data-csrf="1711690150,26060b4846f20fad8be3e352986519b9" Bigger bore AR | As Real As It Gets

Bigger bore AR

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
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Anchorage
All of my ARs are of the normal 5.56/.223 variety. I've got some GMXs and TSXs to work up some loads for an upcoming hog hunt, in April.

The trip seems like a great excuse to build a bigger-bore AR, so I ordered up an 18" .300 Ham'r barrel from Wilson Combat.

I planned on ordering up some Starline brass, just for simplicity sake, but last night I got impatient and started trimming some .223 cases. Yeah, I'm definitely going to order up some Starline brass. Trimming cases just sucks!

A few bullets were recommend from other pig hunters, and most of them are readily available on local shelves. So, I'll start off with Speer's 125gr TNT and/or 130gr Hot-Cor bullets. They're certainly cheap and supposed to be really effective on pigs. The Barnes 110gr TAC-X looks interesting, as well.

I haven't found any CFE-BLK, yet, but Accurate 1680 is supposed to work well, too. Sporty's has this powder, and previously mentioned bullets, in stock.

Anyway, I think it'll be fun playing with something different.
 

hangunnr

Administrator
Dec 12, 2007
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I’ve not shot or loaded for a Ham’r but have spent a bit of time with the 300blk with 2 of the three bullets you listed. I haven’t found a load yet that will make the 110 Barnes TacX shoot. The Speer gave decent accuracy but not enough to sway me in that direction. The Barnes 110TTSX shot .5 MOA from my bolt action but I don’t have enough velocity for expansion, the Wilson cartridge may get you there.

I’ve settled on the Speer 150gr Gold Dot, part number 308150BLKGDB. This bullet at super velocity has been consistently sub MOA in both my rifles and about 1.5 MOA in my pistol. Internet hunting reports have been positive on this bullet but I haven’t drawn blood with it yet.

I can’t see any reason the added velocity the Ham’r offers not being a good thing.

Were I going to do another AR upper it would be a 350 Legend.
 
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Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
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Anchorage
Thank you for the information on the lightweight Barnes .30 cal offerings. It takes some of the luster off the Tac-X.

I originally thought about the .350 Legend, but once I learned that the bullet diameter was .355" instead of .357" or .358" I stopped considering it. Reloaders are stuck using 9mm pistol bullets, instead of .357 magnum handgun bullets or .35 cal rifle bullets, and I'm not sure 9mm pistol bullets will hold up to .350 Legend velocities. For whatever reason, Winchester chose the .355" bullet diameter, and essentially created a proprietary rifle bullet.
 

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
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Anchorage
Google ".350 Legend .355 or .357" and there is enough weird and contradictory information, with regard to bullet/bore/groove diameter, to long outlast my interest in the cartridge. Because of this, I stopped considering the .350 Legend altogether.

I hope Winchester gets it right, though, because I think the .350 Legend could fill that "staight-wall cartridge" niche in some state's deer hunting regulations. In the meantime, I think I'll wait until the animals calm down before buying tickets to the circus. :D



I did think about the Grendel, by the way, and I do see one of those in my future. It's a good time to be playing with ARs, because I've never seen them cheaper. Damn things, anyhow...
 

hangunnr

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Dec 12, 2007
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Oh I understand, I’m sure they’ll eventually get it standardized.

Is Wilson offering any twist rates other than the 1-15 that they originally spec’d?
 

dznnf7

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2016
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I bought a RAR 300BLK on a whim and for the life of me I can't remember why, or decide what it's good for. But it does/did shoot the TTSX's well, as well as Nosler 110 BT's. I should give it to someone I don't like....
 

Dude270

Well-known member
Dec 23, 2014
971
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I dabbled with a whisper contender way back when and a BO recently. Came to my senses and went back to the 223. 223 is better at everything other than shooting subs.
 
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Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
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Anchorage
Sporty’s had a few boxes of Hornady's American Whitetail factory ammo in .350 Legend, loaded with 170gr InterLocks. The guy at the counter was nice enough to break out a caliper and measure the bullet diameter for me, 0.355 inches.
 

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Big Stick

Well-known member
Nov 18, 2007
42,650
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Paradise
I see .357" here.

It takes a BUNCH more than .001" or .002" to aspook me...especially when I'm at the controls of the Reloading Press...............(grin)
 

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
3,366
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Anchorage
I see .357" here.
I don't doubt you one bit, and that's just it. It seems like it's all over the place.


I haven't gotten my .300 Ham'r barrel or dies yet, so I can't comment on shooting it, but I am excited that I don't have to do anything to the rifle except a $200 barrel swap. It was recommended that I drive a Blackout magazine, with the fatter rounds, but they're cheap and easy to find. Suitable bullets are about 20-cents a pop, and powder charges are modest. It should be pretty cheap to shoot.

I stumbled into several pounds of CFE-BLK this afternoon, so I think I'm set, just waiting for parts.
 

dznnf7

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2016
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Never have and probably never will, but I'd be an instant convert if it was an option for me. Probably saving me thousands to avoid it!
 

Firth

Active member
Feb 1, 2015
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For what it's worth, Hodgdon's online data for the 350 Legend is mostly 0.355" bullets, but they do list data for the Barnes 125 TAC-XP, a 0.357 bullet.
 

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
3,366
64
Anchorage
I picked up a .350 Legend upper last week, and while I was looking for load data, this old thread came up.

It's been long enough that there are a few Legend-specific bullets on the market, so I thought I'd give the .350 Legend a try. Could be fun, right? Oh, hell no!

It's my fault; I went cheap. I ordered an upper from Bear Creek Arsenal. A friend bought an upper from Rock River Arms, and it functioned perfectly. Mine is a jam-a-matic! I probably had 15 jams through the first box of ammo (Winchester factory 145gr FMJs). The second box fared better, but I still had 5 or 6 jams.

I finally got it to properly cycle 10 rounds in a row, without a hiccup, with the Winchester FMJ ammo. It took a lot of tinkering and three trips to the range, though. After I got the cheap factory ammo to run, I tried some factory Hornady 170gr ammo. NOPE! It jams on every single round!


Unfortunately, I had already ordered a bunch of reloading supplies - dies, brass, and bullets. All that stuff should be here next week, so I'm hoping I can get it function properly with some handloads. I have some 165gr FTX, 170gr Interlocks, and 250gr Sub-X bullets on the way, but even if I can get this upper running properly, it's gonna piss me off every time I think about it.

I was thinking the .350 Legend would be a fun/new pig thumper for me to try, in March, and my son could use my .300 Ham'r. In hindsight, I should have skipped the .350 Legend, altogether, and just ordered another Wilson .300 Ham'r barrel. I'd have been money ahead, and I know it would have run like a champ.
 
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CaptArab

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2021
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A buddy of mine is a big 350 legend fan.
He runs the cheapo rmr 124 hollow points and like them on hogs and deer. Says Lil gun is the way to go for velocity.
 

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
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Anchorage
Those 124s hold together at those speeds?

I was thinking of trying the 147gr XTPs, but they'd be going more than twice the muzzle velocity a 9mm can launch them, and I wonder if they'll grenade mid-flight?
 

CaptArab

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2021
175
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Yeah he had no issues with the 124s at like 2400 fps. RMR makes a good bullet- they warn they don't expand properly at 9mm speeds. Too hard for typical 9mm speeds.
 
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Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
3,366
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Anchorage
After polishing the feed ramp and chamber, and smoothing out the front lip of the CMMG magazine, I've got it running pretty good with a couple of different bullets. The Hornady 165gr FTX bullets feed well, as do the Winchester 145gr FMJs.

The .350 Legend is quirky, to put it mildly. The difference between normal looking brass, and significant pressure signs with Lil' Gun is only 1/2 a grain! And, I'm still below book max loads. Touchy stuff! W296 seems a little more forgiving, no pressure issues observed. I also have some 4227, CFE-BLK, AA1680, and RL-7 I can try. Don't really know how far down this rabbit hole I wanna go.



The 250gr Sub-X bullets seem to be more accurate and cycle better when they are pushed harder. They have some jamming issues at the starting loads, which are still super-sonic. I'm guessing it's a gas issue with the paltry powder charges used with this particular bullet. The first round usually goes low, but became less noticeable with higher powder charges. I saw this with several groups with the 250s. Not sure what to make of that.



The Hornady 147gr XTP pistol bullets were the most accurate, but they don't feed worth a damn, and bullet set-back is significant when they jam (even with a good taper crimp). The are accurate, and I'd love to see what they'd do to a pig, but if I can't get them to feed, it doesn't much matter.
 
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Dan In Alaska

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Nov 30, 2007
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Anchorage
I think I've got the BCA upper running properly. I didn't have any jams today with the 145 FMJs, 165 FTXs, or the 250 Sub-Xs. I haven't retried the 147gr XTPs or the Hornady Factory 170gr SPs, though. Maybe next time?

The 165gr FTX and 250gr Sub-X bullets shoot well, and both should dispatch hogs with authority. The 165s have the same point of impact at 50 and 100yds, so that should come in handy.


The 250s hit about 4-5" lower at 50yds than the 165s, and they are another 6-7" lower still at 100yds. They group well, but drop like a stone.
 

CaptArab

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2021
175
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I wonder if those 250 grainers would group out of my Henry 357 🤔

It's a riot with the yhn R9 and swfa 1-4 turret.
 

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
3,366
64
Anchorage
I think I've got the BCA upper running properly. I didn't have any jams today with the 145 FMJs, 165 FTXs, or the 250 Sub-Xs. I haven't retried the 147gr XTPs or the Hornady Factory 170gr SPs, though. Maybe next time?
Shot the 350L again, yesterday. I had five rounds left of the 170gr Hornady ammo. It jammed on every single round!

It ran fine with the 145s and 165s, though, so I'm done messing with it. The 165s shoot really well, feed reliably, and hit the exact point of impact at 50yds and 100yds. Good enough!
 

Rolltide

rimfiretactical.com
Dec 15, 2007
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I don't know why, but I've been eyeballing the 450 Bushmaster as a potential bigger bore round in an AR.

Does anyone have any experience with that round? Pros? Cons?
 

CaptArab

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2021
175
19
Those 124s hold together at those speeds?

I was thinking of trying the 147gr XTPs, but they'd be going more than twice the muzzle velocity a 9mm can launch them, and I wonder if they'll grenade mid-flight?
Bumping an old thread.
Been a while since I revisited the rmr website. I see they've redesigned their hollow point to open up easier. My buddy was shooting the old MPR multi purpose rounds- I think they got lotsa of complaints from the 9mm crowd that it wouldn't open - which made it perfect for 350 legend.

I wouldn't try that with the nuke unless a splash was desired.
 

Dan In Alaska

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2007
3,366
64
Anchorage
Well, I couldn't leave well enough, alone. I got the BCA upper running, but kept looking for something new. One headache wasn't enough, so I bought a complete Ruger AR in .350L, thinking this was a better way to go. Nope!

The accuracy of the Ruger is noticeably better than the BCA, but I still had the same feeding issues with the Ruger. So, I polished the chamber and feed ramps. The feeding issues got better, but still not 100%. This thing needs to be CLEAN, or the feeding issues reappear. After about 30 rounds, shooting suppressed, it starts jamming again. I'm wondering if a different powder would help with this? I'm running H110, but I might give Lil' Gun another try to see if it runs cleaner.

The bad part is that all the jams and feeding issues beat the hell out of the brass. Some of my brass has 2-3 firings, and it's pretty ratty looking, already.

Yep, I should have avoided the .350L, altogether, and just stuck with the .300 Ham'r. It would have been cheaper and FAR LESS problematic!
 
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Dude270

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Dec 23, 2014
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Glutton for punishment, Dan.
Hope you get it running right
 
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