CW, happy hunting and happy memories to you!
I’m thinking the 360 looks a great chambering. Full fat loads plenty for deer, I’m sure a 180gr load with 5477, unique, universal etc should be great for 25 or 50 yd plinking
CW, happy hunting and happy memories to you!
I’m thinking the 360 looks a great chambering. Full fat loads plenty for deer, I’m sure a 180gr load with 5477, unique, universal etc should be great for 25 or 50 yd plinking
I find the tried and true 38 55 to do just fine. Over 100 years of testing and still doing the job.
FOAL, the .38-55 is a wonderful cartridge, a legendary cartridge.
But there is something so refreshingly 19th-century about the .360 Buckhammer that I would like to see it survive.
I just picked up a walnut stock Henry in 360 BHMR from my local ffl this afternoon! Been watching Buds Gunshop online for a while and they seem to come in stock for a day or two then back out of stock for a couple weeks. Well the yearly bonus came in last week and Buds had them in stock so I ordered one (they were out of stock again the next day).
The rifle is very nice looking. Nice straight grained walnut with what I would call a satin finish. Good bluing and wood to metal fit is nice without any "proud" wood or metal areas.
I've had a couple lever actions in the past (a 32 spl and a 35 remington) but not for long, so I'm no lever gun expert. The action on this rifle isn't as smooth as a nicely broken in marlin or winchester, but I'm sure it will smooth out with use. The rifle feels solid.
Unfortunately factory ammo and brass is a little hard to come by right now, but I have some brass left over from the 32 special (its actually 30-30 brass that was necked up to 32). I've trimmed 15 of them to a little over 1.8" and ran them into a .338 win. sizing die that I happened to have to start necking them up. 360 dies won't be here till this weekend, so I will have to wait till then to finish sizing them up to .35 cal. and trimming to finished length.
I plan on getting the Lee 35 200 RNFP (copy of RCBS) to load for deer hunting and use the 358-158-RF that I use in .38 spl to work up some plinking loads.
I do live in the Limited Rifle Zone in Michigan. The 350 legend has become very popular here in AR's and bolt guns, but I really wanted a lever gun. I was considering a 45 Colt to go with my 7.5" Uberti SAA or a 44 Mag. until the 360 BHMR came out. A lever gun that duplicates the the 35 Remington with both jacketed and cast boolits and is legal in our Limited Zone? Yes please!
I've been enjoying my 35/30 for a few decades now, certainly a fun cartridge!
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except you can’t use the 38-55 to hunt with in the limited rifle zone in michigan or many other whole states to hunt deer with. That is what is driving the cartridge development of the .350 legend, 360 buck hammer .400 legend, and .450 bush master.
primarily the people buying these new cartridges are buying them to hunt deer with in states that have non-bottle neck straight walled case length restrictions. 10-15 years ago hunters were using shot guns or muzzle loaders in these states. now they are buying straight walled cartridges instead.
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Last edited by michael.birdsley; 11-22-2023 at 11:44 PM.
Michael, is it case length/overall cartridge length that makes the .38-55 illegal in your area? These rules are pretty baffling to the rest of us.
Monte Walsh "You have No idea how little I care".
this is the rule for rifles in the limited rifle zone aka shotgun zone in michigan “ . 35 caliber or larger straight walled cartridge, a minimum case length of 1.16 and a maximum of 1.80 case length”. you could possibly trim down a 45-70 or whatever you wanted. some guys have done it to be within the rule.
i live a mile into the regular rifle zone. however, i use the .450 bushmaster in both zones as i hunt thick cover or big woods in either zone. preatty much anything north of zone 3 is dense woods. one gun in the newer calibers works in both zones very well.
the blue line on the map denotes the limited rifle zone. anything below that line the limited rifle rules apply
i have no doubt the 360 buck hammer will survive as now it gives a lever gun option in states with the above restrictions.
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Last edited by michael.birdsley; 11-23-2023 at 02:22 PM.
Michael, the Bushmaster is a very effective round. I have had wonderful accuracy from a couple of the Hornady FTX bullets in an AR, but have been tempted to try cast and powder coated. Thanks for explaining your rules.
Was just poking around at Match Grade Machine and they have a 20-inch fluted barrel in .360 for the Contender ...
I still have a brand new in the box wood stock Ruger gunsite scout chambered in 450 BM. I think if Ruger chambers the gunsite in 360 buck hammer might have sell off the 450bm and get a 360
I gave a 450BM to my grandson the Ruger with a brake. Incredibly accurate and excellent gun.
Looks like the perfect case for black powder and .358 pistol molds...
But will the rifles cycle cartridges OK if they're made up with short nosed boolits?
i am currently working on a cast load for my .450 bm. i have a pretty lengthy thread on the forum about it. Started with the lee 452-255 mold using powder coated. now i’m using the noe .452-307-fp. just waiting for deer season to end so i can shoot the loads for testing. hoping next year to be hunting with cast boolits.
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I was thinking of the Lee 452-255 powder coated as well. Have that mold and like it.
I have a Henry single shot rechambered to .357 MAX. As stated above the MAX will push a 180 grain boolit about the same velocity as a 170 grand .30-30. That is good enuf for me - and the components are available.
Jim
Still can’t wrap my head around how a smaller capacity 30-30 case can push faster velocities than a larger capacity 35 Rem with the same barrel length. I’ve gotten 2450 fps with my 20” 336 using 180 grain hot cores. I know Remington uses 24” test barrels for their marketing velocity numbers. I’m guessing real 20” barrel velocities with 180 grain hot cores are a good 150 fps or less than 35 rem hand loads. I’m sure it gets close because the chamber pressure is higher in the modern Henry vs the old model 8 load data listed in so many of the data books. Still like the idea of the buckhammer for states with restrictions BUT imo what is going to the beginning and end of the 360 is basing it off the 30-30 case instead of something with an extractor lip case so it isn’t limited to a lever gun. Might have to get my hands on a 358 win barrel for my AR.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |