Handgun Ammunition

Buffalo Bore loads their ammunition with the highest quality components available to maximize the performance of the ammunition. This ammunition is safe to use in all 357 Magnum chambered firearms with steel frames that are in proper working condition. This ammunition is new production, non-corrosive, in boxer primed, reloadable brass cases. If a shooter is recoil sensitive it is not recommended that this ammunition be fired from revolvers weighing less than 16 oz., due to the amount of recoil generated.

Owner of Buffalo Bore Tim Sundles on Buffalo Bore Tactical Short Barrel 357 Magnum Ammunition:

Typical full power 357 magnum loads offer several tactical problems for use in self-defense and duty applications, especially when used in the shorter/lighter revolvers that are typical of concealed, defensive and duty carry. First, the muzzle flash can be blinding, especially from short barrels. Second, felt recoil can be a life-threatening drawback if fast follow-up shots are required. Third, the level of report can be deafening and cause permanent hearing loss, especially if fired indoors.

All three Buffalo Bore Tactical Short Barrel loads address the above problems and make the 357 magnum ideal for concealed, defensive and duty carry in smaller revolvers.

Muzzle flash: These exciting new 357 magnum loads utilize a flash suppressed powder that will not blind you, should you need to drop the hammer in a low light situation. It is estimated that over 90% of all defensive civilian shootings in the U.S. happen in low light-that is when the criminal element is at work. Wouldn’t it be horrible if you fired at an assailant, in the dark, to protect your family, only to find that you missed the bad guy and you are now blind due to your own muzzle flash? This is a scenario that has happened many times in the real world with the 357 magnum. Through the use of our non-canister, flash suppressed powder, the tactical problem of blinding muzzle flash is now greatly reduced with Buffalo Bore’s new Tactical Short Barrel loads!

Recoil: Felt recoil is exacerbated by the use of shorter barreled, smaller framed, lighter weight 357 revolvers, typically used for concealed and duty carry. The new Buffalo Bore Tactical Short Barrel 357 loads are not the normal full power “barn burner”, 357 magnum loads we make and as such, felt recoil is substantially reduced, although they remain very powerful. Hence, deadly, and faster follow-up shots are more possible.

Your ears: Most folks don’t think of the level of “report” as being a problem during a life threatening/defensive shooting and that may be correct for the actual moment of conflict. However, to lose some of your hearing for the rest of your life, following the shooting incident, is unnecessary and undesirable. Full power 357 magnum ammunition is deafening, even more so when fired from short barrels and even worse if you are required to shoot from an enclosed area such as a vehicle or indoors. Buffalo Bore’s Tactical Short Barrel 357 magnum loads are not as hard on your hearing as full power ammunition. Although the use of hearing protection is still desirable, if possible, when using this ammo.

For those who wish to carry a 357 magnum revolver for potential “conflict resolution”, these new Buffalo Bore loads put an end to the “tactical” draw backs associated with our regular 357 magnum ammo. These loads are great for use in longer barreled firearms too.

We could have reduced the recoil, flash and blast even more by “watering down” these loads further than we did, but then you wouldn’t have a real 357 magnum in your hands. So we looked for and found a balance between very powerful, fight stopping ammo that recoils and flashes much less than ours and some other makers, full power 357 loads. If we were to “water down” this “Tactical Short Barrel” 357 ammo any more, we would simply not manufacture it and suggest that you use our 38 SPL+P ammunition.

None of these loads caused crimp/bullet jump (in five shots) in my 12 OZ. Scandium S&W Model 340, but they did generate considerable felt recoil.

Item 19F/20-140gr. (jacketed hollow cavity) @ 1,150 fps from a 2.5 inch barreled S&W mod. 66. Designed to mushroom and penetrate deeply-roughly 12 to 14 inches in human tissue.

• S&W mod. 340PD 1-7/8 inch barrel -1,088 fps (368 ft. lbs.)
• S&W mod. 66 2.5 inch barrel -1,156 fps (415 ft. lbs.)
• S&W mod. 65 3 inch barrel -1,246 fps (483 ft. lbs.)
• S&W Mt. Gun 4 inch barrel -1,321 fps (542 ft. lbs.)
• Colt Python 6 inch barrel -1,286 fps (514 ft. lbs.)

For those wanting the deep-for-weight penetration of the all copper (lead free) Barnes XPB 140gr. bullet in a Tactical loading, here it is. We use low flash powder so the shooter will not be blinded by his own gunfire, as nearly all self defense shootings in America occur in low light when the criminal element is out and about.

Expect roughly 22+ inches of penetration in flesh and bone and a mushroom of roughly 55 caliber, with this load. These figures vary with differing impact velocities and amount of bone or heavy clothing encountered.

Our Tactical 357 mag. ammo generates less felt recoil and blast (flash and noise) than our Heavy 357 mag. load and as such is a better choice for those carrying light weight short barreled revolvers. This is still a full power 357 mag. load, (but not nearly as powerful as our Heavy 357 mag. ammunition)but allows for faster follow-up shots and greater shooting comfort.

This load is safe to use in any/all 357 mag. chambered firearms, as are all of our Tactical 357 mag. loads even those with light weight alloy cylinders and frames.

As always, Buffalo Bore refuses to get involved with the industry wide duplicitous practice of using extra long laboratory barrels to generate our published velocities. Doing so is dishonest to the customer as he/she will never be able to generate such velocities with real world firearms, in the real world, where it matters. Please note our real world velocities, fired from real world firearms:

• 1401 fps — Marlin 1894, 18 inch
• 1225 fps — S&W Mod 27, 5 inch
• 1246 fps — S&W MT. Gun, 4 inch
• 1199 fps — S&W Mod 66, 3 inch
• 1149 fps — S&W Mod 66, 2.5 inch

You’ll note that the more modern 4 inch S&W shoots faster velocities than the older 5 inch S&W. This is not a typo and is due to differing internal barrel dynamics of the two revolvers. GENREALLY speaking, newer S&W revolvers generate faster velocities than the older S&W’s, although we occasionally see an older S&W that shoots faster than a new one. Truth is that each firearm, no matter who made it or what model or date of manufacture, is a law unto itself.