One of the most recent centerfire rifle hunting rounds is Remington’s new 360 Buckhammer. It is a new, 35 caliber straight-walled cartridge that is designed specifically for hunting with a lever action rifle.
There have been a few different cartridges that the new one is being compared to, and we’ve already discussed the ballistic difference between the 350 Legend and the 360 Buckhammer.
This time around, we’re going to show the differences in ballistics to the other main competitor to it, the 30-30 Winchester.
360 Buckhammer VS 30-30 Winchester:
I chose the below cartridges based on a few different reasons. First, they’re both developed by Remington in the same series which should help consistency. Second, they’re close to the same grain weight in projectile size.
Please note that the 360 shows a 50 yard zero and the 30-30 shows a 100 yard zero.
First is 360 BHMR —
This 360 Buckhammer ballistics chart shows 180 grain Remington Core-Lokt rounds:
| Muzzle | 100 YDS | 200 YDS | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 2399 | 1948 | 1557 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 2300 | 1517 | 969 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | -3.4 | -16.3 |
Next is 30-30 Win —
This 30-30 Winchester ballistics chart shows 170 grain Remington Core-Lokt rounds:
| Muzzle | 100 YDS | 200 YDS | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 2200 | 1894 | 1619 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 1827 | 1354 | 990 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | 0 | -8.4 |
It seems as if they’re ballistically on the same playing field, with the newer cartridge slightly beating the 30-30.
That said, if you’re comfortable with your 30-30 and have no need for a new rifle with a straight wall, I see no benefit in starting over.
