Buffalo Bore ammo .44 Mag

RickE

New member
Have any of you used Buffalo Bore .44 mag in 270/305/ or the huge 340 gr ammo for hunting deer, Elk or other large game? The 340 gr has a muzzle velocity of 1478 fps. That is approaching the .454 Casull. If you have used the 340gr, what was the recoil like, and what gun? I have a Super Blackhawk.
 
I just shot a .454 Casull for the first time the other day and it was manageable but harsh nevertheless. I shoot one handed for medical reasons and it didn't fly out of my hand, but it SNAPPED up and back very quickly. I suspect that the Buffalo Bore 340's will be very similar. Some people advise against using +P ammo that exceeds SAAMI pressures. I have been interested in the 340 ammo myself, so hopefully someone has an intelligent and informative answer. Sorry, can't really help but I want to know the answer myself.
 
As mentioned, any loads that go beyond SAAMI specs will shorten the life of the piece dramatically. If you want to shoot 454 ballistics, get a 454. A 340gr @1478 in a 48 ounce 44 Mag will have fierce recoil speed and blast. One thing to consider is how far can you hold 5 shots in a 4" circle, offhand? That should determine the caliber.
 
I shoot the .41 mag hardcasts, 265gr 1350fps. Makes shooting PMC hollowpoints downright tame. I use them for bear defense only though, no hunting. On something thin skinned you want more expansion anyway.
 
Yes, I have shot the .305's at deer. Does a good job and the recoil is fairly stiff. I've probably shot less than a dozen rounds of the stuff, a few to make sure the poi matched my usual loads, then I've shot a few hunting.
 
Buffalo Bore spells out that these loads should only be used is a short list of revolvers. And, it says they load right to the sammi maximum.
 
Ive shot several hogs with my 44 mag and the 340gr BB out of my Super Black Hawk in a 4 & 5/8 barrel.. Recoil is heavy but not to bad at all. It shoots about 4-6 inches high at 30 yards compared to the normal 240gr rounds i shoot. My father took a large hog (465lbs) with his using the same BB 340gr rounds the bullet entered the upper right shoulder blade and exited the other side, breaking both shoulders and killing the hog were he stood.
 
Ive shot several hogs with my 44 mag and the 340gr BB out of my Super Black Hawk in a 4 & 5/8 barrel.. Recoil is heavy but not to bad at all. It shoots about 4-6 inches high at 30 yards compared to the normal 240gr rounds i shoot. My father took a large hog (465lbs) with his using the same BB 340gr rounds the bullet entered the upper right shoulder blade and exited the other side, breaking both shoulders and killing the hog were he stood.

I saw on another site the breakdown of SAAMI stats. The average .44 round is 36,000 PSI, The maximum recommended is 40,000 and not to exceed 43,500. The Garrett 330 gr comes in at the 43500 level.

The Buffalo Bore according to this other site in 340 gr is 48,000 - 50,000 PSI. The person that developed the round states he has shot over 5000 of these bullets in his standard Redhawk with no noted damage to date. Most of us that would purchase such a bullet would likely never shoot more than a couple hundred over a lifetime, they ain't for plinking.

I might go ahead and carry them if I am in grizzly country since they give me .454 level action, but you do have to be careful about the crimp jumping on subsequent rounds. One reviewer didn't have any jump crimp in the first 6 but it is something that could happen.
 
I shoot the 270 grain buffalo bore .44 mag +p load in both my 5.5" redhawk and 7.5" super blackhawk and recoil is not that bad. It's a little stiffer than regular 240 grain hunting loads like the federal fusion, powershock, speer gold dot, etc. Never thought I needed anything hevier though because this load is pretty stout. It pushes 1460 fps with a 270 grain bullet out of a 5.5" redhawk and delivers 1260 ft lbs of energy. I would recommend giving this load a try if you want something hotter than normal but not over the top.
 
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I thought about Garrett, But did not want to spend $100 on a box of 50. Do they sell smaller boxes (20 rnds)? Also, the BB 305gr load may be a good choice.
 
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