gun choice

ken nikiel

ken nikiel

Member
hi
being in illinois im limited to straight wall cartridge single shot rifles, muzzle loaders or shotgun slugs. considering getting a rifle chambered in .350 legend and wondering if anyone here uses this caliber on whitetails?
thanks
 
Are smokeless muzzleloaders permitted in your state? I don't have a 350 legend, but I know there are lots of folks who use them for whitetail. If smokeless muzzleloaders are permitted, they can out perform a 350 legend by leaps and bounds. I got a smokeless on an Encore frame a couple years ago and love it. It is a 300 yard gun and devastating on deer. It is shooting a 275 grain .45 cal bullet at around 2500 fps. Not all states permit smokeless muzzleloaders, so check your regulations. They are not cheap as most are custom builds these days. If you decide to go that route, I can provide more info on mine.

Last I checked they were legal in Illinois, but I have not checked lately.
 
i would have to check that, but i dont believe we can use smokeless powder muzzle loaders. i believe the minimum is .50 caliber. again, i need to check.
 
My friend in Michigan slammed a big buck last year with the 350 legend, dropped on the spot. He handed me the gun and a couple of bullets to shoot and I went out on the back porch and hamburgerized 2 red squirrels at 40 yards. A very cool, smooth shooter. If I were to hunt in Michigan and didn't want to use my Encore for some unknown reason, I would undoubtably get a rifle chambered in 400 legend.

G
 
What's more, getting hung-up on down range ballistics for whitetail is kind of a non issue. 400 legend has less bullet drop and more energy delivered at 200 yards than the venerable 30/30. Case in point, when I bought my .308 to shoot a mule deer in Colorado i sighted in a 200 zero and shot my buck at 60 yards. Out of 140 or so deer killed with a firearm, I shot one buck at 150 yards, maybe 2 or 3 between 100 and 125 yards and the rest under 100 yards, most under 75 yards. I did shoot one fallow deer at 190 yards in Colorado. I know of guys that take deer out at greater ranges here in Kentucky, our very own Native for one, but for the most part you need to be prepared to effectively kill a deer at 100 yards.

G
 
It’s been awhile since I shot a deer past 60 yards...in straight wall I am a Marlin lever gun chambered in 45-70 fan...
 
not to brag or nothing but ive never needed a follow up shot. my hunting partner says “your gunnery sgt. would be proud”. 😂 that being said i agree except its still slower being it has to be a single shot firearm.
 
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