Today, Brownells Firearm Support Technician Caleb Savant tells us about his favorite straight-walled rifle cartridges that are (1) AR-15 compatible and (2) legal for deer hunting in many states. They are the new(ish) .350 Legend and the .450 Bushmaster, both designed to fit in the magazine well of a standard AR-15. The .350 Legend is built on a lengthened .357 Magnum case with the rim removed. Its performance is similar to that classic deer cartridge, the .30-30 Winchester. The .450 Bushmaster uses a shortened, “de-rimmed” .45-70 Government case. Its velocity at the muzzle is about the same as the .350 Legend, but due to its much heavier bullet, it’s about 10″ lower at 300 yards. Caleb also explains what you’ll have to change on your standard-configuration AR-15 to convert it to either of these cartridges. Hint: both require a different barrel, muzzle device, and magazine. The .450 Bushmaster also requires a new bolt, but (good news!) the .350 Legend uses the standard 5.56/.223 bolt! What about the buffer? Caleb explains that, too.
Enjoyed this? Check out the Brownells video library:
Note to readers: Please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, social media, internet forums. etc.
Man… i hope he didnt suggest shooting a deer at 300 yards with a 35 caliber cartridge that starts at under 2100 fps, with weak sectional density and weaker ballistic coefficient.. or did the standards of what should be used change? What happened too the 800 ft/lbs rule?
Should have just taken the rim off of a. 357 maximum.
@ Sheldon Robertson: Synopsized, in several jurisdictions some/all bottlenecked rifle cartridges are unlawful for hunting, due to concerns that their longer effective ranges will endanger individuals and/or property (personally, I don’t subscribe to this hypothesis, but it’s the law). However, several states have recently permitted the use of several straight-walled cartridges (generally, along with black powder/muzzle loaded rounds, slugs, and shotgun shells) for hunting. Therefore, in these venues a hunter might be allowed to take whitetails with a .44 magnum lever rifle, but not with a .30-30. Go figure. The following article provide more thorough information: https://www.outdoorlife.com/straight-wall-rifle-cartridges-are-making-comeback-in-deer-hunting/.
Why get 350 legend when 450 exists?
Why do these exist?