Are Straight Walled Cartridges Replacing The Slug Gun?
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 3 months ago
There are some interesting takeaways from the above chart. First, the .350 Legend is by far the lightest projectile on the list at 150 grains, and it has a higher muzzle velocity than any of the others. The two 12-gauge slugs both produce 700 ft.-lb. more energy at the muzzle than the .350 Legend and 240 to nearly 400 ft./lb. more than the .45/70.
However, the ballistic advantage changes at the 200-yard mark. The .350 now has more energy than the 1-ounce rifled slug from Federal and the .45/70 impacts with more energy than any other load on the list. The .350 also shoots flatter than the slugs. At 200 yards, the .350 drops only 7.6 inches when zeroed at 100 yards. The Hornady 12-gauge sabot slug drops just under a foot at 200 yards when zeroed at 100, about the same as the .45/70. Hornady’s 20-gauge Custom Lite slug drops over 18 inches, and the 1-ounce lead 12-gauge rifled slug drops more than 2 feet at 200 yards.
As you can see from the chart, the 12-gauge slugs and .45/70 produce substantially more recoil than the .350 Legend, though Hornady’s Custom Lite 20-gauge projectile produces only slightly more recoil than the .350 Legend.
I’m not sure I’d try to take game at 200 yards with either a straight walled cartridge or a shotgun, so I’m not sure the 350 Legend ever really gives an advantage.
I see plenty of both straight walled cartridges and slug ammunition around, although slugs still seem to dominate where I am (not in a straight wall state).
Most of the guys who shoot 350 Legend seem to have problems with accuracy because of the choice of 9mm bullets they have to load.
On September 22, 2022 at 9:21 am, Latigo Morgan said:
Once you start resizing .358 bullets, it opens up a whole lot bigger world for the .350 Legend bullet selection. Yeah, it’s a pain in the neck, but it is still a relatively new. I’ve seen some pretty good results posted by enthusiasts of the cartridge. If you want exceptional performance, it takes a little extra work. Some guys just rebarrel to .358 and call it good.
That being said, if it is within .30-30 range, I wouldn’t hesitate to take a shot with a .350 Legend.
On September 22, 2022 at 3:29 pm, Paul B said:
I use 350 legends. I have taken deer at 125 to 150 with it. 100 acre corn fields are big. I have use 12 gauge, 20 gauge and 50 cal muzzy to take deer with. Also have used a bow but that is a different beast altogether.
I like the 350 and I use a Ruger with Winchester 180 grain white box. It does the job. In timber 50 yards is a long shot. But I usually am in edge timber looking out over a field.
On September 26, 2022 at 10:35 am, Latigo Morgan said:
Smith & Wesson just came out with a 350 Legend revolver. Jerry Miculek posted a video of him testing it out this past weekend.
On September 26, 2022 at 6:22 pm, PGF said:
@Latigo Morgan, I searched but found no vid. Do you have a link?