The 360 Buckhammer
Nail Down Big Game!
The BFR revolver helped Mark put a tag on this black bear. He also noted,
“Following a pack of hounds in hot pursuit is not for sissies!”.
When an ammunition company introduces a new cartridge, it seldom piques my interest. But, for some reason unbeknownst to me, Remington introduced the 360 Buckhammer (360 BKHM) and inquiring minds wanted to know more.
With several states mandating straight-wall cartridges for deer hunting, I understand the rationale. Not being privy to legislative matters, I’m not sure why or how the powers came up with a 1.800″ length restriction on case length.
To solve this problem, someone at Remington shortened the rimmed 30-30 case to 1.800″, removed the bottleneck shoulder and topped it with a .358 caliber bullet. If the 350 Legend resonated with whitetail hunters in straight-wall states, the 360 Buckhammer is really going to attract an army of orange-clad whitetail fanatics.
Comparisons
A huge Macedonian red stag taken with the 360 Buckhammer. Mark and Karen celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary on the hunt and the Buckhammer enriched the occasion. Mark obviously knows how to show a girl a good time!
The 360 Buckhammer (left) compared to its “daddy,” the .30-30 Win.
Essentially a straightened .30-30 chopped at 1.8”, it pushes a
180-grain bullet to 2,400 fps and really does hammer game!
Comparisons
It’s challenging to discuss the 360 BKHM without comparing it to the 350 Legend. The 350 Legend has a case measuring 1.710″ compared to the 1.800″ length of the 360 BKHM. Also, the 350 Legend pushes a 180-grain 0.355″ bullet at 2,100 fps whereas the 360 BKHM features 0.358″ bullets launching a 180-grain slug at 2,400 fps. In my humble opinion, utilizing a 0.358″ bullet is a grandiose initiative.
Ask any woods hunters who has taken a truckload of whitetail with a 35 Remington and you’ll clearly hear how effective those .35 caliber bullets perform. Remington is currently loading 180- and 200-grain soft point Core-Lokt bullets in the 460 BKHM at velocities exceeding the 35 Remington. These round-nosed bullets have been around for decades, since 1939. You couldn’t put all the deer taken with them on a fleet of aircraft carriers.
The new cartridge from Big Green is not intended for long-range pokes beyond 200 yards. Come to think of it, I have filled a multitude of deer tags during the last 50 years and very few have any been taken beyond two football fields.
The .30-30 case lends itself to lever-action and single-shot firearms. With the resurgence of the lever-action, the cartridge will be most welcomed in this platform. Henry was the first to offer their lever-action chambered in the 360 along with one single-shot version forthcoming. I quickly ordered their X Model with side gate loading.
This Henry comes with a 20″ barrel and full-length tubular magazine. Topped with a Leupold 1.5-4x scope, it made an ideal set-up for an upcoming black bear hunt in New Mexico. The good folks at SSK Firearms also offered their Contender and Encore barrels in 360 BKHM.
Without hesitation, they mounted a Burris 2-7x handgun scope on the Encore thanks to the T’SOB base mount from SSK for a trip to Europe.
Since my wife would be shooting the Henry for the black bear hunt, I called my friends at Magnum Research and ordered a BFR revolver in 360, which would be a great option for chasing bruins with hounds.
Currently, these are the guns available in 360 BKHM but there will be other firearm manufacturers joining the fray soon.
Hungary is home for some of the world’s largest fallow bucks.
The 360 Buckhammer was responsible for this dandy buck
with one shot from 60 yards.
Range Time
At the range, I was pleasantly surprised with the accuracy of this straight-wall cartridge using round-nose bullets that have been around long before I was born. Honestly, I wasn’t anticipating 100-yard groups inside an inch-and-a-half. The Encore shot very well even when I moved out to 150 and 200 yards. With hunting plans in Macedonia and Hungary, I gained confidence the combination of cartridge and T/C Encore would handle any situation.
My wife, Karen, and I would be hunting behind hounds in New Mexico for black bear so shots would be fairly close. The Henry would produce 2″ groups from 100 yards consistently. With an Ultradot optic on the BFR, I only shot out to 50 yards as I wasn’t expecting anything further on the bear hunt. Overall, I was pleased to see the 180-grain soft points perform well on the range and recoil was very manageable.
The majority of folks, me included, will not buy a 360 BKHM to punch holes in paper. I wanted to see how the cartridge would perform on big game — the real test. Sitting in a blind the first evening in Macedonia, a big boar appeared out of the brush to join a sounder feeding in the field.
From 120 yards, the 180-grain Core-Lokt bullet punched through both shoulders as the boar flinched and quickly ran out of sight. The guide said, “I know exactly where you hit him.” How do you know, I asked? “I saw blood gushing out of the entrance just behind the shoulder,” he replied. My first head of game with the 360 BKHM was headed for the skinning shed.
A couple of days later, we bumped into a water buffalo. Even with a touch of uncertainty, I felt a well-placed shot with the 180 Core-Lokt would do the trick. My experienced guide whispered in my ear, “Make the first shot count.” With a rock solid rest from 55 yards, the .35 caliber slug landed just a tick behind the shoulder. The big bovine took three steps and fell. The guide was impressed — I wasn’t far behind.
We spent the next few days in pursuit of red stag. It was pre-rut and the stags were not chasing girls yet. They were also deep in the forest and we had difficulty locating them. On the final day of our hunt, we luckily found a decent stag with a large group of hinds.
Thanks to a good steady rest, the 180-grain bullet passed through both shoulders making an exit. The 400-lb. stag didn’t make it 40 yards, providing a quick recovery. With this much penetration on large animals, the 360 Buckhammer is going to easily handle any big whitetail buck roaming the woods.
Later Karen and I went to New Mexico for the bear hunt. While shots are somewhat anti-climactic, watching and listening to the hounds at work is a large part of the experience. Karen took her bear with the Henry X Model without issue. Being a dyed-in-the-wool handgun hunter, I opted for the BFR revolver in their long-cylinder version. The hefty revolver topped with an Ultradot Gen 2 red dot was an ideal handgun for this opportunity. The 360 Buckhammer was responsible for filling our black bear tags and sending us back home with two nice bear hides.
The largest boar Mark has taken weighed in at 220 kilos (485 lbs!).
Remington’s 360 Buckhammer handled the task — and tusks — without issue.
Big Bad Boar
Switching guns, the Encore barrel from SSK made the voyage to Hungary where big fallow bucks and huge boars were on the menu. Hungary is home to the largest population of fallow deer with some of the largest racks. The country is also populated with some mighty big hogs and I was anxious to see how the 360 BKHM would perform on those colossal-sized boars.
We hit the fallow deer rut perfectly as the stags were roaring constantly. Those bucks were chasing females all over the place and it was delightful to be in the enchanted forest with them. My shot came late in the morning after we stalked within 60 yards of a dandy stag. One shot with the 360 BKHM finished this portion of the hunt.
We spent the next few days wandering around the forest in search of monster hogs. I didn’t want to shoot just any boar, only a massive one with gnarly tusks. The first encounter found a big boar strolling along in front of our elevated blind. When the boar finally presented a broadside shot, the 180-grain Core-Lokt took care of business. The boar weighed just over 200 kilos.
Later in the hunt, we came across a bigger boar with a lot of dentures showing. He never knew we were in the same forest as he meandered along feeding on acorns. The shot was not long, perhaps 40 yards, and when the Remington slug landed just behind his massive shoulder, he stumbled momentarily and was down quickly. The two guides were impressed this cartridge handled both boars without any unnecessary drama. The second boar tipped the scales at 220 kilos (485 lbs.) — the largest boar I’ve ever taken.
Remington’s 360 Buckhammer will find favor in those straight-wall states like Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, as well as others. I “Buckhammered” a doe in Missouri’s early antlerless season this year and she dropped in her tracks from a 120-yard poke. The 180-grain bullet delivers a decisive punch. In today’s world, everyone seems to want a 1,000-yard screamer with high BCs and impressive aerodynamics. In reality, there are many whitetail deer tags punched every year inside 200 yards and that’s where the 360 BKHM will shine brightly.
Personally, I think a neat little single-shot would be an ideal woods stalking rig and not just for whitetail. The 360 Buckhammer will wreak havoc on black bear and big, mean hogs. Federal will be offering a couple of options in the future to go along with Remington’s ammo. I’ve got to run now — it is Missouri deer season and the 360 Buckhammer and I are headed for the woods.
