Straight-Walled Cartridges: Classics Reborn for Modern Hunting

Straight-Walled Cartridges (SWC) are all the rage lately. It seems a new one is released every few months. But these cartridges are nothing new. They have been around for more than 150 years. The 45-70 Gov’t is probably one of the most popular. Its contemporaries, the 38-55, 44-40 and the .45 Long Colt, to name a few, are also examples of SWCs.

Modern cartridges overtook many of these grand cartridges and became classics themselves. The .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum come to mind.

Straight-walled cartridtges can be broken down into two distinct groups: rimmed and rimless. Rimmed cartridges are self-explanatory with a rim to headspace off of. This includes the famed .45-70 Gov’t to the .444 Marlin, all the revolver cartridges and even the newest rimmed SWC, the 360 Buckhammer.

One of the first rimless SWCs was the .45 ACP. It has no shoulder or rim to headspace off of and instead it headspaces off the mouth case. Other notable cartridges in this category are the 9mm, .40 S&W and the .38 Super. More modern options include the .450 Bushmaster, .350 Legend and .400 Legend.

A collection of .45-70 loads for lever-action rifles.

The Backstory on Straight-Walled Cartridges

Back in the mid-’50s, a once dwindling deer herd began rebounding enough to allow harvest. Many states, primarily those east of the Mississippi River, limited firearm use to rifled slugs in shotguns as legal firearms. This was due to fear of stray bullets injuring or killing an innocent bystander. For many decades, shotguns and muzzleloaders were the only firearms allowed.

Due to public pressure from hunters, the use of modern handgun cartridges became legal to use for hunting. Growing up in Ohio, a shotgun-only state, I had the privilege of watching the introduction of handgun cartridges and handguns become legal for deer hunting. I took several Ohio whitetails with a scoped .44 Magnum T/C Contender.

Regulations slowly crawled until about 2008 when rifles chambered in handgun cartridges were allowed for deer hunting in Ohio. Many other shotgun-only states followed suit.

Finally in 2014, Ohio adopted the use of SWCs with caveats–calibers had to be between .357 and .50 caliber and have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches with a maximum of 1.8 inches. Several other shotgun-only states also now allow SWCs. Fast forward another decade and today SWCs are coming out of the woodwork.

360 Buckhammer

Introduced in 2023, the 360 Buckhammer, also known as the 360 BHMR, is a rimmed cartridge. Like its parent case, the 30-30 Winchester, it limits the type of firearm which can be used. Lever-action rifles like the Henry Lever Action X Model feature a modern twist on an old classic. The Traditions Outfitter G3 also chambers the 360 BMHR. This single-shot rifle tips the scales at just over 6 pounds. No longer is your rifle such a back-breaking chore after a hard day of hunting. Several firms are offering 360 BHMR barrels for the Thompson/Center Contender.

400 Legend

Introduced in 2023, the 400 Legend can be utilized in nearly any type of action for hunters and shooters who prefer an AR-type rifle. Look no further than the Bear Creek Arsenal B15. For bolt enthusiasts, most of the major manufacturers offer a rifle chambered in 400 Legend. The Mossberg Patriot is lightweight, hard-hitting and accurate. It has no parent case but shares the rim diameter with the 6.8 SPC, which was based off the .30 Remington.

Winchester 400 Legend power Point, 215-grain.

350 Legend

The rimless cartridge, 350 Legend, was introduced in 2019. The headspacing on the case mouth allows the 350 to be utilized in most every action from semi-auto like the CMMG Dissent, bolt actions like the Winchester XPR or several single-shot rifles. It has no parent case but does share the same rim diameter as the .223 Remington.

450 Bushmaster

Introduced in 2007, the 450 Bushmaster is based off the .284 Winchester. The rebated rim of the cartridge bodes well with all type of actions from semi-auto like the Rock River Arms Ascendant ATH LAR-15M to the bolt-action Ruger American or the single-shot CVA Scout. The 450 Bushmaster delivers terminal performance and pinpoint accuracy.

Straight-walled case fans get another option with the new Rock River LAR 450 Bushmaster.

Make no mistake, these straight-walled cartridges pack a punch; however, their effective range is somewhat less than a 30-06 or .270 Winchester. If you are regulated to hunt with a SWC in the handful of states that require use of one, fear not! These heavy-hitters can anchor big game and help fill your tag.