.360 Buckhammer

[dverna]

Interesting.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/360-buckhammer/

[BadgerShooter]

At least it's in .358 instead of .355. It wouldn't exist if some states didn't make ill considered rules. If it was rimless, it might be a bit more versatile but having the ability to make it out of 30-30 brass is nice.

[MarkP]

180 gr near 2,400 fps .....pretty salty round. Within 150 to 200 fps of a 308 loaded with 180 gr bullets.

[Loudenboomer]

We've had the 38-55 for about a century and a half and the 375 Win. for a good chunk of that. Another solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

[NSB]

I’ve owned several different .357max barrels and several different guns with threaded barrels on a couple of guns in 357max. I also own a chronograph. I can easily and safely get 2377 fps with my 180g pet load in .357max and I’ve shot several deer out to 200 yards with them. Dave White (rip) promoted this cartridge and load(s) for years and many who buy MGM, Bullberry, and other aftermarket barrels are shooting loads like this all the time. This cartridge never achieved its full potential when it was developed for IHMSA Silhouette with the expection that it was only a handgun cartridge. None of the new offerings have yet done anything significantly better, or even better at all. I think most of the new ones are all about selling proprietary ammo and/or guns. My latest addition is an SSK 16.75” bull barrel with a muzzle break sitting in a custom stock set with a Leupold 1.5-5x20 30mm Twilight Hunter with CDS dial. It will shoot five shots into 1moa on a very frequent basis and kills with authority. Brass is reasonably easy to get and bullets are plentiful.

A couple of 100 yard five shot groups with this short barreled “ground blind” gun.

[dverna]

I guess I am liking it because I have toyed with the idea of .35/30.

The .360 operates at a higher pressure (50k) than the .38/55 (35k) so it will get a bit more performance.

The issue with the .357 Max is ammunition is extremely hard to find and there are no guns (or very few) chambered for it. From a marketing perspective, re-introducing the .357 Max would be a fizzle.

BTW, I am guilty of thinking like a reloader so not much that is "new and improved" impresses me. But most people buy ammunition and that is another nail in the .357 Max coffin.

If I were to get a .360 BH, I would still want to get 500 cases, but there is the upside of being able to form cases from .30/30 cases if need be. There are no "cheap" ways to get .357 Max brass.

This seems to address the negatives of the .350L. Proprietary case and .355 bore.

Where they have the silly cartridge rules for deer hunting, this provides another choice. One that will be offered in a lever action rifle. The downside will be not being AR friendly.

I doubt it will be commercially successful. Most people facing cartridge restrictions have already jumped on the .450 BM and .350L trains.

[rintinglen]

We've had the 38-55 for about a century and a half and the 375 Win. for a good chunk of that. Another solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

Not quite. There are millions of hunters who can not use the 38-55 due to the "straight wall"* limitation put on cartridges by well meaning but ignorant legislatures. This cartridge and it's similar siblings, the 350 Legend and the older 357 Maximum represent useful modern cartridges that allow these folks to use rifles in formerly shotgun only areas.

I will say that this seems to me an idea that is a little late forthcoming. It remains to be seen if the .360 can catch up to the .350, given the head start that the latter has had. I suspect that this will be another 30 Super Carry.

*Although I used the "straight case" as a name for the hunting regulations on cartridges in some mid-western states, I should state that they usually require a minimum 35 caliber bullet in a case not longer than 1.8 inches. My cousin trims 45-70 cases to 1.8 inches for use in Southern Michigan in his Marlin.
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Iowa were mentioned in one article I read, though I believe that in at least some of these, the restriction only applies to parts of the state. But there are a whole lot of deer hunters in those states who may benefit from the new "short, straight" cartridges. For myself, I'll stick to my Marlin 44 Mag or my Rossi .357, but I understand that I am old and no longer enamored of "new" just because it is new.

[Loudenboomer]

The straight wall rule is not an issue in my area. The 38-55 and 375 Win are within a few thousands of being straight. For the states that have that rule. Does enforcement use a micrometer or do they have a list of approved cartridges?

[Pereira]

Not quite. There are millions of hunters who can not use the 38-55 due to the "straight wall" limitation put on cartridges by well meaning but ignorant legislatures. This cartridge and it's similar siblings, the 350 Legend and the older 357 Maximum represent useful modern cartridges that allow these folks to use rifles in formerly shotgun only areas.

I will say that this seems to me an idea that is a little late forthcoming. It remains to be seen if the .360 can catch up to the .350, given the head start that the latter has had. I suspect that this will be another 30 Super Carry.

And the rifle being made by Henry... they can't even produce what they are already trying to sell.
Just how many states require the short 1.8" case length any who?
Who is going to buy enough to even make it profitable?
One thing going for 'em is they already have 30-30 bolts, and 35 Rem. barrels.

RP

[Pereira]

The straight wall rule is not an issue in my area. The 38-55 and 375 Win are within a few thousands of being straight. For the states that have that rule. Does enforcement use a micrometer or do they have a list of approved cartridges?

And the fo-fo-fo.
Is the 45/70 tapered?

RP

[NSB]

There is NO problem getting .357max brass. I’m sitting on about 1,500 and it’s currently available from Starline. https://www.starlinebrass.com/357-maximum. It doesn’t need to be “reintroduced”, it never left. There is a rather large following for this cartridge….honest. It is a reloader’s opportunity to find and develop great loads for deer and small game hunting. Bullets are really plentiful and unlike the other cartridges mentioned, you can shoot 38spl, and .357mag rounds out of your gun.

[stubshaft]

I'd be more interested in getting my hands on some of the brass to form 357 Herretts.

[cwlongshot]

Im excited about it.

https://youtu.be/oVHSEfnpxTM

[Jedman]

The velocity numbers seem a little high for a case volume of that size. It is interesting and might have a small advantage over the 357 max. but I have 3 rifles in the max and doubt I will buy something in the 360 BH . Where I live in southern MI we do have the strait walled / 1.8” rule for the lower half of the state so it will probably be big here as the 450 bushmaster and 350 legend have been very popular recently.
Jedman

[dverna]

The .357 Max is a great cartridge....for the reloader. I just looked on Gunbroker and there are no rifles available and a handful of pistols. Makes no difference how good it is if Joe Deer Camp cannot buy a rifle or ammo for it.

There is no ammunition available for it on Ammoseek except this stuff at nearly $2/rd:

https://www.venturamunitions.com/ven...mmo-50-rounds/

.350 Legend hunting ammo is about $1.20/rd and lots of choices. Plus they have FMJ ammo for about $.70/rd.

Like I mentioned earlier....we tend to think like reloaders and forget the market is NOT us.

I reload, but if I wanted/needed something like this I would not get a .357 Max. Why buy a gun and pay to have it converted when I can buy a gun off the shelf?

But it has a tough road ahead. I have a buddy who hunts downstate and he has both a .450 and .350. (BTW, he bought the .350 because the .450 was beating him up too much) The .360 is late to the party IMO.

[NSB]

Getting a rifle for it is as simple as taking a Henry single shot to a mediocre gunsmith and running a reamer into it to lengthen the chamber. If you own a TC Encore or Contender, or any other single shot .357mag rifle you can buy an aftermarket barrel or have your barrel reamed out. MGM, Bullberry, SSK, and several other companies make barrels for this cartridge. I’m going to bet that getting .360 Buckhammer ammo isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Coming along this late isn’t going to set any sales records and I’m willing to bet finding loaded ammo in any gun store is going to be extremely difficult. If you don’t reload, anyone with a set of .357mag dies can load ammo for you…..cheaply. Give them a hundred empty cases and you’re probably set for hunting ammo for several years. It’s NO harder to load than .357mag ammo is. I’ll bet I can find more empty .357max cases than I can Buckhammer cases. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the .360 Buckhammer round, I’m just saying there won’t be a glut of ammo anywhere. It’s going to be like looking for 5mm rimfire ammo. It’s out there, but no one can find any of it.

[Rapier]

This is impossible to do, buy a Henry 357 mag sngle shot, run a reamer into it and you have a 357 Super Mag rifle. This is my Tiger stripe big leaf maple Martini Cadet 357 Super Mag.Kills deer DRT.

[backwoods_bob]

Doesn't seem like a good marketing move. .360 sounds odd to American hunters. A shortened .375 Winchester or a lengthened .40 S&W to meet the size requirements. Both sound powerful and could use some existing machinery to make.

The .40 should work in lever actions, rim is close to a 35 Remington, and AR pattern rifles.

[barnetmill]

Remington sent me an email titled deer fear.

I guess it is an attempt to sell more ammunition and guns. Too bad Remington does not sell lever action guns any more.

[barnetmill]

........ I suspect that this will be another 30 Super Carry.

Probably needs another thread if there were any new information. For the 30 super carry to thrive someone has to design a handgun specifically built around its dimension to make a sub compact pocket size pistol holding a lot of rounds. Chambering it in a pistol intended for a 9x19 gives only the little advantage of a round or two more.
It seems that this .360 Buckhammer will have a specific niche market. I would not want one, but then I do not hunt anymore. 30-30 and .35 Remington work well for me.