Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General .360 Buckhammer

Not so easy. I have done it. 45-70 brass thickens as it's cut shorter and inside neck reaming is required to keep the case from bulging or buckling when the bullet is being seated.

One of the articles said Rem ammo will be around $36.99 per box.

I’ve been playing with the last couple years with a .358 x 1.8” straight wall based on starline .223 basic brass. Started on it just prior to the announcement of the 350 legend. A full case of AA 1680 will push a 180 gr hornady ssp at 2600 fps out of a 26” MGM encore barrel. It’s a hammer on deer. We also have a couple of 357 maximums. Deer take very few steps. Most our shots are within 150 yards with our food plot layout. Food plot is longer but the deer don’t necessarily need to be shot much farther than 150.

Availability and cost........proly a better choice than .35 rem LOL

The classic 38-55 Winchester is better than the 360 Buckhammer. The 360 Buckhammer is another boutique cartridge that the firearm and ammunition industries are going to push on consumers. Conversely, the 38-55 has been around for about 140 years and industry actively refuses to embrace it for modern hunting applications. Research the 38-55 for yourselves, Chuck Hawks has some good write ups on it. The 38-55 was the parent case to the 30-30 and the mild original load of a 255-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1300fps has taken many heads of game. Ammunition companies used to sell a 1600-1700fps load which seems to be a sweet spot for terminal performance and recoil. Buffalo Bore sells 38-55 ammunition, but it is probably best reserved for CPX3 game (only use in modern rifles). The point being that the new boutique 360 Buckhammer was and is not needed.

Guns and Shooting Killing Power Score @100 yards:
.38-55 Winchester (255 grain at MV 1320 fps) - 22.7 KPS
.38-55 Winchester (255 grain at MV 1635 fps) - 33.5 KPS
.38-55 Winchester (255 grain at MV 1950 fps) - 44.3 KPS

For comparison:
.30-06 Springfield (150 grain at MV 2920 fps) - 37.3 KPS
.30-06 Springfield (165 grain at MV 2850 fps) - 47.3 KPS
.30-06 Springfield (180 grain at MV 2700 fps) - 49.2 KPS

38-55 Recoil Information from Chuck Hawks:
255gr bullet at 1320 fps from 7.5lbs rifle = 7.8 recoil energy and 8.2 recoil velocity
255gr bullet at 1635 fps from 7.5lbs rifle = 12.6 recoil energy and 10.2 recoil velocity
255gr bullet at 1950 fps from 7.5lbs rifle = 17.4 recoil energy and 12.2 recoil velocity

Other than the fact that you can't use a 38/55 to hunt in several states, but you can use the 360 Buckhammer.

Good news, Gunsmoke is on.

I bet the Buckhammer will be much better in regards to uniform bore specs.

I was unaware that commercial rifle producers did not follow SAAMI specifications…

The vague bore size reference has more to do with historical time period and the type of bullets used.

Yes, early (read old) 38-55 rifle bores were slightly inconsistent but modern manufactures follow SAAMI specifications and production tolerances have improved over the past 140 years.

What holds true today, regardless of caliber, is that shooters need to know their rifle’s bore size and how that relates to using lead, jacketed, and hard cast bullets.

A more interesting counterpoint would have been about chamber size and the evolution from black powder and paper patched bullets to smokeless powder and jacketed bullets. Still irrelevant when discussing modern production rifles, but at least it would have been interesting.

Starline Brass has a fantastic write up on the 38-55 case which touches on this topic.

Buffalo Bore speaks a bit to bullet diameter if you look at the 38-55 ammunition.

Yeah, but a 38-55 is not legal in certain states for hunting. That’s why there is a new cartridge.

From what I have seen on the ballistics from the 360 hammer to the 350 legend, there isn't much of a difference. The 350 legend and the 450 bushmaster have become popular in Michigan, but mainly in the lower half of the lower peninsula. That is because we can use it where we could only use shotguns and muzzle loaders before. The 350 and 450 have more range than a slug gun and a muzzle loader and generally better accuracy. Will have to wait to see the offerings in the 360 hammer. I do like the diameter as others have stated.

How about the 375 Win? Is that not legal where the Buck hammer is?

https://www.remington.com/big-green...u=24674819&mid=524002573&jb=7860

Some states have a 1.8" maximum case length makes the .375 win to long

I understand the 360 Buckhammer’s appeal to the minority who hunt in states that have straight wall cartridge length limitations but…

There was no true requirement for the 360 Buckhammer, other cartridges that meet state requirements can be used.

The 360 Buckhammer is premised on current law. Who and what influenced the law pre and post adoption? Most answers are speculative unless people directly involved provide truthful unbiased insights. Where do we hunters go from here? Is the status quo accepted for perpetuity? Will state laws become less restrictive? Perhaps, or maybe, other mid-west states will be influenced to become more restrictive. I would think it is in the industry’s best interest to have less restrictive laws to facilitate more and different types of sales. I’ve always been told to follow the money.

As for the 38-55, the concerns mentioned in this thread exist because industry has decided not to advance and promote the cartridge, that much is very clear. Why? Who knows, the issue is circular. It is a shame to see American history set aside for new renditions in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Taking a step back to think about larger desired outcomes; if the 360 Buckhammer helps keep the hunting tradition alive then that is a very positive thing and I’ll drink to that.

Even though the 38-55 Winchester is better.

Define BETTER

Always good to define subjective terms. Generally speaking, with firearms, it is in the eyes of the beholder and their intended use. Refer to original posting then consider versatility, recoil, external and terminal ballistics, and sprinkle some nostalgia. Happy hunting.

And all that is based on using both?

Good lord. People have too much time on their hands. The .350 Legend took off and sold like hotcakes. This is simply a response from Remington and Henry trying to get in on the game.

Except quite a few of the straight wall states limit case length tom1.8”.

Looks like 4 rifles in production, 3 levers, 1 single shot.