Winchester Model XPR .350 Legend
LIKE the .450 Bushmaster, the .350 Legend was developed to be conform to regulations which originated in Michigan and soon spread to other eastern states of the U.S, including Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. It all started in 2014 when Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) brought in a law which would allow the limited use of certain rifles capable of using .35-calibre or larger ammunition with straight-walled cartridges that have a minimum length of 1.16-inches and a maximum case length of 1.8-inches to take deer in the limited firearms deer zone. In March 2017, however, the NRC recommended the law’s sunset provision be removed entirely.
All this may appear strange to Aussie shooters, but most hunting in America’s eastern states is carried out in wooded country near small farms in relatively closely settled areas. The legislation was intended to ensure that a bullet of that diameter fired from a small-size case would be sufficiently limited in range to avoid posing a threat to residents bordering hunting areas.
Factory ammo for the .450 Bushmaster was loaded with a 250gn bullet at 2200fps which filled the bill at least from a legal standpoint. Handloaders started using bullets weighing 225, 250, 275 and 300 grains with muzzle velocities from 1760 to 2500fps which increased the .450 Bushmaster’s usefulness.
When Winchester became aware of increased interest in the .450 Bushmaster,
