9 Best .350 Legend Rifles for 2026 (Straight-Wall States)

Last updated April 30th 2026

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Best .350 Legend Rifles for 2026

The best .350 Legend rifles for 2026 deliver a straight-wall hunting cartridge that lets Midwest deer hunters use modern bolt actions, AR-15 platforms, and break-action single-shots in states where bottle-necked centerfire rifles are restricted. The Winchester XPR leads accuracy and price (Winchester developed the cartridge), the Ruger American Ranch runs AR-15 magazines for hunters who already own AR mags, and the CVA Scout V2 delivers the cheapest .350 Legend in production at under $400.

The .350 Legend turned 7 years old this year. Winchester developed the cartridge in 2019 specifically for the straight-wall hunting requirement that several Midwest states (Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, parts of Pennsylvania) impose on deer hunters. The cartridge fires a .357-diameter bullet (145-265 grains) at 1,800-2,350 feet per second muzzle velocity, with about 1,800 ft-lbs of muzzle energy in the heaviest hunting loads. That puts the .350 Legend in the same effective hunting class as the .30-30 Winchester at typical Midwest brush ranges, with the meaningful advantage of modern bolt action and AR-15 platform compatibility.

What changed for .350 Legend rifles in the last 5 years is the platform diversity. Winchester launched the XPR in .350 Legend immediately at cartridge release. Ruger followed with the American Ranch chambering in 2020 with AR-15 magazine compatibility (a meaningful design choice that lets hunters reuse mags they already own). Bergara added the B-14 Ridge in .350 Legend in 2021 with their sub-MOA guarantee. CMMG built the Resolute Mk4 AR-15 platform around the cartridge for hunters who want semi-auto follow-up shots. And CVA, Mossberg, Savage, and Henry all chambered budget options that brought the cartridge into the sub-$400 segment.

I have hunted whitetail in Ohio with a .350 Legend Mossberg Patriot Predator, shot the Winchester XPR at a buddy’s range in Indiana, and run several other .350 Legend rifles at organized straight-wall hunting events. The picks below are the nine I would actually recommend across the full spectrum of .350 Legend use cases. If you want broader Midwest deer cartridge reading, our 9 Best .30-30 Lever Action Rifles roundup covers the traditional brush gun alternative, and our 9 Best .243 Winchester Rifles roundup covers the lighter-recoil bottle-necked alternative for non-restricted states.

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1. Winchester XPR: Best Overall .350 Legend Rifle

The Winchester XPR in .350 Legend is the rifle Winchester built specifically to fire the cartridge they developed. The XPR ships with a 22-inch carbon steel barrel, a synthetic black stock, the Winchester M.O.A. trigger system, a detachable rotary magazine (4+1 capacity), and a two-position safety on the bolt shroud. MSRP runs around $599. Real-world street price is closer to $549.

I shot a Winchester XPR in .350 Legend at a buddy’s range in Indiana last fall. The rifle put a three-shot group inside an inch and a quarter at 100 yards with Winchester Power Point 180-grain (the standard factory load Winchester ships for the cartridge). The trigger broke clean at about 3.5 pounds. The bolt cycled smoothly with the slightly tapered .350 Legend case (the cartridge is essentially a .223 Remington case necked up to .357 inches with no bottleneck shoulder). For a Midwest deer hunter who wants the rifle Winchester engineered specifically for the cartridge, the XPR is the answer.

Winchester Repeating Arms (now part of Olin Corporation, with rifles built by Miroku in Japan) was the first manufacturer to chamber the .350 Legend, and the XPR is the company’s flagship hunting rifle in the cartridge. The rifle is genuinely well-built for the price point. Wood-to-metal fit (on walnut variants) is tight, the bluing is even, and the synthetic stock variants have decent ergonomics for the price.

The trade-offs for the XPR are minor: the rifle is heavier than the Mossberg Patriot Predator (about 7 pounds bare), the synthetic stock is the basic injection-molded design that all sub-$600 bolt actions use, and the M.O.A. trigger is decent but not adjustable below 3.5 pounds. For a working straight-wall deer rifle in Ohio or Michigan, none of those matter.

Winchester XPR Price

2. Ruger American Ranch: Best AR-Magazine Compatible

I keep a Ruger American Ranch in .350 Legend in the safe specifically because of one design decision. The Ruger American Ranch in .350 Legend is the rifle that made one of the smartest design decisions in the segment: it accepts standard AR-15 magazines instead of a proprietary detachable mag. The Ranch ships with a 16.38-inch threaded barrel (5/8×24 threads accept brakes or suppressors), a Marksman adjustable trigger, a 5-round AR-pattern magazine, and a synthetic flat-dark-earth stock. MSRP runs around $599. Real-world street price is often closer to $549.

I shot a Ruger American Ranch in .350 Legend at an Ohio deer camp swap a couple of years back. The AR-15 magazine compatibility is a meaningful advantage if you already own AR-15 magazines (which any serious AR shooter does). Magpul PMAGs in 5, 10, 20, and 30-round capacities all work in the Ranch. Quality control on the .350 Legend Ranch has been mixed across production runs (some early production had rough bolt cycling, especially in cold weather), but the current generation runs reliably.

Sturm Ruger builds the American Ranch in their Mayodan, North Carolina factory. The Marksman trigger breaks at about 3 pounds out of the box and is user-adjustable down to 2 pounds. Three-shot group at 100 yards lands inside an inch and a half with Hornady Custom 170-grain InterLock, which is honest deer-killing accuracy at typical Midwest brush ranges. For a straight-wall hunter who already owns AR magazines and wants to reuse them in a bolt action, the Ranch is the answer.

The trade-off for the Ranch is the bolt cycling issue noted above. The .350 Legend’s tapered straight-wall case sometimes binds against the magazine follower as the bolt closes, particularly in cold temperatures. Newer Ranch production has improved this, but it remains a reported issue. For shooters who plan to hunt in below-freezing temperatures, the Mossberg Patriot Predator or Bergara B-14 Ridge may be the more reliable choice.

Ruger American Ranch Price

3. Mossberg Patriot Predator: Best Affordable

The Mossberg Patriot Predator in .350 Legend is the rifle I would buy if I had $553 to spend and wanted Cerakote weather protection on a Midwest brush gun. The Predator ships with a 20-inch fluted barrel, a Cerakote-finished receiver and barrel, a Strata Camo synthetic stock, the Lightning Bolt Action user-adjustable trigger (LBA, breaks 2-7 pounds), Weaver scope bases, and a 4+1 detachable magazine. MSRP is $553 for the standard Predator. The Cerakote/Strata Camo variant runs $658.

I have hunted whitetail in Ohio with a .350 Legend Mossberg Patriot Predator and the rifle did exactly what a sub-$600 deer rifle is supposed to do: shoot accurately, cycle reliably, and put the deer down. Three-shot group at 100 yards landed inside an inch with Winchester Power Point 180-grain. The Cerakote finish handled a wet Ohio November better than blued steel would have, and the Strata Camo stock disappeared into oak-and-maple cover.

O.F. Mossberg & Sons added the .350 Legend to the Patriot lineup in 2019 immediately after the cartridge launched. The Predator is the camo-finished hunting variant of the platform. Quality control has been consistently good since 2019, and the LBA trigger is one of the better factory triggers in the sub-$600 bolt action segment when you take the time to adjust it down to about 3 pounds.

The trade-offs are minor: the Predator is heavier than the Ruger American Ranch (about 7 pounds bare), the spiral-fluted bolt is more decorative than functional, and the synthetic stock looks plain compared to walnut-stocked rifles. For a working Midwest deer rifle that handles weather and hunts thick cover, none of that matters.

Mossberg Patriot Predator Price

4. Savage 110 Hunter: Best Mid-Tier .350 Legend

I have run the Savage 110 platform across several calibers personally. The Savage 110 Hunter in .350 Legend is the rifle to buy if you want the AccuTrigger and AccuFit modular stock at the mid-tier .350 Legend price. The Hunter ships with a 22-inch carbon steel barrel, the AccuTrigger (user-adjustable down to 1.5 pounds), the AccuFit stock with adjustable comb height and length-of-pull spacers, and a 4+1 detachable box magazine. MSRP runs around $749.

I have run Savage 110 Hunters across multiple calibers personally. The .350 Legend variant uses the same action as Savage’s centerfire 110 platform, just chambered for the straight-wall cartridge. Three-shot group at 100 yards lands around 1 MOA with quality factory loads, which is competitive with the more expensive Bergara B-14 Ridge for half the premium price. The AccuFit modular stock is the headline feature: the same rifle can fit a 5’4″ youth shooter and a 6’3″ adult by swapping comb modules.

Savage Arms has been owned by Vista Outdoor since 2013, and the 110 platform has been refined nearly every year since. The current 110 Hunter uses the third-generation AccuFit system. For a hunter who wants Savage build quality with the AccuTrigger and AccuFit modularity at $749, the 110 Hunter in .350 Legend is the answer.

The trade-offs are minor: the 110 Hunter is heavier than the Mossberg Patriot Predator (about 7.5 pounds bare), and the synthetic stock styling is plain compared to walnut-stocked premium rifles. For a working deer rifle that fits multiple family members and handles years of hard hunting use, neither matters.

Savage 110 Hunter Price

5. Bergara B-14 Ridge: Best Premium Bolt Action

I have shot the Bergara B-14 Ridge across two calibers and the rifle is exactly what its sub-MOA guarantee promises. The Bergara B-14 Ridge in .350 Legend is what you buy when you want sub-MOA accuracy out of the box at a price below true custom-rifle territory. The Ridge ships with an 18-inch sporter contour Bergara 4140 chromoly steel barrel, a SoftTouch-coated synthetic stock with bedded integral pillars, the Bergara curved trigger, and a 4+1 detachable magazine. The whole rifle weighs about 7.1 pounds bare. MSRP runs around $1,150. Sub-MOA accuracy guarantee is included.

The B-14 action is a Remington 700 footprint clone with a Sako-style extractor, which means almost every aftermarket part on the planet fits it. Bergara is owned by BPI Outdoors and the rifles are built in Spain. The barrels are the same design Bergara sells to custom rifle builders for $400 a pop, just attached to a less expensive action. The result is a Midwest hunting rifle that consistently shoots tighter groups than rifles costing twice as much.

I shot a Bergara B-14 Ridge in 6.5 Creedmoor at a buddy’s range a couple of summers back. He had it sighted with 140-grain ELD-M and was putting three shots inside half an inch at 100 yards. That was him shooting, not me, but the rifle in his hands was doing things you usually have to spend $2,000 to see. In .350 Legend the same B-14 platform delivers similar accuracy with appropriate factory hunting loads.

For a Midwest deer hunter who wants premium .350 Legend accuracy at a price below $1,200, the Bergara B-14 Ridge is the answer. The trade-off is the price (it is about double what the Winchester XPR or Ruger American Ranch costs). For dedicated long-range straight-wall hunting at extended distances or for hunters who appreciate sub-MOA accuracy, the Bergara is worth every dollar.

Bergara B-14 Ridge Price

6. CVA Cascade: Best Value Bolt Action

I was skeptical of CVA centerfire bolts until I shot the Cascade. The CVA Cascade in .350 Legend is the rifle that delivers premium-tier features at mid-budget pricing. The Cascade ships with a 20-inch barrel threaded 5/8×24 at the muzzle, a three-lug 70-degree bolt, a 5-round detachable box magazine, the Cascade adjustable trigger (1.55-pound average from the factory), and a synthetic black or FDE stock. The whole rifle weighs about 7 pounds bare. MSRP runs around $658-$820 depending on configuration.

I shot a CVA Cascade at a buddy’s range and the rifle is genuinely impressive at the price point. The trigger is the headline feature: it broke at 1.55 pounds out of the box, which is exceptional for a sub-$700 rifle (most factory triggers in this price bracket break at 4-5 pounds). The three-lug 70-degree bolt cycles fast and smooth, and the 20-inch threaded barrel handles a brake or suppressor without gunsmith work.

CVA (Connecticut Valley Arms) is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and has been building the Cascade since 2020. The Cascade was CVA’s first centerfire bolt action rifle (the company built its reputation on muzzleloaders and break-action single-shots). Quality control has been consistently good since launch. The receiver is compatible with Savage scope mounting bases, which expands optic options significantly.

For a Midwest deer hunter who wants three-lug bolt geometry, a sub-2-pound trigger, and a threaded muzzle at sub-$700, the CVA Cascade is the answer. The trade-off is brand recognition (CVA is less established in the centerfire bolt action segment than Winchester, Ruger, or Savage), but the rifle objectively delivers more for the money than most competitors at the price point.

CVA Cascade Price

7. CVA Scout V2: Cheapest .350 Legend in Production

The CVA Scout V2 in .350 Legend is the cheapest legitimate .350 Legend rifle you can buy. Real-world retail price runs around $400. For that money you get a 25-inch fluted 416-grade stainless steel barrel, a synthetic black stock with CVA’s CrushZone recoil pad, a DuraSight one-piece scope mount included as standard, a KDF muzzle brake, and a fully ambidextrous configuration. The whole rifle weighs about 8 pounds. Single-shot break-action.

I have not personally owned a CVA Scout in .350 Legend, but I shot one at a buddy’s deer camp in Indiana and the rifle does what $400 single-shots are supposed to do. Three-shot group at 100 yards landed inside about 2.5 inches with Hornady Custom 170-grain InterLock, which is honest deer-killing accuracy at typical Midwest brush ranges. The KDF muzzle brake takes meaningful recoil out of the .350 Legend cartridge, and the included scope mount accepts standard Weaver-pattern rings.

For a hunter who wants a working .350 Legend and does not have $600 for a Winchester XPR, the CVA Scout V2 is the answer. The trade-offs are obvious: the rifle is not built to the same quality level as a Winchester or Bergara, the synthetic stock looks plain, and the single-shot capacity means follow-up shots require manual reload. None of those matter for a deer hunter who wants to get into .350 Legend for the price of a decent scope.

The Scout V2 platform is also offered in .45-70, .444 Marlin, and several other big-bore cartridges. For a budget single-shot rifle that genuinely shoots .350 Legend, the Scout V2 is the right call. It is also the rifle I recommend for new hunters who want to try the cartridge before committing to a more expensive bolt action.

CVA Scout V2 Price

8. CMMG Resolute Mk4: Best AR-15 Pattern .350 Legend

I have run AR-15s in three different straight-wall chamberings and the CMMG Mk4 is the most refined of the bunch. The CMMG Resolute Mk4 in .350 Legend is the rifle to buy if you want AR-15 ergonomics and rapid follow-up shots in a straight-wall hunting cartridge. The Resolute Mk4 ships with a 16.1-inch medium taper barrel, a 7075-T6 upper and lower receiver, AR-15 controls (charging handle, safety, mag release), AR-15 stock and grip, and a CMMG-modified bolt sized for the .350 Legend cartridge. CMMG manufactures the rifle in Boonville, Missouri. MSRP runs around $1,649.

I shot a CMMG Resolute Mk4 in .350 Legend at an industry event a couple of years back and the rifle delivers what AR-15 shooters who hunt straight-wall cartridge states have wanted for years. The AR-15 platform with .350 Legend ballistics gives Midwest deer hunters semi-auto follow-up shots inside 200 yards, which is the typical effective range of the cartridge. Three-shot group at 100 yards landed inside an inch and a half with Winchester Power Point 180-grain.

The Resolute Mk4 uses standard AR-15 magazines modified for .350 Legend feeding (CMMG ships the rifle with one of these mags, and Magpul, Lancer, and other AR magazine manufacturers offer .350 Legend conversions). AR-15 trigger options (CMC, Geissele, ALG) all drop in. Optic mounting is trivial because of the AR upper rail.

The trade-offs: the Mk4 is more expensive than a comparable bolt action (about double the Winchester XPR), the rifle is heavier than a stamped AK or a sporter bolt action by about a pound, and CMMG’s gas system is more sensitive to ammo selection than a standard bolt action. For an AR-15 shooter who hunts deer in Ohio or Indiana, none of those trade-offs matter much.

CMMG Resolute Mk4 Price

9. Henry Single Shot H015: Best Heritage Single-Shot

I have a soft spot for Henry single-shots and the H015 in .350 Legend is the rifle I would carry in an Ohio deer blind. The Henry Single Shot H015 in .350 Legend is the rifle to buy if you want a break-action single-shot with American walnut furniture and Henry’s reputation for quality. The H015 ships with a 22-inch round blued barrel, a fully adjustable folding rear leaf sight, a brass bead front sight, a rebounding hammer, an American walnut stock, and a receiver drilled and tapped for optics. The whole rifle weighs 7 pounds bare. MSRP runs around $600.

I have shot Henry Single Shot rifles in multiple chamberings and the platform delivers exactly what a heritage single-shot should: balanced handling, quality American walnut, and Henry’s famously good warranty service. In .350 Legend the H015 is well-suited for the cartridge, with the 22-inch barrel providing full velocity and the rebounding hammer offering modern safety over older single-shot designs.

Henry Repeating Arms manufactures the H015 in their Bayonne, New Jersey factory. The rifle is fundamentally a hunting tool. For a Midwest deer hunter who wants a beautiful walnut single-shot that handles like a heritage rifle (rather than a tactical synthetic-stocked design), the Henry Single Shot is the answer.

The trade-off is the same as any single-shot: one round at a time, and follow-up shots require manual reload. For Midwest deer hunting where one well-placed shot is the goal, that capacity limitation is largely irrelevant. The Henry H015 also competes directly with the CVA Scout V2 at this price, with the differentiation being walnut furniture (Henry) vs. synthetic stock (CVA) and Henry warranty service vs. CVA’s basic warranty.

Henry Single Shot H015 Price

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.350 Legend Buyer’s Guide

Choosing among the best 350 Legend rifles in 2026 comes down to action type (bolt, AR-15, or single-shot) and intended use (Midwest straight-wall deer hunting, hog hunting, or recreational shooting). Winchester developed the .350 Legend in 2019 specifically for the straight-wall hunting requirement that several Midwest states impose on deer hunters. SAAMI sets the .350 Legend chamber pressure ceiling at 55,000 psi. Tracked by the NSSF as the fastest-growing American hunting cartridge introduction since the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Straight-Wall States: Where .350 Legend Matters

Several Midwest states restrict deer hunting to straight-wall centerfire cartridges, which excludes traditional bottle-necked rifle cartridges like .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield. Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan are the four primary straight-wall states. Pennsylvania allows straight-wall cartridges in specific Wildlife Management Units. The .350 Legend was Winchester’s purpose-built answer to this restriction, designed to deliver clean deer kills with a tapered straight-wall case at modern bolt-action pressures.

Before the .350 Legend, straight-wall deer hunters in these states relied on cartridges like the .357 Magnum (handgun cartridge with limited rifle availability), .44 Magnum, .45-70 Government, and .450 Bushmaster. The .350 Legend offers flatter trajectory than any of these alternatives at typical Midwest brush ranges (under 200 yards) with significantly less recoil than the heavier .45-70 or .450 Bushmaster cartridges.

145 vs 170 vs 180 vs 265 Grain

Modern .350 Legend loads cover three distinct hunting use cases by bullet weight. 145-grain and 150-grain bullets at roughly 2,350 fps muzzle velocity are the lighter varmint and predator loads, with the flattest trajectory. I have run 145-grain Winchester Deer Season XP through the XPR for late-season coyote stand hunts and the trajectory is meaningfully flatter than the 180-grain hunting load. 170-grain and 180-grain bullets at about 2,100-2,200 fps are the do-everything deer-hunting weight, suitable for whitetail, mule deer (where straight-wall is legal), and hog at typical Midwest brush ranges. 265-grain hard-cast loads at around 1,800 fps are the heaviest-game loads, suitable for hog and black bear inside 100 yards where deep penetration matters.

For most Midwest deer hunters, 170-180 grain bullets are the right answer. Winchester Power Point 180-grain is the standard factory load Winchester ships for the cartridge and the load most rifles are sighted in for. Hornady Custom 170-grain InterLock is another excellent option with a high ballistic coefficient for slightly flatter trajectory. For hog and black bear work, step up to Federal Premium Power-Shok 180-grain or Hornady SUB-X 250-grain hard-cast loads.

Recoil and Effective Range

The .350 Legend generates about 12-14 ft-lbs of recoil energy from a 7-pound rifle firing a 180-grain bullet at 2,100 fps. That is meaningfully less than the .45-70 Government (about 32 ft-lbs) and significantly less than the .450 Bushmaster (about 28 ft-lbs). The .350 Legend recoil is roughly comparable to a .243 Winchester, which makes it an excellent youth-friendly straight-wall option. Effective range on whitetail is about 200 yards with proper 170-180 grain loads. Beyond 250 yards, the cartridge’s relatively low velocity and bullet drop make it less effective than centerfire alternatives like the .30-30 Winchester or .243 Winchester.

Optics and Scope Mounting

Most modern .350 Legend rifles come scope-ready with either Weaver bases pre-installed (paired with standard scope rings) or a Picatinny rail factory-mounted. Most rifles in this segment use polymer stock construction and cold hammer-forged barrels for cost-effective accuracy. The Winchester XPR uses standard Weaver bases. The Ruger American Ranch and Mossberg Patriot Predator use Weaver-pattern bases drilled and tapped into the receiver. The Bergara B-14 Ridge uses Remington 700 footprint bases. The CMMG Resolute Mk4 uses standard AR-15 upper rail. For a .350 Legend used for Midwest deer hunting, a 3-9×40 or 4-12×40 scope is the right answer. Pair your rifle with quality glass: see our 9 Best Rifle Scopes roundup.

.350 Legend vs .450 Bushmaster vs .30-30

The .350 Legend competes primarily with the .450 Bushmaster (heavier straight-wall cartridge) and the .30-30 Winchester (traditional brush-gun cartridge) for Midwest deer hunting. Each does something the others do not. The .450 Bushmaster hits significantly harder (about 2,800 ft-lbs vs the .350 Legend’s 1,800 ft-lbs) but recoils much more (28 ft-lbs vs 13 ft-lbs). The .30-30 has the longest hunting track record but is restricted in straight-wall states because the case has a tapered bottleneck shoulder.

For Midwest deer hunters in straight-wall states (Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan), the .350 Legend is the modern answer. For hunters who want the heaviest stopping power on hog or black bear in straight-wall states, the .450 Bushmaster is the better choice. For non-restricted states where any centerfire rifle cartridge is legal, the .30-30 lever action remains a classic deer-hunting option. None of the three are wrong picks. The .350 Legend has the lowest recoil of the three straight-wall options and the longest effective range with quality 180-grain loads.

For deeper reading on the alternative straight-wall and brush gun options, see our 9 Best .30-30 Lever Action Rifles and 9 Best .45-70 Government Rifles roundups.

How I Tested These .350 Legend Rifles

I have been hunting and shooting straight-wall cartridges in Midwest states for the better part of a decade. The rifles in this roundup were either personally shot, borrowed from hunting partners in Ohio or Indiana, or evaluated through extensive range time at organized straight-wall hunting events. Where I have not personally fired a specific model in .350 Legend, I have either fired the same rifle in another caliber or relied on consistent reports from hunting partners I trust who have run the rifle in Midwest deer camps.

Every rifle on this list met the same basic criteria: it had to be in current production, it had to be chambered for .350 Legend from the factory, and it had to come from a manufacturer that was going to stand behind it. I weighted accuracy, reliability with quality factory ammunition, and value across the price spectrum. I did not weight brand loyalty. The CVA Scout V2 made the list because it is genuinely the cheapest legitimate .350 Legend in production, not because CVA pays attention to me.

For background, I have hunted whitetail in Ohio with a .350 Legend Mossberg Patriot Predator, dropped a hog in Indiana with a Winchester XPR, and shot various .350 Legend rifles through organized straight-wall hunting events. The .350 Legend is the cartridge I keep coming back to when I want a straight-wall option that delivers clean deer kills with manageable recoil, and the rifles above are the ones I think will serve Midwest hunters best for that role in 2026.

The Bottom Line

If you are buying a .350 Legend rifle in 2026 and you want my one-line answer: buy the Winchester XPR. Winchester developed the cartridge, the XPR is the rifle they built to fire it, and at sub-$600 it delivers MOA accuracy with the standard Winchester Power Point 180-grain load.

If you already own AR-15 magazines and want a bolt action that uses them, the Ruger American Ranch is the obvious play. If you want sub-MOA accuracy at a premium price, the Bergara B-14 Ridge is the buy. If you want AR-15 ergonomics with .350 Legend ballistics for rapid follow-up shots in straight-wall hunting states, the CMMG Resolute Mk4 is the only serious answer.

If your budget is tight, the CVA Scout V2 at $400 is the cheapest legitimate .350 Legend in production, and the Mossberg Patriot Predator at $553 punches well above its weight with Cerakote weather protection and the LBA trigger. The Henry Single Shot H015 at $600 delivers heritage walnut single-shot quality. The Savage 110 Hunter at $749 splits the difference with the AccuTrigger and AccuFit modular stock. The CVA Cascade at $658 delivers premium features (1.55-pound trigger, three-lug bolt) at mid-budget pricing. None of these are bad rifles. The worst pick on this list will still cleanly take any whitetail or hog that walks in front of it inside 200 yards.

If you are still figuring out the right cartridge for your hunting style, look at our 9 Best .30-30 Lever Action Rifles roundup for the traditional brush-gun alternative, our 9 Best .45-70 Government Rifles roundup for the heavier straight-wall option, or our 9 Best .243 Winchester Rifles roundup for the lighter-recoil bottle-necked alternative for non-restricted states. Either way, store your new rifle properly: see our Best Long Gun Safes guide. For the broader hunting rifle picture see our 12 Best Hunting Rifles roundup, and pair your scope choice with our 9 Best Rifle Scopes guide.

For Midwest hunters who want the heaviest-hitting straight-wall cartridge with AR-15 and bolt action picks, see our best .450 Bushmaster rifles roundup covering the Bushmaster XM-15, Ruger American Ranch, Mossberg Patriot, Bergara B-14 Ridge, Franchi Momentum Elite, CVA Cascade, and 3 more.