New 400 Legend...thoughts?

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

I live in on of the places where straight walled are the thing...and for the last three years I have hunted with a 350 Legend...dropped my longest at 121 yards...Three deer taken with it, all DRT. I need to buy a new gun for a hunt that I am doing with a friend and was thinking of getting a new 400 Legend...more energy than the 350, less recoil than the 450 Bush...But, I am also toying with the idea of another 350 Legend since I have tons of ammo for it, there are cheap range rounds for it and with the 180 grain bullet, I read that it is effective on deer to 250 yards...and to be honest, I am not sure that I will ever face a shot that long and if I did, I am not sure I am confident enough in my shooting. Thoughts from those of you with lots of modern firearms experience are welcome!

 

[anonymouscowherd]

If you reload, new calibers are OK simply because you can lay in a stash of brass and be good for ammo for ages....

Personally I'd decide what rifle you'd like to get, then find the chambering it is available in that you want...

The biggest issue I see with both the 350 and 400 rounds is that there aren't many pointy bullets in a lighter weight available, even for reloading, which means low BCs and rainbow like trajectories when shooting beyond 150 or so yards...

 

[CatamountRob]

The .400 Legend feels to me like a future obsolete cartridge. That’s not a big deal if you’re a reloader and all you have to do is neck up .350 brass. If I wasn’t a reloader I’d probably stick with the .350.

 

[rporter]

The biggest issue I see with both the 350 and 400 rounds is that there aren't many pointy bullets in a lighter weight available, even for reloading, which means low BCs and rainbow like trajectories when shooting beyond 150 or so yards...

this is the whole "point". they [the powers that be] want the ammo limited in range.

 

[brad502a]

The .400 Legend feels to me like a future obsolete cartridge. That’s not a big deal if you’re a reloader and all you have to do is neck up .350 brass. If I wasn’t a reloader I’d probably stick with the .350.

The 400 legend is a whole different cartridge, you can't "just neck it up".

If you reload, new calibers are OK simply because you can lay in a stash of brass and be good for ammo for ages....

Personally I'd decide what rifle you'd like to get, then find the chambering it is available in that you want...

The biggest issue I see with both the 350 and 400 rounds is that there aren't many pointy bullets in a lighter weight available, even for reloading, which means low BCs and rainbow like trajectories when shooting beyond 150 or so yards...

There are plenty of 165 and 170 gr Hornady bullets available for this cartridge. Lighter weight means less down range energy with this round. The "rainbow like trajectories" is the reason these rounds were legalized. If you need 300 yds to kill a whitetail the you are either hunting in the wrong spot or not doing a very good job at the stalking of your game animal. If the bottleneck cartridge is available where you hunt then use it.

 

[CatamountRob]

The 400 legend is a whole different cartridge, you can't "just neck it up".

There are plenty of 165 and 170 gr Hornady bullets available for this cartridge. Lighter weight means less down range energy with this round. The "rainbow like trajectories" is the reason these rounds were legalized. If you need 300 yds to kill a whitetail the you are either hunting in the wrong spot or not doing a very good job at the stalking of your game animal. If the bottleneck cartridge is available where you hunt then use it.

It’s straight walled so there is no neck, I don’t know what I was thinking.

 

[brad502a]

Not enough coffee?

 

[DavidAR10T]

When straight wall is not the Law, I'm a Dapper Dan 458,375&358 SOCOM man. Don't want no FOB. EDIT: FOP

 

[brad502a]

foward operating base?

 

[DavidAR10T]

Sorry, my fingers have been dyslexic like crazy today.

 

[LBAhunter]

I hope the 400 Legend does well. If it does, that means probably more 40 cal bullets for my SML. Hopefully a 40 cal 180gr HV from Bear Creek Ballistics.

 

[davek42]

If you reload, new calibers are OK simply because you can lay in a stash of brass and be good for ammo for ages....

Personally I'd decide what rifle you'd like to get, then find the chambering it is available in that you want...

The biggest issue I see with both the 350 and 400 rounds is that there aren't many pointy bullets in a lighter weight available, even for reloading, which means low BCs and rainbow like trajectories when shooting beyond 150 or so yards...

Hard to do a so-called pointy light weight bullet in a 35 cal bullet and get it to shoot accurately.
My gun like the 170 gn horaday best, but shoots most ammo ok. If you don’t like the selection of ammo fot the 350, my guess 400 will not be any better.

 

[brad502a]

The 350 Legend was never meant to be a "long range round". Energy is below 1000 ft/lbs at 200 yds. it is not a 30-06. Don't know if light weight pointy bullets would perform well on deer. It is what it is, a light recoiling 200 yd deer gun, maybe 250.

 

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

OP here: I am not a reloader...my question was really only from the published information is the gain in power from the 400 Legend over the 350 Legend enough to make it "worth" buying a gun in the new caliber rather than just sticking with the one I have and for which ammo is both plentiful and reasonably cheap.

 

[brad502a]

Stick with the 350, it works, it kills deer. The 400 is yet to be a proven success. The reason I say this is the 350 uses a 223 bolt head which is very common. The 400 will have to have a special bolt head which makes it uncommon. If the 400 takes off and becomes a hit and you think you need more power at longer range go for it. Right now you might be purchasing obsolescence and difficult ammo purchasing.

 

[alternate]

Hard to imagine a 400 straight wall case thriving in the shadow of the 45-70.

 

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

Stick with the 350, it works, it kills deer. The 400 is yet to be a proven success. The reason I say this is the 350 uses a 223 bolt head which is very common. The 400 will have to have a special bolt head which makes it uncommon. If the 400 takes off and becomes a hit and you think you need more power at longer range go for it. Right now you might be purchasing obsolescence and difficult ammo purchasing.

Thanks! Very helpful answer. I was leaning that way anyway since I did not want a Savage and Winchester says that they are not making a gun for the caliber this year.

 

[pacanis]

I didn't find the 450 BM in a Ruger Am Ranch that awful recoil-wise to shoot. But dang it was the loudest gun I've ever shot. The brake Ruger uses had to come off. Then it was a bear to shoot recoil-wise...

Add a suppressor and everything was grand again. And got my sub MOA groups, too.




40 Legend sounds like the rifle version of 40 S&W

 

[earlthegoat2]

I have a few 450 BMs and have been invested in them since the 45 Professional.

I got a 350 Legend last year.

Between those and the 360 Buckhammer I will be getting soon, I just don’t see a role for the 400 to fill. It’s JUST another AR cartridge.

Yayyyy….

 

[earlwb]

for me, I see it as a reincarnation of the old Winchester .401 self loading cartridge. It looks to have similar ballistics too. I think they simply broke out the old dies and reused them. They did rename it to .400 Legend which is maybe more snazzy than the old .401 WSL name.