Ye olde .350 Legend really captured the year 2019.
I remember seeing it everywhere at SHOT and sort of giving it the cold shoulder. I have my hunting rifle and preferred caliber. Why would another interest me?
In time I’ve warmed up to the .350 Legend and have begun to appreciate the cartridge for what it is and what it can do.
I also recognize that it wasn’t made for people in my situation, yet I can still find it useful.
So what is .350 Legend? Why should you be interested? What should you look at if you want to get into it?
Good news! We are going to cover some of the best complete rifles, uppers, and barrels in .350 Legend to try and help you get pointed in the right direction.
THE QUICK LIST
What is .350 Legend?
The .350 Legend, aka 9x43mm, is a .35 caliber straight-walled cartridge designed by Winchester Repeating Arms.
Certain states only allow rifle hunting with straight-walled cartridges, which prohibits the use of many popular bottlenecked cartridges.
Winchester set out to create a new, fast, mild recoiling intermediate rifle round for these states.
The design emphasized sharing some characteristics with the .223 Remington so it could be used in a standard AR-15 platform with little to no modification and thus capitalize on the most popular platform around.
Shooters can choose between projectiles as light as 125 grains and as heavy as 280 grains (very suppressor friendly). Various projectile types exist, with a large portion of the bullets geared toward hunting medium game.
It’s perfect for deer, hogs, and coyotes. Recoil is mild and pleasant, especially from a semi-auto. Feeding is reliable, and finding state-appropriate hunting magazines is easy.
The round has enjoyed great popularity, partly due to its adaptability to the AR-15 platform.
However, it also found a home in bolt action and single-shot rifles, and Smith & Wesson even makes a .350 Legend revolver.
The Best .350 Legend Guns
1. CMMG Resolute Mk4
The CMMG Resolute Mk4 series are carbine-style rifles available in various calibers. As you’d expect, this includes the .350 Legend.
This little carbine features an entire accessory suite of the CMMG ZEROED furniture and parts and pieces.
It all comes together to form a very modern design. Shooters get an ambidextrous safety and magazine release and an enlarged bolt catch. The weapon features a somewhat minimalist M-LOK handguard that gives the gun a good balance.
Accuracy is very good, and the stock trigger is rather nice. A 9mm compensator at the end helps drive recoil down to levels below that of a .243 Winchester.
The famed Rip Stock allows you to instantly set the LOP and rip the stock to that length every time after. It is a nice “set it and forget it” option.
CMMG sells the Resolute .350 Legend with mag capacities from five to twenty rounds, and it’s available in several colors.
2. Ruger American Ranch
While the .350 Legend was made with the AR platform in mind, you’d be crazy to think that’s your only option.
Ruger produces their affordable but quality American Ranch series in .350 Legend. This is not only a great rifle but an affordable way to get into the .350 Legend cartridge.
The Ruger American Ranch rifles feature 16.38-inch barrels and weigh just a hair over six pounds. Shooters get the option to use AR magazines as well.
These come standard with an integrated Picatinny scope base and the Ruger Marksman Adjustable Trigger.
Bolt actions aren’t as quick as semi-autos, but their accuracy is tough to beat for the money. All in all, you get a rifle that is accurate, light, adaptable, and easy to use at half the price of the nicer AR variants.
Heck, the barrel is even threaded and suppressor ready.
If you want to get into .350 Legend on a budget, and if you don’t mind a manual action, this is the way to go.
Take a look at our full review of the Ruger American Ranch!
3. Smith & Wesson Model 350
I was a bit shocked to see Smith & Wesson introduce a rifle-caliber revolver with the Model 350.
I assumed it would be a beast that recoiled hard and was generally unpleasant to shoot. I was surprised to find a massive but rather mild shooting revolver.
If you can shoot a .44 Magnum, you can shoot the Model 350.
A ported barrel certainly helps, as does the massive X-Frame. The gun even held seven rounds! You do need moon clips for extraction, but that’s not a deal breaker.
The gun features a 7.5-inch barrel and a rear adjustable sight. A long sight radius makes it relatively easy to shoot accurately. Hitting medium game within 50 yards wouldn’t be too tough — but replace the rear sight with a red dot, and you’ll be cooking with gas.
As someone who wants to get back into handgun hunting, I can’t help but be attracted to a revolver that can share my rifle rounds.
What do you think of the Smith & Wesson Model 350? Rate it below!
Best .350 Legend Uppers
One of the joys of the AR platform is its modularity. You can often remove the upper and swap it out to change calibers.
The same rings true with the .350 Legend. If you already have your favorite lower, why not just get a new upper and save some scratch?
4. Aero Precision M4E1 20-Inch
The .350 Legend does well from a 16-inch barrel, which allows you to keep your rifle nice and short.
However, it can do a little better from a 20-inch barrel. You can see at least a 100 FPS gain; a little extra velocity never hurts. You also get the smooth shooting full-length rifle gas system.
The Aero M4E1 uppers feature a free-floating, lightweight Atlas One M-LOK handguard. It’s a minimalist design that makes it balance well with the 20-inch barrel. The M4E1 upper features M4 feed ramps, and while it may look billet, rest assured, it’s a forged upper.
Luckily, Aero dropped the lame government profile barrel in favor of a solid DMR profile that’s a bit more consistent. The barrel is made from simple 4150 CrMoV steel, and its HP and MPI tested.
Overall, Aero makes high-quality goods at a great price point, and this upper aligns with that philosophy.
5. Shaw Barrels .350 Legend Upper
Shaw Barrels produces .350 legend uppers that are custom-built for clients. Customers can select from a wide variety of options when ordering an upper.
Rifle uppers include 16 and 18-inch barrel options, the ability to choose a barrel finish, and even fluting. You can choose from different handguard lengths, magazine capacities, cerakote options, and more.
The barrels are rigid HBAR profiles made from stainless steel for exacting accuracy. Shaw heat treats the carrier and bolt, and the uppers are designed to work with standard carbine buffers.
The ability to pick and choose what you want from your rifle without the full custom price tag is nice. They aren’t the cheapest but won’t break the bank either.
Best .350 Legend Barrels
Maybe you just want to build your own rifle from the ground up. Most of the standard AR parts work with the .350 Legend, but with a .35 caliber projectile, you’ll need the right barrel. Luckily, plenty of companies have heard the call and are producing high-quality .350 Legend barrels for your next build.
6. Ballistic Advantage
Ballistic Advantage offers shooters 16, 18, and 20-inch .350 Legend barrels.
Barrel profiles include the 16-inch Hanson, the 20-inch DMR, and the 18-inch SPR. Each is a quality option for shooters offering distinct size, weight, and velocity advantages.
The Ballistic Advantage barrels are made from 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium steel and use a QPQ finish. These barrels also feature a nickel boron-coated extra wide feed ramp extension.
Best of all, they won’t empty your wallet.
7. Faxon Firearms
Faxon produces three different .350 Legend barrels: a 20-inch barrel, a standard 16-inch, and an SBR/pistol-ready 12.5-inch option.
Shooters get a solid performance from short and long barrels with the .350 Legend, so there is no reason to shy away from a shorty build if you are considering one.
Faxon Firearms makes their barrels from 4150 CMV and use button rifling. The Gunner profile helps transfer weight rearward to balance the guns better; It’s likely most appreciated on guns with 18 to 20-inch barrels.
These barrels sit in a nice and comfy middle ground price-wise.
Check out our full review of the Faxon .350 Legend barrel!
8. Shaw Barrels
Shaw Barrels produces a line of HBAR .350 Legend barrels that are really second to none.
These stainless steel barrels come in 16 and 18-inch varieties and can come unfluted or fluted. Heck, you can even pick multiple fluting types.
Shaw is all about options. The barrels are some of the best on the market and will help you achieve consistent precision.
They aren’t cheap, but they will last near forever and provide outstanding accuracy. If you need to punch out vitals on medium game at distance, then there is no better option.
Final Thoughts
New AR cartridges pop up frequently, brag about how great they are, then disappear from whence they came.
The .350 Legend is a bit different. It’s not aiming to unseat the 5.56 but rather complement it as an intermediate straight-walled cartridge.
It’s a purpose-built hunting cartridge that packs a nice punch into a platform we all know and love.
Is the .350 Legend for you? Let us know what you think below! Looking for something a bit shorter or quieter? Check out our article on the 7 Best .300 Blackout AR Pistols & Rifles!
