225gr 358win Buffalo Bore-Barnes Supercharged (2500fps) BLR Takedown

Discussion in 'Hunting' started by wafiwhacker, Mar 18, 2017.

  1. wafiwhacker

    wafiwhacker .22LR

    Has anyone else in this forum, used Buffalo Bore recently and had issues?

    I am a fan of Buffalo Bore (hence the purchase) and I will be in contact with Buffalo Bore (BB) to see if this is an one off or if this load isn't suitable in my rifle (it should be fine).

    I tend to trade rifles / firearms more than I outlay cash for a firearm. This sometimes is due to boredom (I'm trying to be honest here) or discontent with the rifle or caliber. I of course have my favorites that I do not intend on ever parting with.
    When I spend my hard earned money on a brand new gun, I fritter away hours on research to get the caliber and style of rifle right for its intended use. This BLR Takedown was a purchase.

    .358 Win and .35 Whelen are two calibers that are my favorites. I love the mid bores.
    This rifle was for my horse pack in trips in MT predominantly but was going to be my travel rifle for hog hunts in FL.

    Due to my work as a Captain of offshore commercial vessels traveling long distances for the last 20 years, reloading really wasn't an option until recently. My best recourse was quality factory ammunition to enjoy my range and hunting time at home.

    I don't have brand devotion, whatever my particular rifle likes I use.
    My Sendero 7mm Rem Mag Heavy Barrel loves Hornady 139gr SST Superformance, Kimber Mountain Ascent 308 loves HSM 168gr and my Browning X-Bolt 270 WSM love Federal Fusion 150gr. Just to name a few. I'm not trying to bash Buffalo Bore.

    When I first purchased my BLR Takedown, I was chomping at the bit to get it to the range. I'm sure you can imagine my disappointment when the first shot out of the rifle completely locked up the action and I had to use a rod with quite a bit of force to get the shell to eject.

    I muscled through 16 rounds that day. Every second one seemed to eject with a little effort but not bad. I tried to tell myself this was new rifle blues but I spent hours working the action to smooth it prior to the range trip. Extremely frustrating. I didn't even think to buy another box of ammo to take with me as I have always had full faith in BB.

    For the 2nd range trip, I purchased a box of Hornady 200gr Spire Points. These ran flawlessly and the groupings were VERY impressive.
    I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I would have to ship my rifle to Browning for a thorough checkup but after the Hornady ammo ran flawlessly and the rifle performed extremely well to 200 yds, I really don't see the need to change the combo. I preferred the idea of 225 grain for Elk but from what I've been reading, the 200 grain should get the job done.

    I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with this ammunition or do you believe it was a one off?
    Does anyone else have a load that works great in their BLR 358 Win?
    I guess it's time to start reloading...

    Thanks in advance!
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2017
  2. SHOOTER13

    SHOOTER13 Guest

    Sorry my friend...can't help you on this question.

    But stick around...I'm sure some member here will weigh in...
  3. Dantheman

    Dantheman Copper BB

    Well I just bought a few boxes of the Buffalo bore barnes TSX 225 for a moose hunt I am planning. I'll be shooting it soon (not delivered yet) so I will let you know if I have any issues. I've been shooting hornady 200gr SP factory ammo and winchester white box 200gr factory as well. Good accuracy and no issues with either. I purchased the Buffalo bore based on several reviews about the TSX bullet being sturdier and offering better penetration large game. I was planning on using my ruger m77 358 for the hunt but I will certainly try it in the BLR.
  4. wafiwhacker

    wafiwhacker .22LR

    I’ve had great success loading the 270Gr Barnes TSX FB in 375 H&H.
    I worked up some Hornady 250gr loads and it did better. This gun is just a 100-200yd gun and that’s fine. I’m not going to waste any more powder or bullets on load development at this time...


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  5. Norske

    Norske .410

    With its 1 in 12" rifling twist, your Browning should stabalize the long Barnes bullet well. But I might have one rifle out of my ten that shoots Barnes bullets accurately. If your barrel doesn't like them, Nosler has both a Partition and an Accubond 225gr bullet that should also serve well.
  6. Dantheman

    Dantheman Copper BB

    I have the exact same issue with my takedown. Hornady SP factory loads are great. Winchester silvertips no problem. But the Barnes buffalo bore is harder to extract. It does extract but requires more ummmphhh with the lever.

    I'm not an expert but perhaps the increased pressure of the round simply expands the casing more...resulting in the tightness / stiffness of extraction.

    I observed that the BB also has more recoil and was slightly more accurate. A little better grouping.

    So....i don't think it's an issue with the rifle. I think the round is indeed 'supercharged' and the result is a tight action during round extraction. Buffalo bore may be pushing the limits of pressure with this round, as I use Barnes ammunition in my .308 BLR and it cycles perfectly and I suspect it's just not loaded as hot.
  7. Norske

    Norske .410

    BB is loaded to the edge of pressure specs for each of the cartridges they sell. For an interesting experience with recoil, try their one oftheir 45-70 400gr bullet loads in a Marlin 1895. My range's chief safety officer wanted to try a 45-70 before buying one. He found my rifle very comfortable with Remington ammo and my cast bullet handload that was factory equivalent, interesting with a "modern lever action" handload, but wouldn't even try BB. So I fired one and he said my face moved on my skull, and he wanted no part of anything that kicked like a 12 gauge slug gun.
  8. Joesmoe3

    Joesmoe3 Copper BB

    I'm actually working in the other direction. Looking at the topic of recoil on ChuckHawks.com, empirical evidence suggests an upper limit of 15 ft lb free recoil energy for most shooters.

    I'm working reduced loads for my .385 Win to fall around that 15 ft lb figure.

    Hodgdon used to support reduced loads with a number of their powders, including H355, BL-C(2), Varget, H322, H450, H4350, and today the only reference from Hodgdon is for their H4895.

    IMR used to support reduced loads with their SR4759, which they have discontinued.

    The almost twin powder from Western is their Accurate 5744 for they provide luke-warm support for reduced loads.

    Shooters World (aka LOVEX) has their near equivalent Buffalo Powder which they explicitly suggest is suitable for reduced loads.
  9. Norske

    Norske .410

    If the Hornady 200 flex tip bullet is suitable for your targeted game, it will expand even with 35
    Remington velocities. 48 Gr IMR 3031 and that bullet makes connected-hole 5-shot groups at 100 yards over sandbag rest in my 358W BLR.
    Joesmoe3 likes this.

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