Why the 360 Buckhammer?

Setting it up for hunting

360 Buckhammer cartridge with 200 grain Hornady. Photo by Ultimate Reloader.

As you might imagine, the 360 Buckhammer was not the typical cartridge to appear on Ultimate Reloader. We are often more interested in modern, high velocity, high efficiency cartridges sending long, high BC bullets downrange with incredible accuracy. The 360 Buckhammer is very different from that!

However I’ve got this “thing” for lever action rifles and cartridges going back to when Dad taught me to shoot with his 22 rimfire Marlin 39 Mountie. Back about 1962 or so. I’ve always liked lever action rifles, and the traditional cartridges for which they’re chambered. But… What was this Buckhammer thing? A new, but very traditional type cartridge ideal for lever action rifles… Interesting.

The ballistics are actually a bit better than the revered 35 Remington which has been slaying bucks and bears for generations of hunters.

I thoroughly enjoy shooting and hunting with good lever action rifles. The Henry 360 Buckhammer qualifies! Photo by Ultimate Reloader.

Remington and Henry collaborated on the 360 Buckhammer project. The rifle exists to fill a market created in those areas which were once “shotgun only” for hunting and now allow rifle hunters using “straight wall cartridge cases.”

Henry sent us the rifle, Remington sent us 180 and 200 grain ammunition, both with traditional round nose bullets. With a tubular magazine, round nose or flat point bullets are used to ensure that the bullet tip of one cartridge doesn’t ignite the primer of the next cartridge. In recent years Hornady has come up with an answer their FTX bullets and ammo which have a soft pointed tip bullet enhancing downrange performance, and still safe in traditional lever action firearms.

The Henry rifle is quite nice! Gavin and I were both impressed with the solid feel of it and the quality of finish on both the metal and the walnut. From the start it has been 100% reliable and accurate. Now mind you, I’m talking accuracy for 200 yard and closer deer hunting, not gilt edge F-Class or Benchrest accuracy. Groups with factory ammo hovered around 1.5” at 100 yards from a benchrest. The trigger is set at a crisp four pounds.

Recoil was interesting - my impression was that the rifle had much more punch than a 30-30 of similar weight, which makes sense with the bigger bullets. It’s also much lighter recoiling than a warm-loaded 45-70 lever action. Those things can get a man’s attention! The Henry has a very nice recoil pad, which helps mitigate some of the recoil.

Our test of the Remington factory ammo revealed a surprisingly tight SD for the 180 grain ammunition. These are very useful velocities for hunting deer, bear or hogs at modest range:

I set up the Buckhammer for hunting using a Skinner Sights Express sight with the integral scope mounting grooves. The 1.5-5x Leupold was mounted with Talley Quick Release rings, also purchased from Skinner Sights. I’ve been able to remove the scope, then re-attach it with little or no change in point of impact. This scope is a favorite of mine with good eye relief and a wide field of view.

Henry had also sent an Alaskan made Double D heavy duty leather sling and a pair of American made GrovTec sling swivels.

The handload I settled on worked great! Hornady’s .358” 200 grain RNSP InterLock looked like a good traditional choice, but then I coupled it with what some might think an unusual powder charge, 37 grains of Hodgdon’s CFE BLK. That powder proved perfect for the 200 grain Buckhammer load! The load averaged 2311 fps which is about 120 fps faster than the factory 200 grain load. The bullets also clustered into nice .75” three-shot groups at 100 yards.

While hunting with the Henry, I was unable to get a shot at a bear, but have high hopes for this coming season. I’m pleased with the rifle, scope, and my handloads. This is a rifle that could be useful to far more hunters than just those who are subject to the straight-wall case rules.

Regards, Guy

*I’m a law enforcement and NRA handgun and rifle instructor, a USMC veteran and a retired police officer with 12 years of SWAT experience. Catch my firearms and ammunition videos on Ultimate Reloader on Rumble and YouTube.