WB
Things old are new again, again...
Tuesday, January 02, 2024, 09:09

The .400 Legend, you almost forgot it existed, didn't you? Savage is the only maker (other than AR types), I know of, producing rifles for the Winchester cartridge. It's is specifically for the "straight wall case" hunting states. Same as the .350 Legend that has actually felt some popularity, spurred by the ammo shortage during COVID. The shelves were full of this .350 stuff and guys figured they needed a gun to shoot the available round.

Not to be confused with Gary's .400 GNR on the full length .30-30 case. It could be used if you shortened it back to under the state mandated case length restrictions. I think it is too long for some states regulations as is. Like shooting a .38 in a .357 chamber, it should work, I figure. The .30-30 case gets internally thick not too bar back. You might have to inside neck ream. If too thick .30-30 brass gives you fits working with the .400 GNR, Starline makes a thin-wall .38-55 Win. cases that really help. Normal .30-30 brass is around 0.011" at the neck and this .38-55 stuff is 0.008".

Both "new" rounds are nothing more than modernized versions of the 1907 and 1910 Winchester Self-Loading cartridges. The performance gain, if you can call 5% +/- a gain, is more likely the result of accident. But they sure tell it and sell it as something miraculous and new. The antique Winchester rifles were popular and served well from inception to the start of WWII (.401 WSL) and beyond for the .351 WSL.The former was used for arming Ballonist in WWI in France. The .351 was very popular with law enforcement and prison use until they dropped them in 1957. The .401 WSL had an underhanded rold in modern magnum handgun cartridges that aligned with Elmer Keith's earliest exploits. Pop Eimer took the .38-40 Colt and rebored cylinders to a cut down version of the .401 WSL to fit. He filled the case with as much of the then hot powder. Most figure he was likely getting around 1500 fps shooting the 180 - 200 gr. .403" .38-40 lead slugs. The .401 bullets would have been a bit too big for the .403" bore Colt.

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Good news for old rifle fanciers is you can make .351 cases from .350 legend brass by shortening them. Even without the teeny factory round's rim they work fine. For the .401 WSL I have long made rounds from .30-30, .414 SM, and of late 7.62X39, using only 40 S&W or 10mm auto reloading dies. The .351 bullets are sized down to at least .355" (.352" is correct) and the .401 shoots .410" lead bullets fine. However .408" I believe is the correct spec.

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I want some .400 Legend brass to test for the .401 WSL loading. The main issue other than shortening is the rims are slightly rebated. The parent case I'm told is the 6.8 SPC round. As long as it extracts loaded rounds the old blowback operated Winchester WILL eject it. I look forward for some more fun with the old gun.

An old experimental video of me shooting some .401 WSL I made from .41 Rem. Mag cases. After I lathe the rims to fit. I have to seat the bullets long to feed from the magazine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arbzLQIkq1A

 
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