From The Vault: Caleb's 350 Legend Hunting Rifle

From the Vault: Caleb's Lightweight .350 Legend AR-15 Hunting Rifle

In this From the Vault, Caleb takes another look at his custom .350 Legend AR-15 hunting rifle. We have covered this rifle before, but several components have changed over the years, making it a good time for an updated walkthrough.

The rifle was originally built to be lightweight enough for Caleb's son to comfortably use while hunting. His son has grown quite a bit since then, but the rifle proved so lightweight and handy that Caleb continues to hunt with it himself.

For hunters in areas with cartridge restrictions, .350 Legend provides a straight-wall option that works in the AR-15 platform. Caleb has also accumulated plenty of hunting experience with the cartridge over the years.

Dead Air RXD 910Ti Suppressor

Starting at the muzzle, one of the newest additions is the Dead Air RXD 910Ti suppressor.

This lightweight titanium suppressor is part of the Ruger and Dead Air collaboration. It is suitable for 9mm and rated for 10mm, and Caleb is also using it on this .350 Legend rifle.

Keeping suppressor weight down makes sense on a rifle that was designed from the beginning around lightweight handling.

The suppressor is mounted using a Xeno setup rather than being direct-threaded to the barrel.

Faxon .350 Legend Barrel

The rifle uses a 16-inch Faxon .350 Legend barrel with a 1:16 twist.

That barrel keeps the rifle at a practical length while providing the foundation for the .350 Legend hunting setup.

Caleb has used the rifle with both supersonic and subsonic ammunition, although he primarily shoots supersonic ammunition.

Superlative Arms Adjustable Gas Block

A Superlative Arms adjustable gas block gives Caleb control over the rifle's gas system.

That adjustability is particularly useful because the rifle may be used suppressed and with different ammunition configurations.

The adjustable gas system also plays an important role later in the build because this rifle uses a lightweight bolt carrier group.

Lightweight Carbon Fiber Handguard

The handguard is a lightweight carbon fiber model from KE Arms.

Caleb was initially unsure whether he liked the handguard when he first installed it, but after using the rifle for several years, his opinion changed considerably. It has become one of his favorite components on the build.

A Magpul hand stop provides an indexing point for the support hand without adding much bulk.

There is also a short Magpul ARCA rail mounted to the M-LOK slots. This allows the rifle to be quickly mounted to a compatible tripod depending on the hunting setup.

Odin Works Upper Receiver

The upper is an Odin Works billet slick-side receiver.

The relatively lightweight receiver fits the overall goal of the build without adding unnecessary features.

A Forward Controls Design ejection port cover completes this portion of the upper.

Custom Spikes Tactical Lower

The lower receiver has been in Caleb's collection for roughly a decade.

It started as an older Spikes Tactical lower with a Punisher logo. Since Caleb did not want the logo on his personal rifle, he machined it away and left that portion of the receiver blank.

The lower uses a Troy ambidextrous magazine catch, standard bolt catch, Geissele SSA-family trigger, and an older Battle Arms Development selector.

Additional Forward Controls Design components include the magazine release button and trigger guard.

BCM Gunfighter Grip

The pistol grip is a BCM Gunfighter.

It is one of Caleb's preferred AR-15 grips and provides a straightforward ergonomic addition to the lightweight hunting setup.

Trijicon 1-4x24 Hunting Optic

For glass, Caleb uses an older Trijicon 1-4x24 optic mounted in an American Defense Manufacturing mount.

The optic is no longer produced in this exact configuration, but it remains well suited to the rifle.

For the whitetail hunting distances Caleb encounters in Iowa, four-power magnification provides the capability he needs. The optic also performs well in lower-light hunting conditions.

Magpul PRS Lite Stock

The stock is a Magpul PRS Lite.

Caleb has always liked the standard PRS design, but the full-size PRS is heavier than he wanted for this particular rifle. The PRS Lite provides the adjustability he was looking for while better fitting the lightweight goal of the build.

Adjustable length of pull and cheek height were especially useful when the rifle was originally configured for his son.

Anarchy Outdoors Cheek Pad

A more recent addition is an Anarchy Outdoors foam cheek pad.

The pad adds a simple layer of comfort to the adjustable cheek piece. Caleb liked the first one enough that he subsequently installed the product on two additional rifles.

Pre-cut versions are available for certain stock and cheek-piece configurations, along with a universal version that can be trimmed to fit.

Radian Raptor SD-SL Charging Handle

Inside the rifle, one of the recent changes is a Radian Raptor SD-SL charging handle.

The SD configuration is intended for suppressed applications, while the SL uses smaller handles.

For Caleb, one of the biggest reasons for making the change was simply ambidextrous operation. Most of his other AR-15s already use ambidextrous charging handles, so bringing the .350 Legend rifle into the same configuration makes manipulation more familiar.

Brownells Lightweight Bolt Carrier Group

The rifle uses a Brownells lightweight bolt carrier group with a titanium nitride finish.

The lightweight BCG has worked reliably in this rifle, but Caleb emphasizes an important part of the overall setup: reducing bolt carrier mass changes the operating dynamics of the rifle.

A lighter carrier can increase bolt velocity if the gas system is not properly adjusted.

That is why this rifle pairs its lightweight bolt carrier group with an adjustable gas block.

Lightweight BCG, Adjustable Gas, and Standard Buffer

Caleb prefers controlling the system through the adjustable gas block rather than adding a heavier buffer to compensate for the lightweight carrier.

His reasoning is straightforward. If the purpose of the lightweight BCG is to remove mass, adding that mass back through a heavier buffer works against the original goal.

This rifle therefore uses the adjustable gas block along with a standard carbine spring and standard 3 oz buffer.

It is a combination that has worked well in this particular build.

Standard Mil-Spec Components

Not every component needs to be specialized.

The rifle uses standard takedown pins along with basic mil-spec pins, detents, and other small components.

That combination of carefully selected lightweight components and straightforward standard parts keeps the build focused on its original purpose rather than adding complexity simply for the sake of customization.

Brownells Aluma-Hyde II Finish

One final detail is the rifle's finish.

The paint used on the rifle is Brownells Aluma-Hyde II, a spray-applied firearm finish.

It completes the custom appearance of a rifle that has continued to evolve over several years of ownership and hunting use.

Final Thoughts

This .350 Legend AR-15 started as a lightweight hunting rifle for Caleb's son, but its practical handling made it a rifle Caleb continued using himself.

The current configuration combines a 16-inch Faxon .350 Legend barrel, Dead Air RXD 910Ti suppressor, adjustable gas system, carbon fiber handguard, lightweight Brownells BCG, practical low-power optic, adjustable stock, and a collection of other components Caleb has refined over several seasons.

The result is a purpose-built, lightweight .350 Legend AR-15 focused on practical hunting use.

If you have questions about hunting with a .350 Legend AR-15 or setting up a lightweight hunting rifle, let us know in the comments. If you need help with your setup, give the Brownells Tech Line a call.