Most people that you come across, when they think about hunting, typically think about using a rifle because many people’s minds go directly to deer hunting. Other people with a little more knowledge about different types of hunting may also think about shotguns for turkey hunting or other types of hunting.
Some people, though, think about hunting using something that most people don’t even consider as a firearm for that purpose: handguns.
Yes, handguns. Mind you, aren’t subcompact or micro compact pistols, or even 1911s, that many people carry for everyday carry. No, these are often larger than that, but they are handguns nonetheless. Specifically, revolvers.
For those who favor those kinds of guns for hunting, Smith & Wesson released a revolver that they hope will catch your interest. Brad Fitzpatrick writes,
When Winchester introduced the 350 Legend cartridge at SHOT Show 2019, most hunters and shooters were delighted to have a new light-recoiling, low-cost straight-wall hunting cartridge. While the masses were busy wondering how the 350 Legend would perform in the woods and in gun shops, the engineers at Smith & Wesson had something else on their minds; how many of those new rounds could they stuff into the cylinder of an X-Frame wheelgun?
The answer is seven, by the way, and I know this because there’s currently a brand-new Smith & Wesson Model 350 lying on my gun bench. It’s a beast of a revolver, weighing in at 71.5 ounces, or about four-and-a-half pounds, and measures 13.5-inches long. The Model 350 is no carry gun, to be sure.
Fitzpatrick notes that this is a hunting revolver specifically. He continues:
Winchester’s straight-well wunderkinds fires a 150- or 160-grain .357-inch bullet from a 1.71-inch case at velocities over 2,200 feet per second from a rifle barrel. That long case precludes most revolvers from ever being chambered in .350, but not the X-Frame. Its beefy stainless steel frame can accommodate all seven rounds of .350 with plenty of metal left to spare which makes the X-Frame suitable for the relatively low-pressure .350 Legend round.
Fitzpatrick goes on to say that “the Model 350 is by far the most pleasant of the X-Frame to shoot.”
Is this a revolver that you’ll want in your arsenal? That really depends on you and your purposes, but if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary for your next firearms purchase, then the Smith & Wesson Model 350 may be one to consider.