Among two of the more popular close range cartridges in recent years are the 350 Legend and the 458 SOCOM. Both of these rounds are used for similar tasks and both can be used in AR-15 rifles. Because they can be used for similar tasks it would only make sense to compare them to see which is better.
Here is the short answer:
The 350 Legend has a relatively flat trajectory and low recoil, making it ideal for hunting medium-sized game at short to medium distances. The 458 SOCOM is a large-bore cartridge that delivers much more stopping power.
Now that we have looked at the short answer, we can look closer at each cartridge, their ballistics, and see how the two cartridges compare in-depth.
In-depth Look at the 350 Legend
The 350 Legend was introduced in 2019 by Winchester. It is a straight-walled cartridge designed for use in states with restrictions on hunting with bottlenecked cartridges. The 350 Legend is made by taking a 223 Remington case and strengthing the case walls to accommodate a .358 caliber bullet.
The 350 Legend has a relatively flat trajectory and low recoil, making it easy to shoot accurately. It is suitable for hunting medium-sized game such as deer and hogs at short to medium distances. Another upside to the 350 Legend is that its large bullet can punch through heavy brush and have its trajectory be unaffected.
There is a downside to the 350 Legend which is that because it is a newer cartridge it is harder to find ammo and ammo is more expensive when compared to more established cartridges such as the 450 Bushmaster, which fills a similar role.
Here is a ballistics chart of the 350 legend with a 180-grain soft point bullet:
| range (YD) | drop (IN) | wind drift (IN) | velocity FPS | energy ft-lb |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 2100 | 1762 |
| 50 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1942 | 1508 |
| 100 | 0 | 2 | 1793 | 1284 |
| 150 | -3.2 | 4.9 | 1652 | 1091 |
| 200 | -9.4 | 8.9 | 1520 | 924 |
| 250 | -19.5 | 14.4 | 1399 | 783 |
| 300 | -34.1 | 21.6 | 1292 | 668 |
| 350 | -53.9 | 30.2 | 1199 | 575 |
| 400 | -79.9 | 40.4 | 1123 | 504 |
| 450 | -112.7 | 52 | 1062 | 451 |
| 500 | -153.2 | 64.9 | 1013 | 410 |
In-depth Look at the 458 SOCOM
The 458 SOCOM was developed in 2000 for U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers. The cartridge was designed for use in AR-15 platforms and is capable of delivering devastating stopping power that is much more than that of the standard AR-15 cartridge the 223 Remington.
The 458 SOCOM is a large-bore cartridge that is suitable for hunting large game such as deer or hogs at short distances. The cartridge delivers tremendous stopping power and can take down medium to large animals with ease. However, due to its size, the recoil can be significant, making it challenging to shoot accurately.
One of the downsides to the 458 SOCOM is that it does have a lot of recoil. This can make it difficult to keep your accuracy consistent, especially for smaller frame shooters or those who want to be shooting for long periods of time.
Here is a ballistics chart of the 458 SOCOM with a 330-grain jacketed soft point:
| range (YD) | drop (IN) | wind drift (IN) | velocity FPS | energy ft-lb |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 1600 | 1876 |
| 50 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1370 | 1376 |
| 100 | 0 | 5.6 | 1188 | 1035 |
| 150 | -7.7 | 12.6 | 1062 | 826 |
| 200 | -23 | 22.1 | 978 | 700 |
| 250 | -47.1 | 33.6 | 914 | 613 |
| 300 | -80.9 | 46.8 | 862 | 545 |
| 350 | -125.8 | 61.8 | 817 | 489 |
| 400 | -182.6 | 78.4 | 776 | 441 |
| 450 | -253.3 | 96.9 | 738 | 399 |
| 500 | -338.5 | 117 | 703 | 362 |
In-depth Comparison
Now that we have examined the 350 Legend and the 458 SOCOM in detail, let’s compare the two cartridges across a few important factors:
Ballistics: The 350 Legend has a maximum effective range of around 150 yards on deer while the 458 SOCOM can only take deer to about 100 yards. Neither one of these cartridges are good for long range shooting. However, the 458 SOCOM has more energy at close range when compared to the 350 Legend it just doesn’t retain its energy as well.
Ammunition Availability: Because the 458 SOCOM has been around much longer than the 350 Legend so it has more ammo variety and ammo is cheaper to shoot.
Recoil: As mentioned earlier, the 350 Legend is designed to have less recoil, while the 458 SOCOM has more recoil due to its larger size and power. Shooters sensitive to recoil or prefer a more comfortable shooting experience may prefer the 350 Legend.
Versatility: The 458 SOCOM has a wider range of bullet weights available so in theory it would have a wider range of tasks it could be suitable for. However, the 350 Legend has better long range ballistics and is more forgiving to shoot. So which cartridge you will want is dependent on the situation at hand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the 350 Legend and the 458 SOCOM are both excellent cartridges that serve different purposes. The 350 Legend is a relatively new cartridge that is designed for less recoil and a comfortable shooting experience while still being able to take deer sized game. The 458 SOCOM is more powerful at closer range and is more popular.