AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SEPTEMBER (^201949)
but it wasn’t until my recent experience with 350 Legend
that I truly got to see this rsthand.
On one hand, the SD of Winchester’s 150-gr. (relatively
light for the .35 cal.) 350 Legend Deer Season XP load
comes to only 0.170—which should make it a very poor
penetrator given the above guideline—falling well short
of the 0.230 SD that some would argue is necessary for
use on deer-size game. However, on the other hand, I’ve
personally witnessed that same load zip straight through
both sides of numerous wide-bodied Missouri whitetails
with gusto. If SDs told the whole penetration story, that
shouldn’t be possible. It all comes down to bullet construc-
tion and velocity; as noted in the formula above, sectional
density only accounts for the projectile’s diameter and
mass—and doesn’t take into consideration factors such
as jacket thickness, the hardness of the bullet, impact
velocity or the projectile’s rate of expansion. Despite its
underwhelming SD, hunters who prefer “two-hole” loads
that reliably exit their quarry will nd 350 Legend’s Deer
Season XP to be an excellent penetrator.
To further elaborate on my experience with 350 Legend’s
real-world performance, I was one of six hunters able
to participate in the cartridge’s initial eld testing: a
November whitetail hunt in Pike County, Mo. Whitetails
grow nice and big in Missouri, which made them useful
penetration-testing mediums for similar game throughout
the country. Using 20"-barreled XPR Compacts, six deer
were brought down in seven shots, that extra round being
more an act of mercy than necessity. With shot distances
ranging from 13 yds. to 200 yds., most of the animals
crumpled up almost immediately, and none of them ven-
tured more than 75 yds. before expiring.
My handsome eight-point buck was the rst animal ever
taken with 350 Legend, and I know this because he fell
into my lap about 10 minutes into Missouri’s ri e season.
Chasing a doe across the turnip eld I was stationed over,
he stopped at 110 yds. just long enough to turn and give
me a broadside shot at his lungs, which I gladly took. A
clean shot, he ran straight forward for about 15 yds. and
then dropped, never to move again.
All seven shots, regardless of whether they were taken
at the shoulder or straight through the thorax, quartering
or broadside, penetrated the deer completely and exited.
The ammunition had de nitely done its job of quickly
knocking down the deer, upon inspection of the carcasses
we were quite impressed by the amount of trauma and
damage caused given that each shot was a pass-through.
But, unfortunately, this didn’t afford us the opportunity to
CMMG Resolute 300
C
MMG is a maker of
AR-platform guns that, unlike
the great majority of the indus-
try, has never been afraid to offer its
ri es chambered in a host of differ-
ent cartridges, and the manufacturer
wasted no time in adding 350 Legend
to its stable. A single day after the
cartridge of cially entered the scene,
CMMG introduced three models of its
Resolute series (100, 200 and 300)
that would re it. Functionally identi-
cal to each other but with features
and furniture varying between the
models—with the 300 used in this
evaluation offering the most re ned
components—the 350 Legend-
chambered Resolutes are direct-
impingement semi-automatics with
16 " barrels and carbine-length gas
systems. With the exception of the barrel
and the dedicated 350 Legend magazines
(available in ve- and 10-rounders, two
of the latter are included), the rest of the
guns use standard .223 Rem.-compatible
AR-15 parts—including the bolt head,
bolt carrier group and buffer assembly.
For those who would prefer to build their
own guns, in addition to nished ri es,
CMMG is also offering complete upper
receivers and individual barrels cham-
bered for the new medium-bore cartridge.
MSRP: $1,549. cmmginc.com
49
350 LEGEND
CARTRIDGE
VEL. @ 15'
(F.P.S.)
ENERGY
(FT.-LBS.)
GROUP SIZE (INCHES)
SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE
WINCHESTER DSXP
150-GR. EP
2279 AVG.
4 SD
1,730 1.02 1.90 1.48
WINCHESTER POWER-POINT
180-GR. SP
1989 AVG.
12 SD
1,581 1.06 1.62 1.24
WINCHESTER
145-GR. FMJ
2241 AVG.
28 SD
1,617 1.70 2.16 1.94
AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 1.55
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.) CMMG RESOLUTE 300
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