I'm originally from the northeast and my .308 is locked up in the safe. I'm tired of hunting with a scattergun in Southern Illinois. I was just getting ready to break out my old Savage 24V .357 over 20 gauge break action and bore it over to .357 Maximum to start load development for deer hunting in the fall. I agree with Deep Six on the K1A but, in a modern derivative of the .38-55. I was just looking at this beautiful Lipseys K1A in .30-30 which is based on the same .38-55 cartridge.
Lipsey’s Exclusive Ruger No. 1 K1A Light Sporter in .30-30 Winchester offers single-shot elegance. Find out more about this modern classic.
gundigest.com
Drop in a new .360 Buckhammer barrel, also based on the very same cartridge, which falls neatly between the two calibers and combines the best of bullet sectional density vs. velocity for a perfect mid-range deer rifle. I'd venture to say it would do well for bear, elk, or moose as well if needed.
Commercial Remington 180gr. ammo zeroed at a maximum point blank range (MPBR) of 180yds is +3" high @ 100yds and -3" drop @ 210yds and is listed @ 980ft/lbs @ 200yds. Ditch the round nose and handload Fury's 180gr. spitzer zero at 110yds is +3" @ 110yds and -3" @ near 230yds w/ 1250ft/lbs of energy. I love leverguns but high BC pointy bullets and single shots rule. I havent done any load development but, assuming you can pick up another 2000 fps by drropping down to a 158gr. Fury spitzer, zero @ 205yds is +3 @ 120yds and -3 @ about 240yds w/ 1150ft/lbs left. Now thats what I call Flat and Lethal ! If you want to extend out just a bit further drop in a Cutting Edge 160gr. ER Copper tipped bullet with a BC of 0.335 zero @ 125yds gets +3" @ 125yds and -3" @ 250yds w/ 1415ft/lbs of deer dropping energy. Let me say, "safety first" The great thing about a Ruger No. 1 is ithe action is strong as hell and made to handle pressures over 60,000 PSI from some of the most powerfull magnum cartridges. Push these bullets a bit and who knows how much more we can squeeze out of them. The Buckhammer is a brand new round and there is not a lot of existing data to work from. I admit, these ballistics are all based on advertised specifications and available load data compared with available case volumes, pressures, and powder burn rates. Assumptions were made on expected velocity increases of 30ft/sec per inch based on a 24" barrel. Every rifle, even two exactly alike, will act differently to the same ammunition. Your mileage may vary.
Here's a link to the ballistics:
http://www.shooterscalculator.com/ballistic-trajectory-chart.php?t=5e560b82
Coincidently, Remington is now advertising the additions of 180gr. CoreLokt Tipped and 160gr. CoreLokt Copper to the .360 lineup.
I like a good bit of knock down for my bang stick and a deer will certainly feel a 300gr.+ 45-70 but so will my ageing shoulder. The Buckhammer has about half the recoil of the powerful 45-70.
I also like to keep it simple. Deer have about an 8" kill zone, so at 6" to allow for a margin of error gives +3" mid-range-trajectory, set my scope zero to MPBR lock the range dial down and leave it be. Near 100yds is +3" holdover, 200yds (±20yds) is zero, and max range of 210yds to 250yds is -3" depending on bullet. If I'm in a hurry I can just aim dead center on the kill zone and DRT. If I decide I want to do the math for a long shot the Cutting Edge ER is still just -9" @ 300yds w/ 1260ft/lbs left to kill.
With the right bullet the Buckhammer ballistics compares very closely to the .243 Winchester.
When limited to straight wall cartridges .35 caliber is the goldilocks cartridge for energy transfer in a flat shooting straight wall rifle. Smaller diameter bullets dont have the mass to deliver enough energy to kill at distance, and larger caliber bullets fly like a brick quickly shedding velocity and constraining them to a rainbow trajectory. Four straight wall cartridges are available to select from in this caliber in order of case capacity; .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, .350 Legend, and .360 Buckhammer. .357 Mag is limited to arbout 200yds @ 850ft/lbs but can be bored over to .357 Maximum to net just shy of 225yds @ 1050ft/lbs. The action must be capable of the increased pressure from 30,000 to 35,000 PSI. The Savage 24 was available in both configuarations, maximum versions are rare. The Ruger No. 1 was also available in .357 for a single year run in 1988 and is highly collectable. That leaves the two newcomers; the .350 Legend designed rimless to cycle in the autoloading AR platform (not your traditional hunting rifle) and the Baby Huey of the bunch, the rimmed Buckhammer (rimmed cartridges lend themselves to better headspacing in the falling block and break action single shots.
These .35 caliber rifle would all make fine hunting rifles compared to a scattergun. And, as a final benefit for those that reload can be much less expensive to shoot than thier big bore bretheren.
I say we all get together a group purchase and get a Lipsey's exclusive KA1 request for the "Single Shot that Won th Midwest"
I'll take two of those Ruger No. 1s in .360 Buckhammer thank you very much. And they will be worth every penny.
If Ruger wont Listen, Mayby we'll have to see if Winchester will do an 1885 Low Wall. Damn the torpedos full speed ahead !
