The interesting part of the modern straight-walled case is that it’s something of an evolutionary throwback in the “tree” of cartridge development. I consider these cartridges “traditional” straight-walled cases. There are numerous rifles that chamber it—from single-shot Sharps replicas to brand-new, all-weather Marlin lever-actions. Making straight-walled rifles that are accurate and reliable is a challenge, and Precision Rifle Company dominates the bolt-gun scene. It should be noted that this distance reflects muzzle velocity. This means that rounds from .357 Magnum to .500 Smith & Wesson can be used. First and foremost is that all the straight-walled cartridges in this article max out at somewhat close range. Ammo Breakdown: Straight Walled Hunting Cartridges | Range 365 .357 $40.90 Brownells.com. is just as easy-handling, faster and more powerful in every way. The old .45-70 is just as popular today as it was when it was first introduced in 1873. This means that while the rifles are accurate, the bullets still run out of gas at the same ranges as factory guns. As an example, the .500 and .460 Smith & Wesson are great rounds, but there are really no common or affordable rifles made to make use of them. The .44 Magnum can stretch that a bit more, with the ideal range being 50 to 100 yards—only a marginal increase over .357 and .45 Colt. The traditional lineup comprises .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum and .45-70. Brenton USA’s rifle in this article performs extremely well for a gas gun and is able to put five shots into 2 inches at 100 yards. Introduced in 1906, it was originally chambered for the Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle in 1908.. The fact that most factory ammo is slower than 1,000 fps means that it will run out of gas very quickly. The legal requirements surrounding straight-walled cases often dictate what type of rifle can be used. That depends on what you want to get out of the deal. Most AR-pattern rifles firing .450 Bushmaster will group at about 3 inches at 100 yards. In June 2014, Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) approved the regulation to allow the limited use of certain rifles capable of using .35-­caliber or larger ammunition with straight-­walled cartridges that have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.8 inches to take deer in the limited firearms deer zone. 1 single-shot rifle I tested would group at 1 inch at 100 yards with 405-grain soft-points, but this wasn’t the norm. If you’re getting into serious hunting with straight-walled rifles, the .450 BM is king. I picked up some range brass the other day and there were a few straight wall 30 caliber cases with a case length of 1.5" or 1.56", can't remember at the moment. Its rimless, straight wall case was originally formed by trimming the .308 Winchester or .30-06 case to 1.30 inches (33 mm). Of course, this revelation could change after the 6.5 Creedmoor proves it’s more than a fad, or if Hornady, Federal, Winchester or Remington come out with something else that strikes deer down like a recoil-less laser beam, but for now I’m sold on one caliber: the 7mm-08 Remington. Any farther, and you encounter massive drops in energy and substantial bullet drop. A cartridge case—and note that the bullet is not included here—must be between 1.16 and 1.8 inches and .35-caliber or larger. Despite the advances made and new cartridges being introduced, straight-walled hunting is a fairly short-range game. Most factory .450 BM and .350 Legend rifles will shoot about 2 to 4 inches at 100 yards. The ideal range is 50 yards. or a .500 S&W, so it all depends on shot placement and the individual rifle, bullet and animal. Only rifles shooting straight wall ammunition .357 caliber or largerwith an expanding-type bullet is allowed. Because it is based on the .308 Winchester case, the only modifications to a standard AR-10 is a .45 RAPTOR barrel, a special barrel extension and modified magazines. The fact that 350 Legend is a straight-wall cartridge is an important distinction. As a result, there’s innovation in lots of areas that would otherwise have been left behind by the march of technology. If you look in the chamber of a pistol barrel, you’ll see a little ledge. Again, I tested all known options and have yet to find one that works better. Modern bolt-actions, such as the Ruger 77 Series, will do slightly better, usually grouping at 2 inches at 50 yards. Placing these cartridges in a rifle gives it some teeth..50 Beowulf is a bigger bullet that can do very well for any hunters that are equipped with this type of ammunition. The .45-70 Government cartridge is a hard-hitter suitable for all large game at short-to-medium ranges. Straight-walled cases offer a tremendous amount of utility in a surprising number of firearm types. The.357 Magnum is a revolver cartridge that is perfect for deer hunters. The .357, while powerful in a concealed-carry revolver, is limited to about 50 to 75 yards in a hunting scenario, so large deer should be avoided. The .44 Mag is available in lever-actions and bolt-actions, but there’ve been some great semi-auto rifles made in years past. The classic .45 Colt was once the choice of the U.S. Calvary in General Custer’s era. There’s no other commonly available medium-to-large-game, straight-walled round that delivers as well as the .450 at the maximum range straight-walled cases are good for. The .308 benefits from both in that it is always an option in any short-action bolt gun, and it has always been a more popular choice than the .30-06 in long-range shooting. As a result, it can offer challenges in the complex inner workings of an AR. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. is made for handguns. The modern rounds, such as the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend, can be had in much more accurate guns—but again, they’re not the norm. The tolerances and bullet quality vary widely. Because we’re playing with limited options, penetration is key. The big boys tend to do better at longer ranges. Range 365 may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. It was also the first company to introduce custom .350 Legend rifles. Well, the .350 has yet to have its public trial. The first three are geared toward revolvers, but there are great hunting rifles made to take advantage of their qualities. The goal of the straight-wall regulations was, for the most part, to open the hunting field to more hunters of various ages and ability. Because rifled shotguns are basically rifles, the idea came about that straight-walled cases would be an ideal substitute; most are, when compared to bottle-necked cases, low-pressure and have limited range. $43.99 Cabelas.com. Various offerings of the Legend. While the .444 is near the bottom of the popularity list in current straight-walled rifle cartridges, I expect that will change as hunters discover the potential of this cartridge. As a generalization, it typically offers a 250-grain bullet at 2,200 fps. The .35 Remington (8.9x49mm) is the only remaining cartridge from Remington's lineup of medium-power rimless cartridges still in commercial production. Just to make sure the point is made: There’s a major difference between how far a bullet can travel and what a bullet does when it arrives. That straight-wall makes it legal for use in many states that generally don’t allow hunting with rifles. The low recoil and cost of the .350 are not enough to make it superior to the .450 Bushmaster, but it will be enough to get people to try it out. The cartridge was originally developed for the AR-15, but because it shares the same case head size as the common .308 Winchester, it was readily adapted to bolt-action rifles. The .45-70 is best at 75 to 150 yards on most game, but it drops significantly at any range past that. The .450 Bushmaster is a very powerful cartridge that can generate some serious energy, but it’s too much for some shooters as a result. Hardcast lead is very, very hard to beat at penetration, which is the only reason that .45 Colt made it onto this list. The 45 RAPTOR is the big bore straight wall cartridge for the AR-10 and LR308 series of rifles that meets the needs of sportsmen and hunters in states that restrict rifle hunting to straight wall cartridges like Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa and Delaware. I’ve fired every, single .450 AR made commercially today, along with many other custom options. Like I said, the .308 had ruled the chart for a good while although it definitely started looking over its shoulder a few years back as the 6.5 Creedmoor gathered steam. However, in today’s rifles with today’s bullets, it’s assuredly not. The .350 Legend is no better. The round is basically a large handgun cartridge and makes use of magnum pistol powders. Thats if you are trying to gain the most accuracy. I switched to solids in my own .450 rifles after seeing lackluster terminal performance in the field with soft, expanding bullets. There are other rounds that fill the requirements, but there are no significant ammunition makers or common, reliable rifles made to fire them. A Ruger No. The Case for Straight Walled Cartridges. One can make a case that, despite being made for the AR, the .450 is best in a bolt-action. among our first successful self-contained metallic … A Bonnier Corporation Company. The article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine. Brenton USA also makes the most reliable .450 Bushmaster magazine on the market. If you’re a handloader, you can make very, very powerful loads in your bolt-action that are otherwise unsafe in the fragile AR action. This new offering is designed primarily, but not exclusively, for use in Modern Sporting Rifles (MSR) and primarily, but not exclusively, for use in states that require a shotgun slug gun or a rifle chambered for a short, straight wall cartridge … In recent years, a number of regions began allowing the use of straight-walled cases, mainly as an alternative to the use of shotguns. $59.99 Cabelas.com Federal .44 Mag. Some areas (such as Michigan) have physical restraints on the size of the case itself. I strongly recommend talking to the folks there about your straight-walled hunting rifle build. The cartridge offers a flatter trajectory with less recoil and better terminal performance over current straight-wall cartridges while remaining compliant in most applicable states. In the straight-wall game, a solid bullet is sometimes better than an expanding one, in that it can make up for low mass or low speed by punching in deeply. More technology isn’t always better, and bullets aren’t where you want to start adding moving parts when that trophy buck is on the line. It was made famous early on and today enjoys a healthy following and a wide range of ammo and gun choices. Copyright © 2021 Range 365. Get the 74th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. The most common and popular straight-walled hunting cartridges are the .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum, .450 Bushmaster and the newly released .350 Legend. Most other rifles I tested have been in the 3-inch range at 100 yards. The .44 Auto Mag Pistol (AMP) cartridge was introduced in 1971. Magnum revolvers recoil stoutly and can cause heavy, lightly crimped bullets to creep slightly forward with each shot. While they can be pushed further, they are essentially short- to short-medium-range options. “Straight wall” simply means that the case, from front to back, has the same diameter as the bullet. The cartridge is also compliant in states that allow straight-walled cartridges for deer hunting. The best part of the .45 Colt is that it is a low-pressure cartridge that allows for easy practice while having high bullet mass. Primarily, these are magnum revolver cartridges and straight-walled cartridges loaded for lever-action rifles. .450 Bushmaster It was the advent of the self-contained metallic case that allowed for the first repeating arms to be manufactured and distributed on an industrial scale. I tested a Ruger 77/44 bolt-action rifle at one point and found it to be among the best and fastest-handling straight-walled rifles available today. It has good penetration qualities with hard-cast lead bullets. The 2019 SHOT Show saw the release of the latest cartridge from Winchester: the 350 Legend.Dubbed by Winchester as the “fastest straight-walled hunting cartridge in the world,” the 350 Legend certainly seems to be designed to fill a particular role in those states which limit big-game hunters to straight-walled rifle cartridges. The .44 Magnum is what most people consider to be the best of the “old-school” straight-walled cases. Time will tell how effective it is. Effective range from a lever-action rifle is about 75 to 100 yards on medium to large deer. While the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend are new cartridges relative to the .45 Colt and .45-70, they share a number of the same features and performance. Those big cowboy loads are slow, but a 255-grain wadcutter at 900 fps can floor a deer on penetration alone. Again, it can, of course, reach a target at long range, but that’s not the point of hunting. This company knows more about these two cartridges and what makes them accurate than any other riflesmith. Bolt-actions are generally more accurate than semi-autos and are more reliable, especially feeding the short, fat rounds such as the .450. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Initially loaded with a .458-caliber, 405-grain… Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. The.357 Magnum is an example of … Bullet type for the .450 Bushmaster is geared for deer, but there are other offerings that can be used for larger, heavier animals that are tested in this article, such as the Buffalo Bore 360-grain Hardcast Flatpoint. Bolt-action rifles such as the Ruger Gunsite Scout are available in .450 BM. I’ve been hunting with the .450 Bushmaster for a number of years and was one of the first to write about the need for .450 bolt-actions well before Ruger released its Gunsite Scout and American rifles. Hornady 225-grain FTX loads clock at about 1,800 fps in that rifle, meaning that the effective range is bumped past the .45 Colt and .357 Mag. A .35 caliber or larger rifle loaded with straight-walled cartridges with a min. Custom rifles, such as those from Precision Rifle Company, will shoot sub-MOA all day in those calibers but are still limited by the cartridge, as far as effective range is concerned. The council also approved straight-walled cartridge rifles for deer hunting. Buffalo Bore loads several very powerful options, including a 158-grain JHP that can achieve more than 2,000 fps from a rifle-length barrel. While the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend are new cartridges relative to the .45 Colt and .45-70, they share a number of the same features and performance. This is not an effective longer action cartridge. Developed by Elmer Keith from the .44 Special, the .44 Magnum boasts .45 Colt bullet mass at .357 Mag. 7.62x51 surplus ammo and ammunition reveiws. The .357 Mag. It should be noted that the .45-70, while only slightly more powerful than .450 Bushmaster, isn’t legal in all areas that allow straight-walled cases because, at 2.105 inches, it is longer than the stipulated 1.8 inches. Josh Wayner is a contributor to Gun Digest the Magazine. It’s been said in some hunting circles that the .350 Legend will do to .450 Bushmaster what 6.5 Creedmoor did to .308 Win., but I seriously doubt it’ll cause as widespread a stir. Here’s a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. Their velocity tends to dissipate quickly. I’ve seen soft .450 BM loads shatter in two deer after hitting only a shoulder blade. At their optimal ranges, they can deliver a load of energy on target. The .45-70 is commonly thought of as a long-range round. The headstamp was "38" and "77", IIRC. This straight wall cartridge is said to be a king out on the terrain and is great for deer hunters. At first I thought 30 carbine, but they seemed a little long. Did Dirty Harry Use .44 Specials in his Model 29?! The rifles are the same caliber and use the same straight-walled cartridges that are currently legal for use in handguns. For hunting, I like to go big and somewhat slow. I will post some pics later this evening. Because there’s an obvious correlation between bore size and bullet mass, bigger bullets will always be objectively better. However, the lead that the 25-06 has is pretty small. In a .308 bolt gun with standard AICS pattern mags, all that’s required is a simple barrel change to fire .450 Bushmaster. There are many misconceptions—and outright lies—about these cartridges and rifles that need to be addressed. Should you invest and take the dive right away for a brand-new cartridge such as the .350 Legend? It is … is best in a compact, 16- to 18-inch lever-action with either a red-dot sight or open irons. 30-30 case head size isnt readily available in most popular bolt actions. There aren’t many semi-automatic options out there, but there are wonderful lever-action rifles and bolt guns made to fire it. Please try again. Most .45-70 rifles can be quite accurate. The .45-70 is generally considered a rifle cartridge, but today, you can find handguns that chamber it. The Air Force’s Suppressed M9 Pistol from the ‘80s. This means it has an effective range of 200 yards and no real upper limit on the size of North American game it can be used for. The 3 standard bolt faces are .378 ( 223), .473 (308 30-06) and .532 ( magnum heads 300 win mag) One that could be very interesting is the 284 win case shortened and blown out to 475 cal. Truth About Straight-Walled Cartridge Ballistics, First Look: MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle, The Most Prevalent Revolver Myths Dispelled, Caliber Choice: Straight-Walled Cartridge Resurgence, Reloading Ammo: The Straight Spin on Barrel Twist Rates, Big-Bore Lever-Actions: Steel Henry .45-70 Is Golden, Bolt-Action Vs Semi-Auto Rifle For Precision Shooting, 4 Top 6.8 SPC Upper Options To Level Up Your AR (2021), Bergara BMR Delivers Precision In A Petite Package. case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 … 308 Shooter's Guide for .308 Winchester and .308 Win shooting, reloading, and 30-cal accuracy. The new regulation is designed to allow additional opportunities for hunters that own these guns or want to hunt with these guns. The trajectory is like a rock in a sock, even with good loads. The interesting part of the modern straight-walled case is that it’s something of an evolutionary throwback in the “tree” of cartridge development. speeds. HSM Bear Load .45 Colt $45.99 Cabelas.com Winchester .45 Colt $46.99 Cabelas.com. The cartridge has been designed for hunting medium and large North American game with a semi-automatic rifle and a barrel 16″ long (or longer). Recoil-sensitive hunters were essentially deterred from hunting as a result. This round was designed by Winchester primarily to address some perceived shortcomings associated with the .450 Bushmaster. Most ammunition offerings are loaded to handgun power, which means that many don’t generate a tremendous amount of speed. The massive amount of lead the .45-70 can deliver in a somewhat small package makes it a tremendous performer against all game on Earth. A prime selling point of the .350 Legend is that it boasts low recoil and low expense when compared directly to the .450 Bushmaster. The .357 and .45 Colt are best at bowhunting distances inside 50 yards. (Very few rifle cartridges have ever become truly legendary!) The case mouth jams up against this ledge, preventing the cartridge from moving forward. As far as performance and rifles are concerned, the .450 is something of a hybrid. The .350 Legend is the latest straight-walled cartridge to make waves on the hunting scene. Shotguns have tremendous recoil and are not especially accurate, even with top-shelf slugs designed for rifled barrels. to around 150 yards. This was the exact problem that existed with high-recoil slug guns before straight-walled case regulations came into play. Developed for the Springfield 1873, the .45-70 was potent for its time. A look at the new wave of options for hunting in former shotgun-only locations. Even modern straight-walled cases are not beyond this. Just like the .357 Mag., the .45 Colt is best in a lever gun with a red-dot or open irons. Many AR rifles today struggle with reliability when it comes to the .450 due to subpar magazines and unsuitable gas system and buffer setups. Certain states and regions have limitations on what caliber and type of gun can be used. Born in 1873, .45-70 Govt. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The .45 Colt and .357 are fun and easy to use in a rifle, but the .44 Mag. The .45-70 boasts a wide range of bullet options, sometimes in excess of 500 grains. In the case of most replica lever-actions, this is great performance. Many of these cartridges are still in widespread use today—despite being more than 100 years old. There isn’t tremendous bullet drop from 150 to 200 yards, but beyond that, the round falls off rapidly. Many of today’s straight-walled cases have the same general effective range as that of a rifled shotgun—around 150 to 200 yards at a maximum (but more on that in a moment). This isn’t a usual case for either the .450 AR or most .450 ammo available today. As I have indicated, the straight walled cartridge is the most popular design in handgun cartridge use. These two dies are a resizing/decapping/expanding die, and a bullet seating die. Is it better? The following center-fire cartridges may be used, along with others not identified in this list, that meet the straight-walled cartridge criteria:.357 Magnum.357 Maximum.375 Winchester.38 Super.40 S&W It’s commonly seen that the .450 BM is advertised as being accurate to 300 and 400 yards, but this is entirely untrue. The round, designed for hunters in states that mandate straight-wall cartridge use only, is effectively a 200-yard-and-under hunting cartridge, and recoil is … A seating dye if set properly and consistant will seat the bullet the same and result in the same O.A.L.. Rest easy folks, for I’ve gone and figured out the perfect whitetail cartridge. The .450 is the same as the .45-70, in that it’s best at ranges inside 150 yards. A deer will be equally as dead if shot by a .357 Mag. Expect most rifles of any action type to group at about 3 inches at 50 yards. If you want that nostalgic hunt with a classy lever-action and red flannel, this is your cartridge. The Modern Straight-Walled Cartridge. For many, it is the best option. All rights reserved. There has been an error with your Email Subscription. Hornady .350 Legend $20.99 Brownells.com Hornady .450 Bushmaster $26.99 Guns.com. What Gun Would You Use to Hunt a Werewolf? No, not all rifles are legal. Even most straight walled cases have a small amount of taper to aid extraction. When I checked the length, I realized that they weren't 30 carbine. Loaded ammunition was once available from the Mexican firm of Cartuchos Deportivos Mexico and from Norma (a Swedish firm), which also produced empty cases. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. AccurateShooter.com is the best guide for precision shooting, with FAQ, Shooter Message Boards, Reader Polls, and Photo Gallery. The .308 has a more limited range with heavier bullet weights than similar cartridges. Weather its pistol or rifle, straight walled or necked, the case length, in my opinion needs to be trimmed. Rifles and gear reviews for .308 Win. Today’s .45 Colt ranges from old-school, 255-grain cast lead to advanced, 230-grain Sig Sauer V-Crown self-defense loads. The .357 Magnum is the smallest straight-walled case in common use for hunting. S&W makes great revolvers, but not every hunter wants the challenge of handgun hunting or possesses the fortitude of wrist to master such hand cannons. Long shots can be made but should not be sought out with straight-walled cartridges. A well-sighted… The .350 Legend cartridge is designed to cycle in a variety of firearm platforms, and has been shown to operate in bolt-action rifles like the Winchester XPR. Rifle Ammunition 101: Straight-Wall Cartridges. Straight wall pistol cartridges like 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP use the edge of the cartridge case mouth to control headspace. In terms of target finding accuracy, the .308 is effective to about 500 yards out. It’s essentially the same as .357 Magnum—on steroids—which means it’ll stretch out the range to about 100 or 150 yards (roughly the same as the .450 Bushmaster). Today’s hunter has a plethora of cartridges to choose from. Most hunters who use a “traditional” straight-walled case are going to be using .44 Magnum. HSM Bear Load .357 $42.49 Cabelas.com Black Hills 125-gr. Yes, they can, of course, be fired farther, but the design, mass and speed of the bullets are what really determine effective range. If the case is the right length, headspace is controlled. HSM Bear .44 Mag. Due to the fact that the straight-wall game is inside 200 yards for most people, it’s akin to playing dodgeball with everything from tennis balls to exercise balls: You’re always going to be better with a bigger ball, given that the game is at a set distance. Although certain cartridges aren’t allowed in rifle format i.e 45/70 Government, it is still acceptable in handgun format. is best used with scopes in the 4x range, although irons and red-dot sights are also great. The.308 Winchester is an example of a typical bottleneck cartridge. The low bullet mass is the reason the ideal distance is about 100 yards. I’ve found exactly one that works with perfect reliability and accuracy: the Brenton USA Ranger Carbon Hunter (featured in this article). While I have demonstrated a variety of advantages bottlenecked cartridges have, the straight walled cartridge remains a viable option for many shooters. The .350 offers about half the recoil of the .450—but at the price of bullet mass and energy. Bullets, powder, brass, accurate loads. Straight-wall pistol and rifle cartridges are typically reloaded with a set of three dies. The across-the-board effective ranges are the same as most slug guns—that being inside 200 yards. The straight-walled cases allowed are thus close to the power of a modern slug gun— sometimes, a little more and other times, a little less.