I expected Winchester's new left-handed XPR bolt-action rifle to be another mildly interesting product-line extension. But when I found it was chambered in straight-wall 350 Legend, I arranged my deer season to take advantage of this mild-recoiling, mid-range load.

My original interest in this model was its left-hand action. While I might argue that Winchester Repeating Arms’ foundation as an iconic American firearms manufacturer was based on its ambidextrous lever guns, it didn’t bring a left-handed model to market until recent iterations of the affordable, accurate, and versatile XPR. Until then, hopeless left-handed shooters with a Winchester crush had to make do with right-handed XPRs, Model 70s, and Xpert rimfire bolt guns. But happily, the functional XPR line has four new southpaw models, ranging from the XPR Hunter to the all-weather XPR Extreme to the XPR SR. (SR stands for Suppressor Ready; the 20-inch barrel is threaded to accept either a suppressor or a muzzle brake.)

My 350 Legend was built on the modest and no-frills XPR Left-Hand model, which is also chambered in .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, and 400 Legend — all with 22-inch barrels — as well as 24-inch barreled versions in .30/06 Spfld and 450 Bushmaster, and the 26-inch barreled .300 Win. Mag.

The XPR has a hard-wearing, scratch-resisting black polymer stock. The barrel and action surfaces are protected using a non-glare, matte black Perma-Cote finish that fights corrosion. The thumb safety is sure and positive and works in conjunction with the bolt release button to allow the bolt to be worked with the safety on. A real bright point of the XPR is the light and crisp M.O.A. Trigger — the same trigger design you’ll find on Winchester's Model 70 — is among the best you’ll find on a rifle at any price point.

The 350 Legend cartridge’s value proposition extends beyond its straight-wall case dimensions. It also has the additional appeal of having a rebated rim that fits standard AR bolt faces and a wide selection of bullet weights and types.

The straight-wall revolution includes the venerable .45-70 Govt, .444 Marlin, and .44 Rem. Mag; along with upstarts like the 360 Buckhammer and Winchester’s 350 Legend (released in 2019). These cartridges all offer deer-thumping energy from centerfire rifle cartridges that have better accuracy and less recoil than shotgun slugs but don’t carry as far as high-velocity necked cartridges with lighter bullets. Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan — states that have previously been closed to rifle hunting for deer — now allow straight-wall cartridges of at least .35 caliber. Winchester was quick to offer its 350 Legend for these new deer seasons and has since introduced the more extensive, even beefier straight-wall 400 Legend.

But this was all just a prelude to the season’s big test, how it might handle from a tree stand in one of the classic whitetail landscapes of North America, the rolling hills, and oak ridges of western Kentucky.

Brantley wanted me to sit in a section of mature woods where he had seen some good rutting activity. As I looked over the series of draws that dropped off the main ridge, I realized I might have to push the limits of the 350 Legend. A few deer were entering the woods from a field edge about 300 yards through the trees, and they didn't seem inclined to come my way. So, after a few days in the tree, I climbed down with my rattling antlers and my Winchester and posted up at the base of a mature oak.

I had good visibility to the field edge and the far side of the draws, but dropping out of the tree limited my close-in visibility because the ridge was so steep. An incoming buck would be within bow range before I could see him crest the ridge.

With my head on a swivel and my heart in my throat, I started crashing the rattling antlers. I get pretty involved in selling the story of two bucks fighting. I blat into my grunt tube. I stamp and stir the dry leaves with my feet. And I play the antlers like the tenor sax in a jazz band. In my first rattling sequence, I brought a pair of junior-varsity bucks in on a string, their mane hair bristled and their eyes wild as they searched for the source of the commotion.

Later in the day, after a particularly inspired rattling session, I caught movement just below me. It was a buck, trotting up the ridge, looking right and left, about 40 yards out but closing as he angled up the ridge. His left antler looked good, and his deep chest confirmed he was an older deer. Then, it occurred to me that he was trying to catch my wind and that I had only a second or two to make a shot. I dropped the antlers, grabbed the XPR, leaned against my tree, and in one motion, brought the gun to my eye, stabilized the rifle on the trunk, snapped off the safety, and followed the buck in my scope until he cleared some limbs.

It was all over in less time than I took to write this. The buck was blown off his feet down the ridge. He kicked. Somehow, he regained his feet and ran 50 yards in the direction he had come from and leaving a trail of crimson in his retreat. I waited for the commotion to subside, spent some long minutes thanking him and enjoying the mid-November sun in the open hardwoods, then called Brantley.

Brantley said he’d bring a couple of frame packs. I was too far back in the woods to drag the buck out, so we’d have to quarter and pack him. To a Western deer hunter with a cool new rifle and blood on my knife, those were welcome words, indeed.