Always wanted to try out their Heavy 38-55 Barnes 255FN/1950fps load. They claim it (a) can be fired safely in any .375 Win chambered rifle (b) it is accurate (c) it has lower pressure (certainly doesn't get near the 50K+ BB limit) and have sold just gobs of it through the years to 375 users. Well OK then!

I bought 2 boxes and took it to the range today, along with my .270/R23/150 trial. My rifle is a 1978 made (bought new in '99 off Gunbroker) trigger lightened, Limbsaver pad, Magnaported and a Williams FP receiver sight.
I always like to use a 4" black square at 100yds and use a 6 o'clock hold with the top of the bead. I want it to hit center ( or figure its really a +2"@100 zero) and this is almost always a self correcting sight picture, out to 200. Center of bead is 150yds and bottom of bead is 200yds. Works swell. I thought I would make a 5" square to see it well. When I got to the range I discovered that (a) it has been awhile since I last used peep sights and (b) "something" had happened to my eyes! ha Even with glasses I had to really hunker down and squint. I should have made it a 10" square, ha. I didn't shoot for groups as the ammo is so accurate it dialed right in. It only took 5 shots and I was about 1 1/2" up in the square.
This ammo was stout ( rifle felt like a Marlin 444) but extracted super easily, primers were round edged, no marks on the case head either. Its way under the 50K+ BB pressure limit as advertised. Its expensive, $3 a pop, but its not for plinking! The 35rds I have left will last me a long time! I can't see trying to kill an elk much past 100yds, but a deer out further is very doable. I think the bullet is kind of on the soft side, as one would imagine. Up in the woods, it ought to chill somethings "doo doo" pretty pronto! ha

Nice rifle. I have a .358 Winchester BLR loaded to similar ballistics, the 310gr RN SN Woodleigh at about 100 fps faster. Close range Moose stomper.

Sounds like you had a great time.

I've noticed the same problem lately with my open & peep sighted guns, the front sight has grown some fur on them!

quote:

I've noticed the same problem lately with my open & peep sighted guns, the front sight has grown some fur on them

Join the club.

That is what they make scopes for.

The rage on Buffalo Bore and their ammo and claims can be duplicated by handloading at max and beyond max pressure, but we handloaders seem to get pounded for using such loads and Buffalo bore gets praised and claims no pressure..That, my friends is Bull Shit.

BB 38-55 ammo for your 375 Win (.377" dia., higher pressure in your .375 bore) ?

https://www.buffalobore.com/in...?l=product_list&c=50

Why not use BB 375 Win ammo?

https://www.buffalobore.com/in...l=product_list&c=236

Buffalo Bore ammo may be a bit scarce out here and since I got the .45-70 my inclination to use the .375 Winchester for sambar has subsided. However, had I known of such ammo two years ago I might have been tempted to use the .375 BB version.

Yes, Ray, they do sound a bit hot. Somehow I'm inclined to wonder if these loads owe something to the concept of the 356 Win, which IIRC aimed to approach 358 Win ballistics in an action with slightly less strength than the original reinforced BB one, after they trimmed the R/H side to allow for side ejection. I seem to recall that Winchester lost their nerve after a while, though, at least in regard to handloads.

I don't imagine the cases last long.

PS: with the short barrel, my front sight is a fraction furry, too. I guess we just need to learn which part of the fur represents bullet impact.

They have to have higher pressure, but I ma confident in Big Bore beefed up frame, plus the easy extraction. I "would" have bought the BB 375 Win ammo if I could have found some, but where I found it, the Heavy 38-55 was the better price anyhow.

I see they have .45-70 (magnum) ammo for single shot and bolt action rifles, 350gr TSX at 2150 fps muzzle speed (39,000 psi) -

https://www.buffalobore.com/in...l=product_list&c=234

I load the 350gr TSX a bit hotter at 2450 fps muzzle speed in my .45-70 Ruger No.1. Norma lists 58,000 psi, assumed to be for the No.1 -

https://www.norma-ammunition.c...overnment-58000-psi/

I have a marlin 375. If you look at the print for a 375 win, you will see it has a huge throat. In fact you are likely to see erosion on any 375 win rifle that has been shot to any extent. That throat length means, standard loads have lower pressure. Or, you can seat a long bearing surface bullet out and gain capacity in the case. It amounts to the same thing. A sectioned 375 case will show you it is way stronger then 30-30 brass. The Marlin at least, will let you know when you start to get near the pressure limit with a sticky lever. I use fireformed 30-30 or 38-55 brass to work up loads. Then drop a couple grains and work up with 375 brass.
The cast bullets I use in my Marlin are unsized .377 dia. They shoot very well at top velocities.

oversized is right.
I shoot 379 in both the win 94 and the marlin 375.
ramping up a 270gr bullet to 1800 fps. might be safe enough, but the Winchester rifle will knock your fillings out.
the marlin handles the recoil much better.

38-55 cases will work but your reaching out into the ball seat area with them.
you'll have better accuracy with a long bulbous nose shape on the bullet that fills that area.

I have one of those Ranch Dog molds, made just for filling the long throat in the 375. It works very, very well. No leading at even highest vel.

I'm beginning to warm to the Buffalo Bore concept except that accepting the entrance provision on their website seems to have allowed naughty girls to pop up ads on my computer.

I had not known that 375 Winchester chambers were in fact long enough to accept untrimmed .38-55 brass or that .377" bullets would happily swage down to .375" in the throat.

They say that the original 375 BB ammo drove the 250-grain bullet at about 1950fps - news to me, too.

I'm thinking now that if I could find either the Buffalo Bore .375 or .38-55 ammo I might buy some because Winchester only loads 200-grain bullets now and the extra oomph should make them less marginal for our big deer, even if the cases could not be used again.

While I'm still trying to work up a good load for the .45-70, the 375W is a much handier rifle and mine has a Lyman 66 peep sight - a bit easier to use than the 86's tang sight.

Yes, the Mod 94 feels like the 94/22 magnum in my hands, ha. It doesn't take a lot to make it "snappy".

A long throat will allow more powder and at the same pressure and get more velocity, I will give you that, I have used the concept for years with my bolt guns..but the lever guns have limited pressure numbers that have to be delt with is a worry I would have..I think it would work but I fear many do not have the reloading skills to really know where max is. I know a 99 Savage needs to be loaded 2 grs. below max in most, in some the book max works with max loads for 1 or sometimes 2 loadings then head seperations show up..just an example but the 99 is much stronger than the other lever guns..

I also feel that Buffalo Bore in order to serve all the public with all manner of guns is selling blue sky or sitting on a time bomb of a law suit if, in fact, the chronograph tells the truth and I don't anyone that has tested these loads on a chronograph or sent them out for testing and nobody has told me the specs of their claimed loads?? Im not say they are not on to something, they may well be, but I am suspicious of advertised claims..If Im wrong prove it..

I have chrono'd some of BB 45-70 loads. They were a little ( 20 something FPS) faster then advertised. Expansion was 3 thou. just in front of the rim. About the same as my handloads with new brass. No sticky lever in my Marlin, so pressure was with-in reason.

Count me in for testing some of the Buffalo Bore offerings. I've used their 405gr flat nose soft points. They indeed proved to be pretty close to what they advertised in my Marlin .45-70 GBL. No sticky lever or extraction problems detected. A very nice load for big black bears.

I'm sorry Ray but it appears that you wish for them not to work but they have been around for some time and are well proven. If there was a problem I'm sure everybody would have heard about it by now.

I've shot far more of their handgun ammo than rifle. I used to love using 1911s ( before my hands got really sore!) all I did was put a heavier recoil spring in and used the 230FN +P for woods load. I also shot a lot of their 230 Bonded HP +P, even in some Defensive Handgun courses. Stout, and brass reloaded after.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
A long throat will allow more powder and at the same pressure and get more velocity, I will give you that, I have used the concept for years with my bolt guns..but the lever guns have limited pressure numbers that have to be delt with is a worry I would have..I think it would work but I fear many do not have the reloading skills to really know where max is. I know a 99 Savage needs to be loaded 2 grs. below max in most, in some the book max works with max loads for 1 or sometimes 2 loadings then head seperations show up..just an example but the 99 is much stronger than the other lever guns...

I'm inclined to take your warnings seriously, Ray. As to using the long throat in the 94BB, I've found the action is too short to make much use of it, with Woodleigh Hydro monos, at least.

That's where a cast bullet comes in. You can get one with a great deal of weight in the nose. Kind of like LWN Long wide nose, pistol bullets.

Cougarz,
Why do you think I am wishing that BB won't work, quite the opposite, and that is why I asked for imput discussing the pros and cons based solely on my handloading experience..

I do hope they are on to something, but I have questions that need to be answered, nobody has told me how many times a case can be reloded in a springy mod. 94 action..or quoted me accurate muzzle velocity..I hope questions don't offend, Im as interested as anyone on this thread, I just can't figure out the claims in relation to mod. 94s or Marlin 336s for instance. I shoot the levers as much as the next guy and most won't shoot book max as a matter of fact..If they can back up the claims Im very interested, but Im suspicious if that's Ok with ya'll..

Ray,

Have you tried asking them?

BB lists their 400 grn as 2,000 fps, as I said, my Marlin 22" barrel clocked them at 2024 fps ave.
Speer lists 56 grns of H322 with a 400 grn, that load does 1940 fps ave in my rifle. That load was tested in Speers Marlin, same barrel length, and according to speer, does not exceed 35,000 CUP.
As the .444 is loaded to 44,000 CUP, with the same receiver, I had no worry of up-ing slightly.
I stopped at 2000 fps. This load shows the same 3 thou initial new brass expansion as the BB ammo I tested.
I did learn, long before trying my only box of BB's ammo, the only way to get good accuracy and Velocity was by using a Lee factory crimp die. Night and day difference. That H322 likes to be held back while it builds up some steam!
I loaded the same batch of cases using the same load, 6 times with no case loss, then gave up counting. I did trim them once, but the Lee die really helps with not ruining the case mouths like a roll crimp can. And I say this, despite not being a big Lee fan!
Accuracy, BB's ammo, 1-3/4" at 110 yds, my ammo, right about the same, sometimes 1-1/2". Might do better if more then a 2 1/2 power scope was used.

I loaded for the 375 win alot years ago .I used aa1680 powder that pushed the 375 win to its limits .I coukd get 2400 fps with. 220 grain bullet .I also shot single shot with speer 235 grain with aa1680 .I even loaded 300 gr fmj bullets with aa1680 and they really penetrated at 1800 fps.The 375 win has alot of bang for the buck reloaded .Those 94 big bore Winchester rifles are the strongest ones made for that caliber .

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
That's where a cast bullet comes in. You can get one with a great deal of weight in the nose. Kind of like LWN Long wide nose, pistol bullets.

Thanks, yes I've heard of people loading quite heavy bullets in it. I do have a 275-grain bullet mould but have never used it - even in retirement life can get busy.

This topic reminds me of a question I have wanted to ask for some time. Hornady used to market something called Light Magnum.If my memory is correct they claimed their 30-06 would match 300 Winchester Magnum performance.They said it used a special powder not available to a loader and it also involved a special technique to fill the case.I never did hear if Hornady claims were true or what happened to that product.Does anyone remember this product and anything about it?

The light magnum line was replaced by the Superformance line.

The light magnum line was Hornaday’s response to a similar product first offered by Federal. I think Federal line was called high energy.

Steve Hornady said in an interview that some cartridges and caliber combos like the 280Rem would simply Not work with light magnum. He said the geometry caused pressure spikes. I never saw the light magnum loads chroned. I have seen Buffalo Bore Chroned. It makes the numbers.

I've used the Light Magnum 265gr 444 marlin stuff. It was a warm load. I used the 30-06 180 LM load on elk, it went 2910fps in the 23" Douglas barrel. The Federal High energy 180PT went 2970fps! But they stopped making them and the SF loads are not the equal of the Light Magnum stuff that I have tried.

Mr. Knight reminded me of something he Light Magnum loads were not safe in autoloaders. Hornady published Superformance loads across the board are slower than the Light Magnum. I think Federal High Energy lune has been discontinued.

The Federal High Energy line was discovered playing around with powders that would it spike in pressure in high heat environments for the military.

Thanks for your reply.I hear you about the pressure spikes.If I remember correctly,the light magnum was not recommended for semi automatics as the pressure signature might not cycle it properly.

I had hard bolt lifts with the 139sst/7mm-08 LM loads and witht he Federal HE in a couple rifles. It did not surprise me when they kind of fell by the wayside. I think we are finally getting some of those same speeds with the newer powders coming on the scene, R26 for example. Many others now. Its nice to have the speed coincide with accuracy, which has been 50-50 gamble for me with them though.