Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots 360 Buckhammer what are they waiting for?

Is this cartridge going to die out? I was thinking of trying a CVA scout in one of these but Henry seems the only one offering this cartridge. Anybody hear anything?

Oughta be something at SHOT. I’m also interested, strictly academically (I swear, Honey) in the .400, which will work in mini bolt-actions and ARs. Unless CVA makes one, the Henrys, even the SS if that ever happens, leave you cheek-welding if you use an optic.

Both are good rounds, but so far Winchester seems more serious.

Incidentally, I contacted Henry about the bore dimensions of their .357 magnum rifles. Their answer was .346 bore, .355 groove, old Colt dimensions IIRC. Seems a bit tight for rechambering to .360, but apparently they get by. Perfect for .350 Legend.

I have the Henry single in 44 mag. Posted pictures of it last summer.Can't get over the drop in the stock.Tried a scope as low as I could get it and just don't like it. Have a Romeo 5 on it now and still have to crane my neck around. So that's why I want to try a Scout.By the way I am even older than Pappy so don't have time to waste.

I found an old leather lace-on comb riser for my Henry. Puts my eye where it should be but sure uglies up the pretty wood.

Which means you’re also older than Mule Deer, ingwe, and gnoahhh……

I just removed the scope from my .357 and also mounted a Romeo 5, with a Beartooth stock pad, lighter than leather, and stays put pretty well. Still oogly.

Heck, I'd even buy a Ruger #1 in .360 BH. For that matter a .350 Legend, which kills the heck out of deer & hogs. I already have a AR in .350.

I see no problem with Henry's bore dimensions. Properly throated, those rifles will shoot the 360 just fine. Too bad the stocks are so low.

My rechambered H&R 357 shoots the 360 BHMR really well with 180gr Furys, 38gr of A1680, and Federal MLRPs.

I'm torn between another .357 Maximum rifle and a .360 Buckhammer. I got it in my head to go further down the .35 rabbit hole, without stepping up to the .35 Whelen, single shot if I can help it. I have a vintage Winchester High Wall with a heavy barrel and PG stock that's currently chambered for a .22 centerfire. Figuring to send it to JES for a .35 re-bore, just can't decide on a chambering thereafter. Goal: a rifle primarily for 200 yard cast bullet fun, maybe some deer hunting but not really likely. Both cartridges will push a 250 grain, give or take, cast bullet at speeds to keep it supersonic out to 200 yards (beyond that I really don't care).

Adavantages of Buckhammer: chiefly that brass can be made from .30-30 brass. Advantage of the Maxi: I'm already heavily invested in .357 Max brass. Decisions, decisions...

I thought about the cheek risers but then I would be covering the beautiful wood which was the reason I bought it in the first place. So think I'll try a Scout.

I did notice buckhammer ammo at Walmart last night when looking for .22 WMR, but had one flavor of Remington and about 5 flavors of .350 legend. Probably academically a better cartridge then the legend but I’m not selling the legend to go buckhammer…

I wouldn’t either. Brownells sells a .350 piston upper, alas only in 16”, that’s interesting. Their design allows the use of a folding stock, also interesting……

Dinny,

Have you messed around with the Hornady 180gr SSP in your 360BH yet? I still have a small stash of these and it got me thinking.

I may have loaded a dummy round but that was all. I tested a bunch of the Speer 180s and they shoot fine. I may load up some of the SSPBs tomorrow morning while it's snowing. Thanks for the nudge.

Wow, lookin pretty toasty! What media? Appreciate you testing them.

Soaked books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

That would be sweet. Either a #1S or stainless of the same. But wouldn't really need sights, except for looks.

Sadly, the #1 is becoming a thing of the past. Ruger thinks tactacool is wanted over classic

Historically, Ruger has suspended production of various rifles due to the number still out in the supply chain, or so I’ve read anyway. When there’s a market, they bring them back, sometimes in a different configuration. A spendy item like a Number 1 is a lot of deadwood for a jobber or retail store to carry waiting for a buyer. Cheap sells now, so that’s where they’re putting their capacity.

The large number of used ones out there doesn’t help either.

I’d like to see a Low Wall in .360. The new ones are plenty strong for it and are the appropriate size and weight for a deer rifle. Not holding my breath for either. We’ll see Henrys and maybe CVAs. Maybe I’ll get bored and send my Henry to Bellm someday. I think though that the .350 is a better fit for the Henry’s 9mm bore and twist, and there’s certainly no shortage of .350 ammo choices.

In case anyone cares:


https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/350-Legend-Public-Introduction-Rev-2021-06-04.pdf

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Public-Introduction-360-Buckhammer-2023-01-30.pdf

It's annoying that LA & MS require an exposed hammer on single-shot rifles used during their primitive season. This eliminates all of the Ruger #1 rifles (...and the Blaser K95, Merkel K5, TCR Aristocrat, etc.) from consideration. It's a shame that my 9.3x74r has to sit in the safe. As much as I like my No. 1's, for any caliber that's >= .35, I'm generally looking for an 1885 just so I can get more usage out of it. But like the No. 1, Winchester isn't cranking out any new larger bore models of the 1885 either. A few years back I wrote Winchester a letter asking them to make the 1885 in either .35 Whelen or .350 Legend. I got a nice reply back thanking me for my suggestion but I was smart enough not to hold my breath thinking it was going to actually happen.

Depends how much a fella wants to spend. Vintage High Walls in so-so condition pop up fairly frequently, often chambered for .22 wildcat cartridges that nobody wants anymore, and are prime candidates for re-boring/re-barreling. Sure, it can get a little spendy 'til you're all said and done when starting out with a donor at $1K give or take - but in the end you'll have something that's cooler than the plethora of cheaper break-open guns that seem to be the factories focus for chambering the BH and Legend these days. I have such a beast and for a paltry $300 JES can turn it into a BH or .357 Maximum - I just gotta get off my butt and take the plunge.

I’m not very familiar with either the 350 Legend or the 360 BHM. What are the dimensional differences between the 2 cases?

It seems the max CL for the Legend is 55K psi and for the BHM it’s 50K psi - is that correct or do I have it backwards? Is that because the BHM is fully blown out 30-30 case vs a more heavily built Legend case?

May have a chance to hunt WD in IL in 2024 so considering using a TC Contender bbl with one of these straight cases. Stupidly written regs from IL DNR but at least they now allow single shot rifles/pistols to get a shot at some of those bucks that never get inside 200 yds.

Hopefully the combo of marginal cartridges and single shot guns doesn’t equal high wounded deer rates.

Hardly marginal. Those ballistics have been doing good work on whitetails and black bears for over 100 years.

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/350-Legend-Public-Introduction-Rev-2021-06-04.pdf


https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Public-Introduction-360-Buckhammer-2023-01-30.pdf

Wildcatter264,
For best results hunting deer in IL you should use an assault weapon with a 30 round magazine, collapsible stock, flash hider, and a bayonet installed. Just in case I recommend you carry a semiautomatic pistol with a 17rd magazine and a threaded barrel everywhere you go.

Wow 😂

Interesting idea. Not interested in sarcastic drivel just an answer on the dimensional differences between the 2 cases.

As you may know after a 50+ year long “temporary pause” in deer hunting in IL to “allow the herd to recover” the only firearms allowed for WD hunting were shotguns then muzzleloaders. The regulation for single shot pistols and rifles were not written by the DNR but by a Dem state representative “who hunted years ago and wrote the specs with the help of a constituent and friend.”

As a result except the 300 BO and Whisper - grandfathered in - almost all bottleneck cases are prohibited. Although - per the regs - I could use my Ruger African 458 WM with the follower and mag spring removed - no problem I only need 1 shot - or my Ruger #1 500 NE 3”. But can’t use a 257R or a 270 or a 30 Herret. I call that stupid.

In the spirit of the regulations I decided to use either a Ruger #3 45-70 or a TC Contender in one of the cartridges I asked about. Not being familiar with either of the latter 2 I asked expecting a civil answer rather than stupidity.

I’ll look for an answer somewhere else instead. BTW I’ve spent more than enough time hunting in IL to know what the average ‘resident hunter’ there is capable of with a 12 gauge slug gun - the reason for my concern about the new regulations.

Dinny, from seeing your prior posts I had mistakenly concluded that you were a reasonable guy with some firearm knowledge to contribute to the Fire. Guess you just proved me wrong, in one post, on all counts. Even your suggestion for an EDC reflects Glock movie manure.

Hold on there, BobbaLouie, it was that drivel at the end of your post that set people off. On the face of it you impugned the efficiency of the cartridges under discussion, Legend and BH, and single shot rifles in general. Reading into it perhaps, maybe, you mis-spoke and meant the possibility of much lesser but still legal cartridges equals high wounded deer rates. Which was it?

It’s Baba Looey, BTW. Someone as old as you are oughta know that.🧐

(Actually, I have to look it up every time I use it)

In this situation I believe Quick Draw would be a better fit. Baba Looey was the wiser of the two and would try to talk sense into Quick Draw.

"Queeks Draw, let's try to stay out of trouble thees time."

"Hold on Baba Looey, I'll do the thinnin' 'round here."

No matter the cartoon reference, or choice between these two cartridges, both have proven their worth in the deer woods. It simply remains up to the individual to pick one along with the platform it's offered in and go forth and kill stuff.

I'm finding myself hunting less and less, and paper punching more and more, so that's how I mainly view cartridges and their vehicles these days. To me the BH holds an edge in that regard, being that it's more easily adaptable to a single shot platform such as a Stevens 44 1/2, Martini, or vintage High Wall.

i had Jes Rebore do a 35 Whelen for me using a Ruger #1 looks great and shoots great too.

For the purposes you've outlined it would be a no brainer for me; 360BH. A bit more of a cartridge and the rimmed would likely work great in a Contender. That said and after reading some of your other posts, I'd use one of the monsters you have that are legal.

400 legend looks interesting. 350 and 360 buckhammer not so much. Ton of ammo for all 3 on the local shelves though. I looked for 35 Remington and none to be found. Oh well off to the loading bench

Thanks, gents. I may have over reacted a bit but I don’t like the 1-shot restriction for most hunters, given the circumstances for those who may need follow ups.

A lot of farms in IL are small enough that a wounded deer might make it over the boundary before hunters inexperienced with single shot rifles might get off a second round, if they had a lever or bolt action with intact magazines.

I’m not an advocate of anything but 1-shot kills but stuff happens.

The purpose of my post was to seek help in figuring out which 2nd rifle to choose. I’ll get a chance to hunt IL with my BIL again - a very experienced bow hunter with multiple P&Y bucks on his wall - after a several year break, because life happens. He’s an excellent archer but not experienced with rifles.

After all the hoopla is settled, I’ll plan to configure one of my TC Contenders as a rifle with an EABCO 350 Legend rifle barrel which arrives in a couple of days and load up ammo with Hornady 170 grain SPs which my BIL will practice with when he visits me and use for the hunt.

I plan to use a Ruger #3 45-70 200th year carbine my brother left me. Both rifles are his legacy, which he never got to use on deer, but now it’ll happen, unfortunately belatedly, but he’d approve and smile a nod.

Thanks for the help to those who provided it and apologies for the flap. It touched a nerve.

My father lives in south Michigan's pistol caliber zone. He's 69 and in no shape to chase deer. He shoots a CVA .450 Bushmaster with factory ammo and the deer he shoots don't run very far.

Look at the deer I shot this year. Talk about small farms, he was shot in a 7 acre wood lot. He ran less than 70yds even with a fatal shot with a 320gr bullet. He was shot with a true single shot rifle - a 50cal muzzleloader.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/19041855/christmas-eve-buck

Very nice buck. Hope to see some like that in IL in the Fall.

Just got an email from Henry announcing the .360 BH SS. Only change appears to be the new chambering. I did notice that the estimated weight was 6.69# as opposed to 7.18# for the .357, with the same 22” barrel so the contour must be a bit lighter.

It is on there web site!

I see the rate of twist on the BH is 1:12” vs 1:16” for the .357 Mag and the .350 Legend.

IIRC, the latest Hodgdon book has SS loads with 250gr Hornady Sub-X bullets. That twist should make the .360 pretty versatile.

Yessir, I did as well
Sounds interesting to have one available ready to go.

Here's a link to the SS page.


https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/single-shot-rifle/

I could very well see myself with one of the Henry SS. Like having a rifle that's viable to 200yds and legal everywhere here in IN. I'll be looking at the lighter weight bullets from Hammer or Maker.

Based on a conversation at a recent industry event. I think Traditions is going to be out with a 360 BH soon. They already have a .35 Rem so it's just a different chamber reamer.