any caliber shortly. This easy 180-grain lead-alloy core mushy level is a cup-and-core bullet with a notched jacket to assist enlargement.  

The non-bonded bullet ought to retain a excessive share 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 rationale cartridges like this are deemed less-apt to journey lengthy distances ought to they ricochet. With a 100-yard zero, this load will drop virtually 10 inches at 200 yards. Set your zero two or three inches excessive at 100 yards, and you may nonetheless be efficient to 200, however 150 yards is a extra reasonable most point-blank vary.

The accuracy of the 180-grain Tremendous X Energy Level wasn’t distinctive, nevertheless it was ample for the essential 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 enough for the efficient vary of the cartridge. As a result of the .355-inch bullet is broad and comparatively gradual, 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 outdated .35 Remington’s fame as a “brush buster,” bullets are simply deflected by small twigs and brush.

Finest Copper: Barnes Vor-Tx 170-grain TSX FB

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.699 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .409 inches

Key Options

• All-copper building
• Sectioned hole level for constant enlargement
• Six petal segments
• Velocity: 2,125 fps

Professionals

• Good accuracy
• Fast enlargement
• Good penetration
• Glorious weight retention

Cons

Barnes Bullets is on the high of the checklist for high quality monolithic bullets, and so they embody the .350 Legend of their high-quality Vor-Tx ammunition line. This load encompasses a 170-grain flat-base TSX bullet with a big hole level that’s segmented into six sections. That is much like the design of a few of their muzzleloader and handgun projectiles and can assist the bullet develop reliably on the decrease velocities of the .350 Legend cartridge. 

I examined the Barnes ammunition after the primary iteration of this take a look at was revealed, so I solely examined it in three rifles. Its accuracy was good, averaging slightly below 1.7 inches for 5-shot teams at 100 yards. For a load that ought to be used at 150 yards and below, that’s completely acceptable. 

The .350 isn’t a powerhouse, so a bullet like this that expands at decrease velocities ought to be a terrific choice for deer or different medium-sized sport. I wouldn’t count on huge blood trails, however well-placed pictures from this low-recoiling cartridge will enable that TSX to do its job—which it often does extremely properly.

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 2.02 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .90 inches

Key Options

• All-copper bullet
• Strong base with tipped hole level
• Giant polymer tip to provoke enlargement
• Velocity: 2260 fps

Professionals

• Good accuracy
• Lead-free building
• Glorious weight retention
• Appropriate for big sport

Cons

• Some rifles might be choosy with these bullets
• Costly

As within the title, the Excessive Level Copper Affect bullet is instantly noticeable by its massive, pointed, translucent pink polymer tip. A part of Winchester’s bigger Copper Affect line, this lead-free .350 Legend ammo options an all-copper increasing bullet with that notable tip. The bullet itself is monolithic with a stable base and a wide-diameter hole level. The big polymer tip sits inside that hole level, making the bullet extra aerodynamic and initiating fast enlargement.

Like different .350 Legend hundreds, 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 searching, that’s completely appropriate. The all-copper bullet will retain virtually all its weight and ship nice penetration.

Copper bullets have come a great distance by way of accuracy, however they will nonetheless be somewhat unpredictable. In all of the rifles examined, the Copper Affect shot fairly properly—apart from one rifle that averaged 4.5-inch teams with it. Take these teams out, and the common group dimension 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 few of the most costly, however the efficiency might be price it.

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.71 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .63 inches

Key Options

• 170-grain mushy level
• Secant ogive design for higher ballistics
• Designed for simple enlargement and good weight retention
• Velocity: 2200 fps

Professionals

• Good accuracy
• Excessive weight retention
• Bullet profile provides a great trajectory
• Glorious worth at $29 per field

Cons

• Mediocre accuracy in most rifles, no standouts

Hornady’s American Whitetail line is meant to convey 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 mushy level and the reliable Interlock bullet which encompasses a locking ring contained in the jacket that hold 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 progressively rounded nostril profile—that provides this bullet a greater trajectory than many different .350 Legend bullets. Even with the identical velocity as different hundreds examined, this ammo provides the shooter somewhat bit simpler vary. If zeroed two inches excessive at 100 yards, it is best to solely be impacting two and a half inches low at 200 yards.

This .350 Legend ammo’s accuracy wasn’t unhealthy, nevertheless it’s middle-of-the-pack. Many hundreds excelled in a single or two rifles, however this one simply shot a dependable good common. At solely $29 per field, it’s some of the reasonably priced styles of .350 Legend deer ammo.

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.97 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .70 inches

Key Options

• 180-grain bullet
• Lead mushy level
• Velocity: 2100 fps

Professionals

• Good enlargement
• Good trajectory
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Accuracy was okay, not nice

Federal’s Energy Shok 180-grain is one other reasonably priced .350 Legend deer ammo that performs properly. The soft-point Energy Shok bullet isn’t bonded, nevertheless 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 matches the invoice.

This .350 Legend ammo has a barely higher trajectory than a few of its opponents, dropping solely about 4 and a half inches between 100 and 200 yards. That appears to be a fairly correct declare, and should you sight two inches excessive at 100 yards, you’ll be about two and a half to a few inches low at 200 yards. In different phrases, you’ll be able to 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 lots of the different hundreds, nevertheless it’s about what I anticipated from the .350 Legend, so I don’t discover it disappointing. Another hundreds merely shocked me. Averaging nearly two inches for five-shot teams at 100 yards is totally enough for any deer or hog searching you’d do with one in every of these rifles.

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.60 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .74 inches

Key Options

• 150-grain Excessive Level bullet
• Giant-diameter polymer tip
• Lead core
• Velocity: 2325 fps

Professionals

• Nice Accuracy
• Dramatic enlargement
• Very best for deer or black bears
• Good trajectory

Cons

• Doubtless wouldn’t have the most effective penetration on bigger sport

Just like the Copper Affect, this Excessive Level .350 Legend ammo has a large-diameter polymer tip that’s designed to provoke fast enlargement. In contrast to the Copper Affect, this Deer Season XP ammo has a cup-and-core lead-core bullet. The bullet additionally encompasses 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 hundreds.

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. For those who 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 straightforward-expanding design of the bullet will be certain that you get good terminal efficiency at barely slower downrange velocities.

Though the Deer Season XP wasn’t probably the most correct ammo within the take a look at, I used to be persistently impressed with the accuracy of this .350 Legend ammo, and it averaged 1.1-inch five-shot teams in two totally different rifles. That accuracy is essential when capturing at or close to 200 yards as a result of the trajectory of the .350 Legend doesn’t provide a lot ballistic forgiveness.

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 1.74 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .69 inches

Key Options

• 255-grain bullet
• Jacket designed to cut back suppressor fouling
• Open tip for enlargement
• Velocity: 1060 fps

Professionals

• Nice accuracy for a subsonic
• Very best subsonic suppressed cartridge
• Open tip helps with enlargement
• Extremely-quiet with a suppressor

Cons

• Not the only option for searching huge sport
• Poor trajectory

The .350 Legend is already a great cartridge to suppress, and supersonic hundreds take to a suppressor properly. The truth is, a few of them confirmed higher accuracy when shot by way of a can in my testing. A good thing about 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 a number of mass and could 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 the Ruger American Ranch Rifle, the Tremendous Suppressed delivered a superb 1.33-inch five-shot common group dimension. The trajectory is anemic, and that gradual 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 on the whole) don’t appear to warmth up barrels and suppressors practically as quick as different rifle ammo—even .300 BLK.

The 255-grain Tremendous Suppressed wouldn’t be a great big-game searching ammo just because subsonics don’t carry out to the identical stage on sport that supersonic bullets do. I’m positive it will be hell on hogs and small sport although.

Browning 124-grain FMJ

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement: 2.164 inches

Commonplace Deviation in Group Measurement: .44 inches

Key Options

• 124-grain bullet
• Rounded FMJ
• Low Recoil
• Velocity: 2,500 fps

Professionals

• Nice for plinking
• Capabilities properly in AR-style rifles
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Solely appropriate for observe

It’s at all times good to have reasonably priced observe ammo, and this providing from Browning lets you blaze away with out burning by way of a pile of money. Tthe .350 Legend’s 0.355-inch bullet diameter permits it to make use of 124-grain 9mm FMJ pistol bullets—or bullets which can be very related—and this ammo features properly in AR-style rifles. 

Browning’s 124-grain FMJ load is low-recoiling, reasonably priced, and features properly in quite a lot of rifles. It’s nice for plinking or coaching new hunters in the usage of their rifle. It’s fairly correct for ball ammo, however is simply actually appropriate for observe. 

Finest Handloads: Critiques & Suggestions

Handloading for the .350 Legend permits you to discover the flexibility of the cartridge extra totally than manufacturing facility ammo. You possibly can simply load 9mm FMJ bullets over a light-weight cost of powder for affordable observe fodder, or you’ll be able to wring extra accuracy and efficiency from the cartridge with purposeful bullet choice. 

My two favourite hundreds are each with bullets from Lehigh Protection. The .355-inch, 150-grain Managed Chaos bullet is meant to be used within the .350 Legend, however I additionally had nice outcomes with the .355-inch 9mm 118-grain Excessive Protection bullet.

Key Factors for Loading the .350 Legend

I used to be capable of develop a few skookum hundreds for my Ruger American Ranch rifle in .350 Legend, however there’s a few issues I famous:

• The .350 Legend headspaces off the case neck, so ensure to measure and trim instances to maintain them uniform and inside specs (1.700 to 1.710 inches).
• Hodgdon Lil’Gun powder is listed in varied load information sources as a high performer for velocity within the .350 Legend. I developed hundreds in chilly climate and with even middle-of-the-road hundreds, it confirmed excessive stress, blowing primers and inflicting heavy bolt carry. I’d keep away from it in favor of powders like H110, from which I by no means noticed excessive stress indicators—even at max load ranges.

Lehigh Protection 150-grain Managed Chaos

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement (100 yards): .937 inches

    (200 yards): 2.237 inches

Key Options

• Lehigh Protection 150-grain Managed Chaos Bullet
• Monolithic machined copper
• Hole level with break-away petals
• Strong shank
• Powder Cost: 28.0 grains H110
• Brass: Winchester
• Velocity: 2,392 ft per second

This purpose-designed .350 Legend bullet is a monolithic copper hole level that’s designed for traumatic terminal efficiency and glorious penetration. It encompasses a stable shank with a big open hole tip. Upon affect, the tip opens alongside internally segmented traces inflicting nice tissue upset. The opening petals break off and create new wound channels whereas the stable shank continues to penetrate. My son used this bullet on his first black bear and, when shot by way of the lungs, the bear ran about 10 yards and fell over stone useless. I recovered two petals below the offside pores and skin and the bullet shank handed utterly by way of the bear.

I used to be capable of obtain nice accuracy with this bullet, and it may successfully be used out to 200 yards or so. Recoil is considerably softer than a few of the 180-grain bullets produce. 

Lehigh Protection 118-grain Excessive Protection

Common 5-Shot Group Measurement (100 yards): .916 inches

    (200 yards): 2.02 inches

Key Options

• Lehigh Protection 118-grain, .355-inch Excessive Protection bullet
• Monolithic machined copper
• Strong building with fluted tip
• Designed for 9mm Luger
• Powder Cost: 27.9 grains Correct No. 9
• Brass: Winchester
• Velocity: 2,831 ft per second

The 118-grain Excessive Protection bullet was designed to be used within the 9mm Luger, nevertheless I couldn’t assist however strive it within the .350 Legend. This bullet fashion is standard in bear protection cartridges just like the 10mm, and I’ve even used it in a .45/70. It’s a stable copper bullet that appears a bit like a Phillips screwdriver. The tip has flutes which scale back floor space and support with deep penetration, but in addition disrupt tissue in a fashion much like hole level bullets. In creating the 10mm Honeybadger load, Black Hills Ammo proprietor Jeff Hoffman discovered {that a} 115-grain bullet at 1,600 ft per second produced a wound channel that was basically a carbon copy of that from a 240-grain JHP from a .44 Magnum.

To my shock, I discovered hundreds with the 118-grain XD bullet produced nice accuracy and displayed a great trajectory out to 200 yards. When zeroed two inches excessive at 100 yards, affect was about three inches low at 200 yards. This load was 10.5 inches low and printed a five-shot group of two.8 inches at 250 yards—farther than one ought to most likely shoot at sport with the .350 Legend. 

How I Examined .350 Legend Ammo

To check the accuracy and performance of this .350 Legend ammo, I used it at the side of 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 doable) and barrels had been allowed to chill utterly between teams. I recorded a minimal of six teams per load, relying on accessible ammo. For many choices, I recorded between 15 and 25 teams. Common total group dimension is listed right here, in addition to the usual deviation in group dimension. Most rifles had their most popular hundreds, however ammo with small normal deviation shot comparatively uniformly in all rifles.

FAQs

Learn Subsequent: The Finest .308 Searching Ammo of 2022

Closing Ideas On .350 Legend Ammo

Dwelling far, far-off 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 admire the cartridge’s accuracy and flexibility for many who do dwell in these areas.

The accuracy of those hundreds impressed me totally. None of them are premium or goal hundreds constructed particularly for accuracy, nevertheless it’s most likely probably the most correct batch of normal ammunition in any cartridge that I’ve just lately examined. I don’t suppose you could possibly actually go fallacious with any of this ammunition.