The 350 Legend is a remarkable caliber, but sweetening the pot and making it a favorite of whitetail goers is that the cartridge is straight-walled. Straight-walled cartridges have become legal in many states that make the weekly highlight reel for producing gagger bucks and boosted the ammunition’s popularity among whitetail freaks. 

350 Legend is known for its limited recoil, and because bullet drop is extensive beyond 200 yards, hunters can use it in areas where standard bottleneck cartridges are taboo. 

Another win for the 350 Legend is that it produces high energy and excellent penetration at short to medium distances such as those typically encountered in the Midwest whitetail woods. 

Enter The Winchester XPR Hunter 

A crowd favorite in the 350 Legend category is the XPR Hunter from Winchester Repeating Arms. When Winchester launched the rifle, outdoor television personality and hardcore hunter Benny Spies was one of the first to give it a test run.

Spies is a flamboyant, working-class hunter who appeals to the masses. His attitude is positive, and he always seems to get the job done in crunch time.

“Winchester sent me the gun for my daughter’s South Dakota pronghorn hunt,” Spies said. “I know it’s not a long-range caliber, and shots at pronghorn do tend to be long, but I wanted to get her into a rifle that would fit her 12-year-old frame and not beat her up.”

Spies found all he sought in the 22-inch barreled, 6-pound, 12-ounce XPR Hunter. He noted he was impressed with the rifle from the get-go. He liked the TrueTimber Strata camo covering the composite stock, the sizeable trigger guard, and the bolt-action’s overall look.  

“The rifle looks sweet,” Spies continued. “I noticed the Inflex Technology recoil pad right off the bat, too. And, the rifle featured the M.O.A. Trigger System, which I'm a fan of.”

A Great First Impression

Other notable first-impression features, according to Spies, included the Perma-Cote FDE finish on the barreled action, the free-floated barrel that is precision button rifled, and the steel recoil lug on the receiver. Spies wanted the rifle for his 12-year-old daughter, and being the recoil lug holds the barreled action in proper alignment with the stock and eliminates the need for bedding pillars, accuracy is boosted, and recoil is further reduced.

“I was also a fan of the removeable magazine, two-position thumb safety, and recessed target crown on the barrel,” Spies said. “The receiver is drilled and tapped, and adding a scope was a breeze.” 

Deer Season XP: A Tried-&-True Legend

Spies is a fan of Winchester's Deer Season XP ammo, and the 150-grain 350 Legend was his go-to. 

“I love Deer Season XP,” said Spies. “It doesn't break the bank and I get excellent downrange energy transfer. I have always loved the Extreme Point bullet tip, which delivers an oversized impact diameter. It groups well, and I have yet to find a rifle that doesn't like the round.”

Topped with a scope and with plenty of Deer Season XP in the range bag, Spies wanted to burn some lead and get the rifle generally sighted in before handing the duties off to his daughter.

A Real Shooter

“I was shocked,” Spies continued. “This is no slouch cartridge; I expected the recoil to be way worse than it was. Winchester did an excellent job with this rifle build. It tames recoil, which allowed me to shoot round after round downrange with complete confidence.”

Spies is an excellent marksman, and he noted that when he has his Model 70 6.8 Western or .300 Win. Mag., he splits hairs concerning accuracy. He knew with this rifle he wanted his daughter to produce groups between the size of a tennis ball and a baseball at 100 yards, and the rifle/scope/ammo combo had zero trouble accomplishing this feat.

“I'm old-school.” Spies continued, “I don't get fancy. I pulled the crafted-from-chrome-moly bolt, set the rifle on sticks, lined the barrel up with the target, and walked the crosshairs in. I do this from 50 yards, which is how I always bore-sight my rifles. I did this and put the first shot on paper at 50 yards, which is a testament to a solidly built rifle.”

After bore-sighting the rifle, Spies spent time shooting and cleaning and got the Winchester ready for his daughter.

A Confidence Building Bolt-Action

“She was a little reluctant,” Spies laughed. “The cartridge is intimidating, but she smiled after the first shot.”

The recoil of the XPR Hunter chambered in 350 Legend was so minimal that Spies’ daughter told him, “Dad, that was nothing.” 

“She could shoot a lot and get highly comfortable with the rifle. The weight and overall length of 42 inches weren't too much for her. She could carry the gun easily, shoulder it without issue, and she was able to shoot several groups that would do the job on a pronghorn.”

Another critical aspect of the XPR Hunter, which Spies often pointed out, is its friendly price tag.

“When you can get yourself or a loved one into a quality bolt-action rifle for under $700, it’s a win. Winchester makes excellent rifles, and this one is no exception. It has multiple features and technologies that should push the price point around $1K, but Winchester has managed to keep it under $700. I appreciate that.”

The Hunt

Spies and his daughter only had a handful of days to hunt. Their time on the pronghorn-rich plains was limited between school and other family events. 

“It was a bummer, and I feel bad,” said Spies. “The best day we had was rainy and extremely windy. She got a shot at a speed goat, but it was far from ideal.” 

“She was nervous, and the weather didn’t help. But that's a long, drawn-out excuse for saying she missed her opportunity, and we didn't get another.”

Still, Spies highly recommends the rifle to anyone, especially those whitetail fanatics.

“You don't need a 6.8 Western or .300 Win. Mag. when hunting whitetails in the Midwest or East.” He continued, “In most of these places, you can’t shoot beyond 200 yards, and 200 yards is the perfect wheelhouse for this fine shooting beauty.” 

“You don’t need a $2K rifle that promises 1,000-yard accuracy in most whitetail locales. Most bottleneck cartridges are illegal in top whitetail states. The 350 Legend is the answer. It shoots a straight-walled cartridge accurately to 200 yards, and that's all you need.”