The .360 Buckhammer, aka .360 BHMR, is Remington’s reply to the straight-wall cartridge development that’s gained steam in recent times. As you doubtless know, a number of states that beforehand had been shotgun-only for large sport loosened their restrictions permitting hunters to make use of straight-wall cartridges in centerfire calibers.
The success of the .350 Legend confirmed how keen hunters had been to swap their slug-launching smoothbores for rifles in these areas, and Remington, with the introduction of the .360 BHMR, needs a bit of the motion.
I had an opportunity to shoot and hunt with pre-production samples of the ammunition and a pre-production lever gun made by Henry Repeating Arms final fall, and suppose it’ll be a lovely choice for whitetail hunters who fancy lever-actions. I believe the .360 Buckhammer will even discover a area of interest with single-shot rifles, some catered to budget-minded hunters and others which can be extra high-end, alongside the traces of a Ruger No. 1.
- Caliber: .358 in.
- Parent Case: .30/30
- Available Loads: 180-grain and 200-grain Core-Lokt tender factors
- Muzzle Velocity (200 grain): 2217 fps
- Muzzle Velocity (180 grain): 2350 fps
- Muzzle Energy (200 grain): 2,183 ft.-lb.
- Muzzle Energy (180 grain): 2,299 ft.-lb.
- Effective Range: 200 yards plus
- Case Length: 1.8 in.
- COL: 2.380 in.
- Max Case Pressure: 50,000 psi
- MSRP: $36.99/field of 20
.360 Buckhammer Rollout
Though the Buckhammer is being formally unveiled at this 12 months’s SHOT Show in Las Vegas, we’re not going to see rifles and ammunition on the cabinets till later this summer time. Remington’s accomplice with the introduction is Henry Repeating Arms. As a part of the launch effort Henry is chambering the .360 Buckhammer in 4 completely different SKUs, three lever-actions and one single-shot.
The lever weapons are equivalent aside from the inventory type and metallic finishes. There’s the “Lever Steel,” which I’ve been utilizing, that has a conventional walnut inventory and shiny blued end. The “Lever X” mannequin has an artificial inventory that includes a small part of Picatinny rail on the fore-end and has matte blued metallic work. And there’s a higher-grade model with a cultured hardened brass receiver and upgraded wooden.
The single shot could have blued metal and a walnut inventory and comes drilled and tapped to just accept Weaver 82 scope bases. Expect to see Henry formally announce these rifles on the NRA Annual Meeting in mid-April.
Buckhammer Origins
The guardian case of the .360 Buckhammer is a .30/30 that’s been blown out to eliminate the taper and necked as much as accommodate .358-caliber bullets. Initially, the .360 Buckhammer will likely be provided with two bullets: a 200-grain Core-Lokt and a 180-grain Core-Lokt.
While the Buckhammer is new, these two soft-points are extraordinarily well-known—and beloved—by deer hunters. Marketed for years as “The Deadliest Mushroom in the Woods,” these .35 Core-Lokts had been loaded within the .35 Remington and .35 Whelen by Big Green.
How the .360 Buckhammer is Different
Though the .350 Legend acquired a bounce available on the market, Remington is relying on two elements to present them traction with this introduction.
.360 Buckhammer Speed Advantage
The greatest promise Remington is making with the .360 Buckhammer is that it fills a efficiency hole between different straight-wall cartridges. It is quicker than .350 Legend, .450 Bushmaster and .30/30, shoots practically as flat or flatter to 200 yards (relying on the bullet), and has extra retained vitality downrange.
Though it recoils a bit greater than the .350 Legend and .30/30, it’s nonetheless a really gentle capturing cartridge, and recoils noticeably lower than the .450 Bushmaster.
.360 Buckhammer Purist Appeal
The Buckhammer offers hunters who love lever-guns the possibility to hold them into their blinds and stands within the straight-wall states. Because it’s a rimmed cartridge, it’s ideally suited to run in lever-actions. The nostalgic enchantment of carrying a lever gun within the whitetail woods is bound to seize the hearts (and open the wallets) of a sizeable variety of Midwestern deer hunters.
| Cartridge | Bullet Weight | Muzzle Velocity | Muzzle Energy | 200-Yd Velocity | 200-Yd Energy | 200-Yd Drop | Free Recoil Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .360 BHMR | 200 gr. | 2217 fps | 2183 ft-lb | 1435 fps | 915 ft-lb | -9.5 in. | 14.1 ft-lb |
| .360 BHMR | 180 gr. | 2399 fps | 2299 ft-lb | 1557 fps | 968 ft-lb | -7.8 in. | 14.1 ft-lb |
| .30/30 Win. | 170 gr. | 2200 fps | 1827 ft-lb | 1619 fps | 989 ft-lb | -8.9 in. | 16.3 ft-lb |
| .30/30 Win. | 150 gr. | 2390 fps | 1902 ft-lb | 1606 fps | 859 ft-lb | -8.2 in. | 15.4 ft-lb |
| .350 Legend | 180 gr. | 2100 fps | 1762 ft-lb | 1520 fps | 924 ft-lb | -9.4 in. | 11.7 ft-lb |
| .350 Legend | 145 gr. | 2350 fps | 1778 ft-lb | 1539 fps | 763 ft-lb | -8.1 in. | 9.8 ft-lb |
Remington has additionally taken pains to the make the .360 Buckhammer comparatively inexpensive. The record worth on the ammo for a field of 20 is $36.99, which counts as budget-friendly nowadays.
.360 Buckhammer In The Field
I’m an previous .35 Remington man—I carried a Marlin 336C chambered in it for years—and developed a deep appreciation for the mild-mannered spherical and the power of these 200-grain softpoints to knock the snot out of any whitetail inside vary.
So, after I discovered in regards to the Buckhammer and noticed that it was primarily a barely souped-up .35 Remington, I used to be fairly intrigued. A fast apart: You may marvel why the .30/30 is the guardian case of the .360 Buckhammer versus the .35 Remington, and the reply is that the .35 Rem. case is a contact shorter than the .30/30 (1.920 in. vs. 2.039 in.) and a tiny bit fatter. (.458 in. vs. .422 in.) and to make the .360 Buckhammer a straight-wall Remington retained the .30/30’s width (.4195 in.).
I’ve had a rifle from Henry for a number of months, and although my ammunition provide was restricted to 4 packing containers, I put all however a number of of these rounds downrange and took the rifle on a deer hunt in Ohio in early December.
I spent many of the hunt in treestands, bracing myself towards the chilliness December winds and staying alert for one of many bruiser whitetails the area is understood for. The mild and useful rifle, topped with a primary variable-power scope was excellent for the state of affairs.
At simply 39 inches lengthy, it’s straightforward to maneuver and, after all, the Henry embodies all of the fantastic pointing traits lever-gun carbines are identified for. I saved the rifle loaded and throughout my lap, and will a shooter buck step out all I wanted to do was thumb the hammer again, which I might do with gloved palms.
Henry began providing facet gates on their rifles in 2020, and that’s a helpful and basic characteristic hunters had been asking for. But the power to load the rifle by the tubular journal, which Henry retained on its rifles, is admittedly handy. You can drop the rounds into the journal shortly and while not having to struggle the gate, which is usually a ache, particularly when sporting gloves. It makes unloading a lot less complicated and safer because you don’t need to cycle the gun to shuck out all of the shells. The solely time it’s essential work the lever whereas unloading is when you’ve got one within the chamber.
.360 Buckhammer on Game
Sadly, I by no means acquired a crack at an enormous buck on the hunt. Though we had loads of trailcam pics of spectacular deer, they had been nearly solely transferring at evening, which isn’t shocking as a result of that’s how huge bucks get huge. Plus, they had been nonetheless recovering from the rut, which concluded only a couple weeks prior, making them even much less prone to wander about.
However, my looking companions who had been additionally utilizing the .360 Buckhammer did take some deer with it—a pair good bucks and a bunch of does. The terminal efficiency was precisely as I’d have anticipated: passthrough pictures that confirmed proof of fine enlargement based mostly on the dimensions of the exit holes and evaluation of the tissue harm within the physique cavity.
My colleague, Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson, hunted with the .360 Buckhammer at his household’s deer camp in Wisconsin final fall as nicely and shot a cruising buck at shut quarters in heavy cowl. With the fast-running lever gun he shot 3 times, hitting the buck twice (each go throughs) and watched it crash down lower than 100 yards away.
.360 Buckhammer on the Range
As I discussed, my rifle and ammo had been each pre-production samples. As a part of the event technique of the .360 Buckhammer, my ammunition was deliberately handloaded to decrease pressures. So my muzzle velocities, which averaged 2148 fps with the 200-grain Core-Lokts from my rifle’s 20-inch barrel, had been slower than what the precise manufacturing facility ammo will ship (2217 fps in keeping with Remington).
Remington was additionally nonetheless finalizing the chamber drawings and specs for the spherical, particularly when it comes to twist fee and throat dimensions. My rifle got here with a 1:14 twist and had a steep 12-degree leade machined within the throat. The closing specs for the .360 Buckhammer name for a 1:12 twist and a 1.5-degree leade within the throat, each of which ought to enhance the spherical’s accuracy.
I shot 5 5-shot teams with my rifle on the vary and the teams averaged 2.442 inches. That’s okay for capturing inside 150 yards on deer, however there’s actually room for enchancment. Based on my expertise with related cartridges in lever weapons, I’d anticipate to see the common of a number of 5-shot teams within the 1.5- to 1.75-inch vary. With that accuracy, I’d be snug to 200 yards on a whitetail.
Once Remington will get me finalized ammunition and Henry delivers one other rifle that displays the ultimate specs for the .360 Remington, I’ll do one other spherical of capturing and replace the outcomes.
Reloading the Buckhammer
I do know that RCBS is already engaged on reloading dies for the spherical for individuals who need to reload. I don’t have any knowledge but, however I feel that utilizing Accurate 1680 and powders with related burn charges will likely be a superb place to begin.
The SAAMI spec chamber strain for the .360 Buckhammer is 50,000 psi, which is spot-on for a contemporary lever-action spherical. Like different straight-walls, the inside of the case has a slight taper to maintain the bullet from dropping to the underside when reloading.
Future .360 Buckhammer Loads and Rifles
Remington ammunition was acquired by Vista Outdoor a 12 months in the past, the guardian firm of Federal ammunition. So in some unspecified time in the future within the not-distant future we’re going to see Federal producing .360 Buckhammer masses.
The preliminary bullets provided are going to be a 180-grain PowerShok and a 200-grain HammerDown. Remington will even add a 150-grain PSP to the .360 Buckhammer line as nicely.
In phrases of rifles, I anticipate to see another corporations chamber the .360 Buckhammer quickly.
Read Next: Best Deer-Hunting Calibers
Don’t be shocked if Ruger is among the first to leap on the spherical. The .360 would make a beautiful addition to the No. 1 lineup and could be a pure slot in a Marlin lever motion, which is owned by Ruger as nicely.
Another good match could be CVA in considered one of their economical single-shots.
Final Thoughts on the Buckhammer
I’ll be the primary to confess that I didn’t anticipate the runaway success of the .350 Legend. I figured it could be a distinct segment spherical that form of puttered alongside. I couldn’t have been extra flawed. The versatility of the .350 Legend, which is equally at residence in bolt-action and AR-15 sort rifles, is a part of its enchantment. But it is usually clear that the spherical’s gentle, but efficient, ballistics has additionally been an enormous issue.
The .360 Buckhammer has related mojo. It is a bit more potent than the .350 Legend, however not overpowering. It additionally meshes seamlessly with two platforms lengthy favored by heartland deer hunters—lever actions and single-shots. Finally, it makes use of bullets with decades-long monitor data of success on whitetail and which can be actually beloved by their followers.
Point being, I’m not going to underestimate the .360 Buckhammer’s prospects. One factor that’s clear is that the .350 Legend now has to take care of a worthy adversary.