-: Straight wall cartridge technology is one subject
that's been really hot over the last several years
and shot showed 2024.
We've got even more news on that front.
But let's step back just for a moment.
Go back to where it all started really about five years ago
when Winchester came out with a three 50 legend.
Now, you know, the state started changing regulations,
allowing straight wall rifle cartridges to be used,
typically where muzzle loaders
and shotgun slugs were only used.
Nathan Winchester stepped up
and came out with a three 50 legend.
Tremendously popular still in the line, but
-: Very much so.
-: Yeah, I, and I understand the three 50 may
be one of your bestselling,
-: One of our bestselling cartridges.
Yeah, absolutely. Phenomenal success off of that.
And to your point, there were other cartridges at the time
and we felt like we could put a more modern spin on it
and provide something better.
30 30 is still a beloved cartridge
and it will continue to be something
that people use for a long time.
But the three 50 is like the modern 30 30,
you got more energy flatter trajectory,
you can use it in more varieties of firearms
and it opens up modern sporting rifles.
You got bolt actions, you got break opens,
and it's been a real sweet spot with a lot
of success across the Midwest and the East coast.
-: And of course it's a straight world cartridge,
which makes it popular in those states as opposed to a 30.
30 is being a bottleneck. But good comparison there.
The three 50 line though, has expanded.
There's a ton of offerings now in Winchester. Yep.
-: We got something for everybody across fjs
for blinking at the range,
you can buy those really affordably.
That's another upside to this technology is it's similar
to a 2, 2, 3 case and a nine millimeter bullet.
Things that we're very efficient at making,
so we can produce them at a low cost and a high volume.
And so we're able to support the market
and we're able to get it at a price
where it doesn't hurt the pocketbook like some
of the specialized cartridges would.
But to your point, we've got fjs,
we've got defensive bullets, we've got copper bullets,
we've got different technologies around deer hunting,
like our deer season xp, we've got PowerPoint,
we've got a bonded projectile.
So there's really something out there
for everybody depending on their unique circumstances
or personal preferences.
-: So the three 50 you're already familiar with,
but this year the news is we're gonna step it up a level.
That's right. Go to the 400 legend. Yeah,
-: So the other common one was four 50 Bushmaster,
which we also produce and we love that,
but it's got a lot of recoil
and it's a little bit limited on your capacity
because it is such a big fat cartridge.
And so 400 fits in the sweet spot between three 50
and four 50 bushmaster.
So if anybody had doubts about whether three 50 had enough
energy or range, it's got a big brother now,
it takes away any of that doubt.
And so it's kind of in that sweet spot
where you don't have a lot of recoil,
but you have a lot more knockdown power on the other end
of the bullet and it actually exceeds four 50 bush master
energy once you get past like a hundred yards or so.
So it, it gives you an idea compared to the slugs
that people are used to.
It's a tremendous advance in technology
and something we're really excited about.
-: Give, extend the range a little bit.
Yeah, thanks to that heavier bullet.
What types of bullet weights are you guys
loading in the 400 legs?
-: So we have three total.
Now there's the PowerPoint
and you can see that's a 250 grain
and that's a traditional lead round nose
and that's gonna be your, your bread
and butter product that kind of does it all.
It's a heavy bullet weight, so it's gonna penetrate well,
but it's also gonna expand and do a lot of damage and trauma
and drop a deer quickly if you want something specially
designed with a polymer tip and ultimate accuracy.
Then we got deer season xp
and that's designed to open up really quickly on target.
So within the first one to three inches,
you're gonna have a lot of expansion in that bullet
so it dumps as much energy
as possible quickly in a small body of a deer,
which you know, you got 10, 12 inches usually
that you gotta get through on a deer
and this is gonna make sure that you do as much damage in
that limited time as you can.
And then we got super suppressed, big heavyweight bullet.
It's gonna be optimized for useless suppressors, but
because of its open tip design, it's also great for hunting.
-: Well with that, those types of options.
I mean of course a 400 legend is great in a straight wall
state, but it sounds like it's a really good
overall cartridge.
Its just about anywhere for white tails and black bears.
-: Yeah, black bears hogs.
We've had people even take it on moose hunts.
Not that it's designed for that,
but it's definitely got a lot
of killing power within certain ranges.
And that's where you gotta make a decision is if you're
comfortable shooting 300 yards
and in this is a great product for you
and most of the country, that's the case.
If you're looking at people anywhere east
of the Mississippi, they're rarely gonna have a shot
opportunity past that distance.
Where you and I live, it's probably usually 60
to 120 yards in states like Illinois
or Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky.
And so this is a, a really great product for the bulk
of deer hunters in the country.
-: Well, if you want a straight wall cartridge
with a heavier bullet to extend your range a little bit,
check out the 400 legend new this year from Winchester.