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"best straight walled cartridge"

Hedgelj

Senior Member
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Mohicanish

I think they have sound logic. But i also love my 444
 

Johnny44

Junior Member
I posted a thread somewhere asking questions about being able to reach out (if there's a 250 yard gun) with a gun for gun season. You guys gave me too many options!!! LOL. There was a large consensus for the 350 Legend as well as a modern Muzzleloader among forum members. Bottom line I need more guns but don't we all??? I checked out a 350 Legend at a local shop. Pretty sweet, but at $450 with no scope, I wondered why Cabela's can sell it at like $350. I know the scope isn't a Vortex or anything, but in an effort to support the small local guys this is frustrating. I don't know if he would price match or even just come close; I suppose that's a question worth asking though. Love the MeatEater stuff, they live our dreams.
 
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brock ratcliff

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He uses reasoning in his selection. Having said that, our 450 has impressed me to no end. 12 of the 14 deer we have shot with it dropped where shot. I think those numbers are correct, at least in the ballpark. I’ve never owned a gun of any kind with that sort of track record.
 
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Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
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Mahoning Co.
the .350 legend is hard to beat on paper. The downside is bullet options are somewhat limited compared to the various .429, .452, .458 bullets that are available.
I’ve heard some complaints on excessive meat damage but I don’t know enough to have a real opinion.
 
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giles

Cull buck specialist
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Anyone else hunting with a 350 notice that deer don't run after the shot? Or was it just the deer we hunted hadn't been hunted in so long?
 

jagermeister

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18,082
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Ohio
the .350 legend is hard to beat on paper. The downside is bullet options are somewhat limited compared to the various .429, .452, .458 bullets that are available.
I’ve heard some complaints on excessive meat damage but I don’t know enough to have a real opinion.
Having seen literally hundreds of deer come through the local processors the last couple seasons, I can honestly say that meat damage complaints with a .350 Legend are unfounded. If you square them up through the front shoulders then yea, you’ll have loss... but what caliber wouldn’t in that scenario? The skinned deer that I’ve seen killed with .350 have no more damage than any other slug gun I’ve seen over the years. Actually it’s probably less. What I CAN say is the deer that are killed with the .450 Bushmaster have noticeable trauma and damage. It’s very obvious when one is skinned out whether they shot it with a .450 or not. Some of them look like they were hit with a vehicle. No exaggeration. The .450 has a ton of knockdown power and is incredibly accurate... But, like the author of this article states, my personal opinion is that it’s overkill for whitetails. And the noise and recoil are no fun either. The .350 Legend is the clear choice in my mind.
 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
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Mohicanish
I will likely wait until CVA comes out with one to add more. Hard to beat the price and accuracy of them little things.
Dustin and I both have the CVA bolt. Mine came with a noname (Konus) 3-9 for $500 at walmart. It will be wearing a better scope for next year but it worked just fine.

Anyone else hunting with a 350 notice that deer don't run after the shot? Or was it just the deer we hunted hadn't been hunted in so long?

I didn't notice any difference when shooting it and deer reactions compared to others. I think it's more pressure and how many times they've had lead slung at them similar to being trained to look at certain trees for odd camo blobs.
 

NEOhunter

Junior Member
I love the 350 Legend. This was my first year shooting it and it dropped both deer in their tracks. I processed the meat myself with my grandfather and the meat loss wasn't significant. The price to shoot it isn't bad at all either.
 
"The Best" can be determined by the shooter. Recoil, cost of ammo ( or reloads), killing range, killing power differences, cost of the rifle brand, etc. are a few choices that may enter into the choices. :unsure:

The 350 Legend vs. 450 Bushmaster is a mere 20 gauge vs. 12 gauge choice.
I prefer the increased range/power of the 450 BM, since the recoil and other costs of operation are of no consequence to me. I like the increased ballistics of a 250 Hornady FTX bullet @ 2550 fps. So far, I'm 4 for 4 deer kills with this cartridge. (y)

One thing that the shooter has to keep in mind with larger or more powerful "big" rifle cartridges is "meat damage". A shot placement through the lungs will not damage any meat. However, an angled forward or away will greatly increase the loss of at least a quarter of meat. That same shot will definitely put the animal down, but at the cost of meat loss. :rolleyes: The cartridges I'm referring to as "big" are: 450 Marlin, 444 Marlin, 450 Bushmaster, 45-70 Govt., 458 Win., 458 SOCOM, 50 Beowulf, 460 S&W, 405 Win., 50-90 Sharps, 50 Alaskan, 375 Win. and 500 S&W.

All of the pistol/rifle cartridges will kill deer with good shot placement, inside 100 yards and possibly further with consideration to the shooter's skills. These are cartridges are: 44 Mag., 45 Long Colt, 45 Win., 44-40, 357 Mag., 41 Mag., 10mm, 454 Casull, 460 S&W and 500 S&W. There are several brands of rifles in single shot and lever-action that are available in these cartridges. They make for low recoil, light weight and easy to handle in the woods type of rifles for all ages.

Good luck with your choices!
Bowhunter57
 

Bowkills

Well-Known Member
2,577
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Nw oh
I will likely wait until CVA comes out with one to add more. Hard to beat the price and accuracy of them little things.
the cva hunter is discontinued (looking at Cvas website) looks like they r just producing the scout silver barrel looking models in place of the hunter. I love my Cvas and will buy more.
 

Bowkills

Well-Known Member
2,577
85
Nw oh
the cva hunter is discontinued (looking at Cvas website) looks like they r just producing the scout silver barrel looking models in place of the hunter. I love my Cvas and will buy more.
Never mind the scout is offered in a blued barrel. 350 = $350.00