Straight-Walled Cartridges: Where Does 400 Legend Fit In?

Kyle Green is a passionate hunter and conservationist. He is the host and Emmy-nominated producer of The Green Way Outdoors TV show on The History Channel.  In this article, Kyle Green explores the performance of the new 400 Legend straight-walled cartridge and its popularity in limited firearms zones.

The Limited Firearms Zone

It was the fall of 2016, and I was headed to "the thumb" of Michigan for a whitetail hunt. I had a rifled shotgun in the backseat of my truck because I was in southern Michigan, also known as the "limited firearm zone." In June 2014, Michigan's Natural Resource Commission changed what was once known as the “Shotgun Zone” into the “Limited Firearms Zone,” which would allow centerfire rifles chambered for straight-wall rounds, .35 caliber or larger, with a case length of 1.16 to 1.80 inches. I pulled into Hotshot Outfitters, a deer camp in Port Hope, MI, and met with my buddy Ray Hoody. I started unloading and he stopped me when I got to my shotgun. "Leave your gun in the truck, you have to try out this .450 Bushmaster” he told me. He handed me a centerfire rifle with a scope and said I’d have no problem shooting out to 200 yards now. I tested the gun on the range, and I was happy to be looking through a scope instead of my old iron sites on my hand-me-down shotgun. The recoil didn't bother me, but I remember thinking that the kick would likely be a big turn-off for a new hunter or smaller person. I ended up harvesting a doe with that .450 at 105 yards that night.

What Is A Straight-Walled Cartridge

The simple explanation of a straight-walled cartridge is the case will have the same diameter across its entire length. Most of the straight-wall cartridges are handgun rounds, such as the .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Typical hunting rounds like the .28 Nosler, .270 Win, and .300 Win Mag on the other hand, are known as "bottleneck cartridges" and are not allowed in the "Limited Firearms Zone." The bottleneck design can increase the pressure of the gases produced from the burning gunpowder. This pushes the bullet faster which improves down range energy and accuracy. Why can't we use bottleneck cartridges in southern Michigan? There is a perception that rifles would present a safety problem if used in the heavily populated areas of southern Michigan during the firearm deer hunting season.

The Next Phase 

In 2019, Winchester released the .350 Legend. Gun buffs will point out that the .350 Legend isn't technically a straight-walled cartridge because it has a very slight tapering to it. The tapering is really just there to aid in extraction. The .350 Legend gained popularity quickly because it did meet the qualifications for "Limited Firearm Zones" but offered significantly less recoil than the .450 Bushmaster.  While I have successfully harvested deer with both calibers, I have heard many hunters complain about the knockdown capabilities of the .350 Legend. However, I have heard just as many people complain about how expensive the .450 Bushmaster ammunition is in comparison to the .350 Legend. It seemed like the industry needed a middle ground. Something that didn't break the bank and the shoulder like the .450 Bushmaster. However, it needed to have more knockdown power than the .350 Legend.

Introducing The 400 Legend

In 2023, Winchester released the 400 Legend. Winchester claims the 400 Legend has the energy equivalent to the .450 Bushmaster but with 20% less recoil. It also claims to have 55% less recoil than a 12-gauge slug, but with twice the energy at 100 yards down range. In addition to lighter recoil, the 400 Legend claims 20% more energy than the .350 Legend.

I took a Savage 110 Haymaker in .450 Bushmaster, a Savage 110 Hog Hunter in 400 Legend, and a Savage Axis II XP VSX Camo Compact in .350 Legend to the range to test the recoil of each. To best simulate hunting from a blind, I simply rested each barrel on a sandbag and allowed the full force of the kick to hit my shoulder while I aimed at a target 50 yards down range. I also had a few friends do the same. The takeaways were about what you would expect. The .450 was the only gun with a muzzle break, but the felt recoil was the highest. I think that the muzzle break increasing the perceived noise of the gun, subconsciously makes people believe they are experiencing more kick than they are. Just my hunch. The consensus on the 400 Legend was that the gun did kick but was far more manageable than the .450. Last up was the .350 Legend, which had a surprisingly light kick. To me, it reminds me of shooting a .243. Below I included the ballistics information and my cost analysis of the three loads below.  

Final Thoughts

It has been published by many hunting and shooting experts that you need at least 1,000 ft-lbs of kinetic energy to get a bullet into the vitals of a whitetail deer. That point has been argued by many, but I would say it is at least a good rule of thumb to go by. Therefore, with the .350 Legend, I would feel obligated to keep my shots within 200 yards. If I shot the .450 Bushmaster, I could tolerate the added kick when shooting, but it would irritate me to spend so much more on ammunition for nearly the same performance as the 400 Legend. So, if I were going to purchase one gun for the "Limited Firearms Zone" it would be the 400 Legend. Interesting side note: the 400 Legend ammunition I used for my test was the Winchester Power Point because, as of December 2023, it is all I could find. If Winchester develops a "Deer Season XP" load, I think we will start to see the 400 Legend pull away on the ballistics table. Especially as other brands throw their hat in the ring and push the load to its maximum potential. 

Gun Recommendation

Savage recently released the 110 Trail Hunter in 400 Legend. This gun has an MSRP of $649 but has many key features you find on guns twice the price. It is also threaded so you can add a muzzle brake or suppressor that will further diminish recoil. 

Key Features:

• Tungsten Cerakoted barreled action
• Hogue Overmolded rifle stock in OD Green
• Button rifled barrel
• Threaded, medium heavy barrel
• 2 sling swivel studs
• 2-piece Weaver-style bases
• 2.5-6 lb. user-adjustable AccuTrigger
• Detachable box magazine