RELOADING
The .350 Remington Magnum
Blast from the past: A pioneer 'short mag' powerhouse has been resurrected. And there's more to it than '60s nostalgia.
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| Barnes: | 200 gr., 220/225 gr., 250 gr., 280 gr. |
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| Hornady: | 200 gr., 220/225 gr., 280 gr. |
| Nosler: | 220/225 gr., 250 gr. |
| Sierra: | 180 gr., 200 gr. |
| Speer: | 180 gr., 200/220 gr., 250 gr. |
| Swift: | 220/225 gr., 250 gr., 280 gr. |
The .350 Remington Magnum (Bullet Availability)
In 1965 Remington introduced the Model 600 bolt-action carbine, a radical design unlike anything else on the American sporting market. Introduced along with the Model 600 was a new cartridge called the .350 Remington Magnum.
Compared to other belted magnums introduced in the preceding decade, the .350 was an odd duck. High velocity was in vogue at the time, but the .350 Rem. Mag. could not muster velocity anywhere near the magic 3,000-fps benchmark that distinguished most new magnums from standard loads. Its nearest rival was the .338 Winchester Magnum, introduced seven years earlier (which also falls short of the 3,000-fps figure), but the .350 could not approach the .338's velocity or energy numbers in any bullet weight.
What the .350 could do was produce velocity and energy similar to the .35 Whelen, then a popular wildcat necked-up from the .30-06 case. Although its numbers are not eye-popping, the .35 Whelen had a long-established reputation as an effective cartridge for the heaviest North American big game.
The .350 Remington Magnum has a short, fat case that--except for the belt--might have been designed in 2003. Its case is larger in diameter than the .30-06/.35 Whelen but about a half-inch shorter. Although it's not as big around as the brand-new short and super-short magnums, the .350 has enough powder capacity to speak with authority.
The .350 was chambered in the Model 600 carbine with its 18-inch barrel, vent rib and flashy, two-tone laminated stock. Without question, it presented a unique package both in appearance and ballistics. Until the .350/M600 package appeared, magnum rifles used barrels as long as 26 inches and were not especially noted for their handling qualities. The Model 600 was a quick-pointing little rig that was significantly lighter than most hunting rifles.
The .350/M600 combo had sufficient clout for the heaviest North American big game, and it was handy. This quality made it particularly suitable for anyone loaded down with a heavy backpack. It soon gained a following among guides and others who spent a lot of time in bear country or other places where a quick stopping shot might be needed.
Nevertheless, the Model 600 (and,consequently, the .350) did not sell well. Some blamed it on the carbine's radical appearance, but more likely it was because the cartridge produced truly punishing recoil in this lightweight package, and most hunters did not want such a specialized combination.
In 1968 Remington revamped the Model 600 by eliminating the ventilated rib, lengthening the barrel to 20 inches and renaming it the Model 660. This new version was more aesthetically pleasing to most people, but it fared little better than the Model 600. By the early '70s the Model 660 was also discontinued, but the .350 persisted for a time as a chambering in the Remington Model 700 then, finally, was discontinued.
But now the .350 Remington Magnum is back.
You have to give the Remington marketing people credit for courage because the .350 is now chambered in the brand-new Model 673 rifle. The 673 is a variation of the popular Remington Model Seven bolt action, but it's deliberately styled to mimic the ill-fated Model 600, from the ventilated rib on the 22-inch barrel to a narrow laminate stock with alternating stacks of blond and brown hardwood. In my humble opinion, it's a masterstroke.
What was radical in the 1960s is merely eye-catching in 2003, and today's hunter is probably a bit more willing to stray from the middle of the road. Nostalgia aside, the important thing is that a great cartridge has been resurrected from history's dustbin, and--even better--with the Model 673's longer, 22-inch barrel and somewhat greater weight, the .350's once-prodigious recoil is now quite manageable.
I mounted a Burris Signature 1.755X variable on my Model 673 test rifle. This durable, bright, sharp scope is an excellent choice for this decidedly "nonbeanfield" rifle. Burris makes an excellent glass with a wide field of view at the low-power setting for quick target acquisition and enough power at the high setting to take full advantage of the .350's moderate trajectory arc.
For testing I glued a strain gauge to the barrel over the chamber area of the Model 673 and wired it to an Oehler Model 43 Personal Ballistics Laboratory. The Model 43 is considerably more complicated to set up than a chronograph, but it's manageable, and your extra effort is rewarded with a wealth of data that until recently you could get only from a commercial ballistics laboratory.
Besides measuring muzzle velocity, the Model 43 also gives you peak chamber pressure and other pressure-curve data. Once the bullet exits the muzzle, the Model 43 records external ballistics data beginning with muzzle velocity, time of flight to the target, velocity at the target and calculated ballistic coefficient. As a bonus, the unit spots your hits for you on a laptop computer screen.
At the range I found that the 22-inch barrel on the Model 673 yielded an average muzzle velocity of 2,744 fps--not a significant increase from the published factory figure of 2,710 fps. This was not surprising because the relatively large-caliber .350 Remington Magnum doesn't require a long barrel to attain peak performance. Such cartridges usually are easy to reload because they are not sensitive to small changes in powder charges or other components. I found this to be true with my test rifle.
It's a good idea to remember that the .350 Remington Magnum is a fairly powerful cartridge yet it achieves its performance without pushing chamber pressures to astronomical levels. Therefore, you really shouldn't try to push the limits to eke out higher muzzle velocity than that obtained with factory loads.
If you really want a hyper-performance big-bore magnum, any of several large-capacity magnums might be more suitable for you. However, you can rely on the .350 Remington Magnum to deliver what you need when what you're hunting decides to bite back.
WARNING: The loads shown here are safe only in the guns for which they were developed. Neither the author nor InterMedia Outdoors assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use or misuse of this data.
© 2009 Intermedia Outdoors. All rights reserved.
