AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER (^201947)
a few contact tools. In much the same way, due to their
diameter commonality, by just switching a few pieces of
quick-change equipment, a cup-and-draw press that had
been making 9 mm Luger or .357 Mag. projectiles can be
producing 350 Legend bullets in just a matter of hours.
As a result, Winchester claims it can build the brand new
350 Legend for not much more than it can make .223—the
most economical center- re ri e cartridge in the world.
Imagine being able to afford practicing with your favorite
deer ri e, as much as you want, all year round! While the
company itself doesn’t set shelf prices for its ammunition, a
quick check of multiple online retailers would seem to bear
out this prediction: 350 Legend prices on both Brownells
(brownells.com) and MidwayUSA (midwayusa.com) were
all within $3 per box of 20 as the comparable .223 Rem.
load—and some were identically priced. I found the FMJs to
be down between 50 and 60 cents a round and the hunting
loads were around $1 to $1.20 per cartridge.
At launch, Winchester announced ve inaugural loads
for 350 Legend: a 145-gr. FMJ; a 150-gr. Deer Season XP;
a 180-gr. Power-Point; a 160-gr. Power Max Bonded; and
a 265-gr. Super Suppressed. As of mid-June, the former
three loads were already shipping to retail shelves across
the country, with the latter two expected to arrive by
the end of the calendar year. In order to properly evalu-
ate 350 Legend, and the rst crop of rearms offered to
chamber it, I reached out to my contacts at Winchester
Ammunition and asked them to send me a pile of each
of the three loads currently available (Deer Season XP,
Power-Point and the FMJs). I also got in one ri e each
from the rst three rearm manufacturers to join the
350 Legend game—a Winchester Repeating Arms XPR
1.710"
0.378"
0.378
"
0.390"
2.260" (MAX.)
350 LEGEND
Winchester XPR Compact
A
t the time of 350 Legend’s
launch, licensing partner
and fellow custodian of
the Winchester name, Winchester
Repeating Arms, announced that six
XPR models (14 SKUs when you factor
in the various available nishes and
scope combo packages) would initially
be offered chambered in the new car-
tridge. The XPR is the company’s entry-
level bolt-action ri e platform—a
push-feed action with a round-bodied
receiver bedded within a molded poly-
mer stock—and the Compact version
shortens the base gun’s barrel length
in non-magnum chamberings from 22"
to 20" and the length of pull from
13¾" to 13". All of the guns feature
Winchester’s single-stage MOA Trigger, a
beefy three-lug bolt and a two-position
safety with a bolt unlocking button. In
order to make the XPR platform compat-
ible with the 350 Legend, Winchester
had to develop a new magazine, a new
barrel and a new receiver with a slight
chamfer cut into it to help guide the
long, straight rounds to the chamber.
Otherwise, the 350 Legend ri es are in all
other ways standard XPRs. MSRP: $549.
winchesterguns.com
The 350 Legend shares many of its design measurements with .223 Rem., and will battle
.450 Bushmaster for dominance in states with straight-wall hunting requirements.
47
350 LEGEND
CARTRIDGE
VEL. @ 15'
(F.P.S.)
ENERGY
(FT.-LBS.)
GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
WINCHESTER DSXP
150-GR. EP
2318 AVG.
16 SD
1,789 0.84 1.72 1.31
WINCHESTER POWER-POINT
180-GR. SP
2062 AVG.
16 SD
1,699 0.86 1.48 1.20
WINCHESTER
145-GR. FMJ
2296 AVG.
22 SD
1,697 1.20 2.36 1.72
AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 1.41
NOTES: MEASURED AVERAGE VELOCITY FOR 10 SHOTS OVER AN OEHLER 36 CHRONOGRAPH AT
15 FT. ACCURACY^ RESULTS^ FOR^ FIVE^ CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT^ GROUPS^ AT^100 YDS. FROM^ A^
CALDWELL LEAD SLED. TEMPERATURE: 71° F. HUMIDITY: 32%. ABBREVIATIONS: DSXP
(DEER SEASON XP), EP (EXTREME POINT), FMJ (FULL^ METAL^ JACKET), SD (STANDARD^
DEVIATION), SP (SOFT POINT).
SHOOTING RESULTS (100 YDS.) WINCHESTER XPR COMPACT
.223 R
EM
.
350 L
EGEND
.450 B
USHMASTER
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