Ordered a Contender 360 Buckhammer barrel from SSK on Sunday and it was delivered yesterday. Already purchased RCBS dies and have converted some 30-30 brass. Loaded up 2 low pressure rounds with H4895 just for a test and got 1610 FPS. Now that I have scratched that itch will wait for Hodgdon to come out with load data.
Slugflinger: I went with a 18” barrel for the contender in 360 BH and the bullet I used is the .358”Speer 180 grain. I also use this bullet in a contender and an Encore chambered in 357 Maximum. I have a good selection of bullets to try in .358”. Just waiting for load data to show up. The H4895 was real low pressure and had plenty of unburnt powder in the bore.
I tend to go shorter on barrel lengths as I hunt the hard woods a lot more than open fields, but if you are looking to get the most out of the 360 I think anything 20” and over will get you there.
I've been loading and shooting a Bellm rechambered 357 H&R Handi Rifle. 35-38gr of A1680 has been a range I've worked with using 180gr Speer HCFN bullets and a recently developed and experimental 200gr JFP. Today I got an average of 2193fps from the 200gr bullet and 36.5gr of A1680. 22" barrel.
I'm enamored by the round and its ballistics. 35 Remington performance in a cartridge that's legal in straight wall areas. However, the currently available rifles for this cartridge don't do much for me. Presently I don't see this cartridge being successful when the only available rifle is a $1,000 Henry.
For any of you that are starting to work with the 360 BH, Hodgdon now has data. If you call them, they will email the data that they have. What they sent me has 33 loads, for 180-250gr. bullets. All data is using Rem. brass and Rem. 91/2M primers. Tested loads have an OAL of 2.380.
Dinny's A1680 loads for 180gr. bullets is right on point. Hodgdon starts with 34.2 @2274 fps and max is 38.0 @ 2503 fps. The max load has a listed pressure of 48,000 PSI.
Their 200gr. data with A1680 starts 32.0 @ 2096 fps and max of 35.5 @ 2327 fps. Max load pressure is 49,100 PSI.
It’s a natural for the Henry SS, but they may be holding off to sell more of the lever actions, or to not compete with the current .350 and .450 rifle now in the supply chain. I filled out a contact form asking about it. We shall see…..
It’s a natural for the Henry SS, but they may be holding off to sell more of the lever actions, or to not compete with the current .350 and .450 rifle now in the supply chain. I filled out a contact form asking about it. We shall see…..
Is anyone else making a rifle now?
CVA should beat them to the punch and offer a Scout V2 20" take down stainless. I'd be a buyer for that.
I've been loading and shooting a Bellm rechambered 357 H&R Handi Rifle. 35-38gr of A1680 has been a range I've worked with using 180gr Speer HCFN bullets and a recently developed and experimental 200gr JFP. Today I got an average of 2193fps from the 200gr bullet and 36.5gr of A1680. 22" barrel.
So is this "better " than the 357MAX factoring in dies and brass and load development and such when using for deer and pork from what you've seen so far?
I've been loading and shooting a Bellm rechambered 357 H&R Handi Rifle. 35-38gr of A1680 has been a range I've worked with using 180gr Speer HCFN bullets and a recently developed and experimental 200gr JFP. Today I got an average of 2193fps from the 200gr bullet and 36.5gr of A1680. 22" barrel.
So is this "better " than the 357MAX factoring in dies and brass and load development and such when using for deer and pork from what you've seen so far?
Only better for those who don't reload and don't care to pay the premium for custom loaded ammo. It's hard to beat $30/box for factory ammo. I bought two boxes of Rem 200gr ammo just to have some factory brass. I beat the accuracy with my own handloads but the factory ammo shoots well enough for other non-discriminating hunters and occasional shooters.
I've been loading and shooting a Bellm rechambered 357 H&R Handi Rifle. 35-38gr of A1680 has been a range I've worked with using 180gr Speer HCFN bullets and a recently developed and experimental 200gr JFP. Today I got an average of 2193fps from the 200gr bullet and 36.5gr of A1680. 22" barrel.
So is this "better " than the 357MAX factoring in dies and brass and load development and such when using for deer and pork from what you've seen so far?
Only better for those who don't reload and don't care to pay the premium for custom loaded ammo. It's hard to beat $30/box for factory ammo. I bought two boxes of Rem 200gr ammo just to have some factory brass. I beat the accuracy with my own handloads but the factory ammo shoots well enough for other non-discriminating hunters and occasional shooters.
Ok thanks I remember all the experiments done with the maximum, and finally did the 357mag H&R I'd bought for my nephew since he'd grown up enough to handle something bigger. I'd taken deer with it as a regular 357mag and with my Marlin 1894 long before that and knew that worked fine. I rechambered the H&R and shot a buck with it as a maximum. I surely wasn't expecting the damage it did to the deer. I can't think of anything that would walk away from a good hit from the maximum Thanks again for all the info Good Luck with your experiments
I have found bullet selection to be critical with any pistol cartridge fired from a carbine/rifle barrel. My son shot a black bear in June with his Maxi loaded with a 180gr Barnes TSX FN bullet. The bullet produced very little damage and the bear ran 265yds before expiring. That bullet is probably better suited for the 360 Buckhammer and larger cartridges. Next time he'll use a 180gr Fury TN bullet. It hits hard and will most likely cause more damage but we'd rather have that than chase a bear in a swamp again.
I've only "caught " the one projectile in a deer. A 357 mag from the Handi before it became a maximum. The deer lurched to turn around and look behind it, and the shot went through the ball and socket on the entry side, and hit the ball and socket on the off side and smashed it to gibbles and was in the middle of a mess of red goo and bone chips. It was all together, but came out in pieces
Got a response from Henry today about the SS .360. It’s coming, but there’s no scheduled date.
Factoring in a cost of rechambering ($175) would it be cheaper to buy a SS 357 Magnum?
I can't get past the low comb stocks Henry puts on their SS rifles. It would be different if they offered other stocks.
That is an issue, no doubt about it, and shared by most lever actions as well. Maybe the CVA is better, but I’ve never really handled one. I have a Bear Creek pad on my .357, which currently has a Bushnell Lil P prism sight. The pad helps, but still doesn’t give the solid cheek-weld I get with my bolt actions. For those whose eyes permit their use, something like a Skinner peep (which likely needs a replacement front sight as well) would be a good choice. After slumming a pre-64 .270 for 30+ years, I have the “chin weld” concept down pretty good.
I have found bullet selection to be critical with any pistol cartridge fired from a carbine/rifle barrel. My son shot a black bear in June with his Maxi loaded with a 180gr Barnes TSX FN bullet. The bullet produced very little damage and the bear ran 265yds before expiring. That bullet is probably better suited for the 360 Buckhammer and larger cartridges. Next time he'll use a 180gr Fury TN bullet. It hits hard and will most likely cause more damage but we'd rather have that than chase a bear in a swamp again.
Do you know how fast that bullet was moving? Asking because I have some .358 win rounds loaded with that bullet at a little over 2200 fps. Barnes said they tested them up to 2200 and also that they expand down to 1400. I have high hopes but your results don't sound real promising.
Weagle, My MV was 1980fps. It had very little hydrostatic shock. 2200fps would be better but I see no reason why that bullet couldn't be pushed harder. Losing petals can be a bad thing if they create additional wound tracks.
Gavin and Guy on Ultimate Reloader just released a video of their beginning tests of the Henry .360. Velocity of the Remington ammo in the 20” barrel was pretty close to the numbers on the boxes, probably over the typical velocities of factory .35R. Trigger pull was decent. Rifle’s not bad looking either.
Gotta keep in mind that this was designed to meet straight-wall regs, and also I’d imagine, to work in existing leverguns where the .30/30 works. Bolt actions and autos using the .350, .450, and hopefully the .400 ain’t going anywhere. I’m thinking a Howa Mini or RAR .400 would be pretty good, and not so hard on the back end as the .450.
I have a Browning Low Wall Traditional Hunter in .44 magnum. They also made those in .357 and .45 Colt. They have 24” half-round half-octagon barrels, and both open sights and a tang peep. They made a similar model in .30/30, .38/55, and .45/70 on the High Wall frame, and it was a much heavier rifle, which made sense with the .45/70, but was overkill for the two smaller rounds and took them out of the handy woods rifle category. That Miroku LW has also been made for, among others, .243, .260, and 6.5x55, so it’s more than strong enough for .30/30-class rounds. If they’d gone with the LW, I bet they would’ve sold like hotcakes, not that they were necessarily trying for that. The ones they did make are pretty hot items on the used market. I paid a pretty penny for mine NIB quite some time back, but not as much as they sell for now. Always wanted a .357 too, but those are the hardest to find, the .45 the easiest.
I think 30” would be overkill. My .44 is no lightweight, and the 28” HW versions are pretty heavy for woods carry.
J-Pro: When Bellm rechambered a 308 Bellm in a Contender for me he said to keep loads at 300 Savage levels. SAAMI max pressure for a 300 savage is 46,000 CUP. I am confident a 50,000 psi load will stretch even a G2 Contender frame.